Whew…I don’t know what’s more disturbing about the Deathlok character. The fact that multiple iterations from alternate timelines keep showing up in the mainstream Marvel Universe (616), or the fact that most of the Deathloks were built upon Black Men. It was like the Deathlok program was the “Tuskegee Experiment” of the near Marvel future timeline (look it up if you don’t know).
In any case, the Deathlok character is a cyborg soldier created in a near future and brought to the present by various means. In the past, Deathlok has been named as Luther Manning, and another as Michael Collins. The current Deathlok that has been seen running around with the X-Men is as of yet an unnamed character.
Hasbro continues to put out an expanding list of Marvel-based characters, even those less popular ones who have existed for years. The Deathlok character itself is nearly 45 years old, but has had little presence in the world of action figures. I actually have the original Toy Biz Marvel Legends Deathlok and while that was a great sculpt and figure, it honestly couldn’t stay standing even if you wanted it too…how does this figure compare? Let’s get into this review…
Standard Marvel Legends packaging.
I did want to take time to address why Deathlok seems to randomly appear in a Deadpool Marvel Legends line. Usually most of the figures in a action figure wave have some loose association with the main character of the wave (hence why “Deadpool” shows up so prominently above “Deathlok” on the front of the packaging).
If most of you aren’t comic readers, then you would not know that this version of Deathlok (affectionately known as “Deathlok Prime”) was part of the Wolverine-lead mutant strike force, X-Force, along with Deadpool. Yes, I know Deathlok is not a mutant, but from past experience, you don’t necessarily need to be a mutant to be an X-Man (or in X-Force). This would also explain why the X-Force version of Deadpool also shows up in this wave. (Note: the X-Force version of X-23 also shows up in this wave although she was not in X-Force at the same time as Deadpool and Deathlok).
Packaging Score: 7.5 out of 10 
Being a killer cyborg from the future, you would hope that we get some big-ass guns to go with the bad-ass cyborg, and Hasbro does not disappoint.
We do get an oversized handgun which conveniently fits into the holster on the side when not in use. We also get a huge oversized, gatling gun looking weapon, complete with an ammunition belt that feeds into the side. Wonderful!
The downside of having two wonderful weapons? Only having one hand to hold only one weapon at a time…you can’t really go in guns blazing if you only have the ability to hold one gun. And “gun blazing” doesn’t sound right. An extra set of hands would have been nice.
The figure also has a removable backpack that easily detached. I most likely will never detach it, but the option is there if you want.
The Build-A-Figure piece for this assortment is the arm of Sasquatch. I won’t even go how the Sasquatch character is related to any other character in this line…
Accessories Score: 8.5 out of 10
While I remember the Toy Biz Deathlok almost painted with matte colored paints and containing more lifelike detail, this Deathlok almost pops with color in comparison.
The sculpting and the paint application are comic book accurate and nearly flawless on my figure. There are no color bleeds or sculpting mistakes that I have noticed with this figure. Sidenote: I love when figures don’t have pupils…there are less chance of there being the “cock-eyed” mistake that are sometimes made with those figures.
Nothing more to say….the amount of detail on this figure is impressive. The Colossus-like arms and legs are sculpted well and look metallic on the figure. The skull even has a missing patch of skull.
All-in-all, a good replacement for those still using their Toy Biz Deathlok as a placeholder in their Hasbro collection.
Sculpt/Likeness Score: 9 out of10
Gotta love Marvel Legends articulation…again, we have over 32+ points of articulation! It’s getting to the point where I have to talk about what the figure can’t do instead of what the figure can do articulation-wise.
Of course everything is not perfect…or exactly the same. The double-hinge elbows, which usually allow full range of motion allowing the forearm to make contact with the bicep, is somewhat hindered by the design. So the figure does not have full range there.
The right wrist is also different. Instead of the hinge allowing the hand to bend in and out, the hinge is placed on the side of the wrist allowing the hand to bend up and down…which is different. It was probably done that way to allow the figure to hold the bigger gun better.
Still, a highly articulated figure and most welcome addition to my collection.
Articulation Score: 9 out of10
If you were debating getting this figure, don’t. I give you my permission and blessing.
What makes it even nicer is that this Deathlok figure is part of the Marvel Legends onslaught of figures that Hasbro has been sending our way this year…and seeing that the character is not overly popular, you can almost guarantee that you get it on a discount.
For instance, as of this writing, this figure is $13.99 over on Amazon…and sure to drop down even lower as we approach the holidays.
Deathlok has a great history too…an overly-convoluted one for sure, but if you don’t know much about this character, it’s worth a look at least on the Facebook page to see the abbreviated history of the character. And I bet those Deathlok limited series are 4 for a dollar at any comic book convention.
Here’s hoping that Hasbro continues to put out quality characters, popular or not, and help us fill in the holes in our marvel collections.
