Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, has a well-earned reputation for being one of Marvel's most ruthless killers. Deadpool has fought and killed almost every hero and villain in his universe at least once, and yet, he still manages to be one of his world's most likable and consistently entertaining characters. His ability to break the fourth wall adds a great deal to his charisma, but the Merc with the Mouth isn't the first character with the power to interact with the audience. Forbush Man was the original self-aware superhero who paved the way for Deadpool's brand of satire.
Irving Forbush first appeared as Forbush Man on the cover of Not Brand Echh #1, Marvel's self-effacing parody series. Forbush Man's first in-story appearance and origin is revealed in Issue #5 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Tom Sutton. Irving Forbush is an everyday goofball who aspires to be a hero. He enthusiastically collects heroes' autographs and lives with his cruel aunt. One day, while Irving is washing the dishes, his aunt angrily tosses a cooking pot over his head. Where some might be discouraged by this insensitivity, the indefatigable Forbush finds his inspiration. He takes the pot into his "lab" and drills eyeholes into it. Now, he has what it takes to be a hero - a mask! Wearing his pot and his galoshes, Irving moves through the city accidentally stopping villains in their tracks. Once, while reading the paper, he unintentionally lures an angry Juggernaut into a pool of wet concrete, trapping the monster and literally cementing his reputation as a hero.
While Forbush Man never became a household name, he appeared fairly consistently in Not Brand Echh and the '90s comedy series What The--?!. He also played a major role in 2010's Captain America: Who Won't Wield the Shield by Jason Aaron and Mirco Pierfederici, when an unusually muscular version of Forbush Man smashes through the fourth wall to confront comic writers Ed Brubaker and Jason Aaron about the unnecessarily gritty, violent and commercial nature of contemporary comics. After wreaking havoc, Forbush realizes that he too has become the grim sort of hero he's campaigning against, before being killed by Brubaker.
But like any good hero, Irving Forbush didn't stay dead for long. He reappeared in 2016's Deadpool: Too Soon? #1 by Joshua Corin and Todd Nauck, when Forbush's spiritual successor Deadpool invites Marvel's funniest heroes to be on his Christmas card with him. Just before the picture is taken, the lights go out for an instant, and when they turn back on Forbush Man is lying dead on the floor. Later more of Wade's friends, including Rocket Raccoon, Ant-Man and the Punisher, end up dead as well. Deadpool and Squirrel Girl investigate the murders and eventually discover that the demon Paen-Umbra has been picking off the heroes. The Mercenary then forces the demon to resurrect his fallen friends.
Since his return from the dead, Forbush Man has lived in relative obscurity. It is unlikely that the goofy hero will find himself center stage in the Marvel Universe, but in many ways, he led the way for heroes like Deadpool to break the fourth wall and poke fun at the comics medium.
Although he isn't well-remembered and has a miniscule chance of appearing in other media, Irving Forbush still has the distinction of pioneering the kind of meta-commentary and zany humor that Deadpool would make a cornerstone of the Marvel Universe.