275: Cable & Deadpool # 33 - 50 (Cable & Deadpool Ends)
- Matt Campbell
- 7 hours ago
- 6 min read
What’s Covered?
Cable & Deadpool # 33 - 50
Synopsis
C&D # 33 - 35: Welcome Back Domino
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
Pencils - Reilly Brown
Tensions boil as the U.S. government grows furious over Cable’s control of Rumekistan and his growing alliances with six other nations. Meanwhile, a bomb threatens Providence, and Cable body-slides in at the last second to contain the explosion—only to reveal that the saboteur was none other than Deadpool, acting as the secret sixth member of SHIELD’s newly revived Six Pack (GW Bridge, Domino, Solo, Hammer, Anaconda, and Deadpool himself). In a shocking betrayal, Deadpool shoots Cable in the back of the head. But in classic Cable fashion, everything had been orchestrated: he even allowed Providence’s power to be cut just to stage a triumphant recovery while unconscious, casting himself as the unwavering protector. As Domino chooses to stay at his side—punctuated by a kiss—Deadpool spirals into an existential crisis, haunted by visions of everyone he’s ever killed. While Cable and Domino grow closer (to Irene’s chagrin), Deadpool begins a soul-searching quest to find his missing conscience, wondering if he’s even capable of redemption.
C&D # 36 - 37: Unfinished Business
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
Pencils - Reilly Brown (36), Staz Johnson (37)
Still reeling from Cable humiliating him during the Civil War, Deadpool sets out to repair his damaged rep the only way he knows how—by beating the crap out of someone famous, namely Taskmaster. The fight is brutal, and Deadpool wins, proving he’s still a top-tier merc... but a group of military recruiters shuts him down anyway, claiming the real issue isn’t his skills, it’s his childish antics. Frustrated, Wade shifts strategies and tries to rebrand as a superhero by taking down the Rhino. Instead, Rhino turns the tables, shrinks Deadpool with stolen Pym particles, and literally hangs him from a keychain while other villains mock him. Even pint-sized, Deadpool thrashes them all and eventually earns Rhino’s reluctant respect—Rhino lets him go after Wade admits he’s mostly just embarrassed by the whole thing. The arc ends with Deadpool capturing Rhino to prove his worth... while still hilariously action-figured–sized.
C&D # 38 - 39: Agent X
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
Pencils - Staz Johnson (38), Ron Lim (39)
Still fun-sized from his last misadventure, Deadpool teams up with cowgirl badasses Outlaw and Sandi to rescue a very bloated Agent X (a.k.a. Alex Hayden) from Hydra’s clutches. Despite his mini stature, Wade holds his own in the chaos and proves he's still got mercenary chops, no matter the scale. Meanwhile, the mysterious and vengeful T-Ray—a twisted doppelgänger claiming to be the real Wade Wilson—comes hunting for Deadpool. With help from Hayden and the ever-useless but hilarious Hydra lackey Bob, Deadpool takes down T-Ray in a brawl that leaves the truth about his identity as murky as ever. By the end, Deadpool officially joins Agency X, now working alongside Sandi, Outlaw, Agent X, and Bob in what might be the most dysfunctional freelance team in the Marvel Universe. It’s chaotic, it’s weird, and it’s exactly the kind of offbeat family Wade didn’t know he needed.
C&D # 40 - 42: Fractured
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
In a high-stakes crossover with X-Men, Cable faces the brutal choice of waking Rogue—at great personal risk to her—in order to stop the monstrous Hecatomb, and it’s Deadpool, of all people, who helps him make the call. Though they succeed, Providence takes massive damage in the process, beginning its slow descent into disaster. As the island sinks, chaos erupts: Sabretooth lurks in the shadows, kills Gareb, and takes Irene hostage. Deadpool shows up in full reluctant-hero mode, gets riddled with bullets while rescuing both Irene and Domino, and ends up looking like ground beef for his efforts. Cable restores his old AI “Professor” and shares a final kiss with Domino before she flees the doomed island with a heartbroken Irene. In the climax, Gambit, Sunfire, and Senyaka launch a last assault—and as Providence crumbles, Cable seemingly sacrifices himself to save everyone… though savvy readers will recognize the familiar flicker of a body slide escape.
