Midnight Suns Deadpool DLC review: Wade Wilson brings the queer chaos

Forget everything you think you know about Ryan Reynolds’ star-turned Deadpool. Or, at least, forget some of it. Yes he broke the 4th wall and yes he is very annoying. There are recent live-action movies, tiptoecomic book canon has long confirmed that Deadpool is a queer character. marvelthe midnight sonsI was hoping that the arrival of Deadpool’s DLC would be a rainbow of joy – and I was not disappointed.

strange expression of Marvel’s Midnight Sons It’s refreshingly understated and mundane (not how I usually describe Deadpool, but we’ll get to him in a bit). For example, the game gender swaps her caretaker and puts her into her long-term homosexual romance with Agatha Harkness.That’s right, witches became famous Wanda Vision dating women from midnight sun(We use the present tense here because Agatha is dead at the start of the game, but not exactly dead. stop was dead all along. )

Despite its comprehensiveness, midnight sunhis representation in the comic books is so inconsistent that we weren’t sure what to expect from Firaxis Games’ take on Deadpool. Cable & Deadpool #20, and since then, I’ve stuck to the orthodoxy of Wade’s queer identity, even though many writers have ignored it over the years. appearances do not typically mention his queerness either. I don’t mean just Ryan Reynolds movies. Deadpool cameos in Marvel vs. Capcom games and even High Moon Studios games dead pool (2013), making him a flirt and a womanizer, but gender is not important.

There’s one thing Deadpool has had a lot of consistent adaptations over the years. Nolan North is the character’s go-to voice. Even Ryan Reynolds’ performance seems to take inspiration from North’s version. hulk vs.(2009).The movie isn’t good – you should know I recently re-watched it for the X-Men podcast – but Nolan North’s performance as Deadpool remains a silver lining. , after that scene-stealing turn, it makes sense that North played the role in a few more video games, recreating it again midnight sunI have played or seen almost all of these Wade Wilson adaptations. midnight sun The version, so far, is as queer as Deadpool.

Image: Firaxis game via Polygon

Image: Firaxis game via Polygon

Image: Firaxis game via Polygon

Image: Firaxis game via Polygon

As a queer person myself, I should also note that I have mixed feelings about it. extreme omnisexual trope, Wade Wilson is perfect for T.Not only is he queer, he’s a superhero midnight sun We need a human resources department (and some sexual harassment seminars). But because this game contains so much normal queer his character and Wade’s antics, I gave myself permission to enjoy Wade and his over-the-top antics. He’s my delicious problematic favorite.

Firaxis’ DLC introduces Merc to Mouth with a Mouth Suns via three new story missions. Deadpool has its own customized line-up of attack cards that aren’t difficult to learn. Between dual his pistol and katana, he has plenty of quick close-range attacks that are better against individuals than groups of enemies. His story His arc also features Red Shin, the goofy vampire daughter of his Skull, and a new enemy type called vampires. As well as providing an opportunity for characters to joke that “vampire” has to be spelled with a Y, vampires also have new combat mechanics that are fun and challenging (they do self-inflicted blood damage to your attacks). You can add that your own attacks will start doing blood damage to you instead of the enemy).

Of course, it’s not all sun and rainbows. Some Deadpool jokes sound a little hollow. On a mission with the Hulk, I had to endure Deadpool commenting on how the big green man’s testicles were falling out of his briefs. , Deadpool periodically exclaims, “Insert your catchphrase here!” Get old.

Image: Firaxis game via Polygon

Image: Firaxis game via Polygon

That said, I spent much more time laughing through the DLC than rolling my eyes.Wade Wilson attacks Blade, a trained vampire hunter, in basically every mission. Blade reacts with exhausted irritation, but not disgust or homophobia (thankfully). The main problem Blade and the other superheroes have with Deadpool is that the notorious mercenary is secretly working with Doctor Doom, which is far more annoying than his Goofball cheating.

Best of all is the strange and unlikely friendship that develops between the player character (Hunter) and Deadpool. I never thought I’d feel sorry for Wade in my life, but the way he bows his head in shame after being reamed by Blade made me feel strangely loved by him. I was. Wade also gently mocks Hunter for befriending all team members, regardless of personality or politics (very typical of video game protagonists). I felt that it made that connection more meaningful and that I got some jokes along the way.

nevertheless midnight sun When it comes to character development, there are hits and misses – it may have leveled up my friendship with Tony Stark, but I didn’t enjoy it for a single minute – the Deadpool DLC finds Mark well, and this character’s most annoying His inner softy exploded while emphasizing his nature. His playstyle in combat didn’t blow my mind, but his personality was a real draw to me, and the writers got that part right. There are DLC packs coming, each with new characters, and we can’t wait to spend more time with the next weirdo joining the team after the Deadpool arc.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns: Good Guys, Bad Guys, Undead DLC will be released on January 26th PlayStation 5, Windows with a computer Xbox Series XThis game was reviewed on PC using a pre-release download code provided by 2K. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, but Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased via affiliate links.discoverable Additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy can be found here.