This is the Funniest Deadpool Team Up (And You Probably Forgot About It)

When Deadpool first debuted in the Marvel Universe, he was the epitome of the emotionally isolated contract killer. He was violent, sarcastic, and certainly not a team player, and his life didn’t allow him to frolic happily with teammates. However, his early interactions with others — especially Cable, the original target of his first mission — revealed that his off-the-wall bombast was a perfect foil for the more serious, formal, and rage-filled character that was common to the Marvel Comics universe at the time. This dynamic led to a wave of collaborations that transformed Deadpool into one of Marvel’s most prolific team-up specialists. He became a true “diamond teammate” in the rough of a universe where going solo is often the norm.

This led to Deadpool Team-Up, a dedicated series that let the merc with a mouth show off his partnering groove. Naturally, it produced some wildly creative and hilariously unexpected duos, both in that series and across other Deadpool titles. Who can forget his encounter with Hellcow, or the even funnier pairing with Spider-Man, one of the few Marvel characters who can match Deadpool not only in combat but also at in-combat joking. While these team-ups are genuinely funny and highlight Deadpool’s unrivaled comedic energy, they still don’t capture just how outrageous his partnerships can get. Fortunately, Marvel seized the chance to showcase that full level of absurdity through what might best be described as the “off-Broadway” comedy of the Great Lakes Avengers.

Deadpool – Great Lakes Avengers: the Core of Marvel Comedy

In Fabian Nicieza, Dan Scott, and Nelson’s “Deadpool & the Great Lakes Initiative” —published in the Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular one-shot — Deadpool notices some bizarre events involving the Fantastic Four that leave them out of commission. Tracing the source of the disturbance to Wisconsin, he sets out to uncover the mystery. There, he encounters the Great Lakes Avengers (GLA), who now call themselves the Great Lakes Initiative following the post-Civil War establishment of the Avengers Initiative. After an initial clash over who gets “dibs” on solving the case, Deadpool and the GLA agree to team up. Of course, combining forces only leads to even more hilarity and chaos.

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What is normally a common team-up between heroes chasing the same villains is made so funny because it’s built around a hilarious core of assumed contrast. On one side, there’s a highly trained, cynical assassin who rarely fails an assignment. On the other side, there’s a well-meaning, quietly heroic, but bumbling team of do-gooders whose success is as often based on luck as it is on skill. The contrasts are laughably absurd, even for a Deadpool story. It’s the perfect “unexpected twist” where Deadpool isn’t the freak in the room — he’s actually the normal guy. The Great Lakes Avengers are the ones who take themselves seriously, while for Deadpool, the whole experience is a joke.

A Team-up So Funny Not Even Deadpool Can Believe it

Other Deadpool team-ups rely on traditional contrasts: Cable’s seriousness against Deadpool’s irreverence, Hawkeye’s dark humor versus Deadpool’s even darker humor, or Taskmaster’s focused discipline against Deadpool’s unpredictability. With the GLA, however, there are no such traditional metrics to compare — no familiar dynamic to fall back on. What can you humorously compare to lame powers, rank amateurism, and hopeless optimism?

The humor, therefore, isn’t found in the usual back-and-forth of the various circumstances. Instead, the comedic genius lies in the story itself. Deadpool is not the chaos agent here; he represents the reader, trying to make sense of the GLA’s chaos. Within that hilarity, there are genuine moments of real — albeit bizarre — connection. Deadpool finally meets a bunch of outcasts who have it even rougher than he does, yet they face their challenges with relentless optimism rather than complaint. It’s something that pulls on even Deadpool’s heartstrings.

Great Lakes Avengers Are a Story Not Even Deadpool Could Make Up

Despite its humor and emotional appeal, most fans may not even remember that this team-up ever happened. First, the GLA is one of Marvel’s more obscure superhero teams. While they’ve had brief moments in the spotlight, they are usually relegated to the fringes of the Marvel Universe. Second, the story appeared in a one-shot GLA special, which meant that even if the team were more popular, the issue was unlikely to attract much attention without significant promotion from Marvel. Finally, the issue was published nearly a decade ago, making it something that only die-hard fans of either Deadpool or the GLA are likely to seek out today.

The Deadpool and GLA team-up is ultimately funny because it subverts one of Deadpool’s most iconic traits: his absurdity. By placing him in an environment that even he finds ridiculous, the story flips the usual dynamic. While Deadpool is typically the comic relief, in this scenario, he’s the straight man. This role reversal is hilarious. The story is a perfect use of Deadpool’s character, putting him in a situation that is beneath him in every way, just to watch him squirm and, eventually, reluctantly, almost care. The entire one-shot is a hidden gem that proves the funniest jokes are often the ones nobody remembers.