Whew! Are you still recovering from the hustle, bustle, and information overload of Comic Con? Yeah, me too. However, I wanted to get this out as soon as possible because the Marvel Legends exclusive to SDCC 2017 is a LOT of fun.
If you have not seen the new trailer for Thor: Ragnarok, I suggest you go right now. It’s okay, I will wait. It looks absolutely insane, doesn’t it? Like, amazingly cool, right? I personally cannot wait for this and I am really looking forward to seeing the fallout of this movie and how it affects the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we brace for Avengers: Infinity War next year.
So, it makes perfect sense that Hasbro would time their SDCC exclusive around Thor and his movie, and they put together a fun five-pack dubbed the “Battle for Asgard.” I have to admit, it is thrill to see Thor supported for an SDCC item, so this was on my must-buy list, and I am thankful for my two guardian Asgardians who helped me get in line.
Normally, these photos would be accompanied by a more extensive write-up, but in the interest of time, and the fact that I am still in con recovery mode, I am going to keep the words short. I would have been in this for Ulik alone, but the other figures turned out great as well, so here are some pictures of everyone. Please note that if you did not get to attend the con, or have a mule in place, this set will be available in limited quantities on the Hasbro Toyshop site on August 14th. So be there with your F5 button polished and primed.
Oh, and you will notice I don’t have any carded pictures of this set. While the packaging was awesome, I had to lug this thing home from San Diego, so I had to open the set before the trip back home.
THOR (JANE FOSTER)
Jane has held the Thor mantle (does she still) since her title debuted a few years ago, and this has been a pretty in-demand figure. Jane is one of two figures in the set that will also have a figure in the upcoming Thor Legends wave, albeit with a different deco. There is a good amount of new parts here, and while the detailing is mostly sculpted, there are some painted portions as well. This is mostly set apart by the “powered-up” eyes and Mjolnir, the latter of which is especially awesome.
ODINSON
Here is the guy you know as the original Thor, but judging by his metal arm and haggard appearance, I would say he has been through some s#!%. Like Jane, this figure will be mostly available in the ML Thor wave, but instead of just paint change, he will also have a normal, non-metal arm. Of all of the figures in this set, I have to say that this one does the least for me, but you cannot really have a Thor set without the OG Odinson. That is not to say it is not a good figure, but for me, the rest of the figures are more exciting.
BOR
So, while I find it strange that the All Father can have a father of his own, Bor makes his ML debut in badass fashion. A more recent addition to the Thor mythos, Bor is actually the father of Odin, brought to the present to run amok with all of the strange and modern things in the Marvel Universe. However, even if you know nothing about the character, this figure is a total ass-kicking viking-esque dude who can fit into many different toy lines. He is HUGE and built to rumble in old-timey fashion, so I kind of love him. I just wish Robo would not have pointed out that his armor looks like a pinecone, because now I cannot unsee it.
MALEKITH
Poor Thor, for so long in ML he has not really had many (if any) of his own villains to fight in your play combat. Well, this set does a great job of getting two classic villains in one shot, and the sinister elf Malekith has been long-demanded. Malekith is certainly one of Thor’s most iconic foes, and his character design makes him very unique and eye-catching in figure form. I *could* grumble about the fact that he might be on a base body that is a bit too buff for my memory or classic Malekith, but maybe some books in the past few years have jacked him up a bit.
ULIK
This beautiful specimen was worth the price of admission for me in this set, and he was probably my most wanted exclusive figure of the entire 2017 show. Ulik is by far and away one of, if not my overall, favorite Thor villain. Everything about Ulik is everything I enjoy most about Jack Kirby, and the fact that I now have a giant troll in my ML collection is everything. This figure is a BEAST and I love him with all of my heart. This is a good set in that there is something for many types of Thor fans, but Ulik … Ulik is definitely for me.
So there you have it, while you will be able to get a different deco of Thor and Odinson in the actual Ragnarok Legends wave (with Planet/Gladiator Hulk Build-a-Figure), the best figures (in my opinion) are exclusive to this set, so it is certainly essential. Getting Ulik in ML was way beyond my wildest dreams a few years ago, but here we are. He is definitely the standout for me, but I have a feeling Malekith will be the draw for a lot of people, and it doesn’t hurt that Bor is such a bad ass figure. VERILY!
