I have to say, the Marvel Legends Super Villains series is my favorite assortment in recent memory. We added some really good figures of some very much needed characters and versions of characters, all with a positively evil bent. A plus of any good ML wave is getting a Build-a-Figure that is just as engaging as the rest of the offerings, and the very much unlooked-for Xemnu fits that perfectly.
I mean, who was expecting XEMNU for this series, or even Marvel Legends in general. Sure, I have known of the character for a long time, and his design is bananas, but I never really expected to ever get him in plastic; and yet, here we are. Sometimes when a figure is revealed, the construction and design gives way to a, “duh!” moment, and while Xemnu is most certainly in the class of characters pushing the bounds of Legends, as a figure, he makes a lot of sense. The Sasquatch/Wendigo body is a great base, so using much of it here starts Xemnu off with a solid foundation.
There are no scruples found in admitting that I love the character design of this character. I mean, he is like a viking yeti with a computer in his hand, and while he does bite of the aforementioned Wendigo quite a bit, the new parts make this figure most certainly its own thing, and accurate to the source. The head is obviously new, but we also get new hands, feet, and a metal cummerbund. The new head is obviously the highlight, but I am a big fan of the feet, too. They are large with a lot of surface area on the bottom so they do wonder with helping to balance this heft base body in dynamic poses.
While this figure is mostly monochromatic, there is quite a lot of subtle air-brushing that brings out the sculpted fur detail. He is definitely BRIGHT WHITE (Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm), but the soft blues and grey used to highlight the details looks great. The silver “helmet” and waist piece have some of that that shiny and swirly metallic quality to them, and the pop of red in the eyes and “hand buttons” stand out to give the figure a lot of personality. I already said it, but this guy’s design is bonkers, and I love it. I would not consider myself to be the biggest expert in all things Xemnu, but I am happy to be champion for this dude and this figure from now until the end of all things — this figure is just too fun.
Xemnu is a wild choice who makes for a great BAF to cap off an outstanding all-villains wave. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some MCU and the Legends figures brought forward to support it, but damn, at my foundation, I am a comic Legends guy. This is a bangers assortment, and I would love to get an all bad guy wave every year from this line, but there is so much other stuff to do, we will be busy collecting for a long time. You need all of the figures from this series, save for Dr. Doom, so order the set or Red Skull, Dormammu, Lady Deathstrike, AIM Scientist Supreme, Arcade, and the Hood individually at Dorkside Toys.
