SURPRISE! We are back with a look at ANOTHER new Marvel Legends series. It feels as though this is like, the seventh or eighth wave we have reviewed in the past 3 months (and it may well be), but if you have spent any time around the Fwoosh, you know that ML fatigue does not exist in this dojo. We are now up to the second Deadpool assortment of the year (he is EVERYWHERE), and this series might be the most irreverent Legends release yet.
Deadpool. Is there anything he can’t do? Or, more accurately, is there any situation or pop culture reference he has not been adapted to in the past ten years or so? I guess we are still waiting on Dabpool, or Rick and Pooly yet, but those notwithstanding, DP has been through more iterations and costumes changes than a Madonna, Elton John, Tina Turner and Lady Gaga super concert combined. So much so that, while there are some awesome and much needed figures of other characters in this new Karl Lykos (Sauron) wave, DP makes up half of the singe card offerings. Yep, the three figures featured here are all Deadpool all the time, so while I will be getting to those other figures later this week, it is nothing but black and red (and the occasion blue, yellow, and pink) for the rest of this offering.
So, to kick it off, let’s take a peek at “X-Men” Deadpool, “Casual” Deadpool, and Lady Deadpool (with Headpool!). Between these new ‘Pools and the ‘Pools we have gotten over the past couple of years, there should be something for everyone by now. Unless of course you are in need of the DP on scooter coming later this year. Wade will NEVER end!
“X-MEN” DEADPOOL
Yes, Wade does have actual runs with the X-Men in his colorful history, but the use of quotation marks herein signify the fact that this figure is based off a time when he threw together a costume himself, and was presented more for laughs (it’s DP, duh) than actually helping old Chuck Xavier and his cause. Much the way that DP’s costume was cobbled together, so is this figure, but like so many Legends that came before this, that reuse and combining parts has worked our really well. Personally, I past the former stigma that was often applied to a figure that was made up primarily of reused parts. So long as it works, and nothing is used to be cheap and/or egregious, this strategy is essential to the formula of ML, and it provides some nice continuity across the line.
With this figure, you get a head and sheath from the previous modern Deadpool figure, but added to the Sunfire body (with the butterfly shoulder/chest joints) with some Jim Lee Cyclops accent straps about the wrists and calves. To me, the color and paint scheme is actually more important than the specific base body (they could have picked from a few, so long as it was not wildly incorrect for DP), and the blue and yellow clash wonderfully with the black and red to make this a lycra upchuck in the best way. The self-applied and inaccurate “X-MEN” logo is real topper here, and while this version of Wade would never make it into my standard display, I WILL find a place for this somewhere in the new toy room.
Now, for accessories, this figure comes with the Katana swords we have been seeing all over the place for a few years now (it is fine), as well as a gun that I am pretty sure is also re-purposed, but I cannot recall from where at the moment. These are all fine because DP needs lots and lots of weapons, so building up a cache is never a bad thing for him. The real humdinger here though is the inclusion of the Madcap head and (removable) hat. On one hand, this is AWESOME, especially for those who know of and enjoy the particular situation/plotline this is pointing to. I mean, someone at Hasbro (likely Dwight) and Marvel (probably Jesse) had to be tenting their fingers in satisfied glee. On the other, I am going to be that guy, along with my pal Benty, who says he hopes this doesn’t rule out a chance for an actual Madcap figure in the future. Because it shouldn’t. We need a proper Madcap in ML.
Oh, and this is the perfect time to point out that, if they gave awards for such things, the team at Hasbro would win the “Best In-Package Posing” for this series based just on this figure and…
“CASUAL” DEADPOOL
I mean, this one was pretty much inevitable, right? Sure, we are living in a world where just about any iteration of Deadpool can be considered inevitable, but getting a figure of him in undies and slippers was never not going happen. Sure, I can hear the collective scoffing from dudes all over the place that would never need such a figure after the standard modern and 90s DPs that have already been released, but this might be the best DP overall yet. Seriously. No, it is not as iconic as that aforementioned 90s version, but if you up on the current state of affairs with the merc, this might just be the most appropriate Deadpool we have ever gotten. Plus, it is so well made!
The top half of the figure is (mostly) made up of the modern DP we got a couple of years ago, but the red is much more dynamic than before. Yeah, one could snarl at the lack of paint applications on a belt that has a holster for a gun not even included in this release, but for guys like me, we are really checking out this figure below the belt. Amirite? Wait, what? Well, yeah, because you see, below the belt is where all the action is! And by “action” I mean, DP’s all new pink and white unmentionables, his scared up bare legs, and sock (only one) and fuzzy pink slippers. Think about that for a second. We now have a dirty sock and fuzzy slippers in the ML parts library. What a time to be alive. Don’t let the comedic approach fool you, though, these part look GREAT, and now I wish the upcoming Professor X was wearing those while driving his hoover chair.
This figure is package with the giant Sauron torso, so while that is like getting two whole figures in one standard ML box, the posing is just perfect to make the crowded real estate wonderfully positioned.
LADY DEADPOOL
Gee, while lots of people have wanted Wanda to finally make her debut in ML (myself included), it is funny that as she arrived, she is kind of the most plain and by the books “Deadpool” figure in her assortment. Yes, this figure ticks all of the boxes needed to make for a great Lady DP ML figure, but when you are u p against a Wade kicking around Madcap’s head, and one in his damned undies, it is hard to fight for position on the pecking order. The good new is that this figure is very fun in its own right, and oh, you also get HEADPOOL with it. Yep. That is two disembodied heads that do not belong to a body included in this wave. Thus goes Deadpool.
From neck to toe, Lady Deadpool is pretty much a blank slate that is appropriately painted (with clean lines) in the standard DP red and black costume scheme. She does have the requisite belt, harness, and thigh straps to fully complete the look, but for the most part, the body is simple and straightforward, but appropriate for the character to be sure. For weaponry, yep — those old Katana friends of ours are here again, this time with red handles, and they do just fine.
The two new heads are the highlights of this release, however, and both Lady and Head really bring with the personality and design requirements. For the most part, the actual head of LDP is indistinguishable from the 90s Wade look, but she has a hell of a lot of hair to set her apart. This is appropriately rendered above and around her head, but cast in soft plastic, so it can move and bend and not inhibit the actual head posing. Getting Headpool is a pure delight, and honestly, this might be the most detailed head in the entire assortment. The decayed skin and bone is sculpted nicely with a wash to bring out the details, and the propeller on the beanie actually spins. NOICE! Yeah, you can put this head on a standard male ML neck peg, but a nice little clear stand will help this little guy display as the unique character that he is on the shelf.
Well, we are less than half way through this assortment and it is already a winner. Getting Lady Deadpool crosses off another character on the “has never been in ML” list, and the two new versions of DP are really a lot of fun. Sure, if you are not a DP fan (I am not the biggest, but still like the fun of these), it might be painful to get all of these figures to build Sauron, but !!!SPOILER ALERT!!! that figure is worth it anyway, Do not sleep on this series, and head on over to Dorkside to procure your set now!
We will be back later this week to finish our look at this wave, so stay tuned!
