Billy the Kid is almost a joke character in Ground Zero without Zen. At least that’s how he’s portrayed. You get to know him as he provides support to two incredibly capable Agents, Anby and Nicole, and he never really steps out of that background role. But his importance comes through in his personality, the way he never hides who he is, and the comic relief he’s always there to provide without lowering the tone.
To my surprise, I haven’t been able to find a decent source on who the English voice actor for Billy the Kid is. I’ve seen some fans claim it’s Troy Baker, while others lean towards Clifford Chapain, although there’s not much evidence to support that. Whoever it is, given his voice and writing style, I can’t think of Billy the Kid as anything other than a more decent version of Deadpool.
Sure, Billy the Kid doesn’t have the swords or the regeneration abilities that are key to Deadpool’s character. However, it’s the mannerisms, the things he says, the way he says them, and the way he carries himself in each scene that make me compare the two.
For starters, every time I choose Billy the Kid in Ground Zero without ZenThe Agent’s screen tells me, “I’ve got two guns, so… double the accuracy!” It’s just a little joke, but it’s enough of a change from the stern notes every other Agent gives that it’s strenuous to ignore. It’s also one of many voice lines where he sounds remarkably similar to Ryan Reynolds, who plays Deadpool, which just solidifies the connection between them for me.
Additionally, there’s a scene surrounding the first real boss fight of the game, where that initial group of main characters, Billy Kid, Nicole, and Anby, joke that the enemy will appear when their theme song plays. Billy Kid boldly says, “They won’t have time to play their theme song,” as he readies his weapon, but is promptly nearly wiped off the face of the planet by said boss.
He is saved by Anby and says, “My predictions were outsmarted!” from the floor behind his fellow Agent. As I said, he’s a bit of a joker and provides comic relief during stern moments, but isn’t that what Deadpool does? While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has united the Avengers to take on some of the greatest foes they’ve ever faced, Deadpool fights alone from the sidelines, calling his villain Thanos even though he’s not, as Josh Brolin plays both.
Even in Deadpool and Wolverinewe see an antihero who didn’t have a chance to save the world and now has to do exactly that, and yet he asks someone else for aid, so it’s not all up to him.
But I think we can go even deeper. Billy the Kid is a cyborg. Although there are many different races in the game, Ground Zero without Zenhe’s a bit of an outsider, since he’s the only inorganic (that I know of) Agent. Deadpool is also an outsider; his mutation, which was forced upon him, caused him so much pain that he went too far off the deep end. All he can do is laugh and make fun of the world, because every moment of his life is painful.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been an outsider many times in my life, and humor is a great way to cover that up. It also helps break the ice in conversations and make you less of an outsider. It’s a universal language that we all speak, and I think that’s a substantial part of why Billy the Kid is so instantly lovable.
Deadpool is abusive, swears a lot, and is crazy about ultraviolence, blood and guts, and he works for himself first and foremost, not for others. Billy the Kid is a team player through and through, shooting enemies from a distance and always jumping into battle with a shout of support for whoever he’s jumping next to.
Neither character is involved in a fight for glory. Deadpool usually fights for revenge or for himself in some way, while Billy the Kid fights for justice, upholding the values of the Starlight Knights, a group of TV superheroes he admires.
He certainly has his moments, but I don’t think Deadpool can be called wholesome that often. Billy the Kid takes the character and shows what he would look like as part of the team without the swords and foul language. I’m not saying he’s better, but he’s certainly charismatic and a breath of fresh air compared to Deadpool and the rest of the Agents in Ground Zero without Zen.
