If someone had told me a few years back that the day would come when Wong would be the most vital Marvel Cinematic Universe hero lacking a super-articulated figure, I’m not sure I would have believed them. But that day did come, and now it’s gone—because the Hasbro Marvel Legends Wong Figure is now shipping! Fans have been requesting a movie Wong Legends figures for six years now—is the first mass-release Wong figure ever worth your 20+ bucks?

I didn’t exactly keep it a state secret that I didn’t love the original Doctor Strange movie from 2016, but I did totally dig one of the supporting characters: Karl Mordo.

We got a decent, if uninspiring, Marvel Legends Mordo back in the Dormammu Build-A-Figure wave, and we get another one in this Rintrah BAF wave. But now it’s time to turn the spotlight on my second-favorite MCU sorcerer, with Hasbro’s first-ever Marvel Legends Wong figure!

The single best thing about this six inch Wong figure is definitely the costume. Rather than cheaping out and giving us a primarily plastic-colored set of robes on Wong, Hasbro spoils us here with a beautifully colored costume with a multitude of purple and yellow tones. This adds tons of visual appeal and looks terrific.

The layered nature of the costume also looks great, with a plethora of little sculpted details and impressive textures. I especially like the little Sling Ring attached to Wong’s waist sash. The detailed robes are just awesome all around and really elevate this figure.

As far as actor likenesses go, I try to cut Hasbro a little slack given the size and $22 price-point of these figures. My test is a simple one: if someone ripped the head off this figure and handed it to me cold, could I tell who the portrait was of…? I might incorrectly guess Hiro from the long-dead Heroes show first, but I do think even my half-blind eyes could ascertain that this likeness was Wong.

I think the Benedict Wong head sculpt is fine, actually—it’s just the paint that lets it down. This is nowhere near the unholy abominations we’ve seen in the past as heads for movie characters like Chris Evans as Captain America. I think the portrait as a whole Hasbro end-product is adequate.

Wong gets a respectable spread of accessories to at least add some fun and spice to him for displaying. Along with an arm and a fist for the Rintrah Build-A-Figure, Wong gets gesturing hands, hands with permanent magical rune effects affixed, a sword and an extra gripping hand which can hold that sword.

The fact that there are designated magic spell hands that I don’t have to worry about the effects falling off of always makes me smile, and I think the default gesturing hands Wong comes “wearing” are also an appropriate choice.

The most compelling accessory included is definitely the Asian-looking sword, however. I believe it is an all-new mold, and Hasbro even shattered my expectations by having multiple paint colors on it. The colors and hilt of the sword remind me of Saba, the White Ranger’s enchanted short-sword, which can only be a good thing. There’s even a grasping hand just to hold it! I don’t know what Wong will be doing with this sword in Doctor Strange 2 (if anything), but I am intrigued to find out.

The one area where this Wong Legends figure straight-up sucks is, unfortunately, articulation. Wong shouldn’t be as flexible as Spider-Man, and this action figure sure as Hell is not. The whole lower body is almost statuesque due to the puffy pant legs and lower robes, making it near-impossible to get Wong into a wide or dynamic battle stance.

The upper body articulation is the usual—which means it’s good—but the limited lower body movement severely hinders this toy.

The complete articulation set includes:

• Ball-Jointed Head and Upper Torso
• Ball-Hinge Shoulders and Knees
• Double-Hinged Elbows
• Swivel-Hinge Wrists
• Swivel Biceps and
• Hinged Feet with Rockers

Wong’s hips may also have a ball joint but it’s useless due to the robe. The knees are also very stiff and awkward to work with.

Overall: lucky for Hasbro, this Marvel Legends Wong figure was always going to be the best toy of the character ever made basically by default. The likeness to Benedict Wong is halfway decent, but the articulation on this figure—particularly the lower body—is just plain bad. The magic effect hands are always welcome in my house, and I’m curious to (hopefully) see Wong wield his cool sword in the Multiverse of Madness movie. The level of detail on Wong’s costume is also outstanding, but I just don’t feel “Wow”-ed by this figure.

I think Hasbro did an okay job on this essential addition to the roster of MCU heroes, but the toy feels barely above average to me. If you need Wong for your own display of Marvel movie heroes, he’s available for MSRP and free shipping on Amazon right now.

GRADE: C+