BEAIt occurred to me that if I was going to feature any of the other figures from an Marvel Legends Age of Apocalypse series, it better be the best one. So that is what you are going to get – a look at Dark Beast.
If you caught my thoughts on the Sugar Man Build-a-Figure from earlier this week, you know that it makes for a rad and totally unique entry to your ML collection. I felt like the rest of the wave needed some due, too, because despite some of the wacky design choices in AoA, the Legends counterparts in this wave a pretty excellent. We have been seeing an embarrassment of riches when it comes to X-Men as of late, and I am good with that for sure. I already hold Beast in high regard as one of my favorite mutants, and with this new release he has had a great run in Hasbro’s ML thus far.
So, his moniker from AoA isn’t exactly hard to follow, and since he is Dark Beast, his coat of fur matches as well. I mean, Hank has had lots of looks over the years to say the least, but even in his furry state, he as been known to swap blues for grays and others pretty regularly. This isn’t a grey beast, though, his coloring really is closer to black fur with some variance here and there to add depth and shading. Aside from his different legs and new head, this figure is comprised of much of the previous Jim Lee Beast released last year, but the color palette swap and limited new parts do go a long way in making this figure feel mostly different. Sure, you still get to enjoy the enhanced articulation scheme the base figure features, but this dude can pull off a pair of shiny pants like none other.
The head really makes the difference here, and while it is totally unique to the AoA look, I find it to outshine the previous two Beast portraits we have gotten. For one, I think the proportion is better here, and while that might come mostly from the longer and banded hair look, the head just looks more natural on this body. The face is expressive without being over the top, and the sculpted detail is, of course, top notch. Sure, this will never be an iconic Beast look for me, but it does look great and does right by the source material for sure. I cannot image AoA fans not digging this figure, and the new head goes a long way in selling the overall look that is demanded by this alternate timeline.
Dark Beast does, of course, come with a lump of Sugar Man (see what I did there?) but past that he is pretty limited in terms of accessories. I don’t know of the top of my head if anything could have been included with the figure to be appropriate or specific in terms of items of implements, so he gets the same four hands as swap outs as the original Beast figure. That is fine, but like the other one, I will probably equip him with the fist and flat palm and be done with it. At least the upcoming Retro Series Beast can make good use of that book-holding hand.
I really like this figure, and that is coming from a person who does not hold a strong connection to the version or storyline, so the plastic does speak for itself here. Obviously, if you are building Sugar Man, you are gonna need Beast for his weapon, but if you aren’t and are only looking to pick up one figure from this set, make it this one. Or possibly Wild Child. At any rate, Dorkside Toys can hook you up nicely.
Oh, and come back tomorrow. I think old Hank McCoy is going to have himself a week around here.