Deadpool (1st series) #4

Issue Date: 
November 1994
Story Title: 
Mano @ Mano
Staff: 

Mark Waid (writer), Ian Churchill & Ken Lashley (pencils), Bud Larosa & Tom Wegryzn (inks), Starkings/Comicraft, Philip Moy & W.C. Carani (letters), Dana Moreshead & Mike Thomas (colors), Suzanne Gaffney (editor), Bob Harras (assistant editor), Tom DeFalco (editor-in-chief)

Brief Description: 

Deadpool, Siryn and Banshee break into Tom’s castle. After taking down his guards, they’ve got to face the Juggernaut next. Sean leaves to find his cousin, and Wade and Siryn stay behind to finish Cain. During the battle, Cain rips off Deadpool’s mask, and his horrible face is revealed. Wade freaks out and Siryn gives him the mask back, but is startled by the horrible look of Wade’s face as well. After creating a distraction for the Juggernaut, Deadpool and Siryn head back inside the castle., where they find Tom. Deadpool and Tom fight, and Wade wins and cuts his hand back off. Juggernaut returns, but Wade calms him down by holding Killebrew hostage, and explains that he’s the only one who can help Tom. Killebrew puts Tom in stasis, and Banshee decides to take him back to prison. Juggernaut agrees, but promises to break Tom out the moment he gets better. Outside, Deadpool and Siryn say goodbye to each other, and promise to help one another out should it be needed. Deadpool also takes Killebrew with him, wanting the doctor to find a cure for his condition. Once everyone is gone, Peyer stands up again, promising to have his revenge and kill Deadpool some day.

Full Summary: 

Guards are doing their job, but one of them suddenly hears something. The other guard doesn’t believe his friend, but he goes to check it out anyway. He bounces into the trio-pair of Deadpool, Siryn and Banshee! With no other soldiers left, Deadpool starts to wonder how long Banshee has been living inside this castle. Banshee has learned that his cousin has stayed here ever since he escaped from prison, and has also learned from the files he stole from Peyer’s office that Interpol is planning a major strike on this hideaway.

Siryn wants to move quickly before the agents arrive, especially since they also have Juggernaut to worry about. She and Banshee leave, but warn Deadpool that he best stays behind, seeing that his powers aren’t fully recovered yet. Wade knows that, and instead looks around. He opens a door near him, and is surprised when he finds behind it!

Theresa gets worried about, but Sean warns his daughter not to get attached to the merc, since he knows how ruthless Wade is and that he can take care of himself. They continue their search, and open a door. There, they find Black Tom, standing in the shadows. Sean tells his cousin that he’s coming with them, but Tom won’t. Instead, he starts to smile, and raises his hand. The hand ignites on fire, and Black Tom fires a blast at the two mutants!

Deadpool has found Dr. Killebrew, and is furious at him. Now, Wade knows why Tom thinks that he can be cured, and reminds Killebrew that he is responsible for making Wade the man he is today, and that he also lied that his regenerative powers would last forever. Wade picks up a scalpel, holds it to Killebrew’s throat, and threatens the doctor that he should cure him now. Killebrew wants to tend to Tom first, but Wade raises the scalpel up, making it clear to take care of him first. He doesn’t care about anything else. Suddenly, Siryn gets smashed through the walls. Wade realizes he can’t sit on the sidelines anymore. He warns Killebrew that they aren’t finished, and goes to help out Banshee.

Along the way, Deadpool hears a loud scream, and thinks it’s Banshee. He jokes about it, but stops when he has tracked the Irish man down: it’s not Sean who was screaming so loud, but a triumphant Black Tom! Tom notices and, with fire floating out of his right eye and hand, he shouts to Wade that he must die and starts to fight him. Wade dodges the flames, but also notices that his hand has been attached to Tom. Wade jokes about it while continuing the dodging, but when Tom finds an opening, he hits the merc. Tom explains that Killebrew lied about the cure, and that it only causes him pain and misery. Now, he wants to make Deadpool pay and is ready to kill him.

Suddenly, a door behind Wade gets kicked open, and he falls to the back. It’s Peyer! He has followed Wade all the way to the castle, and still wants to make him pay for ruining his life. Deadpool jokes, but makes Peyer believe that Tom is behind them, and that he can trade him for Tom, which Wade promises will Peyer give an even bigger promotion at Interpol. Peyer goes for it, and goes to see behind the door, but then is killed by one of Tom’s fireblasts!

