Just because they are working on figures now for 2026, does that really mean they will come out? The sunk cost of all of that before the molds are made for new parts isn't all that much, especially if the company pivots on its own goals or direction.
They would be preparing to make the figures into 2026 even if the rights weren't locked down yet. Otherwise, what else would they be doing?
I don't see how the statements about 2026 are definitive that hasbro will for sure be releasing figures in 2026.
I'm in the camp that hopes that Hasbro will keep the Disney licenses (Marvel, Star Wars, etc) indefinitely. There's not a single other company that I'd want to do these figures and the reasons are different for each company.
Finishing teams between now and then should just happen anyway, honestly!
However, to @darkmoon766's point I remember at least one wave revealed from Mattel for DC that never got released due to the change in the license to McFarlane. It was set to include DC Rebirth figures of Black Canary, Hawkgirl and Simon Baz, Flashpont Aquaman, Retro Riddler and Joker from the animated Batman Ninja movie. It was going to have a Collect to Build of Mammoth. I still want that Mammoth and THAT Simon Baz to this day. The Killer Croc CTB wave that got released right before that was fantastic with KGBeast, Katana, Alfred, DickBats, Red Hood and Red Robin. I bought multiples of that Alfred and KGBeast.
I don't think they'd be working on or telling us about product for 2026 if they didn't think they'd be allowed to release it. The design and planning for a year's worth of figures is still a significant investment. And I doubt the ML team would be speaking "out of turn" so to speak, if there were questions about the licensing.
So does the Marvel license expire at the end of 2026 if they don't renew? Meaning we'd still have two years of releases?
Yeah this was my question. I saw the Dan Yun post yesterday afternoon, but was surprised this thread wasn't bumped. I didn't know if it was always 2026 or they did a brief extension. Either way it's good they addressed it and we can be sure for a few good years of Legends. 2024 was aces and 2025 sounds amazing.
No matter how long the license holder has been at it they will need to prove themselves with a product plan to keep the license so I expect more of Hasbro's A-game like what we got this year. As for teams, not all can be completed probably, but Feral is easy enough. Maybe they release at least 2-3 more Acolytes immediately. Techno shouldn't be hard, but Atlas.....we'll see. Ares is in the pipeline I think.
Of all that....honestly I want Macon and the Reavers along with A.L.B.E.R.T. the most. Best case scenario they get their shit together to make this stuff in 18 months but retain the license anyhow.
I was hoping they would dive into the New X-Men at some point. At the least, Pixie.
They would be preparing to make the figures into 2026 even if the rights weren't locked down yet. Otherwise, what else would they be doing?
My guess is they would strip production way down. Reissues, easy repaints, not much new tooling if they had the license for the year but no ability to do a deal going forward.
Several 2025 rumors/leaks may be part of the pitch Hasbro would have to make to Disney to keep the license, since as according to Bobby Vala, Hasbro and any other interested parties would have to make a pitch to the Mouse House. 2025 rumors are stacked with characters and IPs that tend to sell well:
Capcom wave - heavy hitter A-B lister 2-packs.
Animated Spidey wave - very kid friendly plus has some heavy hitters like Daredevil and Dr. Strange.
Gamerverse Spidey wave - if these are at retail they would have eye appeal to the casual buyer.
X-Men '97 Wave III plus 2-packs and deluxe offerings - will sell very well.
Ultimate Deluxe Spidey and Hulk - depending on the price point, these will sell well.
Pre-sale made to order Sentinel (offered 2024, shipping 2025) - this has to be a great seller.
No Way Home Electro
X-Factor and X-Force comic figures
As for the MCU rumors/leaks, it all has the potential to sell well, but really hinges on how well the films/tv shows are received.
This could also be a reason the rumors/leaks are light on comic stuff other than Spidey, X-Men and Iron Man as they tend to not sell as well as the other IPs, which includes my beloved classic Avengers.
I'd bet the following figures are a lock for 2026 as either team completers, or characters Hasbro would finally give us, regardless if the license is renewed or not. 2026 would go into production before the licensing deal finalized.
Excalibur Rachel
Feral
Yellowjacket update
Classic Falcon update
Retro card 1970s Carol Danvers Ms. Marvel... I mean Warbird 🙄 with the 1970's head we should have gotten
Gorgon and updated Medusa
Hepzibah and Raza
Marrina
Green swimsuit Namorita
No Way Home Lizard
Maybe Skurge, Attuma and Deathbird
@beamish I think Ultimate Spidey and Hulk are great sellers regardless of price. I'm the guy who wants good stuff and will pay for it. The success of Mafex show there's a lot of collectors who will pay more for better figures. I don't think Legends should be stuck at big box retail and let them dictate terms when Hasbro can probably make better figures for a lower pricepoint than Medicom.
i.e. a $50 Spider-man with paint, base, parts etc sounds good to me. Assuming it's a new sculpt. I could see that being a cornerstone of Hasbro's future plans. Just my $.02. Well a lot more than that given what's coming! I think the line is way more exciting and satisfying with Dragon-Man, Odin and whatever else is coming. Only having the limited retail offerings is not interesting to me based on what I'm used to seeing. I do believe quite a few other collectors will be on board as well.
@beamish I think Ultimate Spidey and Hulk are great sellers regardless of price. I'm the guy who wants good stuff and will pay for it. The success of Mafex show there's a lot of collectors who will pay more for better figures. I don't think Legends should be stuck at big box retail and let them dictate terms when Hasbro can probably make better figures for a lower pricepoint than Medicom.
i.e. a $50 Spider-man with paint, base, parts etc sounds good to me. Assuming it's a new sculpt. I could see that being a cornerstone of Hasbro's future plans. Just my $.02. Well a lot more than that given what's coming! I think the line is way more exciting and satisfying with Dragon-Man, Odin and whatever else is coming. Only having the limited retail offerings is not interesting to me based on what I'm used to seeing. I do believe quite a few other collectors will be on board as well.
Phoenix was a good example of the higher price point coming with something that makes that character stand out on the shelf. I could see a Hulk with decent power effects and Spiderman with something to make him stand out doing well. Personally I have enough Spidermen that I doubt it'd be for me and I'm not a huge Hulk guy, but if they did the much talked about "deluxe" Iceman or something along those lines I'd be on board. I think an "everything you could want" package only works with certain characters like Hulk, Phoenix, Iceman etc. You could probably do a Captain America if he can with multiple heads/expressions, hands and a collection of shields that everyone always complains about. I don't know how what I'd want for characters like Wolverine / Gambit other than just more heads and a couple more pronounced power effects though.
Phoenix being priced at $34.99 at Target - and then immediately on sale - caused her to sell out. If she was still full price I doubt she'd be sold out at all.
So the price point for an all-in, regular size figure now with *paint* should be that. Or lower. Marvel Select does them for $30 and they come with paint and original sculpts.
There are so many Marvel characters yet to be made or remade into Marvel Legends figures, from the comics, cartoons, video games, and movies. It would be a shame if characters like Zzzax from the 90s Hulk cartoon or Mercy from Hulk Ultimate Destruction didn't get made.
Again, someone will end up taking the license if Hasbro doesn't beyond 2026. Ideally well in advance of 2026 we should know it so we can start seeing product in 2027 if it's someone new. As long as I get my movie figures in same scale that Hasbro did or relatively close to it, then I will keep buying them
I would be really sad to lose the team behind the figures - its more than just the main three and all of them have contributed to robbing me blind every other week. 🙂 I would hate to see this team dismantled due to yet another corporation's short-term-thinking leadership.
Maybe Jesse adopts the whole team and brings them over to Disney.
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