As far as unexpected, totally out-of-left-field exclusives go, Hasbro has just won San Diego Comic-Con 2014. Hands down. Unless you’ve been reading comics for three and a half decades (or grew up making semi-daily trips to the comic book store and buying old issues out of the bargain bins), you probably don’t have any clue who ROM The Space Knight even is. For legal reasons, the robot form of ROM Space Knight hasn’t appeared in Marvel Comics in almost thirty years. But this month, ROM is back (sort of)–a Hasbro SDCC 2014 Exclusive ROM Space Knight Mighty Muggs figure is coming our way!

Although the Rom The Space Knight comic book began in 1979 (before I was born), I was able to put together a pretty complete set of the whole Rom comics run (1979-1986) out of quarter bins at the comic book store growing up. I devoured anything Transformers/robot related as a kid, and while my developing little brain wasn’t completely capable of appreciating the Marvel Rom Space Knight comics at the time, I’ve grown to have a genuine love and affection for the character (despite his absence in the comics for the past 28 years).

So when I woke up this morning and saw that Hasbro has managed to line up a 2014 SDCC Exclusive Rom Space Knight Mighty Muggs figure, my jaw just about fell through the floor and into the apartment below us. Though Dire Wraiths and non-Rom Space Knights still show up in Marvel comics from time to time, I never thought we’d be seeing ROM appear in comics again in his robot/cyborg form–and definitely not in toy form!

This release is probably just a one-time deal that won’t lead to anything, but I know a lot of cult Rom: The Space Knight fans would go bonkers if Marvel secured the rights to the character of Rom from Hasbro/Parker Brothers so that he could make new appearances (and they could finally reprint his classic ones!).

That unfortunately seems unlikely since the Marvel logo is nowhere on the box–Hasbro probably just brought back the character for this 35th Anniversary Release (although this figure is obviously aimed at fans of Marvel’s Rom). Regardless, this is one (not Marvel) Mighty Muggs figure that I’m absolutely not going to miss.

The San Diego Comic Con 2014 exclusive Hasbro Mighty Muggs Rom Space Knight figure will retail for $22.99 (making it I believe the most expensive Mighty Muggs figure ever sold), and will be available at the Hasbro booth #3329 at SDCC 2014 later this month. I would expect there will be leftovers for Rom available on Hasbro Toy Shop after the show, and I’ll send out an alert to followers via the Marvel Toy News Facebook Page once HTS puts ROM up for sale.

Who (besides me!) is totally psyched to see Rom the Space Knight reappear? Will you be picking up this Rom Mighty Muggs exclusive figure, or do you not know (or care) who the legendary Space Knight is?