Super-Articulate: Marvel Legends 80th Anniversary Wolverine and Hulk

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Troy Brownfield

Greetings, True Believers! Things are really coming up green in Marveland this week. We had the announce a few days ago of the impending Disney+ She-Hulk series. The Immortal Hulk continues to be a Top Ten sales force in comic shops. And we’ve got this excellent new boxed set/two-pack, part of Hasbro’s Marvel Legends program that celebrates the 80th Anniversary of Marvel. Let’s dig in to the Marvel Legends 80th Anniversary Wolverine and Hulk set. But first, thank you to Hasbro for providing us with free samples for the purposes of review! Let’s go.

The History: This set is based on the first three appearances of Wolverine in the pages (well, the final page) of The Incredible Hulk #180 (October 1974 cover date), the subsequent The Incredible Hulk #181 (his first “full” appearance, the cover of which is featured on the back of the box), and #182. Wolverine was created by writer Len Wein (after a name suggestion by Roy Thomas) and artist John Romita Sr. He gets involved in the story when Department H sends him to try to stop a fight between the Hulk and the Wendigo (presently the BAF in the current X-Force assortment) that is tearing up Wolverine’s home and native land, Canada. After the Wendigo is defeated (actually, the curse is transferred to another person in a plot that will pay off in Uncanny X-Men #139 and #140 a few years later), Wolverine doesn’t pop back up again until he joins the X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1 the following year, also written by Wein. It’s worth noting that the Hulk is this period is in a savage Hulk phase (hence the shredded shirt on the figure).

Wolverine: I’m starting with Wolverine because he’s on the left and we read left to right in America (and Canada). I have to say that the first thing I love about this figure is the SIZE. He’s SMALL. Wolverine was supposed to be, well, short. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and other resources list him at 5’3”. Look at this panel from Uncanny X-Men #142, and see him in comparison to Storm. Based on all that, they get the size of the figure just right here. The Hasbro team also really captured that original mask; it’s markedly different that the mask he wears in X-Men and beyond, and they showed that. The ability to move the shoulder pieces independently of the arms to enhance poseability is a surprising, and good, choice. The flairs on the boots like solid as well. The figure also carries a really solid paint job, and that facial expression is on point. Wolverine comes with two sets of hands (claws popped, and claws retracted). They did a really great job on a figure that captures a slice of Marvel history. I’m personally putting him on my “First Appearance” shelf. Well done.

Hulk: Holy God of Gamma Rays. This figure is HUGE. I mean, it’s BIG. It’s Big McLarge Huge. Just, DAMN. I admit to being a little hesitant when this one was announced because I feel pretty good about the Hulks that I have. Then I saw this in person. This is MASSIVE. Hasbro has done a really, really good job in the past few years with BIG figures or figures that cover a big area (for example: Hulkbuster Iron Man, Cull Obsidian, Sauron, etc.), and this is definitely no exception. Look at that picture of the figure holding Wolverine up by the head. THAT is what I would expect the scale of the Hulk to be against someone the size of comic-accurate Wolverine. Add that girth to the fact that it’s still an extremely poseable figure, and you have a big winner. I really like the torn shirt (which is removable, of course, but I dig it) and the face that the tattered pants have texture and separation at the leg. The face is dead-on. Hulk comes with two sets of hands (two open, two fists) for your various display/play/video-making needs. I wouldn’t have thought that simple hugeness would win me over so effectively, but I can’t help but smile at this figure. I almost feel that he was inspired a bit by the 12” Mego Hulk of the late 1970s (which is definitely a positive on my end). This Hulk turned out . . . sigh . . . incredibly.