When the first-ever Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Legends series came out in 2014, many fans were surprised to see a comics-based Iron Man in the series. As a proven seller, a new Iron Man seemed like a surefire seller for the series. Well, another Marvel franchise is getting its first movie, and Tony Stark is back again! The Black Panther Marvel Legends Invincible Iron Man figure has been selling for inflated prices and is the surprise hot figure in the wave—is this figure as good as its sales have been?

The Right:

To the surprise of a huge chunk of the collecting world, the most “hard to find” figure in the first Marvel Legends 2018 series online and in many areas hasn’t been one of the Black Panther movie figures, or ever fellow kings Black Bolt or Namor.

No, turns out the hot character in the set is the one most decried when it was revealed as part of the Black Panther Legends series: Marvel Legends Invincible Iron Man!

Yeah, yeah, I know: “another Iron Man”. But put those pitchforks away! This is actually the first time that Hasbro has released a new comic book-based Marvel Legends Iron Man figure since that GOTG Legends wave in 2014! Crazy, right?! Is the first new comic armor in a while worthwhile?

Well, in a word: “Yes”.

I think the biggest issue that many folks are going to have with this figure isn’t really its fault at all, but rather an inherent dislike of the modern design of the armor. To put it simply, this permutation is a lot more “anime” than what we’ve seen in the past.

That said, as the fact that this is a divisive interpretation of what an Iron Man armor permutation isn’t really Hasbro’s fault at all, there’s no way that I’ll lump the style here into “The Wrong”. Love it or hate it, Hasbro nailed the look of this armor.

Both the texture and the paint on this figure look almost startlingly smooth, but that’s not a bad thing: it’s actually incredibly authentic to the covers and artwork of this armor from the Invincible Iron Man comic book series.

Although this figure may not make a ton of sense as part of the Marvel Legends Black Panther wave, there’s no question that Hasbro produced a highly accurate modern Iron Man 6” figure.

Realizing that not every collector wants their umpteenth Iron Man action figure (I’ve got no problem with it, mind you, but I know some folks do), Hasbro was nice enough to not include a Marvel Legends Okoye Build-A-Figure piece with Invincible Iron Man. Have no fear about getting cheated, though–there’s still a mighty six accessories packed in!

The most significant of the pack-ins is, of course, the alternate Tony Stark head. Those expecting a Robert Downey Jr. likeness for whatever reason are going to be disappointed, but I think Hasbro is giving us a very appropriate head sculpt for the way Tony Stark actually appears in the Invincible Iron Man comic books.

Along with the Tony Stark head, we also get a snap-on cannon (that fits beautifully and stays on tight), along with two recycled translucent blue effects pieces (which plug in equally tightly) and a pair of interchangeable fists (which pop in and out as smooth as butter).

The unmasked head is proportioned well to the body, and all of the accessories fulfill their functions. Nice work, Hasbro.

As is often the case with Iron Man action figures, I was prepared for the sculpt of the armor to really inhibit the articulation. Turn out that that’s not the case here: the shoulders are not only not inhibited by their armor, but they actually have an almost perfect range of motion for being fully raised or lowered into any position.

The complete articulation rundown is as follows: ball-hinge head and shoulders, double-hinged knees and elbows, ball hips, ab crunch, swivel thighs/waist/biceps, swivel wrists (sometimes with a hinge), and hinged ankle rockers.

That’s not to say that the articulation on ML Invincible Iron Man is perfect, however. In fact, a couple of wrinkles with the flexibility are the sole major quibble I have to put into…

The Wrong:

While the articulation scheme is solid on the Invincible Iron Man Marvel Legends figure, some of the articulation is a little bit stiff. His repulsor hands are swivel only, which is hugely challenging to work with when trying to pose him for repulsor blasts.

The lack of swivel calves or boots is also a detriment to the figure, making it a bit difficult to get him standing up dynamically in many poses.

Finally, the rubbery plastic used for the blue effects pieces is warped pretty badly on both of mine. I’ve tried to angle to warped effects for my photos to make them look as good as possible, but you may need to boil and reshape yours to get them right.
Overall: While the Hasbro Invincible Iron Man isn’t a figure that I was chomping away to award an ‘A’ to, Hasbro did some excellent work here. This is a Marvel Legends Iron Man that looks exceptionally unique compared to its predecessors, and Hasbro has done a stunning job nailing the actual design of the armor from the comics. Improved lower leg and wrist articulation, along with better quality plastic on the effects pieces, are the only things I think Hasbro could have done to improve a toy of this armor. Surprisingly great stuff.

GRADE: A-