Famously set to forces with Wolverine on the big screen, Deadpool has a long solo career beyond his association with the mutant with the adamantium claws. Ever since his debut in 1991’s New Mutants #98, Deadpool has gone on to become a pillar of the Marvel Universe, a character who has captured fans’ imaginations for over thirty years now.

Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool is one of the few superheroes to debut in the last thirty years to make an impact, going on to become the most popular fictional characters in the world today. Skirting the line between hero and villain for most of his history, Deadpool operates completely outside of the simple morality often seen in most superhero comics. The fourth wall-breaking sense of humor also allows the character to poke fun at many of the classic tropes found in comics, leading to some of the best Deadpool comics of all time.

15 Death of Wolverine: Deadpool & Captain America #1

by Gerry Duggan & Scott Kolins

Taking place following the death of Wolverine in the 2014 miniseries of the same name, this one-shot explores the odd relationship between Deadpool and Captain America. Steve Rogers is one of the people who Deadpool respects fully, so seeing the two team up following the death of Wolverine makes this a fascinating story. Wade teams with Steve to prevent Logan’s DNA from falling into the wrong hands, and much hilarity ensues. This was also when Steve Rogers lost his super soldier serum, causing his body to age in real time and adding a further wrinkle to his bizarre relationship with Deadpool.

14 “Murder in Paradise”

Cable & Deadpool #13-14 by Fabian Nicieza & Patrick Zircher

The long-running Cable & Deadpool series paired together Rob Liefeld’s two most famous Marvel characters, and the result was some of the better superhero comics to come out of 2000’s-era Marvel. “Murder in Paradise” is perhaps the most fun story of the entire run, as Deadpool is tasked with solving the murder of the world’s most wanted terrorist on the floating island of Providence. When Deadpool realizes he himself is a suspect, the story only gets more twisted from there. Watching Deadpool play detective is half the fun, and the two-issue murder mystery makes for a very compelling read.

13 “Acts of Evil!”

Deadpool Annual (2019) #1 by Dana Schwartz & Reilly Brown

This tie-in to the Acts of Evil mini-event in 2019 is a one-off story that sees Deadpool being hired by an eight-year-old boy to deal with his bad dreams, which eventually brings him into conflict with the villainous Nightmare. As the debut comic by writer Dana Schwartz, the story captures all the hilarity and action necessary for a successful Deadpool comic, with Reilly Brown’s artwork skillfully bringing it to life on the comic book page. Like all the best Deadpool stories, there’s a lot of emotion hiding beneath the hijinks, as the heavy reveal at the climax will attest.

12 “Dead Presidents”

Deadpool (Vol 5) #1-6 by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn & Tony Moore

Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn begin their landmark run with this arc, highlighting the madcap, character-driven zaniness that would become their trademark approach. The story sees the former SHIELD agent Necromancer raising deceased U.S. presidents from the grave to take control of America, with the only person standing in their way being everyone’s favorite Merc with a Mouth. Duggan and Posehn get the voice and tone exactly right for this ultraviolent romp, and Tony Moore’s artwork is an excellent blend of cartoony and disturbing, making this the perfect kick-off to one of the all-time great Deadpool runs.

11 “A Kiss, A Curse, A Cure”

Deadpool and Death Annual #1 by Joe Kelly & Steve Harris

This annual by Joe Kelly and Steve Harris finds Deadpool confronting Death herself after he is nearly killed by Ajax. Wade gets a flashback to his whole life, learning things he had previously forgot or never knew about his time as a test subject in Weapon X. It’s a much more philosophical tale than Deadpool usually stars in, but the nature of Wade constantly cheating Death due to his healing factor makes for an interesting dilemma to explore in this oversized annual, something that Kelly excelled at during his game-changing run on the character.

10 “Bullseye”

Deadpool (vol. 4) 10-12 by Daniel Way & Paco Medina

The Deadpool series launched in 2008 is a big part of the character’s resurgence of popularity in the late 2000’s, and this storyline is a good example of what made the run so successful. Occurring during Marvel’s Dark Reign event, the story sees Deadpool being hunted by Bullseye, currently masquerading as Hawkeye of Norman Osborn’s Avengers team of former super-villains. Deadpool helped Osborn repel the Skrulls during the Secret Invasion event, and the former Green Goblin is looking to cancel Deadpool’s debt by cancelling Wade, instead.

