diff --git a/mercurial/context.py b/mercurial/context.py
--- a/mercurial/context.py
+++ b/mercurial/context.py
@@ -1499,13 +1499,9 @@ class workingctx(committablectx):
                listclean=False, listunknown=False, listsubrepos=False):
         # yet to be determined: what to do if 'other' is a 'workingctx' or a
         # 'memctx'?
-        s = super(workingctx, self).status(other, match, listignored, listclean,
-                                           listunknown, listsubrepos)
-        # calling 'super' subtly reveresed the contexts, so we flip the results
-        # (s[1] is 'added' and s[2] is 'removed')
-        s = list(s)
-        s[1], s[2] = s[2], s[1]
-        return scmutil.status(*s)
+        return super(workingctx, self).status(other, match, listignored,
+                                              listclean, listunknown,
+                                              listsubrepos)
 
 class committablefilectx(basefilectx):
     """A committablefilectx provides common functionality for a file context
diff --git a/tests/test-diff-reverse.t b/tests/test-diff-reverse.t
--- a/tests/test-diff-reverse.t
+++ b/tests/test-diff-reverse.t
@@ -42,3 +42,24 @@
   -g
   -h
 
+should show removed file 'a' as being added
+  $ hg revert a
+  $ hg rm a
+  $ hg diff --reverse --nodates a
+  diff -r 2855cdcfcbb7 a
+  --- /dev/null
+  +++ b/a
+  @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+  +d
+  +e
+  +f
+
+should show added file 'b' as being removed
+  $ echo b >> b
+  $ hg add b
+  $ hg diff --reverse --nodates b
+  diff -r 2855cdcfcbb7 b
+  --- a/b
+  +++ /dev/null
+  @@ -1,1 +0,0 @@
+  -b