Laughing, Deadpool can’t believe his plan worked. He goes to the back, but bounces into a… wall? There was no wall behind Wade before? Deadpool turns around, and finds out he bumped into a furious Juggernaut! Cain, shouting that nothing can stop him and that he wants Wade dead, starts to fight his adversary. Wade jokes that a lot of people have stopped Cain, namely the X-Men, the Hulk, and even Spider-Man stopped him… twice! Cain rips Deadpool’s mask off, revealing his horribly shredded face. Wade panics and grows berserk, and demands that Cain gives his “face” back, referring to the mask.

Meanwhile, Siryn finds her father still unconscious, and wants to go find Deadpool. He hears the battle upstairs, and sees Juggernaut and Deadpool fighting. She hears Wade scream, and wonders what’s going on. Juggernaut accidentally drops the mask, and the wind blows it away. Still freaking out, Wade runs after it. Theresa catches the mask, and flies up to Wade. Deadpool, hiding behind his hands so Siryn doesn’t see his face, begs her to give him the mask back.

Theresa does, but tells Wade she doesn’t appreciate this, and tells him he doesn’t need to hide from her. Deadpool gets angry, and shows Theresa his horrible face. Theresa panics, and gets silent. Deadpool thought so and, disappointed, starts to put his mask back on. Siryn stops him, and apologizes. She even gently touches Wade’s face. Startled, Wade calls her very gentle, and puts the mask on again. Theresa asks Wade if he’s done pushing her away, and asks if there’s more. Deadpool claims there isn’t, and tells Siryn to move. They both jump down, ready to rock the house down!

Black Tom demands to know what happened to him. Scared, Killebrew explains that the hand stabilized Tom’s previous condition, but now, the hand is taking over! The doctor wants Tom to calm down, or else he’ll die! Deadpool and Siryn enter. Deadpool can’t wait for that, and he and Tom fight. Tom almost chokes Deadpool with his own hand, but Wade breaks free and continues the fight, and wins. Wade cuts his hand off from Tom’s arm. Deadpool wants to kill Tom, but Siryn shouts at Wade not to do it. He listens to her, but isn’t proud of it.

Deadpool hears a noise on the other side, and jokes that his Juggernaut sense is tingling! He grabs Killebrew, who sits scared in a corner and holds the doc hostage. Once Juggernaut has broken through the wall, Wade manages to calm Cain down and to let him live, or else he’ll kill Killebrew, who is the only chance Tom has. A few moments later, Killebrew has put Tom in stasis. He fears that’s all he can do, and tells Banshee he can take him either to a hospital or back in custody. Banshee will do the last. Juggernaut promises that he’ll break Tom free once he’s healthy again. Sean knows that. As they turn their heads, Killebrew is gone!

Deadpool has taken the doc away, and hangs Killebrew over the edge of the castle’s roof, and makes him promise to help him. Siryn and Deadpool take goodbye from each other. Siryn has noticed they make a good team together, and tells Wade that, if he ever wants to team-up again, he knows where to find it. She flies away. Deadpool grabs Killebrew, and bounces away, joking that Killebrew best does his best to help out, or else! He laughs. Killebrew promises to do whatever he can.

As they are gone, Peyer stands up and overhears them laughing. With a serious, angry look, Peyer tells Deadpool to keep laughing, as he’ll someday make sure he’ll die that way!

Characters Involved: 

Deadpool

Banshee

Siryn

Black Tom

Juggernaut

Dr. Killebrew

Daniel Peyer

guards (all unnamed)

Story Notes: 

Black Tom escaped from prison in Deadpool (1st series) #1. He threatened Killebrew to cure his wooden mutation in the same issue. Apparently fearing for his life, Killebrew lied about a cure existing, and that they needed Deadpool’s healing powers for it.

The X-Men stopped Juggernaut many times in the past, the first time being in X-Men (1st series) #13. Cain was first stopped by the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk (2nd series) #172. Cain fought and lost from Spider-Man twice, once in Amazing Spider-Man (1st series) #230 and another time in Marvel Team-Up (1st series) #150.

The “My Juggernaut sense is tingling” is a joke from Deadpool, referring to Spider-Man’s catchy “My spider-sense is tingling” phrase, making Spidey aware that he is in danger.

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