Deadpool may be an antihero, but according to one of his most prominent writers, the true core of the character lies in his attempts to be one of the good guys. That writer would be Joe Kelly, whose run on the first Deadpool ongoing series would help cement the character’s enduring popularity over the next few decades.

First appearing in New Mutants #98, Deadpool was created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld as a villainous assassin character. But while he often made a habit of making wisecracks, Joe Kelly was the one who truly found Deadpool’s voice when the character’s first ongoing series launched in 1997. It was there that Wade Wilson became the Deadpool fans are most familiar with today, what with his breaking the fourth wall and acting as a parody of the whole superhero genre. However, the series was also notable for a deep undercurrent of melancholy running just beneath the surface. According to the writer himself, this is what wound up defining the character moving forward.

In a 2018 profile from Vulture on Deadpool, Kelly breaks down what he saw as the core of his character: “I was like, If we’re gonna root for him, he’s gotta be somebody who wants to be good but just can’t.” Deadpool was always more of an antihero who wound up more often than not siding with the heroes in his previous appearances, but Kelly realized there would have to be more to Deadpool to get readers to follow his adventures month in and month out. The writer elaborates further on this approach: “Deadpool is a guy who would like to do the right thing but is constitutionally incapable of pulling that off. And on those rare occasions that he does, the universe kicks him in the nuts. That was always the deal. He just cannot win.”

Deadpool Wants To Be One Of The Good Guys, Can't Help Screwing Up


Kelly’s observations go a long way in explaining Deadpool’s enduring longevity as one of Marvel’s most popular characters. Had the character solely been a one-note clown constantly yukking things up, fans would have grown tired of him after a while. By having Deadpool strive to better himself as a hero, the character suddenly had a goal to achieve; making his stories more compelling in the process, now that readers could follow along and see whether he would succeed or fail. There were also in-story reasons for Deadpool’s attempts to appeal to his better angels - part of this desire to be better stems from Wade’s attraction to Siryn, daughter of the X-Man Banshee. The fact that he often came up short and would wind up screwing things up whenever he did try to do the right thing only made the character all the more relatable.

Had Kelly not zeroed in on this aspect of Deadpool’s character, it’s doubtful that the Merc with the Mouth would hold the prominence he does today in the Marvel Universe. By giving Deadpool a secret heart of gold, writer Joe Kelly ensured the antihero would become one of the most popular comic book characters of all time.