While the Spider-Man Clone Saga was once a reviled joke among comic fans, characters from that 90s classic have now risen to become some of the most loved in Spider-Man lore. And so, for the third time in a year, a new Ben Reilly figure is on the way—this time in the form of an updated Marvel Legends Scarlet Spider figure! But Ben’s not coming alone: he’ll be joined in the Spider-Man Marvel Legends 2024 Retro lineup by Jack O’ Lantern and Last Stand Spider-Man!
Hasbro had been teasing the announcement of several upcoming 2024 Marvel Legends 6” figures as part of their “1027” stream for a couple weeks now, but they didn’t -quite- manage to make it to the scheduled start time of the stream before its reveals had the opportunity to leak out. Luckily, the trifecta of reveals includes 1-3 big names (depending on who you ask), so ruining the surprise won’t ruin the star power of these action figures!
The headliner of today’s announcements is unquestionably the latest (and greatest) figure of the most well-known Ben Reilly identity: the Scarlet Spider! I’m still a huge fan of the 2015 Rhino Series Scarlet Spider, but Ben ‘s popularity has only increased and it was time for an update!
Many fans turned to last year’s Medicom MAFEX Scarlet Spider figure out of desperation, but now Hasbro has a modern-level update heading our way in just a few short months!
The pin-less knees and elbows look super on this figure, the hoodie overlay is nice and thankfully he comes with 3 matching pairs of hands (unlike this year’s poor, mismatched Spider-Man Beyond). I think quite a few fans who sprung for MAFEX Scarlet Spider may end up wanting this new Hasbro one as well.
Joining Scarlet Spider is a comic-based character (with a teensy cameo in Across the Spider-Verse): Last Stand Spider-Man! From a future dark alternate timeline, we get this “darker” Peter Parker who’s a bit more violent and ready to kill than old 616 Spidey.
The costume here is interesting and the character is technically not the most unknown version of Peter Parker out there, but I can’t see Marvel Legends Last Stand Spider-Man flying off the shelves. He’s still a Spidey so I have no doubt he’ll sell through, but immensely slower than Ben Reilly and…
The token Spidey villain revealed today is an unexpected upgraded version of classic Jack O Lantern! Toybiz did a killer job of classic Jack O Lantern in the 2006 Spider-Man Classics line, while Hasbro made a modern iteration in the 2018 Absorbing Man Series. That modern take wasn’t to every fan’s tastes, so it’s exciting to see this niche villain redone in glorious 2024 standards for those who missed the now rare and expensive Toybiz Jack!
The new chain mail upper torso looks stellar, as does the flaming pumpkin head. Quasi-obscure villain or no, this new Marvel Legends Jack O’ Lantern is looking like a major hit for Hasbro!
All three of these Retro Spider-Man Legends figures go up for sale later today online. They’ll be available for an hour first exclusively for Hasbro Pulse Premium members, then to the general masses thereafter. What do you think of these latest 2024 Marvel Legends figures? What villains and Spidey variants are you hoping to see join them next year?