Mutants might be a misunderstood, feared and maligned segment of the population in the Marvel Universe, but in the toy world, people can’t get enough. While there was a drought there for a while, we are now getting regular injections of Mutants straight into our veins, and there are still so many to go.
Between the proper X-men waves and the Deadpool waves–which seem to act like mutant Hamburger Helper–we’re quickly building a large repertoire of X-men, villains and associated X-relations, be it Force or Factor. So far, the X-waves have done a good job at people-pleasing in their selection, and while there will always be complaints, they seem to be getting better and better.
While there will undoubtedly be a 4th wave of X-men figures, we are a ways off from learning anything about who might show up. Hopefully we might get a little information in 2018’s SDCC, but for now all we can do is speculate. What we know for sure is that there have been 7 figures with BAF parts per wave, there’s a Wolverine, and the waves have to balance high tooling with simpler reuse.
With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of what might show up in a fourth wave. This isn’t strictly my own personal wishlist (that would be Giant-Size x-men all the way) but one I’ve tried to balance with the knowledge of what’s come before. With that in mind, let’s see how close I can get:
Wolverine
Wolverine is the only sure thing that any self-respecting X-men wishlist can include. But which Wolverine? Well, my personal preference would be an all black Patch-era Wolvie with the fishnet-looking eyemask (one day, toy people), but I think the X-Force version is more likely. Hasbro has done that costume before, both in an SDCC set and a regular wave, but that was on their peculiar, earlier mishmash body. Their current Wolverine body is much much better, and I think X-force edges out the closest runner-up, which would be the Astonishing-era look.
Beast
It’s X-traordinarily time for a brand new Beast. Not cat-beast, not modern Beast, not Astonishing or any other variation, but a good, furry, mostly nude, blue-trunks version of Beast. While many say the Jackal body was most likely the future Beast body, I think Beast deserves his own dedicated sculpt. The words “Jim” and “Lee” are the two most overused words in X-fandom, but if a new Beast body could somehow straddle a middle ground that pleases both the classic and ’90s era of Beast-lovers—maybe go with two heads—we’d have a winner. It has been a long, long time since that very old series 4 figure and it is long past time for a replacement.
Jubilee
Jubilee was the BAF of a previous X-wave that was riddled with issues on many fronts: distribution, character execution, distribution, no jean shorts. The Jubilee itself was a more modern take that didn’t quite gel with a lot of people’s very specific preference. That specific preference is jean shorts. While a case can be made for other versions of Jubilee, like the one that the BAF represented, those cases can be rendered irrelevant due to the fact that jean shorts jean shorts jean shorts and so forth. In conclusion, it is time for a brand new Jubilee figure, and that Jubilee figure must be wearing a yellow trench coat, pink sunglasses and jean shorts, because ’90s.
Mr. Sinister
While the first two recent X-waves managed a single villain between the two of them, the last one gave us three. Going forward, we need at least two per wave, because the X-men can’t just sit around and play canasta all day long; they need someone to fight. Mr. Sinister had a figure a long time ago during the ToyBiz reign, but there’s no doubt a brand new figure made with the toynology of today would be vastly improved on every front. Mr. Sinister, like Apocalypse, is a character I’ve always liked despite the fact that I’ve never really read a “great” story featuring him. I’m not even sure what he’s done lately. My X-reading is so far out of date.
Gambit
Is Gambit still at that “love him or hate him” level? I remember when I joined Fwoosh I was surprised by how many people had such strong opinions over Gambit, as if he was to blame for them divorcing the X-men or something. The people that hated him seemed to really hate him, and the people who loved him thought he was the greatest thing ever. I know Marvel spent years and years trying to convince everyone he was the coolest new character that the ’90s had ever come up with, but eventually his popularity reached a plateau. I think that was about the same time Marvel was really trying to make Marrow happen. Regardless of your opinion on Gambit, he’s another character who is deserving of a really great figure.
Mystique
Mystique had a classic version back during the ToyBiz years and a modern version earlier in Hasbro’s attempt at revitalizing their Marvel Legends. But the TB figure was bad, and the Hasbro version had a painted-on skull on the forehead. I think the time is right to make a really good version of her classic white dress. It’s a costume she periodically goes back to in between her more tactical moods, and with their huge improvements in female figures since their previous attempt, I think we might finally manage to get a definitive version of her classic appearance if she were made today.
Nightcrawler
X-men. Excalibur. X-citing. X-cellent. Nightcrawler is not only one of the most visually distinctive of the X-men, but also simply one of the best. Unless you’re Chuck Austen, it’s hard to tell a bad story featuring him. Nightcrawler’s ToyBiz figure was actually well-done for the time, but it had a weirdly-chinned head, and the torso articulation was problematic. A new figure with the appropriate bits added would be a must-have figure.
BAF
Strong Guy
Hey, remember when “big guy wearing pants” was a thing and everybody thought a BAF Strong Guy was coming? Well, no fooling around this time, because I actually want a Strong Guy figure, and I think he makes a lot of sense. The only issue is what version? The upcoming Madrox figure makes me want him in his ’90s X-factor costume, but will we be getting any more from that era? I wouldn’t mind the more recent X-Factor Investigations look, but then, will we be getting a modern Madrox, or M, or anybody else from that era? What if they split the difference and gave him the costume with the big X on it. I honestly have no idea which would be the better option, because it would be a long wait to finish either versions of the team. If I had to choose, I’d say the earlier X-Factor look, just because it’s more super-heroic. But I’d be happy with any version. I just want the character. Punch punch punch.
Agree? Disagree? Have your own ideas? Leave a comment and let us know!