Gwenpool

Gwendolyn Poole is one of Marvel's most delightfully unhinged and self-aware characters — a young woman from the real world who somehow found herself dropped into the Marvel Universe and decided the best way to survive was to become a comic book character. Armed with the dangerous knowledge that she exists inside a fictional universe, Gwenpool weaponizes her understanding of comic book tropes, narrative structure, and fourth-wall logic in ways that make even Deadpool look grounded. She made her debut in Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars #2 in 2015, a key early appearance that collectors should note before her profile exploded into something far bigger.

Her breakout moment came when she landed her own ongoing series, The Unbelievable Gwenpool, which ran from 2016 to 2018 and remains the crown jewel of any Gwenpool collection. Written by Christopher Hastings with art by Gurihiru, the series leaned hard into her reality-bending abilities — she can literally step outside panel borders, rewrite her own backstory, and manipulate the comic itself as a physical object. This wasn't just a gimmick; it was a genuinely inventive exploration of what it means to exist as a character in a story, and the series earned a devoted cult following that continues to drive back-issue demand.

Gwenpool has also made her mark across team books, rubbing elbows with the West Coast Avengers in a fan-favorite 2018 run that paired her chaotic energy with a cast of lovable underdogs. Her tenure with M.O.D.O.K.'s crew earlier in her publishing history gave readers some of the most absurd and entertaining team dynamics in modern Marvel comics. Despite her comedic exterior, writers have consistently delivered genuine emotional depth with the character — particularly around themes of identity, belonging, and what happens when a story threatens to forget you.

For collectors, Gwenpool represents exactly the kind of character whose key books are still within reach but climbing fast. Her first appearance in Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars #2 is a legitimate sleeper key, and early issues of The Unbelievable Gwenpool in high grade are increasingly sought after. With her growing presence in video games and animated content expanding her fanbase, now is the time to lock down her foundational issues before the hobby catches up to what her most devoted fans already know.