Marvel Legends Infinite Series: Batroc

Captain America’s acrobatic nemesis finally makes his way to the Marvel Legends collection.

Let me get this out of the way up front– I LOVE Batroc.  The French terrorist with a penchant for purple has long been one of my favorite Captain America villains, so I’ve been waiting with bated breath for Hasbro to find a home for Batroc’s Marvel Legends figure, first revealed years ago as part of the abandoned “Jubilee Series.”

Batroc is actually one of the last figures in that lineup to see release, but he was worth it, because this guy is pretty great.  I’m actually kind of surprised to see Hasbro skew classic with this guy as opposed to basing him off his more modern militaristic costume, but I’m glad they did.  From his purple and gold tights to that amazing pointy mustache, this Batroc figure is so comic book-y, it’s just awesome.

Making smart use of the Bucky Cap body, Batroc sports a solid range of motion befitting his acrobatic nature, and his colors and paint work are great.  The purple and gold of his costume are bright and unabashed, adding to his silly but cool aesthetic, and the line work that trims his boots, gloves and vest is concise and intricate.

I adore the headsculpt here, not just for the mustache but the cocky grin beneath it.  Not only is this portrait packed with personality, it features the exact blend of manic and arrogant that perfectly summarizes Batroc as a character.  The points of the mustache run parallel to the unique eye flares of the mask, leaving Batroc’s entire head with an interesting and unique dimensionality that comes to life perfectly.

Full disclosure, even if the Batroc figure sucked, I’d likely be an apologist, just for the love I have for this character.  But I can be double-happy with what Hasbro has done here, because not only do we have Batroc join the legions of Marvel Legends, he’s also really very well done.

Check back tomorrow as we continue our look at the Avengers Legends including the newest version of Captain America and the long-awaited update of Spider-Woman!