Cable and Deadpool aren’t just two of the most badass X-Men-adjacent characters in the Marvel Universe, Cable & Deadpool is also a fifty-issue comic book series that ran from 2004-2008. Throughout the series, the titular antiheroes had no shortage of exciting adventures, as enemies, allies, and even father and son (kind of). All-in-all, Cable & Deadpool should be considered required reading for fans of the characters, especially those who enjoy the Deadpool films, as this iteration of Deadpool is perhaps the closest to Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal of the character (something Deadpool himself is actually somehow able to predict).
While the series is chock-full of non-stop action and adventure, it’s also filled to the brim with humor, having no shortage of laugh-out-loud moments. In fact, the series doesn’t waste any time in giving readers those hilarious moments, as a number of the most memorable happen within the first twenty issues of the fifty-issue series – though they are still far from the only ones. Here are 10 of the funniest Cable & Deadpool moments!
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10 Deadpool & Cable’s Initial Encounter Mirrors Their Debut Battle Hilariously
Cable & Deadpool #1 by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Brooks
Upon seeing him for the first time at the end of this issue, Deadpool asks Cable if this is going to be a ‘testosterone thing’, and Cable says yes. This clearly meant that they were about to fight, but the way Deadpool said it – so deadpan and unenthusiastically – indicated that he didn’t really want to, but knew he had to for the sake of the story (since Deadpool knows he’s a fictional character), and he was just verifying that assumption with Cable, who answered in the affirmative.
This also hilariously mirrored their first ever interaction upon Deadpool’s debut in New Mutants #98, which was a fight that was so iconic, that it alone arguably launched the super ‘hardcore’ style that the ‘90s would obsess over in comic book media, as that first fight was undeniably ‘a testosterone thing’.
9 Cable Literally Blows Deadpool’s Mind (Twice)
Cable & Deadpool #2 by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Brooks
After Deadpool establishes that he and Cable are going to be at odds in the previous issue, Cable quickly shows Wade exactly how powerful he has become. Before the events of this comic, Cable was able to get the techno-organic virus that plagued his body in-check, meaning he could flex his Omega-level telepathic and telekinetic powers like never before.
When Cable came into conflict with Deadpool, the Merc with a Mouth mockingly told Cable to ‘blow his mind’ with his newfound power, and Cable did just that – literally. Using his telekinesis, Cable explodes the back of Deadpool’s skull, literally blowing his mind. Then, later in the comic, Cable does it again just for a laugh – a laugh Cable could share with the reader.
8 Cable & Deadpool Predicts Ryan Reynolds’ Perfect Casting
Cable & Deadpool #2 by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Brooks
While discussing the point of their conflict – which was a religious cult obsessed with altering physical appearance that hired Deadpool to pull off a number of assassinations – Deadpool argued his position to side with the organization, saying that Cable didn’t know what it was like to look like, “Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei”.
This was more of a cheeky line as opposed to an outwardly humorous one, but arguably holds up more than anything else Deadpool says throughout this entire series, as he accurately predicts the perfect actor to portray him in live-action.
7 Deadpool’s New Nickname For Cable Is Wildly Inappropriate: Major Viagra
Cable & Deadpool #5 by Fabian Nicieza and Patrick Zircher
What’s a Deadpool story without a bit of toilet humor? Deadpool regularly delves into the comedic practices of meta commentary and physical comedy, but he’s also no stranger to a good ‘ole-fashioned penis joke, especially one told at Cable’s expense. As X-Men fans know, Cable suffers from the techno-organic virus that he constantly has to keep at bay with his telekinetic abilities, so when it spirals out of control in this issue, Deadpool wastes no time laying into him with a barrage of jokes.
One of Deadpool’s digs at Cable was calling him ‘Major Viagra’, as he was mocking the fact that the techno-organic virus seemed to prevent Cable from getting erections, and now – with it covering his entire body – that presumption was all but confirmed. This is low-brow humor at its finest, and is definitely something Deadpool would say even while watching his best frenemy die horribly before him.
6 Deadpool Trying To Keep Spirits High As He & Cable Die Unfathomably Horrific Deaths
Cable & Deadpool #5 by Fabian Nicieza and Patrick Zircher
Deadpool’s viagra joke wasn’t the only crack he made about Cable while the mutant’s techno-organic virus consumed his entire body, but the funny thing is, Deadpool really wasn’t in any position to make fun of anyone, as he was going through something equally horrific. Deadpool was a recipient of the religious cult’s body-modifying experimentation, which ended up having terrifying side effects. Deadpool was literally melting into a pool of unending agony while Cable’s body was being grotesquely contorted and painfully ripped to shreds by the ever-expanding cybernetics growing out of him.
