The Notorious B.I.G. featured on Deadpool #1 variant cover

Deadpool #1 hustl. variant cover art (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Update: Marvel Comics is showing off a new limited edition variant to November 1's Deadpool #1 cover featuring the late hip hop legend Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace (who does not appear in the story) along with the titular hero.

Created by artist Ken Lashley in association with hustl. and available on TheHaul.com, the cover celebrates the Notorious B.I.G.'s and hip hop's 50th birthdays and appears to be the first in what will be a series (or at least a pair) of hip hop-themed variant covers.

Deadpool #1 hustl. variant cover (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

"Biggie and Hip Hop turned 50 this year, so we at hustl. were absolutely thrilled to work with his team and Marvel to create this variant as our way of paying tribute to one of the greatest and influential hip hop icons of all time," hustl. COO Keri Harris says. "Next month, we will follow this up with another all-time great, which we cannot wait to share with pop culture fans."

Despite just appearing on a variant cover, Biggie isn't the only guest star in the debut issue of the new ongoing series. In addition to Doctor Octopus (in the story itself), another iconic Marvel supervillain makes a very surprising guest appearance.

But that would be spoiling it...

Original story follows...

A new Deadpool ongoing series will kick off in November, from writer Alyssa Wong and artist Martin Coccolo. Marvel's announcement teases "riotous violence and relentless body horror," which sounds just about right for the Merc with a Mouth.

Deadpool #1 finds Wade Wilson auditioning for an elite mercenary group, the Atelier. He has 48 hours to kill one of the most famous supervillains in the world, but before he can he's kidnapped by the very same villain, who performs twisted experiments on Deadpool's body with "horrifying side effects."

Long story short, some "strange" is growing inside Wade.

Ick.

And now we think we know who that famous supervillain is, according at least to a preview of Deadpool #1...

And well, if you saw the image above, guess you already know who it appears to be - Doctor Octopus.

Check out the preview, including a look at the Atelier:

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Deadpool #1 — (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Meanwhile, a "hot new romance" will spice things up (perhaps with the Harrower, seen in the preview), just in case the titular character doesn't have enough to occupy his time.

"I love chaos. And what is Deadpool if not chaos incarnate? I'm honored to take the reins for Wade's next solo adventure – expect romance, expect body horror, and expect a wild time!" Wong says in the announcement.

Coccolo adds, "Some time ago I got to do a 10-page story for Deadpool: Black, White & Blood. It was an awesome albeit short experience which left me wanting for more, so when I was asked if I wanted to take the reins of a new Deadpool series I responded with a resounding yes!"

He also praises Wong's writing for the series, and says, "They are the best! So I honestly couldn't be happier with this opportunity and I think, or at least hope, that readers notice how fun this project is for everyone involved and hopefully they hop on the ride with us!"

Deadpool #1 goes on sale November 2.

Stay on top of everything coming for Marvel's mutants with our listing of all the new X-Men comics coming in 2022.

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Samantha Puc (she/they) is an editor at Newsarama and an avid comics fan. Their writing has been featured on Refinery29, Bitch Media, them., The Beat, The Mary Sue, and elsewhere. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction at The New School.