If you ask me what I’d say are two of the most bittersweet moments in recent Marvel Legends history, I’d have no trouble coming up with an immediate answer. First would be Spider-Ham’s unbelievably mind-boggling leg situation, and the second would be the inclusion of a Madcap head/hat in the upcoming Deadpool wave.
On the surface, my reaction is all “yay Madcap” but then I’m left wondering: is this it. Is this the only representation Madcap will get in Marvel Legends? A head and a hat included with a random Deadpool? Is he not worthy of his own complete figure?
I don’t know. I do know that with Silvermane and Hammerhead, I’ve got several heads now that don’t have a good body to go with them, and Madcap seems like a new inclusion to that. I can obviously make a proper custom body for him—I’ve done a Madcap custom a long time ago, so I’m no stranger to painting those pants—but I’d still like him to get a full, complete ML figure.
Madcap, for those not in the know, is an insane, indestructible guy. It was his shtick long before it was Deadpool’s, but Madcap has a far worse publicist.
Madcap is the kind of character I’d like to see more of in Marvel Legends. He takes the concept of “comics” and stretches it to its natural conclusion, which is the complete dissolution of a tangible reality. Cut off his head, he can reattach it. Shoot him, stab him, blow him up, he doesn’t even feel it. Long before Slapstick (another of my favorites) took on the roll of Marvel premier cartoon-esque character, Madcap was doing it with style, if not much success.
Much like those guys who were into that band before that band hit it big, I was in on the ground floor for Madcap. I know, you’re jealous. It’s ok, you can have my autograph for a 100 dollar signing fee. Picture extra. I got the issue where he debuted right off the rack in 1985.
First, take a peep at that cover. Evocative, ain’t it? No wonder I had to have that issue. I’d like a figure of that captain America/Nomad split as well. Yeah, I will hold my breath on that one.
Inside, Nomad went after Madcap, who hit him with his “make-you-crazy” powers and made Nomad temporarily insane. That’s what Madcap does, donchuknow. He can make you nuts. Literally, figuratively, so forth, so on.
His appearances since that point were built on the whole “indestructible guy who makes people nuts” thing. He’d show up in a random issue, get forgotten, and then show up again. He was that guy.
Madcap has recently(ish) made several appearances alongside Deadpool. I haven’t been keeping up with these appearances, but a quick read through Wikipedia, which tells me that Madcap and Deadpool were blown up, regenerated as a single person, which made him one of the voices in his head. Then he…became a parasitic organism? and…ok, I’d have to read the comics (I think I have a Deadpool trade of this story line in my big pile of things to read), but these sound like thing you do with Madcap when you don’t know what to do with Madcap. Hell, maybe it makes more sense in the story line.
Anyway, regardless of all of that, Madcap is a visually striking character, with the purple and black pinstripes butting up against the bold yellow shirt, capped off with that manic, smiling mask and the jaunty hat that only Madcap and Foolkiller could pull off.
It was mentioned on the board and it is a secret hope that the as-of-this-writing SDCC exclusive might be the Mercs for Money in their original non-Deadpoolian costumes. That would mean characters like Slapstick, Solo, Foolkiller, Stingray and Madcap. While I doubt that would ever happen, because the world would tumble into a black hole the very next day, I do hope that madcap isn’t going to be relegated to just a guest starring role as a head and a hat. Maybe one day Hasbro will slap a body under him and release him in style. Maybe.
Maybe, I says.
