While conventions and big reveals have been rather short as we deal with this pandemic, there are some exciting items on the way. This “Preview” will be part of a series of Previews highlighting upcoming toy sets that we either have already been made aware of (and have orders placed for!), or are just rumored. Some items we do already have a handful of pictures for that had been revealed before conventions and expos were shut down, others will only have some vague references. None of these items, even the ones we already have our orders in for, can be listed for pre-order until we get the green light from the manufacturers and distributors. So this is just a preview of things to come. When these items are available for pre-order, we’ll make another announcement and have the items listed for sale.
Our second preview we believe is aptly timed as we have been in the middle of a series of X-Men Daughter & Daddy Reviews. It’s also a set that we have had ordered and have been aware of for quite some time (so before there’s an official announcement, we wanted to make sure we got our Preview out there!). It’s none other than the X-Men Anniversary Collection.
From what we have ordered, and some pieces that are missing in the product mix, it’s clear that there will be some Exclusives in here that we might not be able to get our hands on (or, perhaps we can like we did with the Target Exclusive Funko Rock Candy Wreck It Ralph Comfy Princesses – Elsa and Anna, or the Walmart Exclusive Funko POP! Avengers Endgame Rocket Raccoon. If we can get our hands on items so our customers can get a complete set, we will do our best to do so). For now though, we’ll preview the items that we are aware of and have seen unveiled at conventions before the pandemic really hit. There are also some items in here that will be 2-packs, and some Collectible Deluxe figures.
Before showing the previews, I have to say that I was beyond thrilled when I saw the figures in this lineup. Marvel Legends has always released comic-accurate figures, but also movie-inspired figures. This has been a mainstay of the Avengers line with the MCU, but for the X-Men, the action figures were limited to comic-inspired images (which is not necessarily a bad thing, but having Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, or Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool, or Patrick Stewart’s Professor X…. these would just be cool pieces to add to your collection), but not anymore!
So let’s kick off the previews with the man who formed the X-Men, Professor Xavier himself. Unlike his current action figure release with the hover chair as seen in the Jim Lee comic run, Professor X is back to his more humble roots of being in a wheel chair. The figure also comes with a choice of heads, so you can use the likeness of Patrick Stewart or James McAvoy.
Next up in the man who has sometimes been the greatest adversary of the X-Men, and sometimes one of their greatest allies: Magneto! Just like with Professor X, Magneto gives you a choice of heads to be either Ian McKellan or Michael Fassbender.
Next we have one of the most popular X-Men both in comics and on screen (and the source of major debates in terms of how the X-Men will be integrated into the MCU since getting THIS character right seems to be a necessity, and whoever gets the part has some mighty big shoes to fill…. even if the character is one of the shortest members of the team!) Wolverine, featuring Hugh Jackman. There have been two versions unveiled, one of which has to be an Exclusive since our order with the Distributor was just a vague “Wolverine” (unless the case comes with a mix of the two – but we shall see!).
The next figure is part of one of those 2-packs, but for some reason the second figure in the 2-pack (Pyro), I can’t find an image of anywhere. So we’ll all have to wait for the official unveil to see how Pyro looks. But Pyro comes along with X-Men Rogue. This Rogue looks comic-inspired to me, and does not, in my opinion, resemble Anna Paquin, which sets her a little off with the rest of this X-Men Anniversary Wave. But either way, Rogue has always been one of my favorite characters, so this is a welcome piece (and I am REALLY curious to see if Rogue’s comic-origins – mainly stealing Captain Marvel’s powers when she was Ms. Marvel – will play out on the big screen, giving us the much more powerful Rogue of the comics than the one we saw portrayed by Anna Paquin).
I’ll be real curious to see if the Mystique figure comes with alternate heads like Professor X and Magneto so we have a choice of Rebecca Romijin-Stamos or Jennifer Lawrence. If it does, I haven’t been able to confirm that yet. The figure from the Hasbro unveil shows the likeness of the Rebecca Romijin-Stamos version.
Moving from the X-Men movies to Deadpool, there’s four more figures in the X-Men Anniversary wave. Deadpool himself is another 2-pack, coming along with Negasonic Teenage Warhead. This will be Negasonic’s first Action Figure. While we have seen quite a few Deadpool’s over the past few years, the movie likeness with the padded leather armor and tons of accessories easily makes this one my favorite of the releases to date. I am surprised that this 2-pack has Deadpool and Negasonic, and not Negasonic along with Colossus (who is notably absent thus far from the release).
The time traveling Cable is notably absent on our pre-order list, which makes me think he’s going to be an Exclusive figure. We’ll see if we can get our hands on the Josh Brolin Cable, but for now all we have for sure is his unveiled image.
The last of the Deadpool movie action figures for this release is the Zazie Beetz Domino. Like the movie Deadpool and Cable characters, she comes with authentic looking outfit and weapons in holsters and looks spot on for her portrayal in Deadpool 2.
Last, but not least, is a figure that does not resemble his movie likeness. Instead, the Deluxe Apocalypse favors his visage from the Age of Apocalypse comic series (and is a great addition to the X-Men Age of Apocalypse series that is scheduled to be out THIS MONTH). When I first saw this figure, months ago, I thought he would be the Build-a-Figure for the Age of Apocalypse release (but it was actually Sugar Man). He is definitely different enough from the last Apocalypse BAF, and is clearly a must-have figure for X-Men fans. But instead of being part of that set, he was included in the X-Men Anniversary wave.
Which figure from the X-Men Anniversary series are you the most excited for? These all look so impressive and likely will sell out quick. We’ll let you know when we can begin accepting pre-orders for this amazing series. Also, check back later for the next in our Previews Showcase: Marvel Legends Deadpool!