We can expect Hasbro to unleash a multitude of new Marvel Legends announcements and reveals next week at SDCC 2022, but while we wait for even newer action figures to be unveiled in San Diego, I’ll continue with my reviews of what’s already been released this year. And today I’ll move on to the third figure in the X-Men Bonebreaker series that’s surprisingly underwhelmed me thus far: Marvel Legends Darwin! Is this adaptable mutant the fittest figure in this wave thus far?

Rarely do I post multiple negative reviews in a row during this golden age of 6” Marvel Legends figures, but the Bonebreaker X-Men series has been a little bit of a disappointment so far.

The omission of a screaming/open-mouthed head for Siryn was impossible for me to get past, as were a handful of design choices on Classic Sabretooth. I suspected Darwin might not be the character who’d surprise me by knocking my socks off, but I kept hope nonetheless. Was it warranted? Here’s my review…

Darwin is admittedly a bit of a tough sell to begin with. The character primarily appeared in Peter David’s X-Factor Investigations comic book series after debuting in X-Men Deadly Genesis (alongside Vulcan and some Z-List characters), and has only had sparing appearances since (including a version of him being the token X-Man killed in the X-Men First Class movie).

Darwin’s mutant power allows him to adapt to conditions to survive, which would sort of necessitate creative accessories like effects pieces or alternate heads to portray. We don’t get those here. Instead, the Darwin Legends figure comes with a big chunk of the Bonebreaker BAF tank, some interchangeable grappling hands and… that’s it.

Basically, this feels like another milquetoast character to have standing around idly on your shelf, complementing more interesting and dynamic action figures.

With his slender body and alien-like bald head, this ML Darwin figure actually feels a bit reminiscent of Commander Saru from Star Trek Discovery to me, making the figure have a slightly exotic flavor. The bug-eyed head could definitely be repurposed for a Morlocks Caliban figure if Hasbro ever felt the need to revisit that character.

Darwin appropriately gets the oft-used “slim” body we regularly see used for thin characters like Spider-Man and Iron Fist, which is nice since it includes butterfly swivel shoulders, but also is antiquated since it still utilizes old-style pinned knees and elbows. It’s not ideal, but the articulation all works well and the joints/plastic quality feel smooth and solid.

The full articulation scheme for X-Men Marvel Legends Darwin includes:

• Ball-Hinge Head
• Upper Torso Ab Crunch
• Swivel Waist, Biceps and Thighs
• Ball-Jointed Hips
• Double-Hinge Pinned Knees and Elbows
• Swivel-Hinge Wrists
• Hinged Ankles with Rockers

The paint applications on Darwin are all nicely done and the hands swap out with zero fuss. His belt is a snug fit and doesn’t flop around and make me fly into a rage, which is also always appreciated. I’m quite happy with the overall quality of this rather boring action figure.

Overall: Darwin was always going to be a difficult character to capture in toy form in a fun way without getting creative, and Hasbro didn’t go to that extra effort here. We get a repainted super-articulated body with the obsolete pinned knees and elbows, extra hands, a unique head… and that’s really it. There’s nothing glaring about this figure that offends me like there was on Sabretooth and Siryn, but there’s literally nothing fun or exciting or extra about this X-Men Legends Darwin either. He feels like the very definition of “standard” and “average”, so I’ll grade him as such.

GRADE: C