The fourth wall exists in every medium. It's a boundary that separates the story from the audience observing it. Comic books have a unique relationship with the fourth wall, which sits between readers and each panel of illustrated characters with written dialogue.

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Breaking the fourth wall is done for a number of reasons. Sometimes it's used for meta-commentary or even horror, but it's often used for the sake of comedy. Gag characters add another layer of humor when they acknowledge the fact they're in a story, and sometimes fourth-wall jokes come from out of nowhere. Whatever the case, some hilarious things happen when the fourth wall breaks.

10 The Fourth Wall Hits Deadpool Back

Given the amount of abuse Deadpool gives the fourth wall, it was only a matter of time before the fourth wall attacked him back. This happened when Spider-Man and Deadpool fought a reality-warping villain named the Manipulator and were trapped in a void.

Spider-Man and Deadpool combined forces with other heroes to fight the Manipulator, but they couldn't beat him. Deadpool reasons that the Manipulator must be the fourth wall. Despite the breakthrough, none of the heroes are impressed by Deadpool's deduction and only follow his lead because they've exhausted their other options.

9 She-Hulk Tears Through The Fourth Wall

She-Hulk Takes A Shortcut Through The Comics Ordering Page

She-Hulk may get her powers from the Hulk, but the tone of her stories couldn't be more different. John Byrne's Sensational She-Hulk was full of private asides to the audience and She-Hulk talking to the creative team.

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She-Hulk often complained about the situations she was put in, fully aware they were stories dreamed up by writers. In issue #37, she fights the Living Eraser, whose power leaves blank pages in the comic. She-Hulk rips through the page and yells at John Byrne, afraid his gag might cancel her book.

8 Gwenpool Annoys Howard The Duck With His Own Comic Book History

Howard the Duck tells Gwenpool things are very real

Howard the Duck was one of the first Marvel characters to comment on the comic book medium in a comedic way, and he had his own series in 2015 where he operated as a private investigator.

Gwenpool, a fangirl from a world where the Marvel Universe exists in the form of comic books, found herself in that universe. When she ran into Howard the Duck, her zaniness contrasted with his serious attitude. Gwenpool commented on the fact that Howard disappears from publication for years at a time, only to return randomly.

7 Ambush Bug Is Captured By DC Editorial

Ambush Bug shines a flashlight on himself in DC comics

Ambush Bug, a character who's aware he's in a comic book, has been used by DC to comment on the goings-on of their books. The 2008 series, Ambush Bug: Year None, written by Keith Giffen and Robert Loren Fleming, and illustrated by Keith Giffen and Al Milgrom, was full of fourth-wall-breaking dialogue and the satirizing of DC Comics.

Issue #4 commented on the book itself. Editor Dan DiDio mentioned an error from earlier in the comic, and he and the creative team bind and gag Ambush Bug. When DiDio steps out of the office, Ambush Bug is dumped on him, which kills him.

6 Young Justice Learns About Their New Owners

Wonder Girl complains and Cissie reminds her that they are owned by AOL

In the early 2000s, internet service provider America Online merged with Time Warner. It was a time of transition for Warner properties and the Young Justice team, who lost their leader when Robin left.

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Wonder Girl was left in charge, and while speaking with her team advisor, Red Tornado, her computer kicked her offline. She went on a rant about how unreliable internet service providers were, which prompted Cissie to enter the room and whisper something to her – presumably how they're now owned by AOL. As a result, Wonder Girl quickly ceased her rant.

5 Scott Pilgrim Breaks The Fourth Wall Out Of Frustration

Scott Pilgrim

Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley is a comic book series full of geeky references, and it regularly breaks the fourth wall. Told over the course of six volumes, sometimes a character casually references an event by identifying what volume it happened in, for both comedy's sake and as a recap for the audience.

Scott, whose quest was to defeat his love interest's exes, found out he had to fight two of Ramona Flowers' exes in volume five. Exasperated, Scott makes a wish that it's the last volume of his comics.

4 Mr. Mxyzptlk Chases Bat-Mite Into The Real World

Mr Mxyzptlk vs Bat-mite as a city burns in the background

Batman and Superman have their own interdimensional imp. While Bat-Mite admires Batman, Mr. Mxyzptlk shows up to prank Superman. Superman and Batman: World's Funnest by Evan Dorkin saw the two imps fighting each other on their own Earth, which becomes a chase through multiple Earths.

Mr. Mxyzptlk chases Bat-Mite through many events and iconic moments in DC History until they break the fourth wall and enter the real world. Landing right outside the offices of DC Comics, they're faced with a realistic Earth. It terrifies them so much, they quickly leave.

3 Squirrel Girl's Pet Squirrel Is Killed In The Middle Of Narrating

Squirrel Girl avenges Monkey Joe while ghost of Monkey Joe leaves

Squirrel Girl originated as a gag character who wanted to be Iron Man's sidekick. The Great Lakes Avengers were a joke Avengers team with weird characters, and Squirrel Girl joined the GLA in a comedic mini-series by John Byrne.

Squirrel Girl talks to the audience at the beginning of each issue to introduce the story, and her pet squirrel, Monkey Joe, continues breaking the fourth wall with jokes throughout the issue. He's killed in-story in issue #3 but continues to appear outside the panels, making comments dressed as an angel squirrel.

2 Babe The Blue Ox Threatens The Reader

Babe the Blue Ox asks reader not to finish the story

Jack of Fables was a comedic spin-off of Fables, written by Bill Willingham. A recurring joke in that book was how Babe the miniature blue ox narrates a fantastic adventure for himself, all contained on a single page.

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When Fables was wrapping up its run, it gave characters their last stories, and Babe was aware of that fact. He tells the reader that if he or she doesn't finish the story, it doesn't have to end. A goon stands beside Babe and points a gun at the reader, advising them to do what the ox says.

1 Brian Michael Bendis Issues A Personal Disclaimer For The Ultimate Spider-Man/Wolverine Team-Up

Brian Michael Bendis tells audience the comic won't be important or powerful

Ultimate Spider-Man took a realistic approach to Spider-Man, leaving out some of the more extreme ideas from the main series. While Spider-Man continued his trademark wisecracking, the series maintained a more realistic tone. That changed when the book brought in the X-Men.

Putting Spider-Man and Wolverine together in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, written by Michael Brian Bendis with pencils by Matt Wagner, was a guaranteed hit – even if the story had the two heroes switching bodies. It's a comical story where the first page is dedicated to writer Brian Michael Bendis, who addresses the audience and specifies how the story isn't going to be powerful or all that important.

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