DC’s Weirder Deadpool Actually Came Almost A Decade Before Marvel’s

screenrant.com:

While Deadpool is often held up as the pinnacle of wise-cracking, fourth wall-breaking comics anti-heroes, the lesser-known DC Comics character Ambush Bug actually made his debut almost a decade before the Merc with a Mouth. Much like Wade Wilson, Ambush Bug initially appeared as a villain before ultimately deciding to become a hero (for no clear reason). But unlike the massively popular Deadpool, he never really took off with comic fans.

Ambush Bug is the alias of Irwin Schwab, though whether or not that is his real name is up in the air. He was created by Keith Giffen and Paul Kupperberg and made his first appearance in DC Comics Presents #52 in 1982. Schwab suffers from a myriad of mental problems that make it difficult for him to comprehend reality and discern the world around him. As a result of this, he has a cosmic awareness and knows that he is in a comic book. To top it off, his green skintight suit grants him teleportation and invulnerability.

Related: DC Officially Confirms Which Hero Is Its Version of Deadpool

Deadpool may be more famous and beloved by fans, especially after his self-titled film in 2016 and its 2018 sequel, but he didn't appear on the comics page until nine years after Ambush Bug. Wade Wilson made his debut in 1991 in New Mutants #98 by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza. He originally started off as a serious bounty hunter and mercenary. It wasn't until he received his own ongoing title in 1997 by Joe Kelly that he would become more of a satire of the anti-hero trope that became popular in comics in the 1990s. Over the years he grew in popularity, losing his satirical elements and becoming more of a straight-up comedic character, while Ambush Bug was banished to the depths of comics obscurity.