For many X-Men comic-book fans, 2017 was a tough year in which they had to face a gritty take on Hugh Jackman’s iconic character, Wolverine. The seemingly immortal character met his end impaled on a tree stump, making this the final appearance of Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
More than five years later, that impaled image would give new hope to fans who would see a figurine of Jackman’s death in a Deadpool teaser — giving way for the grouchy character’s return.
After much anticipation, the layered storylines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe come to a head in Deadpool & Wolverine, in which the two characters go head-to-head in a high-spirited story featuring sinister villain Cassandra Nova.
With the movie dropping comic-book hints in the form of references to Avengers: Secret Wars, which is set to get its big-screen adaptation in 2027, we take a look at some of the top comic books you can peruse to prepare you before you watch the movie, or keep you invested after watching it.
Top 5 comic books to read before (or after) you watch ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
Want a heads-up on the backstory to ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’? Check out these comic-book classics to make sure you’re up to speed and in the know
Image: REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
For many X-Men comic-book fans, 2017 was a tough year in which they had to face a gritty take on Hugh Jackman’s iconic character, Wolverine. The seemingly immortal character met his end impaled on a tree stump, making this the final appearance of Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
More than five years later, that impaled image would give new hope to fans who would see a figurine of Jackman’s death in a Deadpool teaser — giving way for the grouchy character’s return.
After much anticipation, the layered storylines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe come to a head in Deadpool & Wolverine, in which the two characters go head-to-head in a high-spirited story featuring sinister villain Cassandra Nova.
With the movie dropping comic-book hints in the form of references to Avengers: Secret Wars, which is set to get its big-screen adaptation in 2027, we take a look at some of the top comic books you can peruse to prepare you before you watch the movie, or keep you invested after watching it.
DEADPOOL VS OLD MAN LOGAN
Image: Critters and Comics
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Deadpool and Wolverine have crossed paths many times in their comic-book universes. One of the best iterations of this can be seen in Deadpool vs Old Man Logan. While the title might make it sound as if the two are at loggerheads, this is actually a buddy-cop-style story that follows the pair as Logan (Wolverine’s birth name) looks to face a powerful mutant. This plotline is similar to that of the upcoming movie, which will see Deadpool in a love-hate relationship with a curmudgeonly Wolverine.
DEADPOOL KILLS THE MULTIVERSE (PARTS 1 AND 2)
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Image: Comic Critters
In the movie, Deadpool is set to travel to different universes to help the TVA (Time Variance Authority) deal with a multiversal threat. Deviating in intention, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again follow the character as he unleashes on all heroes and villains owing to the existential crises brought on by his fourth wall breaking. While the movie has not suggested making Deadpool a villain, he continually compares himself to Jesus, exhibiting a messiah complex that compels him to “save” everyone in a killing spree.
Look out for the tense showdown between Deadpool and the Marvel Comics writing room, as well as the haunting murder of toddler superheroes the Power Pack.
NEW X-MEN (2001)
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The big bad for this comic book is the sadistic Casandra Nova. She is introduced as the twin sister of X-Men leader Professor X, whom he chucked out of the womb before birth in a psychic battle between the two.
In New X-Men’s 114th issue, Nova wipes out 16-million mutants, motivated by her hatred for them.
This is a great introduction to Nova’s villainy, explaining why she commits some of the atrocities she does and fosters some of the allegiances she has.
FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL (1994)
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A huge factor in this comic series is the multiple universes (multiverse) the characters often travel in and out of. A great place to start to understand the time cops (TVA) Deadpool and Wolverine will be working with is in the five-part timequake event from the What If books.
What If, which has its animated counterpart on Disney+, follows the omnipresent character The Watcher, who observes multiple universes that come into being because of different hypothetical situations. In this five-part series, he breaks his observational role, and we interact with the TVA as the system is challenged.
HELLFIRE GALA
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Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney
With the X-Men heroes making a big comeback in this movie, a great comic to introduce you to their politics and objectives is Hellfire Gala. This is a run in the Marvel X-Men series that follows the events that transpire after a big party to celebrate mutants is thrown and shows how humanity turns on them when they find out they can reincarnate each other.
Most of this story sees heroes and villains interacting in what feels as if a moment of utopia for mutants. Fans of the movie can look out for Scarlett Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen), who is murdered at the end of the party. This event follows similar ones from the WandaVision TV series, where she traps citizens of a small town in an alternative reality bubble.
In the comics, she wipes out all the mutants before triggering this mass illusion. This comic is a great place to start if you are keen to see where the character is going and the potential of her face-off with fan favourite Jean Grey, who is slated to make an appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine.
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