Bullseye/Hawkeye proves to be a significant challenge for Deadpool, as the two ultimately realize they’re not so different from one another. Daniel Way’s run was marked by humorous superhero action in the great Deadpool tradition, and Paco Medina’s bouncy artwork keeps the violent hijinks lively and fun. It’s a nonstop fight between two superior assassins, and the ways in which both opponents constantly one-up each other makes for a highly-entertaining read.

9 “Deadpool: The Major Motion Picture”

X-Men Origins: Deadpool #1 by Duane Swierczynski & Leandro Fernandez

Years before the 2016 Deadpool feature film was a reality, Wade Wilson enlisted his own screenwriter to tell his story for the silver screen. Sitting down for an interview to tell his life story, Deadpool reveals previously-untold aspects of his origin for this fourth wall-breaking romp, if the Merc with a Mouth’s version of events can be trusted. All the regulars show up here in this retelling of Deadpool’s origins, as we see him encounter longtime frenemies such as Cable and Wolverine for the first time.

Duane Swierczynski skillfully condenses Wade’s origin into forty pages, and the conceit of having Deadpool retell his origin to a screenwriter making a movie of his life is a novel concept. It also has one hell of a payoff, as Deadpool attends his own movie’s premiere and is shocked to discover the filmmakers have taken some liberties with his life story. Needless to say, he expresses his disappointment in a very “Deadpool” way. All of it is skillfully rendered by Leandro Fernandez, whose stylish artwork perfectly complements the story.

8 “Healing Factor”

Deadpool (vol. 3) #65-69 by Gail Simone & UDON

Gail Simone’s run on Deadpool begins with this story, and it is easily one of best in the character’s history. So many classic characters and concepts are introduced in “Healing Factor,” which sees Wade start “Deadpool Inc.,” a business devoted to handling his many assassination contracts. The story sees the introduction of Inez “Outlaw” Temple, a fellow mercenary who shares a flirtatious relationship with Wade.

The story sees Wade at the mercy of the Black Swan, the latest in a long family line of assassins who wishes to take Deadpool out of the game permanently. He accomplishes this by slowly poisoning Deadpool with a drug that saps his healing factor, leading to a deadly climax that many fans won’t see coming. With the anime-inspired art of the UDON collective of artists, the storyline keeps the action and plot twists coming at a fast clip. This is also the introduction of Wade’s hesitant team-up with former rival Taskmaster, a relationship that would bear fruit later on.

7 Deadpool MAX #1-12

By David Lapham & Kyle Baker

While Deadpool is famous today for his very R-rated movies, for a long time the character was still bound to the Comics Code, PG-themed stories found in Marvel titles. Deadpool MAX was the first time the character was allowed to exist in an “Adults Only” context thanks to the MAX imprint, Marvel’s line of comics for mature readers. Wildly profane and shamelessly unredeemable, the series straddles the line between the humorous and the disturbing like no other Deadpool story in history.

The out-of-continuity story is told mostly by Bob, who here is reimagined into a C.I.A operative charged with being Deadpool’s handler. Struggling to keep Wade in check, all twelve issues of Deadpool MAX find the two in one shocking, convoluted event after another. David Lapham’s script skillfully alternates between juvenile and psychoanalytic, but the real highlight here is Kyle Baker’s incredible artwork, which reads like an ultraviolent issue of MAD Magazine. It’s a comic that won’t appeal to all tastes, which is precisely what makes it an appropriate romp for Deadpool.

6 Deadpool: Pulp #1-4

By Adam Glass, Mike Benson & Laurence Campbell

It’s markedly different from every other Deadpool story out there, but that’s precisely what makes this one special. As a kind of side-story to the Marvel: Noir line of books, Deadpool: Pulp reimagines Wade Wilson as a WWII veteran dealing with severe trauma from his time in a Japanese prison camp. To cope, Wade’s personality is split right down the middle, leading to him donning a red and black mask to operate as the deadliest assassin at the C.I.A’s beck and call.

Wade is called in by General Cable and General Stryfe to recover a stolen nuclear briefcase. Complicating matters is the fact that it was stolen by Deadpool’s old flame Outlaw, a fellow C.I.A. assassin who has apparently gone rogue. Co-writers Adam Glass and Mike Benson manage to weave fast-paced action with film noir heartbreak, and artist Laurence Campbell’s shadow-drenched imagery gives the world a tactile grit and texture. Its potent blend of noir, espionage and martial arts makes Deadpool: Pulp an irresistible read from beginning to end.