Characters & first appearances
What is the first appearance of Deadpool?
Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Sep 14, 2026 · 1 min read
Short answerDeadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98, cover-dated February 1991, created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, as a mercenary hired to kill Cable. The same issue introduced Gideon and Domino (revealed later to be the impostor Copycat). It is the most valuable comic of the early 1990s and the standard example of a Modern Age key.
New Mutants #98
Liefeld was two issues from the end of New Mutants, which became X-Force with #1 in August 1991. Deadpool — the red-and-black costume, the swords, the mouth — was a Liefeld design with Nicieza's dialogue; Nicieza has said the Deathstroke resemblance (Wade Wilson, Slade Wilson) was pointed out to him at the time. Deadpool was a villain here; the comedy came later in Joe Kelly's 1997 series.
Collecting
New Mutants #98 was printed in large numbers and most copies were bagged at once, so 9.8 copies are plentiful in absolute terms — but demand since the 2016 film dwarfs any other 1990s book. Points to check:
- Newsstand copies are scarcer and carry a premium. See Newsstand vs direct edition.
- Second printings and facsimiles exist; read the indicia.
- Gold and silver reprints from 1990s promotions are separate items.
A CGC 9.6 is in the store. See the Deadpool character page and the Copper Age collection.
Written by the Rare Comics Collectors grading team. Spotted an error or have a question this guide does not answer? Tell us.
