Is there a master list with all of the leaks/rumors I can look at?
Beamish has done a great job posting leaked lists and providing updates as things are announced. You can probably go back through this thread to find most of the lists.
Adding it to the first page would be a huge help.
I'm wondering if the Iron Man wave is going to be in the retro cards, cause I really want a 90s animated Mandarin.
The retro Iron Man set was one of my favorite waves of 2024. Three great Iron Man armors we needed updates of, an excellent classic She-Hulk (finally), and two never-been-made villains - all on retro Iron Man cardback that hit the nostalgia so well. This is the lineup for the rumored Iron Man wave in 2025:
- Iron Man (Unspecified)
- The Mandarin
- Punisher (War Machine)
- U.S. Agent
- Unspecified figure
I could definitely do with a new character in that mix. Hopefully an Iron Man villain like Melter or Unicorn, or a needed remake/first costume of classic Ghost, Living Laser, or Madame Masque.
Of course Bobby Vala's take on the topic of licensing was inevitable, considering his past with Hasbro and his view of current Hasbro...
If what he speculates happens, my wallet will be thankful.
I'm not starting over with Marvel or Star Wars.
DC to Hasbro would be tempting, but I am happy with the DCUC collection I already have.
Could be a good jumping off point.
Please for the love of god, don't let Hasbro lose the licenses to Marvel or Star Wars.
I look forward to the speculation period ending! I do think something changes this time, but expect Hasbro to still be making Marvel figures....and just maybe Todd too. I really think my only concern with Marvel Legends is that DTC is indeed what they focus on. Odin, Ghost Rider, Dragon-Man, Hulkbuster etc. are such a step up in my opinion. I expect the Ultimate line to be as well. That's all I'm interested in and will do what I gotta do for that.
If Todd can add articulation to his little line while Legends still continues at a better price for Hasbro then even better.
Of course Bobby Vala's take on the topic of licensing was inevitable, considering his past with Hasbro and his view of current Hasbro...
Not a big fan of his but I think he made some good points, especially about them focusing on their own brands.
I wonder if Hasbro may want to split apart the Marvel master toy license. I could see them pushing to keep the Legends (Collectors) piece but not the kids license - the Sentinels and these rumored deluxe classic characters could be test runs to see if they can pivot to a different model and jump a rung or two up the collector price point ladder.
Personally, I would focus Legends at large retail as mainly a MCU/media tie in line. Comic figures would be mainly fan channel, and then use direct via Pulse for higher ticket/higher margin figures, box sets, etc.
I do think something changes this time, but expect Hasbro to still be making Marvel figures....and just maybe Todd too.
I'm curious how Diamond Select and their 7" figures license works - and if that might keep McF from that scale with Marvel.
Of course Bobby Vala....
I've heard he's a douchenozzle, but this is the first time I've ever heard him talk or paid any attention to him.... It sounds like a well-earned reputation. It wasn't anything he said, but the way he said everything.
I'm a big Marvel fan and maybe the most casual DC fan ever. I have some of Todd's TDKR figures. They are passable, but I haven't touched them since they went on the shelf. I have a handful of MAFEX Batman Hush pieces and they are just beautiful toys regardless of their media. Star Wars is my baby. My first love. My ride-or-die.
I'm not starting over with any line, even Star Wars. I'm not going to suddenly become a fan of DC.
I have to think this is all just posturing. Too many people are making too much money to just drop it into 1st gear at highway speeds. I suppose this does seem to be the year for "throwing lit matches in the fireworks factory" levels of dumb, though.
I watched 10 of the 15 min of Vala's thoughts, I heard nothing douche-nozzle-y from him. I did think his comment about Disney not wanting to license their product and then have empty shelves was interesting. Ummm...he must not have been to Target in the last eight months to see the perpetually empty ML pegs. McFarlane would keep those pegs full. That's not me picking a side, that's just observation.
The one thing I appreciate most from Bobby Vala is his insights and transparency. I always enjoy his looks behind the curtain on the business of toys. You have to filter out the shade, but he's one of the few people allowing that kind of access.
So while I done believe any licenses will change hands, I did like hearing how the bidding process works.
he immediately jettisoned PFP and that particular push into entertainment - and immediately sold eOne.
Is that why Hasbro's Power Rangers so rapidly derailed? It seemed a really quick turnaround from buying a license to announcing they weren't doing anything with it.
They were supposed to be building up to a big multimedia relaunch centered around a brand new show (done entirely by a Western production team without any recycled Japanese footage for once) for Netlix, but that fell apart earlier this year and seemingly killed any momentum Hasbro has left for the brand. Like the quote from earlier about Hasbro’s Marvel stuff relying on the popularity of the MCU to boost overall interest in the brand, there was probably no real point in continuing to do Power Rangers toys without any sort of new media to bring in a mass audience.