Marvel Legacy: Spider-Man/Deadpool

The Wallcrawler and the Merc’s shaky partnership might not survive Marvel Legacy. With Spidey determined to get Wade Wilson to pay for his past discretions—and Deadpool simultaneously looking to make Peter Parker his pal, things look dire from the get-go.

However, fate—and writer Robbie Thompson—just can’t seem to keep these two away from each other. And on November 8, Thompson and artist Chris Bachalo throw down Marvel Legacy’s SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #23!

Thompson put on his matchmaker hat to give us his take on the characters, their partnership…and something about a retirement home.

Marvel.com: What are your visions for each character? What are the key components to making them feel as they should?

Robbie Thompson: They are the greatest duo in all of comics! Ever!

I think there are two keys to a Spider-Man/Deadpool book—and first is that it should be fun. Both of these characters are hilarious in their own right, but because they have such different senses of humor, putting them together can be ridiculously awesome. They bring out the best and worst in each other, and it’s important to honor each of their character’s histories—as well as their shared history of team-ups. The second key is making it an emotional story. I really loved what [writer] Joe Kelly and [artist] Ed McGuinness did with their last run. They had all the over-the-top action and humor you’d expect, but there was a very emotional story at the core of everything—and that’s something we’re very keen on holding up with this run.

Marvel.com: How about Spidey and Deadpool’s relationship to each other—what are the essential pieces there?

Robbie Thompson: Deadpool loves Spider-Man. And Spider-Man…tolerates Deadpool.

They both know how to push each other’s buttons (especially Deadpool). It’s the type of rhythm and chemistry you’d see in a classic buddy comedy—two opposites forced to work together. I think there’s also some classic sibling rivalry in their dynamic, too. So it’s essential that they’re both driving each other a little nuts, but they both also look out for the other…a quality that’s tested in the story we’re telling.

Marvel.com: How would you summarize your overall concept of the book?

Robbie Thompson: Spider-Man versus Deadpool!

Is their bro-mance over? After killing Agent Coulson, Deadpool is definitely on the outs in the Marvel Universe. And making matters worse, Deadpool really leans hard on the “Merc” in “Merc with a Mouth.” In the wake of Secret Empire, he’s become, well, a bit of an arms dealer. And Spider-Man can’t just sit and watch. This time, as you’ll see in the first issue, Spider-Man decides it’s time to bring Deadpool to justice.

Deadpool doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him or his business dealings…except Spider-Man, of course. Can they work this out peacefully? Will Deadpool go quietly? Not. Likely.

Marvel.com: How do you like working with Chris Bachalo? In what ways does he inspire your vision for the title? In what ways does he help you realize the tone and feel of the book?

Robbie Thompson: Chris is the vision for this title! He’s the best. I am a longtime, die-hard fan of Chris’s work. He’s one of my all-time favorite artists. At college when I was broke, I’d scrape together pennies just to pick up an issue of GENERATION X.

[Editor] Nick Lowe set up a fun meeting when we started working on this title—we all met at Disneyland and hashed out the first arc together while waiting for rides! Chris has incredible storytelling skills and it’s been a dream come true working with him on this book. He has such a clear sense of what he loves to create. He makes my job easy.

Working on DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE SORCERERS SUPREME, I started writing looser scripts—and that’s the same process here; the scripts are the bare bones of the story in order to create the most space for Chris to weave his magic. And his work so far has been absolutely beyond expectations. He’s killing it and I cannot wait for people to see what he’s done.

Marvel.com: What’s happening in your first arc? Are there any recognizable characters, beyond Spidey and the Merc, that readers will encounter in the opening arc?

Robbie Thompson: I can’t give away too much detail without spoiling some larger things, but you’ll see in issue #1 that both Spider-Man and Deadpool are reeling from life post-Secret Wars. They’re both in really different places in their lives.

Spider-Man knows Deadpool killed Coulson—and he’s pissed. And when he sees that Deadpool has become a bit of an arms dealer, well, he throws down the gauntlet. Spidey knows he still owes Deadpool for making sure he didn’t cross the line with Itsy-Bitsy—but he also knows Deadpool finally has to pay for all of the bad stuff he’s done. Spider-Man feels like he needs to rehabilitate Deadpool. And Deadpool has zero interest in any of that.

Deadpool deals with some personal darkness at the top of our story and that’s going to give Spider-Man some pause. But he’ll remain determined to bring Deadpool to justice. Even though Deadpool wants to bring Spider-Man in to help with his latest enterprise.

So these two will be at odds from the start of the first issue, but there’s someone who’s going to get in the way of their shenanigans—someone that forces them to work together, even if only for a while. He’s going to be very, very familiar to fans as he’s one of Spider-Man’s classic villains.

Marvel.com: Beyond that, where do you hope to take the duo? Are there any other characters you’re excited to handle…or perhaps already have a plan for?

Robbie Thompson: We’ll be going to the future!

Taking a page from the flagship Deadpool book—where they’ve flashed back to untold Deadpool tales and brought those events to the present—we’ll be flashing forward into the distant future where Old Man Wilson and Old Man Parker are living in a retirement home. They are the two grumpiest old men in history—and were a blast to write. But something has gone horribly wrong in this future, especially for Spider-Man. Old Man Wilson is desperate to get Old Man Parker out for one last adventure, one last shot at redemption, and finds the perfect opportunity when someone from their past—our present—comes back to haunt them.

We’ll be flashing forward like this every two or three issues, until this future story ties directly into our present story, launching our second arc. Scott Hepburn is drawing the future issues and his art has been outstanding!

SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #23, by Robbie Thompson and artist Chris Bachalo, is available on November 8!