Another year of Marvel Legends and another stellar year for Hasbro. It was a year in which we saw multiple Deadpool and Avengers waves. The X-Men were also back in full force and, above all, we had way too many trips to Walgreens. Below, Junkies, we listed our top 10 Marvel Legends of 2018 and spotlighted a few other things that we felt were worth mentioning. Those "things" include the best wave, best two-pack, and etc. We want your choices and reasoning in the comment section below! Again, this was a great year for Hasbro and the Marvel Legends line; there were nearly 150 figures to choose from.
Storm - X-Men Wave 3 (Apocalypse BAF)
Storm with her mohawk guise is about as pure X-Men Eighties as one can get. She makes our list because not only did Hasbro put her in flight, but she literally stopped us in our tracks as we were looking through the line (in person). This is a fantastic likeness of the one-team leader of the X-Men. She is a worthy addition to any collection.
Spider-Ham - Venom Wave 1 (Monster Venom BAF)
Spider-Ham is long overdue in the Marvel Legends line. We applaud Hasbro for not only making Peter Porker but adding the monstrous Venom body to his packaging for the Build-A-Figure. The accolades don't stop there, Spider-Ham also included Pork Rind's head so this enables BAF aficionados to build two different characters out of the line.
Boxers Deadpool - Deadpool Wave 2 (Sauron BAF)
There were several Deadpool figures this year, almost too many if you count the overabundance of Black in Black Deadpools that populated the shelves. This particular Deadpool captures the character perfectly, right down to his pink slippers. This is the Deadpool to have from 2018.
Malekith - Avengers: Infinity War - Wave 2 (Cull Obsidian BAF)
Old School fans celebrated when Malekith was announced and the Millennials were asking "who?". The artistry alone behind the sculpting and the paint applications warrant anyone to Google Search a comic with this baddie and read it.
Mysterio - Spider-Man Wave 9 (Lizard BAF)
Mysterio was one of the hottest figures in early 2018. He also has the distinction of being one of the last official Marvel Legends to have a variant (different heads). Ironically enough, perhaps not, Mysterio is starting to become abundant now. We wonder if that has something to do with the character appearing in Spider-Man: Far From Home?
Archangel - X-Men Wave 3 (Apocalypse BAF) - Shared Exclusive
The GameStop/ Entertainment Earth Exclusive has become a bit of quagmire to acquire. First, they were online, then they weren't. Some people got their orders refunded, where others got their's shipped. Now they are starting to populate GameStops. He is a fantastic addition to the Marvel Legends line and long overdue. Order the Archangel HERE.
PS4 Spider-Man - GamerVerse - GameStop Exclusive
We put a deposit down on ours and even found two at different locations. With that being said, many Junkies are still having a problem finding this hot figure for the hottest game of 2018. Who would have thought that a Marvel Legend based on a video game would be in such high demand? Oh wait, Marvel and Hasbro did.
Marvel’s Magik - X-Men Wave 3 - Walgreens Exclusive
The Walgreens/ Hasbro shipping conundrum continues to plague us. This is a hot figure and has been on our list for four months in a row. If it is going to be exclusive, then why aren't they at every location? Better yet, why does one location get two boxes worth, and some get nothing (for weeks). We love exclusives, but we are tired of the chase when it comes to Walgreens.
The Thing - Fantastic Four Wave 1 - Walgreens Exclusive
We were told by our inside man that The Thing (again Walgreens) has shipped to numerous locations. He is a heavy sucker (1 lb.) and those who ordered him know it. At long last, you will be able to complete your modern Marvel Legends Fantastic Four line. Need Ben Grimm? Turn to the secondary market and just avoid a headache.
Spider-Punk - Spider-Man Wave 9 (Lizard BAF)
Here is Hobie Brown from Earth-138. Yes, this is not Peter Parker as we know him, but an alternate universe Spider-Man where he joined a punk band. This is one of the cooler than cool figures on our list. Even if you don't know his full story, the figure alone is worth picking up. Order Here
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION MARVEL LEGENDS
BEST COMPLETE BUILD-A-FIGURE WITH WAVE
Deadpool Wave 2 - Sauron BAF
Sauron was the Build-A-Figure in the Deadpool Wave 2 (order HERE) set. When he was first announced at Toy Fair 2018, there was a hush over the crowd. It was a hush of great awe. We thought very little of it, then we saw him built, wow. Never before did we want the pterodactyl man from the X-Men. We suddenly found ourselves out hunting the second Deadpool wave. This brings us to the added bonus that this wave of Marvel Legends had no duds or "meh" characters. In fact, they were all Junkie worthy!
BEST TWO-PACK OF 2018
Marvel Legends Hydra Soldier 2-Pack 6-inch Action Figures - Toys R Us Exclusive
When we saw this two-pack at Toy Fair we knew it was going to be a fun release. With the demise of Toys R Us, this exclusive suddenly seemed so out of reach. We were fortunate to find one there before they closed. Add points for it being our last TRU exclusive purchase, phenomenal accessories, four different heads, and it was the best two-pack Marvel Legend of the year. Need more convincing (ORDER HERE)? Check out AFJ's video review HERE.
BEST MARVEL LEGEND VEHICLE OF 2018
Wolverine with Motorcycle
This was a tough call for 2018 as there were three Marvel Legend figures with vehicles. Wolverine takes the number one spot with Ghost Rider being a close second. This is just all the Wolverine we needed this year. Certainly, the X-Men Wolverine was good, but the amount we saw on the pegs had us tired of seeing him. The rarity or perhaps how fast these flew off the shelf propelled this one to the top Marvel Legend vehicle of the year. Order one HERE.
BEST MARVEL LEGEND SERIES OF 2018
Infinity Gauntlet
End of the year lists usually overlook early items from the year as we have long forgotten them. That could not be said about the Marvel Legend Series Infinity Gauntlet. This was the hottest of the hot items back in the late winter/ early spring of 2018. Everyone wanted one leading up to Avengers: Infinity War. Now, today, they are starting to appear for less than their actual price, but that doesn't diminish our love for Thanos' left-hand accessory. Check out our full video review HERE.
Best Marvel Studios The First 10 Years Release
Iron Man 3: Pepper Potts, The Mandarin, Roadster Iron Man
We know that we are going to get some flack for this one. "What, where is the Red Skull SDCC exclusive"?. Our answer for negating that one comes directly from the Hasbro Toy Shop (seen HERE). We love the entire Marvel Studios The First Ten Years line (well, not that Thor figure from the line), but we applaud Hasbro for finally making both Pepper Potts and Trevor Slattery. Why either one of these characters hadn't received a Marvel Legend up to this point was beyond us, especially with how incredible both of these characters were in the film.