The History of Deadpool and Wolverine’s Relationship

Deadpool and Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of 2024. The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe also appears to be a final bow for the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel movies, as Ryan Reynolds is not only returning as Deadpool, but Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine seven years after retiring from the character with the critically acclaimed Logan. For many fans, this movie is years in the making, as Deadpool and Wolverine seemed to have been linked in the films for years.

The rivalry between Wolverine and Deadpool originates in Marvel Comics and has been teased for years in various X-Men films. Now that it is finally paying off, take a look back at the history of Wolverine and Deadpool. How do these two comic book characters created two decades apart by different creative teams become linked in such a way that it feels like it was always meant to be? Here is the history of Wolverine and Deadpool’s relationship, both in the comics and films.

Deadpool and Wolverine’s Comic History

Wolverine was created by Len Wein and John Romita Sr. and debuted in the final page of The Incredible Hulk #180 in October 1974. He later became a major character in the X-Men franchise during Chris Claremont’s incredible X-Men run which became so successful that there were multiple X-Men-themed spin-offs, including The New Mutants. This is where Deadpool would debut in New Mutants #98 in December 1990.

Deadpool and Wolverine first crossed paths four years after Deadpool debuted in Wolverine #88 in October 1994, not counting 1993’s Toys R UsX-Men Premium Edition, which had them in a group panel together. Wolverine and Deadpool fight briefly in Wolverine #88 but rarely interact. 2008’s Wolverine Origins would later establish when the two characters truly met during an encounter with The Winter Soldier. This became their true meeting in the Marvel Universe canon, but Deadpool’s origin is tied to Wolverine’s.

Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld was a big fan of Wolverine, so he incorporated elements of his backstory into the character. Deadpool’s original origin had him joining the Weapon X program after being kicked out of the U.S. Army Special Forces and given an artificial healing factor based on Wolverine’s. Deadpool is also Canadian, as is his actor, Ryan Reynolds.

Deadpool and Wolverine have had many different interactions in the comics. They’ve fought and been allies and on the same team before. Deadpool and Wolverine were both members of the Uncanny X-Force, which happened because Wolverine invited Deadpool to join the team. While the two certainly have come to blows on several occasions, they also have a lot of shared history. Wolverine respects Deadpool, sometimes begrudgingly, while Deadpool has a deep admiration for Wolverine. Most recently, the two fought Apocalypse together in X-Men #35, which marked the end of the Krakoan era for the X-Men comics.

The Early Days of Deadpool and Wolverine On-Screen

When it came time to make an X-Men movie, Wolverine was certainly going to be in it. After a last-minute casting replacement, Hugh Jackman played Wolverine in 2000’s X-Men. The movie was a massive hit and turned Hugh Jackman into one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. While X-Men is an ensemble comic, Wolverine quickly became the star of the movies, with X2: X-Men United exploring his origin while X-Men: The Last Stand put him as the team’s new leader.

Then, in 2009, X-Men Origins: Wolverine hit theaters. The movie promised to delve further into the Weapon X program that was only teased in X2: X-Men United. This meant expansions for characters like Sabretooth, the introduction of fan-favorite X-Men characters like Silverfox, Gambit, and Blob, and also the cinematic debut of Deadpool.

Ryan Reynolds was cast to play Deadpool, and it was the perfect casting for a number of reasons that can be traced back to 2004. That was the year Reynolds was filming Blade: Trinity and an executive told him he would be a great Deadpool. That same year, in Cable and Deadpool #2 by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Brooks, Deadpool breaks the fourth wall and says he looks like “I look like a cross between Ryan Reynolds and a shar-pei.”

Reynolds picked up this comic and began lobbying for the role, eventually landing it. While originally intended only as a cameo, Fox later expanded the part but drastically altered the character to the point they sewed up in his mouth. Deadpool was turned in Weapon XII and was made as the final big boss fight for Wolverine and Sabretooth in the film.

The Rise of Deadpool

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a critical disappointment, yet Reynolds still had hope for a Deadpool movie. After years of development and 20th Century Fox not moving forward on a Deadpool movie, the test footage for the film leaked online in 2014 to rapturous praise from fans, and the studio finally decided to move forward on the film, using the timeline reset in that summer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past to disregard Deadpool’s prior appearance.

Deadpool opened in theaters on February 12, 2016, and was a critical and box office hit, becoming the highest-grossing film in the X-Men franchise at that point. The film contained numerous references to Hugh Jackman, Wolverine, and the two prior X-Men films. Yet, a crossover between the two characters seemed never to happen fully, as at Comic-Con 2016, Jackman announced that Logan would be his last time playing Wolverine.

A Deadpool short played before Logan, and then in 2018’s Deadpool 2, the character uses the opening of the film to call out Wolverine dying. The only time Wolverine and Deadpool shared the screen was in Deadpool 2‘s end credits scene, where Deadpool goes back in time to kill his X-Men Origins: Wolverine counterpart and shares a moment with Wolverine, using archival footage of Hugh Jackman.

Yet comic book fans’ dreams of seeing Deadpool and Wolverine on screen together were confirmed in 2022 when Ryan Reynolds not only officially announced Deadpool & Wolverine (then called Deadpool 3) but also that Hugh Jackman would return as Wolverine. The video not only played off the history of Deadpool and Wolverine in the comics but also stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s real-life friendship and history of trolling one another.

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds’s Friendly Trolling

Jackman and Reynolds first met when they co-starred in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was filmed from 2007 to 2008. Yet their friendly rivalry, where the two would poke fun at one another on social media, didn’t start until 2015 as Deadpool was in production. The two had a friendly rivalry on social media from 2015 to 2018. In February 2019, the two made a “truce,” with the two agreeing to do advertisements for the other company. Reynolds appeared in an ad for Jackman’s Laughing Man Coffee, while Jackman recorded an ad for Reynold’s Aviation Gin.

Yet the “feud” resumed back in 2020 and continues to play out even now in the marketing for Deadpool & Wolverine. The two actors certainly channel a lot of their characters’ comic book frustration with one another and have a fun time making it the hook of the movie. Fans are excited to see Wolverine and Deadpool, as well as Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, together after all this time. Fifteen years since the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and 30 years since the two first crossed paths in the comics, Deadpool & Wolverine is a movie event fans have been waiting for in more ways than one.