Deadpool and Cable were suffering fates worse than death (which also included death) right next to each other, which is why Deadpool’s incessant chattering was so hilarious throughout the whole thing. Any other comic would have shown this scene as one of terror and torment, sadness and loss. But this is a Deadpool comic, meaning this dramatic scene was going to be flipped on its head in the funniest way possible.
5 Cable & Deadpool Keep Getting Fused Together In A Gruesome Running Gag
Cable & Deadpool #7 by Fabian Nicieza and Patrick Zircher
To avoid dying horribly, Deadpool and Cable have to temporarily merge their DNA. However, after it works and the two are saved, they are permanently imprinted on one another, which is picked up by Cable’s teleportation device. Therefore, anytime Cable teleports, Deadpool is ripped from his current location – wherever that may be on the planet – and horrifically fused with Cable upon arriving at Cable’s predetermined destination.
This is an example of something that’s so horrific it’s funny, especially given that Cable and Deadpool aren’t in any mortal danger, they’re just temporarily inconvenienced in the worst way possible. And their mutual annoyance at becoming an amalgamated affront to nature only makes their predicament even more hilarious, especially when considering how long this running gag goes on for.
4 Deadpool Wears Jean Grey’s Original X-Men Marvel Girl Costume When Fighting Cable
Cable & Deadpool #9 by Fabian Nicieza and Patrick Zircher
When it becomes evident that Cable is using his Omega-level powers to reshape the world in a morally questionable way, Deadpool teams up with the X-Men to stop him. Upon joining the team, Deadpool insists that he gets his own official uniform, and while many would assume he’d simply deck-out his regular costume with X-Men symbols, he opted for something far more ‘Deadpool’: Wade dressed in Jean Grey’s original Marvel Girl costume.
Deadpool obviously did this for shock value, as he was back in one of his normal costumes a few panels later. He didn’t genuinely want to dress like Jean Grey, he only did it to be funny – and it’s fair to say he succeeded.
3 Cable & Deadpool Introduces A Hilarious Iteration Of Wade Wilsone: Detective Deadpool
Cable & Deadpool #13 by Fabian Nicieza and Patrick Zircher
Deadpool has no shortage of whacky alter egos that reflect his undiagnosable mental illness, and one of his most hilarious was introduced in this series: Detective Deadpool. This comic alone is absolutely hysterical, as it depicts Deadpool pretending to be a ‘30s era detective investigating the case of a murdered terrorist, only to reveal at the end that he was the one who killed the man, and he did it simply because he was bored.
This short arc was utterly unhinged in the most morbidly hilarious way, while also giving fans a new ‘version’ of Deadpool in Marvel Comics canon.
2 Deadpool Raising A Baby Cable Is Visually Hysterical
Cable & Deadpool #17-18 by Fabian Nicieza and Patrick Zircher
Deadpool and Cable were originally mortal enemies who became reluctant partners until finally reaching the stage of genuine friendship, though before they actually became friends, they were first father and son – kind of. After Cable launched his plot to change the world earlier in this series, he reverted himself to infancy in order to survive the massive flux of power surging through his body. So, someone needed to raise Cable, and that someone ended up being Deadpool.
Of course, this storyline cleaned itself up quite quickly after it was explained that Cable’s body would rapidly mature until reaching his original age in little more than a day. But, during the issues where Cable was a baby/child, watching Deadpool trying to parent him was a very comical sight, and easily one of the main standout storylines of the entire series.
1 Cable & Deadpool Debuts The Funniest Side Character in X-Men History: Bob, Agent of Hydra
Cable & Deadpool #38 by Fabian Nicieza and Reilly Brown
Bob, Agent of Hydra – or, simply Hydra-Bob – is Deadpool’s sidekick who was introduced in this series. Hydra-Bob is a classic case of reminding fans that all those nameless, faceless henchmen within any given organization do, indeed, have names and faces, and sometimes they’re worth more than just an unceremonious death. The very idea of someone like Bob breaking that narrative mold under the guidance of Deadpool is hilarious enough, but he becomes an even funnier character when considering that he only joined Hydra in the first place because of its employee benefits package.
Hydra-Bob is an iconic member of Deadpool’s Marvel Comics history – even getting a semi-official adaptation in the 2016 Deadpool film – and the circumstances surrounding his debut is easily one of the 10 funniest moments from Cable & Deadpool.