C&D # 43 - 44 : Wolverine
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
At Cable’s memorial, Cyclops—grieving but pragmatic—asks Deadpool to track down a rogue Wolverine, who’s gone completely off the grid. Wade takes the mission, but makes a detour to bust Weasel out of a Hydra base, only to get his head lopped off by an unhinged Logan in one swift, bloody panel. As Hydra Bob panics and awkwardly tries to reattach Deadpool’s head, Wolverine tears through Hydra operatives like a one-man wrecking crew. Once Wade’s back in action, the two square off in a ferocious fight straight out of Deadpool 3—bloody, fast, and hilarious. In a twist, Weasel reveals he was working with SHIELD the whole time, and his teleportation tech zaps everyone straight to Guantanamo Bay. The issue ends with Deadpool and Bob getting teleported yet again… destination unknown.
C&D # 45 - 50: Cameos
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
Deadpool and Hydra Bob find themselves time-hopping into Nazi Germany, teaming up with Captain America and Bucky to take down the ever-grotesque Arnim Zola—just in time for the Fantastic Four (with Storm in the mix) and Weasel to show up and yank them back to the present. In #46, not one but two versions of the Fantastic Four work together to help Deadpool, Bob, and Weasel untangle the time-stream mess and return home. Things only get weirder in #47, when Doctor Strange drags Wade through a kaleidoscope of dimensions before asking him to resurrect T-Ray to prevent some undefined cosmic doom. Deadpool agrees (grudgingly) and in #48 journeys into T-Ray’s mindscape to help repair his shattered soul, even if it means confronting some of his own psychological wreckage along the way. Just when he thinks he’s done, Irene ropes him into a mission to the Savage Land in #49, where he’s tasked with stealing tech before it falls into terrorist hands. Of course, Brainchild’s already there brainwashing Ka-Zar and company, but Deadpool, Weasel (now calling himself “The Penetrator”), and Hydra Bob team up with the locals to stop the scheme in true chaotic fashion.
In the end, Deadpool and Spider-Man take on a horde of symbiote-infected dinosaurs—including velociraptors and a T-Rex—while Bob and Weasel do their usual hiding. As chaos spreads, Weasel hatches a plan to send the dinos back to the Savage Land, Bob gets dragged by a Triceratops (again), and Agent X shows up like a sumo to save the day. Wade briefly teams up (and argues) with Ms. Marvel, stabs a pterodactyl midair, and crash-lands into an Avengers-level battle. In the heat of it all, he discovers a Psimitar left by Cable and uses it to fight off the symbiotes—until one of them possesses him. Rather than risk going full alien nightmare, Wade stabs himself in the head, saving the day in the most Deadpool way possible. He wakes up safe, the battle won, and ends the series surrounded by friends… watching TV like nothing ever happened.
My Connections and Creators
Boring or Great?
Sometimes I'm reading a series and I can't wait it for to end, such as with X-Factor V1, X-Force V1, Excalibur V1. All three of those were great series but had overstayed their welcome and was running incredibly dry. Cable and Deadpool was the opposite for me. It started a little weak. I was really annoyed by Cable's Messiah antics (shame on you Fabian for doing that to Cable,) however I did find Deadpool entertaining. By the time I got to the end here, I couldn't wait for more Deadpool and was bummed to see it cancelled.
However, I'm fairly certain that the series was cancelled less because it was bad and more because it no longer made sense to keep the two together. Cable had died and Deadpool was able to stand on his own without a pairing.
You may have noticed that I did not cover the first few Deadpool series, but I will be reading and covering them moving forward.
If you want to read earlier entries, you can find them here:
Thoughts on Art
From issues #33–50, the art in Cable & Deadpool shifts between Reilly Brown, Staz Johnson, and Ron Lim—each bringing a distinct energy while maintaining the book’s trademark balance of action and absurdity. Brown’s expressive linework and dynamic paneling amplify the comedy and chaos of Deadpool’s world, while Johnson adds grit and urgency to the series' more emotional and high-stakes moments. Ron Lim, with his clean, classic superhero style, brings a nostalgic polish to the book’s final arc, grounding even the wildest sequences (like symbiote dinosaurs) in visual clarity. Together, the rotating artists keep the tone fluid—capable of snapping from slapstick to sincere without losing narrative cohesion.
Larger Impacts
Well, Cable dies. So there's that!
Things to keep an eye on
Will Cable stay dead?
Will Deadpool continue working with Agent X, Hydra Bob, Outlaw, Sandi, and Weasel in his new series!? I hope so and can't wait to find out.
Will Deadpool ever join the X-Men?