When Hasbro tooled up new parts for the Hobgoblin this summer, the writing was on the wall that a new 6″ Green Goblin would be flying in before too long. And while nobody could have foreseen Dreadknight using some of the newly-developed tooling himself first, Spider-Man’s greatest villain has now arrived! The 2017 Marvel Legends Green Goblin figure is now hitting online and in some stores, and this new iteration is a definite home run for Hasbro…

The Right:

It’s pretty crazy to realize that it’s been over a decade since the last time that a (non-Ultimate) Green Goblin Marvel Legends figure was released by Toybiz, but finally Hasbro is ready to step up to the plate and attempt to top one of Toybiz’s best ML figures.

Luckily, there’s room in collectors’ lives for both of these Green Goblins, as Toybiz gave us the classic look and Hasbro has opted for a more modern Gobby (to complement their Ultimate Green Goblin Build-A-Figure released back in 2014).

Whereas the old 2006 Toybiz Green Goblin six inch figure featured all matte paints, Hasbro picked a contrasting shiny metallic green paint for all of Osborn’s limbs. I think this works really well, as it evokes the feeling of a lunatic wearing battle armor, rather than a spandex costume.

And speaking of a lunatic, this Green Goblin Marvel Legends figure looks positively demented. I love the crazed look in Gobby’s eyes and the vicious grin his mouth is making. This is anything but another non-expressive “zombie stare” action figure.

Meanwhile, Green Goblin comes with two additional accessories (plus his removable satchel) in addition to his two Sandman Head Build-A-Figure pieces: a Pumpkin Bomb and a Goblin Glider. The Pumpkin Bomb has an evil face painted on in green, which looks suitably spooky (plus green flames!), and fits snugly into Goblin’s hand for plenty of throwing poses.

In addition, whereas a lesser company might have just repacked Hobgoblin’s glider with this figure, Hasbro invested in all-new tooling to make Norman’s Goblin Glider look appropriate. It looks completely different from Hobgoblin’s (as it should)! Thanks, Hasbro!

What’s especially neat about the Goblin Glider is that Spider-Man Legends Green Goblin is sturdy enough that he can stand up and hold the Glider under one arm. I imagine most folks won’t pose him like that, mind you, but it’s a fun option nonetheless.

Articulation-wise, Marvel Legends Spider-Man Green Goblin is as stacked as you’d expect: double-jointed elbows and knees; hinged ankles with ankle rockers; swivel waist/biceps/boots/thighs; ball hips; ball-hinge shoulders/head/wrists; and an ab crunch. Wonderfully articulated with a great range of motion all-around.

The Wrong:

This figure does so much right that I’m having a really tough time finding my usual nits to pick. Areas where figures traditionally fall short such as lack of accessories, missing articulation or bad paint apps simply aren’t an issue here.

If there’s one thing that holds this Marvel Legends 2017 Green Goblin back from getting a perfect score, it’s the lack of an unmasked Norman Osborn head. The Toybiz unmasked variant was very difficult to find back in the day, so I’d have really dug Norman heads for everyone as a pack-in here.

Otherwise, this figure is pretty boss. The glider could use a touch of paint wash and Gobby’s feet could probably fit into the slots tighter, but those are pretty minor quibbles (even for me).

Overall: While classic costume purists may dislike the style of this Spider-Man Marvel Legends Green Goblin figure, there’s next to nothing to complain about as far as the actual action figure that Hasbro has created here. The “pure evil” head sculpt, the unique Goblin Glider, the eye-grabbing shiny green paint, the crazy Battle-Damaged Sandman Build-A-Figure head… this figure is full of win. If you weren’t collecting when Toybiz made theirs a decade ago (and maybe even if you were), this ML Green Goblin is a must-have.

GRADE: A