Here’s a story many of you may not like.
I’ve never been a fan of Deadpool. To me, he always seemed like the poster child for everything wrong with comics in the 1990s. Yeah, I know the character has grown and developed since then, but his jokey mannerisms and nigh-unkillable nature still leave me cold. So why do I have an action figure of the guy? Good question.
Deadpool came to us in wave six of Marvel Legends. At the time the line was suffering distribution problems, and many collectors never saw these figures in stores; bracketed between the shelf-warming wave 5 and the coming-in-hot wave 7, wave 6 was kind of lost in the shuffle. The only figure I ever saw on the shelf was the Thomas Jane Punisher, which was pretty damn frustrating. I was happy with the Punisher I already had — I wanted Juggernaut, Phoenix and Wolverine in his brown costume. I haunted my local Walmart like a ghost, scaring children out of the toy section with my long wispy beard and crooked walking stick, but somehow I always missed the figures I was looking for.
Flash forward six months later. I was hanging out with some friends who worked at a local “pop culture” store. Every month or so we’d get together, drink a few beers, and talk toys. There was a nice variety to our little group: one guy was into classic monster stuff, another was into 3 3/4-scale figures, and I was the Marvel Legends guy. Dave (the 3 3/4-inch collector) showed up one night with a big box of stuff he thought I would want (for a few bucks, of course!)
Dave started collecting Marvel Legends but had quickly lost interest — he just didn’t dig the 6-inch scale. In the box were figures like movie Daredevil, the first Sub Mariner, and Magneto (all figures I already owned); however, underneath all of the schwag was hiding the brown-costumed Wolverine, Cable, and Deadpool! Dave quickly snatched Wolverine from my hands, telling me “I don’t mean to throw him in there!” I hustled, I haggled, I offered real cash, but Dave wouldn’t budge. In the end I gave him $5 and walked out of there with Deadpool. Sigh.
At the time I knew the figure was desirable, but I couldn’t muster much enthusiasm for him. Yeah, he posed nicely and the weapons were cool, but I still would have rather had Wolverine. If you’ve read my articles before, you know I’m not a huge fan of Logan either, but I really like having a wide variety of characters on display. Also, the fact he was short seemed to make him a much better fit than wave 3 Wolvie, a figure I love but freely admit is too big. Anyway, Deadpool was my consolation prize — little did I realize he’d soon be worth enough to buy ten brown Wolverines.
DP hung out with my other figures for years, but I never warmed up to him. Thanks to his loose ankles, he was constantly taking dives off the shelf: every time I heard that familiar THUNK, I was sure I was going to find him broken on the floor. Thanks to his healing factor, he survived, but just having him around became a nerve-wracking experience. I didn’t want the figure to be ruined, so I eventually put him away.
I knew the birth of my daughter would affect my toy collecting, but I never realized how much. I thought building an army of HYDRA or SHIELD agents was expensive, but it’s nothing compared to the cost of diapers, clothing, food, and a thousand and one other things babies need. Obviously, my action figure budget took the first hit — I went from dropping hundreds a month on entire waves to cherry-picking the figures I absolutely had to have, and then hoping I could find the rest when my wallet allowed it. I seriously began eying Deadpool as a quick way of making a few bucks, but I resisted. I just could not bring myself to start selling my collection, no matter what was in it.
Time passed and Hasbro issued their own Deadpool. I thought that the original would drop in price once the new figures appeared, but the Merc with a Mouth is so freakin’ popular his going rate actually increased. Fans weren’t happy with the new diminutive ‘Pool and still wanted the Toy Biz version. Several re-releases later and a carded wave 6 figure can still easily bring $100+. I knew it was time. I posted him on a popular auction site last night and, wouldn’t you know it, he had already sold by the time I woke up this morning.
So here I am, Deadpool-free and okay with it. Like I said, I was never really a fan. I’m happy with the amount I got for the little bugger, and my buyer is over the moon at finally getting a figure he’s wanted for years. Am I a rotten scalper for profiting from a figure I paid five bucks for? Perhaps. Am I a dick for not selling it to one of you guys for cheap? Maybe. But in the end, you have to do what’s right for you and yours. Hey, if it were up to me, everyone who wanted Deadpool would have one — but I’m not a toy manufacturer. I’m just a stay-at-home dad who got lucky and who’s doing what he has to do to keep the wolves from the door. And if this story bothers you, be here next time when I tell you about the time I bought a wave 6 Juggernaut for $1.50…
Jason R Mink is the Man in the Anthill!
