Recently at GenCon we had the surprising reveal of three new Gamma infused models coming to Marvel Crisis Protocol. The models for Red Hulk, the Leader, and a brand new She-Hulk were previewed in the painted model case. Not only do these models look great, but I can’t wait to see the abilities these characters bring to the table and if they will bring a Gamma themed affiliation to the game.
Gamma-infused characters are often high-threat and very strong in MCP. The original Hulk, Immortal Hulk, Abomination, and She-Hulk are all playable models. Even more than that, they are often some of the best models in their threat level. It’s sometimes really hard to scale a model’s abilities at the higher threats but Immortal Hulk at 7 Threat is one of the best models on the table. Any new Gamma character is one to watch and they have the possibility to warp the meta around their release. Three new models, all probably affiliated to different groups, will be quite the thing to see. Lets break down these characters and how I expect them to change the landscape of MCP.
On the table Gamma infused heroes are generally very mobile while having very strong attacks and possess the strength to Throw large terrain. This combination makes them absolute top-tier models to have on the table. I think its also hard for an opponent to strategize around a Hulk since Hulk health pools are generally large. In addition, original Hulk gains attack dice when he accrues damage so chipping down OG Hulk is a tough strategy. Consistently Staggering a Hulk is the best way to deal with one but that’s easier said than done. It’s not easy to displace a Hulk or reduce a Hulk’s action economy. Overall, a Hulk on the table spells big problems for your opponent.
The rumor is that these three new characters are under 6 Threat (which will help them fit into more lists) and that She-Hulk is not a leader. The Leader also possibly has a leadership on his card. She-Hulk is supposed to be ‘Sensational She-Hulk’ so a different version of Jen Walters. This information can help us guess what these characters can bring to the table.
Red Hulk
First lets talk about Red Hulk. Red Hulk’s alter ego is Thaddeus Ross, the father of Bruce Banner’s love interest Betty Ross. Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross is a military leader who is obsessed with tracking down and stopping the Hulk. Eventually, he becomes the Red Hulk and battles many Marvel heroes as well as becoming his own protagonist and leading his own strike team. Red Hulk first appeared in Hulk #2 in February 2008. He was similar in his power set to the Hulk with super-strength and resilience but he also possessed the ability to super-heat the air around him. Red Hulk eventually went on to work with the Avengers and also lead his own team of the Thunderbolts, using morally grey killers as means to an end. This character has been portrayed in the MCU first by William Hurt in the Incredible Hulk and most recently by Harrison Ford in Captain America: Brave New World.
The rumor is Red Hulk will be a 5 threat. I hope we can see him affiliated with the Avengers and possibly see a leadership for a new Thunderbolts affiliation. A Thunderbolts team led by Red Hulk would probably have at least Punisher, Deadpool, Elektra, Ghost Rider, and Agent Venom. It is a unique group of characters I would be interested to see play together. I hope to see him have a builder attack with a high dice pool that can also displace an enemy model, a placement effect, and an area effect that will depict his heat generation.
The Leader
Next we have The Leader who is a Hulk antagonist with an enhanced strategic mind. Since Gamma radiation is supposed to emphasize your latent psychology (much like super-soldier serum is supposed to enhance your inner character), when The Leader got dosed with Gamma radiation his brain expanded to absurd levels. The Leader uses his hyper-intelligence to be an arch-nemesis to the Hulk. His first appearance in Marvel Comics is all the way back in Tales to Astonish #63 in October 1964. Similarly to the Red Hulk, this character was portrayed by Tim Blake Nelson in the Incredible Hulk movie but doesn’t truly become the Leader until Captain America: Brave New World. (Who knew that a Captain America movie would have so much Hulk mythos in it?)
It seems like The Leader fits right into the Cabal affiliation as a world-threatening bad guy. If he does have a leadership like the rumors suggest, then I think it would be under Cabal affiliation. The options for a leadership are wide open at this point and his characterization in the media doesn’t immediately hint at any specific MCP mechanic. He looks to be on a small base and I think his attacks would be at 3 or higher Range. Perhaps his strategic mind will enable him to move his teammates or enemies around the board.
She-Hulk (Sensational?)
Finally, we have Sensational She-Hulk. Jen Walters is the cousin of Bruce Banner who becomes the She-Hulk after an infusion of Gamma irradiated blood. She-Hulk is a Hulk who retains much of her personality in her Hulk form and also is a character who breaks the fourth wall. She-Hulk has been portrayed on the Marvel streaming show She-Hulk by Tatiana Maslany.
She-Hulk is already a 6-Threat character in the game who is the leader of the A-Force affiliation. The current She-Hulk can be effective against the higher sized models in the game and her leadership for A-Force is quite good, but her card does leave something to be desired. Sensational She-Hulk seems to be depicting a She-Hulk more split between her law career and her superhero career and will probably be a lower Threat model than the current iteration.
She-Hulk is known to be associated with A-Force, Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and S.H.I.E.L.D. The current She-Hulk is currently affiliated with all of these (fingers crossed for FF) and I’m not sure if they will be changing any of these for the new Sensational model. Perhaps they’re going for a more street-level version and she might be affiliated with Defenders? It will be awkward for her to be affiliated with A-Force since the only leader right now is the existing She-Hulk and therefore she can’t be taken unless the affiliation is being run leaderless. Overall, I’m hopeful the Sensational She-Hulk will retain some of her prowess against large size models. I think she holds a lot of promise as a lower threat Hulk.
Will there be a Gamma Force?
The existence of these three Gamma characters raises the question, when will be get a Gamma affiliation? In the game we already have Hulk, Immortal Hulk, Abomination, and She-Hulk as Gamma characters. The addition of Red Hulk, Leader, and Sensational She-Hulk as lower threat Gamma characters does seem viable for an affiliation to exist. Most Hulk associated characters are major loners and don’t affiliate often, but I think we might get a leadership on a Team Tactics card. Otherwise, I can really only see Sensational She-Hulk as a leader in these new characters.
While the current Gamma models in MCP are top of the list for their threat level, I don’t think it is overpowered to put them together in an affiliation. You still cannot take the two iterations of Bruce Banner Hulk at the same time. I also don’t think that going super tall with a Hulk team is very viable in the War of Kings meta where objective scoring is at a premium.
This affiliation could exist and could grow with future additions. We could see Red She-Hulk (Betty Ross), A-Bomb (Rick Jones), Doc Samson, Sasquatch, and Skaar (Hulk’s child) as additions to the Gamma affiliation. As a final thought, do yourself a favor and go out and read the Immortal Hulk run by Al Ewing. It’s a fantastic comic and does some really amazing things with all of the Gamma characters.
If you’re looking to play some MCP in the Western Pennsylvania area, come on out to the Fabricator’s Forge where we’re having our Las Vegas Invitational Qualifier tournament on September 27th. In addition, if you’re looking to pick up some of the characters discussed in this article, look no further than the Frontline Gaming online store. Until next time, here’s hoping for a Hulk affiliation and maximum Hulk Smash!
