Comic Con 2013: The Hasbro Marvel Recap

The Hasbro Marvel panel didn’t disappoint. We were introduced to a new strategic roll out in the presentation and branding of their products that fans will have to digest. Outside of the usual bits of information, they had an extensive Q&A session directly addressing a lot of fan concerns.

We were first reminded about the impending figures already previewed and the convention exclusives available on the show floor, which were surprisingly still available straight through Sunday. Next came the Puck mini Build-A-Figure assortment comprising of Emma Frost, Cyclops, Wolverine, and Sabertooth, but the because of the move to comic shops only the variant figures will not be part of the assortment. From there, the Wolverine 4″ All-Star figures and Iron Man 3 Assemblers have assortments rounding out their respective lines for the calendar year. There is also an Iron Man 3 Hall of Fame set including a super articulated Mark 42 available at Amazon. From there we were shown the kid friendly Sonic Blasting Night Ops Iron Man, and the Collector-friendly Mini Muggs. Thor 2 3.75″ figures were re-revealed with the usual suspects from toy fair, but with an all-new fifth figure revealed Sunday at the Hasbro booth, and the mask, foam and electronic hammer for the kids.

New reveals for Marvel Universe give us Cloak and Dagger, Baron Zemo, Abomination and A-Bomb, Omega Red, Alpha Flight members Aurora and Northstar, Black Knight, and X-Force Nightcrawler. Three-packs supplementing the line are Emma Frost/Colossus-Juggernaut/Cyclops and Valkyrie/Thor/Executioner. From there Marvel Universe will be incorporated into Avengers in 2014 to suit retail needs. The first two entrants to usher in the new line will be Grim Reaper and Hyperion.

Marvel Legends keep the them of tandem assortments with running changes for each figure, all of which meant to build a mini character. Wave two will have alternating cases of Scarlet Spider or Black Panther, Jim Lee Jean Grey or White Phoenix, Wrecking Crew member Wrecker or Bulldozer, and your choice of two Hawkeye figures (modern or Classic). One of each or the four pairs will have the parts necessary to build Rocket Raccoon. Wave three have Marvel Now Thor or Agent Venom, classic Tigershark or Radioactive Man, Moonstone or Songbird, and Blizzard or Batroc. These build X-Men’s Jubilee (sadly not the Jim Lee version). The sneak peak for 2014 Marvel Legends gave us a fully tooled Captain America and Modern Baron Zemo, Red Skull and AIM Soldier, and a much prettier Black Cat. These figures will have pieces to build a monstrous Ultimate Green Goblin. Figures related to the Captain America 2 movie will be revealed on Sunday, but not before sharing a rendering of the Star Lord comic figure.

The Question and Answer portion was refreshingly informative, open, and direct. Answers include:

• Movie Blade, Moonstar, etc were not forgotten and already tooled. They are not abandoned, but they are trying to figure out how to fit them into the new Branding structure surrounding Marvel Entertainment.
• Songbird will not have wings (no budget)
• Internally there exists a Top 25 list of figures to make, ever evolving. Marvel Entertainment branding groups as families (Spider-Man, X-Men, Avengers, etc), and Marvel Universe will be incorporating into this structure in a healthy way.
• They try to listen to everyone, rather than a repetitive vocal minority. The numbers in the aisles also tell the story. They are trying to please everyone. Outside of convention conversation, Hasbro will not communicate openly with the public/fans about company decisions and product.
• Retailers want efficient shelf space. Building team sets are tough that way.
• 90’s Rogue needs a redo, but they try to balance between new figures and “fixes”
• More is coming from the pre-k kids Marvel product. Doing well and wants kids to get into Marvel early.
• Stryfe is coming, reworked when the new Hyperion body type was introduced, but he is coming.
• Marvel is very happy with Hasbro, despite Internet gossip to the contrary.

Hopefully more reveals will come at New York Comic Con, but until then, we can take in the fantastic new offerings from Hasbro!