I just sold mine loose for $92.
Fantastic article. Great pics. I really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing your tale.
yr pal,
Hoardax.
I still don’t understand what’s the fuss with Deadpool and how his prices spiked up in the secondary Market. Is he a case of mid-tier characters that only collectors would love to have? Because if he is that popular, why not release Deadpools regularly like how toy companies release Spiderman, Captain America, Iron Man, and other top tier marvel characters.
I recently moved into a new apartment and I no longer have room for the display case I have been using for the past few years. It’s been a struggle but I am trying to part with some items. This article sorta reinforced some decisions. I’ve definitely hung on to stuff to complete a collection rather than actually having a real liking for the figure or character. I hope I can help secure happy new homes for some of the figures I am parting with.
I was lucky enough to find all of series 6 in one go, and I bought guys like Deadpool and Juggernaut because I knew series 6 was hard to find. I loved Phoenix and Brown Wolvie, and I ended up giving the Deadpool and the Juggernaut away. I didn’t really want them, but my buddy was building an X-Men collection. I still got to play with Deadpool from time to time and he is actually a pretty great little toy. And it felt good to give him away. I end up giving away a lot of my toys. That’s a nice, Chris Cringle-y feeling.
Cool article. I was lucky and found Juggernaut, Brown Wolverine, and Cable at a local TRU when they first came out. And I later saw another Juggs and Wolvie at KayBee, but I didn’t buy them. I never found Deadpool or Phoenix at retail though.
And for god sakes, don’t feel bad about selling that Deadpool, I sell unwanted pieces from my collection all the time. I’ve also parted with stuff I swore I’d never sell… until I did. Things like the original Hulk Classics Absorbing Man, Red Hulk BAF, Sentinel BAF, Galactus BAF, SDCC X-Force Wolverine, and DCSH Black & Gray Batman, to name just a few. Some were hard to part with, but in the end, I don’t regret selling any of them.
Most of the figures that I end up selling are because I replaced them with a newer (better) version of the character. Such as Galactus for example. When I got the new MU Masterworks Galactus, I simply no longer had a need for the old TB BAF version. Sometimes things go for less than I paid for them, and sometimes they sell for more. But I’ve never, ever bought a figure just so I could resell it. I only buy figures that I want for myself at the time. But later, if I no longer have need or desire for a particular figure, I see nothing wrong with throwing it on Ebay to try to make some extra cash to buy more figures with.
I don’t see a problem with dumping figures from your collection, especially after hearing how expensive child-raising is from my friends! Fun read too!
Ya know, I’d probably consider selling that Deadpool too, and I’m a fan of the guy! I’m just trying to replace everyone with the smaller Universe figures. Only thing keeping me from selling him is the sentimental value – he was a valentines present from my wife. And lemme tell ya: she honestly can rarely keep track of what I’m buying. I get so much different stuff here and there. She was really payin’ attention though and got that sucker off ebay for me, so I’m never getting rid of him.
But seriously man, when you know something is going to fetch a high price, go for it! It’s not like you were buying him for that express purpose. Only reason I try to get rid of things is to get rid of them! If I KNEW I had some rare figure on my hand I’d try to get a bit more for ’em in the end.
Pfft. Nothing wrong with making a little profit to either help take care of your family or to buy more figs. More power to ya!
Nice read! I had a very similar experience with that Toybiz Deadpool, but a very different ending. I’ve always felt Deadpool was created as almost joke in the 90s. Marvel’s Beavis and Butthead. I remember burning up the toy aisles to find Phoenix and brown Wolvie only to find that damn Punisher time after time. Finally, after a long time of looking I came across the entire wave, including Dark Phoenix in a TRU. Deadpool was there so I grabbed him. Probably just because I knew I’d never see him again. He hung out with my other X-men for a while but I got to where I couldn’t handle his nose-dives any longer, so he ended up in a box. My kids are older than yours and clearly I’ve failed as a father because my youngest son loves Deadpool. We moved in the last year and when I came across Deadpool in that box I gave him to my son. I knew how much he was going for, but I knew he’d mean even more to my son. Since, he has practically played him to pieces. So much so I broke down and secured the Deadpool family Comic Con exclusive to give to him this year for his birthday. Insane? Yeah, but I’d,do it again.