The CIA and a Canadian Government Department K worked together to create the Weapon X program to create super soldiers for both governments. The program was trying, along with enhancing their genetic capabilities, to suppress all knowledge of their powers when at peace.

Although this project developed the mutants now known as Wolverine, Sabertooth, and Maverick, not all experiments were successful. Deadpool was deemed as a miserable failure. Wade discovered he was rapidly dying of cancer and desperately turned to the Weapon X Project for a cure. But, the "cure" failed and he was consigned to their failure facility, headed by Dr. Killebrew. The failures were then used as test subjects in experiments. The people placed in here took bets - in a "deadpool" - as to who would live the longest. Wade's ability to heal himself was given to him, not genetically, by the Doctor and revved up by his need for vengence against the Doctor and the Program. He escaped and became a mercenary, coveringhis face which had been hideously scarred from his cancer cure. It should be noted that his healing ability also extends to regeneration of entire limbs and organs, including his heart.

It has been revealed that Wade Wilson is not his real name, but an identity stolen from a man he killed. This man was not dead (as they never are in these storylines) and has become his nemesis T-Ray. it is heretofore unknown what his full real name is.

He has worked for the infamous Mr. Tolliver and was sent to kill Cable. He ran into his girlfriend, Vanessa, there, who was pretending to be Domino. Tolliver left Deadpool an inheritance when he died. He has since been working for hire, having two Limited Series of his own as well as guest appearances in X-Force. When Siryn was working undercoever at the Weisman Institute for the Insane, Deadpool answered her distress call to rescue her. Unfortunately, the rescue failed and he was captured, mentally tortured by the Gamesmaster. Siryn was mentally "fogged," Gamesmaster giving her new memories of what happened, and released. Eventually Siryn remembered and went back for Wade with Shatterstar's help. Siryn pulled it off and Deadpool gave her a big kiss as a reward.

Deadpool now has his own permanent series so we can now see more about the man behind the mouth. But one looming question remains, is he good or not?