The mutant. The myth. The legend. The winner of this week’s Oddball Award goes to none other than James Gunn’s favorite X-Man, Doop, and he’s perfect for the MCU.

It’s hard to believe that Marvel's version of Slimer from Ghostbusters has been in the Marvel Comics Universe for 21 years now. After first appearing in X-Force #116, he would become one of the oddest X-Men ever created. Considering it’s a title with the likes of Maggot in its ranks, that speaks volumes.

Although he gets the Groot treatment (he doesn’t speak any language on Earth or get a translation), Doop has endeared himself to readers everywhere. Maybe everywhere is an overstatement; outside the most hardcore X-Statix fans, even X-Men readers would be hardpressed to tell you much about Doop. Yet, he’s getting more mainstream attention than ever before thanks to Gunn’s declarations of love for the oddball X-Man.

WHAT’S A DOOP?

Essentially, Doop is a tongue-in-cheek play on the age-old supersoldier origin story. He was created in a U.S. government lab during the height of the Cold War, and he supposedly has powers to wipe out the entire planet. Past that, it’s all a mystery, which should give you a distinct Wolverine vibe (at least in his early days). He doesn’t speak English or any other discernible languages, only some weird, unintelligible symbols. In true Chewbacca fashion, the characters in the comics can understand him perfectly, which is all part of the joke.

THE KEYS

Believe it or not, there actually are Doop keys.

With the quirky mutant clearly on Gunn’s radar, there is a hot rumor that the whatever-he-is will find his way onto the silver screen. He could be the much-talked-about mystery character in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special or he could appear in the GOTG Vol. 3. Nothing official has been said about Doop, but it’s enough to have collectors on the hunt for his key issues. 

X-FORCE #116

The former government experiment first came on the scene with the X-Statix team in X-Force #116. Complete with an indy publisher-style artwork, X-Statix was a team of celebrity superheroes/reality television stars with Doop serving as a cameraman.

They were soon massacred with Doop being one of just three survivors. That event would elevate him from cameraman to team member.

With so many first appearances in this issue, even if most of them died after debuting, it is no wonder this issue commands a higher price tag. The last time a 9.8 sold online, it brought $163 (earlier this month).

X-STATIX #1

After the team’s X-Force run came to a close, X-Statix starred in their own comic series complete with a Giant-Size homage.

This 2002 comic was published a month after the group headlined their last issue of X-Force.

With the team having a distinct modern action-comedy vibe that would be perfect for a streaming sitcom, this issue could have more collecting appeal in the future.

There hasn’t been a graded 9.8 to trade hands online since a $45 sale in 2014. That also means you can get a raw copy for next to nothing.

ALL-NEW DOOP #1

In 2014, the Cold War superweapon finally got his own solo title, the All-New Doop #1. Aside from this being a quirky first for a quirky character, there isn’t much to say about Doop #1. Like the other issues on the list, if he gets the nod for the MCU, this issue will get an FMV boost. For about $2 for a raw copy, there’s basically no risk.

A DOOPY FUTURE

From Doop down through the entire ranks of X-Statix, these are characters that have James Gunn written all over them. If this was DC, I could imagine the same level of violence we saw in the comics.

Still, Gunn could put together some great comedy with Doop and friends in the PG-friendly MCU, and that makes the aforementioned keys worth watching.

Is there a future in Doop? Share your thoughts in the comments!

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not reflect investment advice on behalf of GoCollect.