Marvel Legends: Magneto

 Mutant activist Magneto is perhaps one of the most problematic villains in comics, seeing as he really is responsible for some horrible atrocities, but also is a staunch advocate of Mutant rights . . . that often transgress into genocidal ideas. So yeah, problematic.

But who among us can honestly say that we think Magneto is totally bereft of point? The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is only evil from a certain point of view, while being freedom fighters to a whole different audience. Even Xavier knows this, and even Xavier agrees with him from time to time. Message may be one thing, but method is another, and that’s something that usually does cause Magneto to end up in the bad category. You’d think a guy like Max Eisenhardt would realize that mass murder, genocide, and terrorism were not the really right ways of addressing problems, given the things he himself has experienced. But, we all know that sometimes only the most drastic measures get any real attention or lead to change, so we often have a hard time honestly believing that he’s in the wrong.

As far as this beautiful looking figure of Magneto is concerned, we’ve got the pretty standard Marvel Legends body with its usual array of joints in the arms, legs, waist, and ab crunch, painted in a gorgeous black and red. There is motivation to lament that this is not the classic maroon and purple Magneto, but that figure is coming this summer, thanks to an Amazon exclusive three pack.

Magneto comes with interchangeable hands, one pair in solid black and the other, superior pair in translucent purple, indicating that his powers have been activated. This is further displayed through a pair of effects parts, flexible plastic netting that is meant to resemble energy waves, but looks like Force Lightning. Honestly, it looks and feels like those plastic nets that stores occasionally put around glass bottles to give them some degree of cushioning in your bags. They look just about as good on the figure too, which is to say not very, but they will achieve the desired effect of looking like Magneto is blastin’ fools with his powers. The effects parts are a bit weak, but they are generally better than that effects ring part that so  many Legends figures come with. At very, very least, these things stay attached to the wrist as you place them, and don’t slide or move around much.

The cape and shoulder pads peg into the figures’ back but often come loose, and similar to Mysterio are so heavy that they will pull the figure backwards while in a standing position. This means that Magneto actually stands a lot better when the cape is not plugged in to the back, but is allowed to hang a little lower and touch the surface behind the figure. This makes the shoulder pads ride up somewhat, which throws off the appearance slightly, but will allow the figure to stand better. Standing is also aided by turning the legs outward at the thigh swivel, which FURTHER impacts the look by misaligning the red stripes that run down the legs. If the legs are not turned, these lines run unbroken down the front of the thighs, but when turned they look pretty bad. There’s not anything that can be done about this, really, as it is an issue of the look when applied to a piece that needs to be able to move, so one deals with it, and for as much of a deal as I’m making of it right now, it’s not something that can’t be ignored or overlooked in order to appreciate the figure as a whole. It’s certainly not a thing that I would say is a deal breaker or tragic flaw in the toy, but with a figure that looks sooo good, only to have this minor bump in the road, it does feel a bit like a letdown.

 

The future of the Legends line has recently been revealed to include a very 90’s set of X-Men, as well as the more classic looking Magneto, and that’s terrific. My wife and I have already pre-ordered both our X-Men and the Magneto/Scarlet Witch/Quicksilver three pack, but I wouldn’t say that passing on this Magneto is a good idea. Then again, I’m not sure I’ve seen this Magneto except for the time that I bought him, so that may not be a matter that is left up to you. If you’re interested in the character, this is a good add. If you just need to buy it for the Apocalypse BAF part, you’re also going to wind up with a very nice Magneto for your collection.   

 

The figure also comes with interchangeable heads, one the helmeted Magneto and the other a helmetless version, with flowing white hair that makes him look like he was posing for the cover of a harlequin romance novel.  The Fabio Magneto variant, if it suits you. Both are well sculpted, but the helmeted version is better of the two. It’s easy enough to switch back and forth, since the head is attached via a simple ball jointed neck, and the bare head is not bad by any stretch.