Marvel’s Midnight Suns is expanding its star-studded cast by introducing Deadpool in the new The Good, The Bad, and The Undead DLC. Going into this expansion for Marvel’s Midnight Suns, it can be odd to think how the Merc with a Mouth can slot into such a well-intentioned, by-the-numbers, and very PG-13 cast of heroes, given his foul-mouthed nature; however, after spending some bonding time with the man in the red jumpsuit it seems like Wade Wilson is just what Midnight Suns needed.
Deadpool is wacky, irreverent, and tastefully annoying in Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Some have criticized the game for its rather corny dialogue, but Firaxis has done a great job keeping Deadpool in the sweet spot between endearing and edgy. On the gameplay side, Deadpool’s kit has more than enough tricks up its sleeve to fit into any well-balanced trio in Midnight Suns while also bringing some new research projects to give the Abbey a Deadpool flair. The Good, The Bad, and The Undead does wind up feeling like an introductory chapter for a much larger story that Firaxis wants to tell over the course of this year; still, the few missions starring the Merc remain entertaining and challenging enough to make any Midnight Suns fan want to check back in with the team at the Abbey.
Midnight Suns Starts a New Chapter
The Good, The Bad, and The Undead kicks off a new storyline in Marvel’s Midnight Suns, first introducing Deadpool in what seems to be a whole new arc for the heroes in the Abbey. Without getting too into the details, The Good, The Bad, and The Undead starts with The Hunter encountering the Merc with a Mouth himself as he is in the midst of robbing an artifact for a “very scary Eastern European mystery client.” Of course, Hydra manages to get to it first, leading to an unlikely alliance between The Hunter and Deadpool, filled with puns along the way. The big evil villain of these few story missions is Red Skull’s daughter, Sin, and her gang of undead Hydra soldiers. Some classic Deadpool hijinks ensue, and suddenly a whole wagon of new enemies called “Vampyres” flood the scene.
In keeping with the occult themes of the main game, Midnight Suns’ Deadpool DLC is all about fighting new vampiric enemy types and vampire Hydra soldiers. These new Vampyre enemies arrive in swarms and can inflict Bleed on a card, so using that card will cause the hero who used it to get the Bleed status effect. Additionally, these Vampyres get stronger the more Bleed there is out on the field, and occasionally there will be a growing Vampyre sac on the board that needs to be destroyed before it spawns more enemies. Needless to say, crowd-control heroes like Spider-Man or Captain America are invaluable here, and Deadpool also manages to find a spot on the team nicely.
Deadpool Mixes Mercenary Work With Team Tactics
Deadpool’s kit in Midnight Suns is quite versatile. Per the in-game description, Deadpool’s strengths on the field are “overpowered abilities, breaking the fourth wall, and comedic timing,” but he mostly ends up being great at drawing more cards, stacking damage, and doing some crowd-control. The Merc’s main mechanic is his En Fuego status, where the more he kills, the more damage he does, and the more cards he can draw. Having a good all-rounder who can cause chain damage, like Spider-Man, before Deadpool goes in for the kill is the best way to use the Merc. Deadpool acting as the finisher for weak enemies and then dishing out all that built-up En Fuego damage on a hearty foe always feels fantastic and does wind up feeling overpowered, after all.
Outside of battle, The Hunter and Deadpool grow their relationship in the most awkward but comedic way possible. The 'Pool, as he calls himself, certainly won’t warm up to The Hunter immediately, but watching how Midnight Suns builds a relationship with such a juvenile character is a lot of fun. Almost everyone else in the Abbey despises Deadpool because of his annoying jokes and reckless nature, which creates an interesting dynamic that feels new to such a close-knit cast. While tensions in the Abbey between other characters tended to vary throughout much of the main campaign, it is a nice change of pace to see just about every hero besides The Hunter treat Deadpool like an obnoxious little brother.
Midnight Suns Stays True to Deadpool
While the dialogue in Midnight Suns might not be to everyone’s liking, Deadpool remains entertaining and funny throughout the missions he's featured in. Deadpool’s antics this time around are a little more PG-13 and Saturday morning cartoon-like than the usual trouble he causes in his film and comic counterparts, but the spirit of the character is still entirely intact. Sometimes, it’s a little more fun to see him censored and have the audience fill in the blanks than have him outright say something obscene on camera. Overall, it looks like Firaxis had a lot of fun writing Deadpool into Midnight Suns, and it always comes out whenever the Merc with a Mouth is on the screen.
Firaxis has also packed a few extra Deadpool-themed goodies for owners of The Good, The Bad, and The Undead. Players can now craft a taco truck at the Abbey, in line with Deadpool’s love of chimichangas. However, the taco truck is worth more than making sure Deadpool has his fill of deep-fried Tex-Mex, as it comes with some significant upgrades to moves, discards, and redraws on the field. Overall, The Good, The Bad, and The Undead ends up feeling like a great addition to Midnight Suns, adding enough new content to make the trip back to the Abbey worthwhile, but Firaxis is definitely just getting started.
It can be easy to be left wanting more once finished with The Good, The Bad, and The Undead’s handful of story missions. While Deadpool manages to shine whenever he's on-screen, the DLC feels a bit too brief and could flesh out characters like Sin and even Blade’s role in the story. This first entry in Midnight Suns' upcoming season of DLC certainly comes off like a primer in what will likely be an exciting new story in the Midnight Suns universe, but wanting more of something isn't necessarily a bad thing. For now, having an anti-hero who can't help himself from cracking the next bad joke feels like a nice refresh in Midnight Suns' growing roster and should be a fun addition for fans who are still making their way through the beefy campaign or looking for an excuse to jump back in.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions coming later. Game ZXC was provided a PC code for the purposes of this review.
