Deadpool: Marvel United Expansion

One of many Marvel United expansions, but you cannot beat Deadpool! He always wins! So, the question is, how badly do you lose?

“Bad Deadpool… Good Deadpool.” – Deadpool.

Unsurprisingly Deadpool is both hero and villain in this expansion. You have the option to add him in with a team of heroes, or, assemble a team of heroes to take him on, and ultimately lose.

Why lose? Deadpool cannot be stopped, he simply respawns. When playing the Deadpool mission, unlike battling any other villain, you do not have to complete 2 out of 3 threats to start striking him, you can attack and wound him straight away. When that last wound goes, he’s coming straight back, but you will skip his next master plan card allowing for one more play. The idea in this fun/less serious play of the game is to build a score which you are judged on, by Deadpool, after he completes (plays) his master plan. See the photo below for scoring and how well you might perform.

One critical note is heroes are not KO’d in the normal way, they’re just out and a big -10 points handed out if such an incident occurs. The only consolation is you get to sub in another hero to aid in re building a score.

“You might be wondering why the red suit? Well, that’s so bad guys don’t see me bleed” – Deadpool.

When backing the kickstarter I got so excited when this expansion was announced. I really wanted Deadpool to play with. What has been delivered with this set is excellent because it adds a lot more fun and entertainment into play with the Deadpool additions. I didn’t expect Deadpool the villain and this has been brilliant. The opportunity to strike the villain straight away is a refreshing change. You really need to get stuck into him as well, but then he keeps coming back. The balance, as always, has to be struck in managing the board for thugs and civilians, as well as being aware of the threats. Assemble a team that can give a good balance and you will lose with some respect.

“So what’s it going to be, sullen silence or mean comment” – Deadpool.

It can be quite frustrating in this format that you never win the game. It is nice to win occasionally and it is a pity the designers didn’t come up with a format to incorporate something here. I guess you have all the other variations for getting the win. Rules are rules though, no master plan card available to draw is a loss for the heroes. Deadpool fully exploits that.

“You don’t need to be a superhero to get the girl. The right girl will bring the hero out in you.” – Deadpool.

I’m really enjoying this variation in play. The meatgrinder format is a lot of fun. It has been frustrating in other games when the villain draws a card that essentially pulls the rug out from beneath your feet and your heroes instantly lose, never ideal. With this version you know you are going the distance to the last master plan card and you need to do everything you can to score as heavily as possible in that time. The challenge then being, can you get a better score in a follow up game? This has gone very well for us on occasions and on others, unfortunately, horrendously badly with numerous additional heroes required and a minus score by the end, how embarrassing… but incredibly amusing also.

Final Thoughts

Deadpool is a wonderful addition to the Marvel United universe with some great variation to the traditional play and a lot of comedy. Keep in mind this is an expansion and you need at least one of the base sets of Marvel United to be able to play Deadpool. The minis also look stunning and the artwork as always is right on point. I highly recommend this addition.