Cable are known to have some of the most entertaining team-ups in the entirety of Marvel Comics, but the two weren’t always buddy-buddy; in fact Deadpool originally hated Cable in the comics. Deadpool is aptly nicknamed the Merc with a Mouth not only for his quick wit but also because he began his comic book career as a villainous mercenary. At the time of Deadpool’s creation he was a clear-cut bad guy, someone who would kill anyone for the right price, unlike his current depiction as an antihero with a heart of gold. In Deadpool’s first appearance, he’s hired to kill Cable, which begins his growing hatred of the cybernetic soldier from the future.
In New Mutants #98 by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, which is Deadpool’s first appearance, a villain operating in the shadows named Mr. Tolliver hires Deadpool to kill Cable for reasons unknown. Following his boss’s instructions, Deadpool tracks Cable to the X-Mansion and attacks the leader of the New Mutants. After an explosive battle between the two soldiers, Deadpool is caught off guard by Copycat disguised as Domino (also Copycat’s first appearance) then is shipped back to Mr. Tolliver in a crate courtesy of Cable himself. As a skilled killer who is nearly invincible, being unable to complete his task leaves Deadpool bitter and filled with hatred for Cable, leading the Merc with a Mouth to happily further assist Tolliver in plotting Summers' demise.
With an injured pride and fractured reputation, Deadpool becomes more of a henchman to Tolliver rather than a one-time hitman, a position he is happy to fill given his newfound hatred of the mutant cyborg. In X-Force #4, Deadpool uses his teleportation technology to abduct Black Tom and Juggernaut after the villains battled the X-Force and Spider-Man, all in a plot orchestrated by Mr. Tolliver and carried out by Deadpool in an effort to take down Cable. Deadpool does Tolliver’s bidding in the shadows for some time until the mutual disdain between Wade and Summers finally comes to a head in X-Force #15, where Cable frees Domino from Deadpool’s clutches after learning the truth of Copycat’s deception. Cable and Deadpool duke it out until their fight ends similarly to their first encounter, with Domino (the real one this time) immobilizing the Merc with a Mouth, ending the saga of Deadpool’s obsessive hatred of Cable.
The X-Force storyline chronicling Deadpool’s hatred of Cable seemingly vanishes after the gun-for-hire continuously loses to the X-Force leader, but the two weren’t destined to be mortal enemies forever. Deadpool hating Cable was a way to introduce a deadly character into Marvel canon while creating a worthy challenge for the main character of one of the most popular comics of the ‘90s. As previously mentioned, Deadpool was originally a villain and he was specifically Cable’s villain, so having a hatred for the cyber-mutant came with the territory. Deadpool’s loathing of Cable came after Wade was humiliated from losing to Summers in a fight, but as fans know that hatred didn’t last.
Since the rocky start to their relationship, Deadpool and Cable have teamed up many times to fight for what is right rather than for the highest bidder, both in the comics and on the big screen in the film Deadpool 2, a symbol of growth for both Deadpool as a character as well as the two enemies turned frenemies. While the soldiers are on good now, they started off as sworn enemies with Liefeld and Nicieza clearly establishing Deadpool’s original hatred of Cable.
