Don’t lie, bub – you have been waiting waiting for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine to come to Marvel Legends for a long, long time. Grab a cigar, hosers, because he is finally here.
Honestly, I thought it would never happen. Even with the Disney acquisition of 20th Century Fox, and the X-Men (and Fantastic Four!) movie franchise rights coming home, I was pretty convinced that we would never see Marvel Legends figures based off of the previous Fox film releases. Well, maybe Deadpool because, even more so than Thanos, Deadpool is inevitable, but I figured this would be the time for Disney to sweep the previous stuff aside and start on building their own X-Men and Fantastic Four.
Well, they are probably doing that right now, but I am so glad I was proven wrong at Toy Fair this past year when these figures debuted. I still recall seeing that first X-Men movie vividly and thinking that everything was going to change for comic book movies, so needless to say it was a big deal. I have fond memories of the first two flicks, so the fact that we are getting figures based off of characters (mostly) from that run is a great thing to me.
Hugh Jackman is one of many in the line of actors who were met with harsh skepticism after being cast in a given role, but it remains a testament to his performance and embrace of the character to have played Wolverine for so long. Indeed, more than any other character in the X-Men franchise (no disrespect to the phenomenal Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen), Wolverine is going to be tough to see as anyone other than Jackman when the eventual MCU casting takes place. But that is fine because character roles, like most things, evolve and change over time, and Wolverine as a character quite literally endures. The good news is that Hugh has been properly immortalized in plastic in the role that he made, and that made him, too.
While I am in Marvel Legends (mostly) for the comic-based figures, this Amazon-exclusive Wolverine is one the funnest ML figures I have gotten in a long time. There is nothing immediately or overtly impressive about it on the first glance, I mean, it looks like a movie Wolverine, but once it is out of the package, it is tough to put down. There is another version of Wolverine in his jacket coming soon, when I think about him in his non-team suit, the white undershirt seems the most iconic to me. So while the outfit is not anything too difficult to realize, it is very well done with the recognizable belt buckle, weathered jeans, and even sculpted ribbing on the shirt. Oh, and the fact that the dog tags are a separate piece and lay well is another appreciated detail, so if you find them unneeded, you can just take them off the figure.
I have to say the Hugh Jackman likeness is pretty strong in both portraits (placid and berserker rage), but the gritted teeth version is the highlight to me. I mean, this is Wolverine here, and there is something about the face and expression that is just more noticeably Jackman to me, so that is the head that is likely staying on this figure. Of course, there is the question of the hair and mutton chops that are essential to the character, and the styling that is uniquely affiliated with the movie Wolverine, and both of them have been rented nicely with form true to the source. The photo real printing technique has been used on both of the faces, and I think this is the spot that separates the to for me because the “berserker” head’s eyes are pretty much perfect to the likeness and really scream Hugh Jackman. The other isn’t bad, but just not as instantly recognizable to me.
Wolverine comes with two sets of hands to highlight both his Adamantium and bone claws, and both are very, very well done. I have never been one to display any version of Wolvie with the bone claws, but they are still very nice with a lot of paint detail. The Adamantium claws might just be my favorite ML claws yet due to the shape, size, and where they sit perfectly within the knuckle alignment. I really, really love these, not gonna lie. Plus, both sets of claws hold their shape perfectly and I appreciate that the plastic tray was adjusted to help accommodate this in the box. It is no small thing to have to not heat and reshape Wolverine claws right out of the package.
Now, I am sure there will be some people who will find this figure a bit to jacked (Hugh Jackedman) for accuracy, and I can see that some in the arms, but honestly, it doesn’t bother me. Hugh bulked up for Wolverine, but he was not walking around like the Macho Man or anything, so the biceps might be a bit overly flattering. Again, I don’t even care because this is a super hero figure we are talking about and I think erring on the other side would have had a more striking (and worse) effect. Regardless the bulking up certainly is not egregious to my eyes.
The body construction is really solid here, too, and this figure has most of the articulation you should come to expect in a modern Legends figure. I particularly love the butterfly shoulder joints included for claw-slashing poses, so those highlight for sure. I kinda love the combination of the ab crunch and torso swivel we are seeing in some Hasbro figures now, so I wonder what that would have done here, but I am not crying about that. I WILL say if I have to nitpick this figure anywhere, it would be the ankle articulation as the jeans inhibit a lot of the rocker movement and pretty much all of the front and back. That definitely can limit some of the more dynamic posing balance you need to achieve like a deep crouch or convincing running pose without stand assistance. It is not terrible, but we have most certainly been spoiled as of late with MLs being able to do all of those things.
For a figure I was initially going to skip, I am really glad I got this Wolverine. I am working on a modest MCU display, and this figure will fit in just fine, even if it doesn’t share in the same universe. At the very least, it is fun to finally have Hugh Jackman in Marvel Legends, and the figure is a lot of fun to play and pose. Again, this one is exclusive to Amazon, so if you have not done so yet, hop over there and nab it. You will be filled with berserker rage due to FOMO if not.
