Deadpool First Appearance: The New Mutants #98 Value by Grade

Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98 (cover date February 1991), published by Marvel, by Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza. The source puts it this way: "This issue is the first appearance of the 'Merc with a Mouth' Deadpool (aka Wade Wilson). Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza.".

PriceCharting values for New Mutants #98 (1991) by CGC grade, based on recorded sales and updated September 25, 2026:

• CGC 2.0: $104
• CGC 3.0: $130
• CGC 4.0: $137
• CGC 5.0: $205
• CGC 6.0: $224
• CGC 7.0: $220
• CGC 8.0: $293
• CGC 9.0: $307
• CGC 9.2: $346
• CGC 9.4: $365

The spread from CGC 2.0 ($104) to CGC 9.4 ($365) shows how much condition matters on a key issue. Restored, trimmed or incomplete copies sell far below these figures, and reprints and facsimiles (see below) are worth a small fraction. Grade and restoration are confirmed by a grading service such as CGC or CBCS; prices move with the market and the character's popularity.

• On-sale date vs. cover date: Deadpool's first appearance, in The New Mutants #98, went on sale December 11, 1990, but carries a cover date of February 1991.
• Cover role (debuts as villain): the issue's record lists a February 1991 date and Marvel Comics as publisher, and Deadpool appears on the cover in his debut role as a villain.

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the issue number, date and publisher; reprints usually say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode format that did not exist in the year printed means a later edition.
• Paper and staples: decades-old newsprint is tan at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and married covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service can detect them.

Shoot the front cover flat, straight on, in even light, then the indicia page and the back cover. Include the top edge and staples in one frame. The app reads the title, issue number and cover and matches it against the checks above; the indicia photo settles most reprint questions.

Most of this book's value sits at the very top of the scale. PriceCharting's live page on September 25, 2026 listed CGC 9.8 at $1,014 and ungraded copies at $260, against $365 in CGC 9.4 in PriceCharting's grade table. A sharp copy is worth checking under good light before you decide whether to grade it; see CGC grading cost for the fee math.

After his debut, Deadpool headlined two miniseries before getting an ongoing title (Wikipedia):

• Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1-4: August to November 1993, his first miniseries
• Deadpool: Sins of the Past: 1994
• Deadpool (1997): his first ongoing series, launched by writer Joe Kelly with #1 cover-dated January 1997 (PriceCharting). It ran 69 issues until 2002, when it was relaunched as Agent X.

Deadpool #1 (1997) is far cheaper than his first appearance. PriceCharting listed it on September 25, 2026 at $25 ungraded, $49 in CGC 8.0, $57 in CGC 9.2 and $190 in CGC 9.8.

Deadpool's first film appearance was X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). His first film of his own was Deadpool (2016) (Wikipedia).

Writer Gerry Duggan said in December 2013 that Deadpool was pansexual. Co-creator Fabian Nicieza has put it differently, saying the character's sexuality is whatever his mind tells him in that moment (Wikipedia). For the first openly gay Marvel character, see the FAQ below.