Oh, Marc Spector, you have been a fickle one when it comes to Marvel Legends. Your figures have always been pretty solid, but, for some reason, your classic all-white costume has been very elusive. Such is the case with this new Moon Knight figure: it might be one of the best Legends yet, even if the costume choice isn’t exactly what I would call “iconic.”
As you probably know, Moon Knight was able to sneak into Marvel Legends in the final ToyBiz wave that built the still-amazing MODOK. So, while this doesn’t offer us an all-new Legends character like the classic Beetle or Tombstone, I think most people were ready for an upgrade for Moon Knight since his figure came out, like, ten years ago. Overall, I was reasonably satisfied with that figure for several years, but since Hasbro started crushing the line, I have always been willing to take an upgrade to most of the original TB figures. So, when rumors started to swirl that Moon Knight (not to be confused with the Mooninites) would be brought back to Legendary status, my body was ready.
Then, the figure reveal came at Toy Fair, and I was awash with mixed emotions. First, the rumor was confirmed: Moon Knight was back, and the figure definitely looked dynamic, but damn my overly optimistic assumption, he was not in his classic costume. Again, I have no idea what Legends has against his classic/iconic togs, but we have now seen Spector is silver, pewter, and now (mostly) black. Sure, this figure has more of his classic white than any of the previous figures, but it is not … yeah. That doesn’t mean that I do not like the figure and that it is not dynamic, it certainly is, but if you were waiting around for a classic Moon Knight, prepare to wait longer. I guess since we finally got our classic Beetle in this assortment, all of the iconic pull was used up for this wave.
Since I got my gripe out of the way, I will tell you this: there will be absolutely no more griping here about this figure, because it is stunning. Yeah, it is not the outfit I would have chosen, but unlike Colossus, I am suddenly over it thanks to how well this figure turned out. Yes, I still want an iconic Moon Knight eventually, but I am definitely satiated at this point because there is a ton to love here. The good thing that this figure has going for it (again, in contrast to Colossus) is that this is a cool-looking costume. It is respectful to the classic design, but the added modern details are not over the top or garish, so they work well. Plus, the clean lines and black and white contrast really set the figure off.
I have to say, in terms of build, Moon Knight is one of my favorite MLs. I find his proportions and stature to be very balanced and pleasing aesthetically for a superhero base. Since retiring the old white-costume-Iron-Fist male and skinny-legged female bases, I cannot say that there is a current base body in Legends that I do not like, but some are stronger than others, at least proportionately. I am sure the predominately black color scheme helps with this somewhat, but Moon Knight is not too skinny at the waist for his legs, and his arms match his chest build and are not too long for his height, so he has come together quite well.
Moon Knight is also a bit more elaborate in terms of building off of a basic body than most figures that start with a “blank” base. He has new forearms and shins to accommodate the costume embellishments (that keep with the “moon” theme), but the armor on his chest and shoulders is achieved through new parts built on top of the base pieces. I know this happens all of the time in ML, but the chest and back pieces are pretty big, so generally that type of thing is handled via unique torso tooling, so this feels like something extra. That might just be me, but the effect is actually very nice, giving Moon Knight a more unique feel, and it allows for the moon symbol to stand out and shine on a flat surface.
Aside from the good proportions, another thing this figure has going for it is a big win over the previous Moon Knight figure in the cape department – this new one is so much better. The unique hood shape is accurately retained here, but the hood itself is a part of the head, NOT the cape. This is optimal because, why not removable from the head itself (I guess you might want to do that, but insert “why tho” meme here), the fact that it is not attached to the cape makes it so you can actually turn and pose the head without making Marc’s face go into the hood itself. I KNOW I cannot be the only person who was frustrated by this with the pervious figure, so hip-hip for progress.
Marc also gets is own designer shoes (Marc Spector sounds like a clothing designer name anyway) with this release, and they boast some nice treads which are probably really useful when fighting crime on rooftops and such. Additionally, he scores two new sets of hands as well. Like his forearms and boots, Moon Knight’s costume also has enhanced details in the gloves, and these are represented in both the grip and fist hands. The latter can hold the included staff (which splits in two, and I wish it was a bit longer) and “moonarang” in dynamic action poses, so that gets me all I need out of those.
The fists are more interesting though because not only do you get the fist option with them, but there are tiny little slots in the knuckles that can hold the three included “moon claws” in an attack position. While they can be a bit finicky, this is an AWESOME move on the part of Hasbro and the design team because it duel purposes the fists and allows for the little moon pieces to remain separate. I am telling you right now: we NEED this to happen for all Wolverine figures (and others) going forward, and forever.
Finally, as required, Moon Knight comes with his techno bird bits in the form of one of Vulture’s wings. I promise you will be seeing a full review of the actual wing rig soon as the piece here and the one with Tombstone are on their way to Robokillah right now, so he is going to lay it all out for you. While I am not assembling the wings, I can already tell they are going to be really impressive, so if all of the articulation and engineering work well, they will make for a cool Build-a-Wing. It still feels weird to say that.
Yeah, I could be crying over the fact that this new Moon Knight does not capture the iconic look of the character, but I’m not gonna. This figure is really well done and even though the costume is new (at least to me), it does look cool, and all of the included design bits and accessories make this a very solid piece for this wave, and ML overall. Sure, I will still take a classic Moony if a retailer wants to pick it up, but this is a strong entry, so I am happy to add him to my grittier “Urban Legends” display. Now let’s get Colleen Wing!
