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Wolverineis one of the most popular heroes from Marvel’s X-Men, thanks to the multiple stories he’s had throughout the years in the comics and the iconic portrayal of the character in cinema by Hugh Jackman. As forDeadpool,he became popular rather quickly, considering that he’s relatively new in the comics, and his style also made a huge success in cinema thanks to Ryan Reynolds.
Thus, the movie Deadpool & Wolverine just felt right, and it was, as expected, very successful thanks to the writing, the jokes, the action, and the chemistry between the characters. And that made us wonder: are these characters' histories similar to the comics? What is it like to see them together over there?
Wolverine And Deadpool Origins
Wolverine
Wolverinedebuted in Incredible Hulk #180, released in 1974,as he helped Hulk fight against Wendigo. However, his origin was only explored later.James Howlett—Wolverine’s true name—was born in the late 1800sin a very dysfunctional family.His powers were triggered when his biological father killed the man James thought was his actual father.With his bone claws, he killed his biological father. After those events,he ran away and began using a different name—Logan.
Several years later,he was captured by the Weapon X Program and experimented on.Thanks to Logan’s healing factor, the scientists involved in the project realized they could try things that would normally kill other test subjects on Logan. Thus,they placed adamantium throughout his skeleton,giving Logan the metal claws we know him for.
Deadpool
Deadpooldebuted in New Mutants #98, released in 1991.He started off as a full-on villain with no backstory whatsoever and lacked the comedy he’s known for - though he already had a bit of dark humor. Eventually, his story was fleshed out asWade Wilson, a mercenary who gave up on life after discovering he had late-stage cancer and resorted to the Weapon X Program as a way to surviveand to be eventually recruited by them for missions.
After the experiments,he received a healing factor based on Wolverine’s,but the process disfigured his appearance. He was then left with other failed experiments, where sadistic scientists would compete to see which of the experiments died first, in a betting system they called the Dead Pool.All his near-death experiences made him meet and fall in love with Mistress Death,and they hit it off.
Thanos, who also loved Death, cursed Deadpool with true immortalityas a way to prevent Wade and Death from meeting again. After escaping, Deadpool continues his life as a wacky mercenary, becoming more of an anti-hero over the years.
First Encounter
Wade and Logan first met in Wolverine#88, and the encounter was extremely rocky. Deadpool wanted to kill his ex’s new boyfriend, while Wolverine stood in the way. This solidified the beginning of their relationship as enemies.
Despite Wolverine being the most brutal,Deadpool won their first fight.
Because of Deadpool’s nature, he worked well as an antagonist for Wolverine,and their fights always get to extremes due to the fact they can’t die. Still, that didn’t stop them from fighting and killing one another on multiple occasions at first.
Becoming Friends
Because of some similarities the characters have, such as the healing factor and the Weapon X Program background,Wolverine relates to Deadpool.This starts a trend where Wolverine tries to have Deadpool leave the villain’s side.
However, Deadpool is chaotic, and Wolverine is not the most patient guy, which meansthey also get into multiple fights.These fights end up becoming a way to blow off steam using one another.
Deadpool also hunts Logan down when there are contracts to kill him,which shows that when Deadpool is serious about fighting Wolverine, he tends to do extremely well. Due to the reasons surrounding those contracts, however, Wolverine ended up forgiving Deadpool.
How Are They Now?
It’s hard to give you a conclusive answer because their relationship will change even slightly from time to time, and it also depends on the comics' author. However,it’s safe to say that they reached a level of friendship- as they finally use the ‘friend’ word to one another - and they respect one another.
Wolverine is the main reason Deadpool is an anti-hero rather than a villain,too. Because of Logan, Wade becomes friends with many of the X-Men and is treated as an ally, even if they don’t have him around all the time, due to how chaotic he can be. In the end, Wolverine shows that Wade can bea great herowhen he wants to be.
Thus, considering the current state of these characters, you may call them friends, even if they still fight and kill each other from time to time - they can both take it, so why not? You also have more recent runs wherethey’ve done team-ups together or along with other X-Men or even the X-Force,which Wolverine actually invited Wade to be a part of.
