When Fwoosh Gods said they wanted to do a Marvel Legends poll, I thought it might be a waste of time.
Not because Hasbro’s 6″ Marvel figure line is more or less dormant. On the contrary, there is a convincing argument to be made that this is a great time for a poll like this–a once in a blue moon chance to weigh in with our choices at the outset of a line. Maybe we could have the smallest influence not only on the character selection, but the overall direction of a line.
After all, we don’t really know what this line be, exactly. A continuation of the previous one? An evolution? A complete reboot? Will they use pre-existing tools or sculpt new figures from the ground up? For character selection, will they focus on A-listers or fan favorites? Characters with current relevance or classic icons from other eras? Getting a taste of fan demand at the start may color how some of those questions get answered. In some small way. Maybe.
So why was I so hesitant? Because I didn’t think anything had changed. Hasbro has only put out a small handful of 6″ Marvel figures since we had our last poll. So why would the results be any different? They wouldn’t..would they? The answer is…yes and no.
Without further ado…here are your Fwoosh Top Ten Most Wanted Marvel Legends.
We begin with the winner of the Build-a-Figure slot.
Lockjaw (22 votes)
No surprise here. The returning champ wins a decisive victory with nearly twice as many votes as the runner up. We don’t actually know if BaFs will be a part of a revamped Marvel Legends line, but if Hasbro is going to hold onto the Marvel license, they really need to find some way to put out a Lockjaw.
10 Rogue (25 votes)
Even in a world dominated by Civil War, the Heroic Age, and Marvel Studios’ several Avengers-related films, mutie lovers still dominate the Marvel fanbase. More than half of our top ten are X-charaters. The real surprise here is Rogue’s entrance onto the list, jumping 20 places up from #30 in our last poll. Two different 6″ Rogue figures have been made, and it’s been a long time since she was among the most demanded. Could it be that fans are just as eager for some much deserved “do-overs” from a new Legends line as they are for first time characters?
8 (tie- 26 votes each)
Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man
Jamie is a perennial fan favorite and moves up two spots from our last poll. You may recall that he was among the dozen or so prototype figures Hasbro displayed at 2009’s Comic Con for fans to choose from for inclusion in last fall’s ML 2-packs. He may not have won, but he’s certainly on the ‘Bro’s radar.
Storm
Another X-Lady breaking back into the top ten after a long absence. While Rogue and Storm have both had multiple 6″ versions, there has never been a Storm figure in her “classic” costume and it’s long overdue.
7 Jubilee (29 votes)
I confess I don’t know how Jubilee keeps making it into our top ten. She has fallen four spots from #3, but still has enough demand to handily secure a spot on our list. Are there really that many fans of this character? Is it just because she’s another X-Lady? Whatever you see in her, Hasbro should take note. I think she’s been hanging out in our top ten longer than any other character that’s still never gotten done.
6 The Enchantress (31 votes)
Did you think there might only be X-Characters in this list? Nope. There are a few others. The Enchantress has had a steady following in our poll for quite a while. Along with the Wrecking Crew, Crimson Dynamo, and others, she’s one of those staple villains that fans crave. This has not been lost on Hasbro, and they’ve included a several of those characters in their 4″ Marvel Universe line. Let’s hope when Legends returns these characters will get some 6″ love. (wow. that sounds…nasty. sorry.)
4 (tie-33 votes each)
The Wrecker
Speaking of staple bad guys, the Wrecker pops into our top ten for the first time. I was surprised to see his Crew finishing far behind him though. Interesting.
Captain America [Jim Barnes]
No surprise here. The Winter Soldier shot to the top of many fan wishlists the moment he first appeared in the comics. It stands to reason that those same fans would be foaming at the mouth for the current Captain America. Honestly, whichever direction Hasbro takes Legends in 2012, I can’t imagine this guy not getting made almost immediately. He’s a perfect storm: A-List marquee character, extremely high fan/collector demand, AND a huge media property to stand on. If we don’t have a Bucky Cap by Christmas of 2012, I’ll eat my head. That is, if the world hasn’t ended before that.
3 Polaris (36 votes)
God bless Polaris. Not only did she top our last poll, but she’s placed in the top 3 of every poll since at least 2007. She not going anywhere. Let’s get her done, Hasbro.
2 Ultron (42 votes)
Did Hasbro think making an awesome 4″ Ultron would assuage collector’s desire for a classic 6″ Ultron? Heh. Not likely. In fact, it’s had the opposite effect. Seeing how cool the 4″ figure looks, we want a 6″ one even more (same logic with the Wrecker, I imagine). Consequently he climbed up a notch from our last poll to #2.
1 Jean Grey/Marvel Girl/Phoenix
It seems only proper that the winner of this poll should be an X-Lady. She placed a close second last time, and has been an unswerving presence in fan wishlists pretty much since the Marvel Legends line debuted. Yes, we have 6″ versions of Jean as Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix. But I think it’s safe to say most of you that voted for her want the Jim Lee designed costume from the 90’s series. I know that iconic costume is one of GrownNerd’s personal, all-time favorite designs.
So what’s the take away?
While there have been subtle changes in collector’s priorities, there are still some characters that have been desired for so long that the yearning will never stop until they’re made. And though you’d like to see some characters that haven’t been done, you also wouldn’t mind some updates for figures that may seem a little out of date, by current industry standards. If there’s a current character that’s truly iconic and likely to be around for some time, you want them as a figure. But for the most part, you’re interested in expanding the ranks of your classic, existing collection. And can we finally bury that old trope that “female action figures don’t sell”? 60% of our list are female figures, with only 3 men and 1 robot. (Yes, Multiple Man only counts as 1)
I think the big headline here (if I was Hasbro or Marvel reading this) is that despite the huge Avengers-centric push of 2009-2012 (event storylines and spin-offs in the comics, big budget feature films, and new animated TV shows and DVDs) the X-Men still rule the roost when it comes to fan following. If they want Legends to take off next year, I recommend not forgetting about Marvel’s mutant citizens.
Gladiator…oh Gladiator, where hast thou gone? He’s been a mainstay in our poll for years, but this time he fell down to a 6-way tie for 16th place. I guess you guys don’t want him anymore. Poor guy.
