This one just kinda fell in our laps from out of nowhere, huh? Just before SDCC kicked-off a couple weeks ago, news of new Marvel Legends Walgreens exclusives hit, among them was this guy — Ant-Man (or “Black Ant” as he has been known). Then without missing a beat, Marvel’s Ant-Man opened in theaters and at almost the same time fans began finding this exclusive in their local Walgreens stores. The timing here is just too perfect and it all happened so quickly. Within two weeks this figure’s existence was announced and it’s already making its way to store shelves — that’s how you do it, Hasbro!
So let’s take a look at the new Walgreens Marvel Legends exclusive: Ant-Man!
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There is a whole lot of black and red going on here, from the packaging to the figure itself. The packaging design is consistent with the proper Ant-Man Marvel Legends wave that was recently released, except this guy isn’t an “official” part of that wave since there is no indication on the back of other figures available. And thanks to that super brief little blurb on the back, we get a clue as to who this figure is supposed to be since it’s a costume many fans, including myself, haven’t seen before.
Evidently this is Eric O’Grady, the “irredeemable” Ant-Man who took up the title following Hank Pym and Scott Lang. Except this isn’t really him at all — it’s a clone, to make a long story short, who has served as both hero and villain, so you have some flexibility as to where you can put him in your collection. The cool thing is this isn’t an absolutely “essential” version of Ant-Man — it isn’t even O’Grady’s definitive look. This is what makes for a perfect exclusive, though. The people who want him have a way to get him, and those who aren’t interested don’t have to buy him as part of a normal wave of figures in order to complete the build-a-figure. In fact, he doesn’t even come with a build-a-figure piece. It seems as though everybody wins here.
The figure itself is built on the “Pizza Spidey” body, which works well for the character, I think. You couldn’t ask for a more comic-accurate representation, so I think Hasbro got a lot of things right here, and this body seems to have been the right choice. It’s a good “lanky” body that dodges the superhero proportions we’re used to, which is good since O’Grady was more of an average guy rather than a traditional Marvel hero.
The paint apps here are minimal, with some red costume detailing laid over an all-black base body. There are some orange highlights on the helmet that really pop nicely and give a cool “glowing” effect to the helmet. Speaking of the helmet, isn’t it just screaming for a classic Pym/Lang repaint? It’s so close in design to the classic Ant-Man helmet that I have no doubt we’ll be seeing that offered soon as part of a multi-pack or maybe even in another standard wave of figures.
This base body is definitely among one of the taller bodies produced by Hasbro in the Marvel Legends line, and it’s nice because it gives some height variance in the collection. O’Grady stands just a touch taller than YellowJacket, but he is a much slimmer figure, so the contrast works. It’s ironic — I wasn’t a fan of this body for Spidey. The lack of calve swivels killed it for me, but here? I actually have come to really like this body after playing with the “Black Ant” for a bit. And I don’t miss the calf swivel at all. Somehow.
In terms of poseability and articulation, Ant-Man comes loaded. Here’s the breakdown:
- Hinge-and-swivel neck, ankles, shoulders, and wrists
- Double-jointed elbows and knees
- Bicep, waist, and thigh swivels
- Hinged ab joint
- Ball-jointed hips
He’s very easy to pose and is pure hand candy.
Here he is with last year’s Marvel Legends Walgreens exclusive — Agent Venom. Evidently these two have issues (and I really need to get caught up on my comic reading), so they could make for a nice pairing in the ol’ display.
This went from being a figure I wasn’t even sure I wanted at all to one I am quite glad I caved on and picked up. He’s being sold at a rather steep $19.99, which is standard Marvel Legends pricing these days, but when you take into account the lack of a build-a-figure piece and zero accessories, the price does seem pretty high. Walgreens has sales fairly often, though, so it may be possible to get him cheaper down the road.
Now, he may not be all that easy to find in your local stores. Some people have reported finding whole displays on endcaps or by the front registers. Me? I was lucky and spotted two sitting on a shelf behind the register in the photo department, so he could literally be anywhere in the store — wherever the employees find room to stash him.
He’s hitting right now as we speak, so if you’re interested in this version of Ant-Man, I’d start checking your local stores immediately or order him directly from Walgreens.