Aunt May and Doctor Octopus

 Aunt May and Doctor Octopus

Special Guest:  The Spot!

Hasbro - Marvel Legends

We've been given plenty Alfreds.  A handful of Commissioner Gordons.  Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White have made the cut.  In the same department, Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, and J. Jonah Jameson.  Still, when it comes to great supporting character's in comics, one big name has eluded both the extensive Toy Biz days and early Hasbro.  No, Jarvis, sit down...I'm talking about Peter Parker's biggest fan, Aunt May!  

Toy Biz did make the strange choice to include Aunt May in their 8-inch cloth-clothed Mego throwback line.  The execution was...um...lacking, to be kind.  Granted, most depictions of the character up to that point made her look pretty decrepit.  That old catcher's mitt puss:

Spider-Man the Animated Series in 1994 gave Aunt May a much needed facelift.  And a blonde-ish dye job to maker her younger?  I don't mind this in comparison to the overboard approach with Marisa Tomei.  I know Marisa is pushing 60, but c'mon...who was Uncle Ben in that universe?  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson?!

The animated look is a good medium if this is the only figure we are going to get of her.  Not too animated, there's an appropriate amount of wrinkles and lines on the face.  The outfit has an appealing amount of color, and is a step up from aprons and house shoes.   While she should have been packaged in an "Amazing Friends" boxed set, they did ensure she'd sell better than just being partnered with Ms Lion.

Animated Doctor Octopus is here as well!  I can't remember if the cartoon covered the "Doc Ock marries Aunt May to get at her newly inherited nuclear facility" plot, but I'm sure he at least menaced her a time or two.  

As a kid, I was always puzzled by the slightly muscular, accented approach to the character.  Digging into greater Spider-Man lore, one could assume this take was inspired by the the failed approach to bring web-head to the big screen in the late 80s/early 90s:  the one where James Cameron was to direct Arnold Schwarzenegger as Doctor Octopus.  I dig it, and would welcome a retool of Doc in his white suit (specifically thinking Erik Larsen's art) with this as a base.

One big area he has over the traditional, dumpy Marvel Legend figure, is the bendable tentacles.  He can mostly support his own weight if you want the tentacles to do the walking, and you can get better poses than before.

This set is a Hasbro Pulse exclusive.  This may be a 50/50 for most, but I was all in as soon as I saw the promo pictures.  Now, if you'll excuse me, my Aunt May figure is off to beat her 984 pies baked record as detailed on her Marvel Universe trading card:

Bonus!  A fairly obscure Spidey/Daredevil adversary, The Spot, makes his six-inch debut!  I don't mind that his animated form is weird and gangly since you cant see his face.  Just pretend that its a side effect of traveling through his interdimensional portals!

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

 Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends

Hasbro Marvel Legends

Took ‘em long enough!  The now defunct 3.75 in Marvel Universe figures teased me with a set like this way back when Toys R Us still lived and breathed.  2009, I think...a decade and some change?!  And we got two different versions of Dazzler before Firestar?!  Travesty!

Well, she’s here now, and she’s spectacular!  Bright colors?  Check.  High collar?  Check.  Flame effects?  Check.  And she has an extra head!  Granted, I’m not as excited by this one as the neutral head...the exposed forehead and “wings” on the mask don’t do it for me...but it’s still a bonus.

She has alternate hands for fire-casting, or closed fists for knuckle-dusting.  I need to look into the current-gen clear stands for characters like her.  I’m sure there are also many third party fire effects that would compliment this figure.  

I’m just as excited by the special, pack-in character:  Ms Lion!  Aunt May’s annoying cartoon dog has jumped into the third dimension with a more realistic look.  Mostly static, there is a ball joint on the head. It’s not like she needs articulated legs or anything.  An “ears up/growling” alternate head would have been nice, unless...unless they are saving that for the pack-in with an Aunt May figure!  

C’mon, Hasbro, Aunt May is way overdue.  Just check the stats on that Marvel Universe Card:  984 pies baked!  If that doesn’t put her in the heavy-hitter category, I don’t know what else will.  Maybe double-pack her with a wedding tux Doctor Octopus to make sure she sells?

Aunt May would complete the colorful camp that is Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends.  I threw in a couple of new baddie pick-ups:  Doctor Doom and the Green Goblin.  They both appear in the show credits, along with full episodes here and there.  I also have a new, default Spider-Man, if you hadn’t already noticed.

Just the right shade of classic red/blue.  He’s also got this more narrow-eyed alternate head that looks like he jumped right off the pages of the John Romita books.

