On November 3rd we gave a Preview of “All Things X” that showed numerous rumored X-Men and X-related toys on the horizon. Now, X-Men Wave 4 has been announced for a projected May 2019 release, and we wanted to highlight what was going to be included in this upcoming launch.
First, the Build-a-Figure will be the former Morlock turned Horseman of Apocalypse, Caliban! He is an amazing tracker and can sense mutants. A worthy member of the Morlocks helping them to find mutants in trouble and adding to their ranks, but even more so when he was enhanced by Apocalypse to become not just a tracker but an extraordinary warrior who could go toe-to-toe with most members of the X-family. It’s his Apocalypse-enhanced version that is the next X-Men Build-a-Figure! Since Apocalypse was the Build-a-Figure for the X-Men Wave 3 set, and Archangel (who was enhanced by Apocalypse to serve as his “Death” horseman for a time), and now Caliban, we’re gathering a nice little core group.
The highlight of this wave has to be Gambit. I am ecstatic to see Beast, Jubilee, and Blink, but Gambit is hands down the most popular mutant in this mix. The cajun from New Orleans who could super charge items and throw them with explosive force (most notably a deck of playing cards), his early comic appearances skyrocketed in value and he quickly went toe-to-toe with Wolverine for the the most popular mutant in the comics. His transition from comics to the cinematic universe has not necessarily gone as planned, as critics and fans usually look at Taylor Kitsch’s portrayal in X-Men Origins: Wolverine rather poorly (though admittedly, even Ryan Reynolds takes a lot of shots at the movie in his new Deadpool films). We’ll see if the Channing Tatum portrayal gives Gambit justice (presuming the film survived the Fox / Disney acquisition). Regardless of whether we see Channing Tatum as Gambit, or if people think of Taylor Kitsch, or if there is a new reboot as the X-Men are relaunched in the overall Marvel Studios Cinematic Universe, or all we have is the Gambit from the comics, he remains an amazing character and a must have for your collection!
Since I mentioned Beast, Jubilee, and Blink when introducing Gambit, I’ll discuss them next. Beast was recently released in the Marvel Select line, and he also had a convention exclusive before he was al blue and furry as one of the original X-Men. But having a Marvel Legends Beast, as he is most prominently known in the comics (as a founding member of the X-Men, X-Factor, Defenders, and Avengers), as well as how he’s been seen in both X-Men movie portrayals from the present and past time lines, is huge. He’s one character (along with Nightcrawler!) we have definitely felt was missing, so it’s great to see him being released and looking just the way that he should.
Jubilee is a personal favorite of mine. The fun and spunky kid who saw Storm, Psylocke, Rogue, and Dazzler in a shopping mall kicking some butt and followed them back through Gateway’s portal to the X-Mens Australian outback base. Since she was essentially a stowaway, she hid out, moving through the vents and finding little hidey-holes to call her own. She also would snag some items along the way from the resident X-Men team to create her own uniform and identity with a blend of all of theirs. This was the time when the X-Men (all but Wolverine) went through the Siege Perilous just before the Reavers attacked, each of them becoming someone new and forgetting all about their past. When Wolverine came home, the Reavers pounced and crucified him. It was Jubilee who rescued him and for a time became his sidekick helping him out. Loyal, fun, and with firecrackers as powers? Absolutely! And even better, this Marvel Legends launch has her looking exactly as she did back when she was in the Australian outback!
Blink is another popular character, with the ability to open portals and send people through her rifts in space, whether its over vast distances or right above an enemy to drop down and attack them. She also can create blades to throw at her foes. And she’s purple! The television series, The Gifted, has made Blink one of the prominent characters, and she is also one of the highlights of this release!
I mentioned how Gambit was almost as popular as Wolverine. But there is nobody in the history of the X-Men more popular than Wolverine himself! We’ve seen recent releases with Wolverine in his brown costume and his yellow and blue tiger stripe (see our Shop for Marvel Legends Wave 3: Wolverine), as well as Wolverine on a Motorcycle (see our Shop for Marvel Legends Wolverine on a Motorcycle). But this release has a look at the character further back, when he was part of the Weapon X program and was first given his Adamantium, which was bonded to his bones and claws. Wolverine broke out, and this figure shows him as he was then, which has been portrayed in the comics, and on film in the X-Men movies. Personally, I could do without him looking like this (unless you’re a Hugh Jackman fan and want to see him in his underwear!), as it was such a brief moment in the history of an iconic character. But, I do give credit for a unique and different look at the character (and besides, building Caliban is a must, which means this Weapon X Wolverine will ultimately join the collection!).
The character Forge in and of himself has an interesting background. A mutant with the ability to invent anything, he was responsible for the weapon that was used by Agent Gyrich to take away Storm’s powers! Then, through remorse, he took her in and the two wound up romantic together, putting Forge on the path of becoming an X-Men ally. When the X-Men went through the Siege Perilous (mentioned above with my Jubilee write-up), Forge was one of the X-Men allies and former X-Men who banded together to help try and figure out what happened and bring the X-Men back. The Forge in this release is how he looked during that run of the comics (with Jubilee, Forge, and Skullbuster in this release, I wonder if a new Banshee and more Reavers are on their way for the 2019 holiday season!).
Last in this release, and appropriate since this release is mostly taking place during the Australian Outback / Siege Perilous storyline, is a member of the Reavers, Skullbuster. The Reavers were a group of cyborgs who were brought together by Donald Pierce of the Hellfire Club and became a significant enemy of the X-Men. Skullbuster is definitely not the Reaver I would have started with (Lady Deathstrike would be my first choice, or maybe even Donald Pierce himself!), but he’s the first Reaver launched and I can only assume that we’ll see more in future waves, likely one at a time or some kind of special 2-pack release. But for this wave, we’re starting with Skullbuster, and keeping an eye on future rumors and announcements for more to come.
All in all, another strong release from the X-Men line. This release is projected to be out in May, and we should be able to get our pre-orders up sometime before that. Check back for updates on when pre-orders can start being accepted.