Doom is a repaint from the recent Fantastic Four wave.  Classic colors, he sports a brighter, truer green.  He only has the “classic” head sculpt, which is fine by me...true Jack Kirby inspired awesomeness!  

He’s repacked with some textbooks (used by gray Beast, the Hellfire Club), green mystical energy effects, and some yellow booster jets.  The only new part is a cloth tunic piece that sits under the cape.  I like it more in-hand than I did in initial pictures, but it can be removed to suit one’s preference.  I wish he had an unmasked, burned headsculpt, or even a Doombot alternate head...but I’ll take Doom any way he’s offered.

Green Goblin does have an unmasked, Norman Osborn head.  This should fit fine on any on the many suit bodies in the Legends line if you want to go full civilian.  Like Doom, we get some brighter colors than previous releases.  

I believe the Goblin Glider is a new sculpt, but I could be wrong.  The only thing lacking here is maybe a pointed finger with energy shot.  Oh, I almost forgot to mention the eyes...I repainted them.  The original pupils were way too big.  Like, Mr. Burns’ “alien” too big.  I also gave him a black outline around the eyes to stand out better.

These figures should still be relatively easy to find, at least online.  Doom and Gobby should be must-haves for comic fans.  Firestar may not be a necessity for most but, aside from the obscure cartoon, who doesn’t need another X-Man (and to a lesser extent, New Warrior) on the roster?  I hope to see her in Legends again soon...this time, in a more modern costume.  Bring on a “Maximum Carnage” sub-line!  Spiderman sells, and it would be a window to get other missing characters like Shriek and Carrion in the mix!

Spider-man and Mary Jane

Spider-man and Mary Jane

Marvel Legends Two-pack

Plus:  Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy customs

Spider-man has one of the most recognizable casts of supporting, non-powered characters in all of comicdom.  Outside of the Superman and Batman families (Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Alfred Pennyworth) most people have at least heard of Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, J. Jonah Jameson, and Aunt May.  If you have been to the movies in the past 15 years, how could you not?

While there have been some movie figures here and there in the past, Hasbro's Marvel Legends is finally giving these characters the 6-inch comic treatment. (Well, for the most part. Sometimes you have to make due with just the head.)

This Toys R Us exclusive pack delivers a full-fledged Mary Jane Watson.  She may not be the classic 60's look that most fans would prefer, but I'll take modern over nothing.  The outfit is kinda bland, but there is some nice fading going on with the jeans.  The head sculpt is where this figure shines.  She has some great detailing on the ends of her hair, and the freckles on her face are a nice touch.  M.J. comes with one accessory: a handbag.  I didn't call is a purse, because I wouldn't want to offend the Green Goblin or Hobgoblin for shopping at the same store.  

M.J. comes packed with a redecoed  "Pizza" Spider-man.  I assume (with the difference in the leg pattern and spider symbols) that this is a modern take on the suit.  He has some neat, green shadowing in his eyes and around the chest symbol.  Radioactive blood side-effects? (Sorry, I don't know -- I haven't read a Spider-book since the horrible Clone Saga).  He comes with some different hands and an unmasked Peter Parker head.  This head should have been included with "pizza" Spidey, but if it helps get Mary Jane out there, so be it.  

All-in-all, not a bad set.  $40 might sound a bit steep, but I can't see Mary Jane being offered as a single-packed figure.  

Using the unmasked head accessory and a dirt-cheap Batman v. Superman Lex Luthor figure, you can make a pretty decent, modern Peter Parker in civilian clothes.  The neck peg had to be built up a bit.  I did so by using some masking tape.  Fits snug, and no damage done to either component...but who cares about hurting a Jesse Eisenberg Lex, right?  I added a camera accessory from the old Toy Biz Spider-man Pete.

Having purchased the Spider-Gwen figure from a couple waves back, I had been searching for a decent civilian body that might work with the unmasked Gwen Stacy head.  I found that a head-swap with Diamond Select Toys' iZombie Liv figure looks great and only needs some paint if desired.  I will be tackling this modern take on Gwen with some green for her coat and purple for her skirt.  

So, there you have it.  I've got Mary Jane, Gwen, and J.J., Hasbro...all that's left is Aunt May with Ms. Lion accessory.  If she needs to come in a two-pack with Firestar, even better!  I don't care how many Spidey variations you make me buy to get this done...make mine Marvel!  Or at least give me a piece of a figure that I can customize using a DC figure.