Marvel Legends Black Widow (2020 Walmart Exclusive)

I pretty much instantly preordered this Walmart exclusive Black Widow upon announcement months ago, the gray outfit and short hair how I remember her from my issues of the Marvel Universe Handbook back in the '80s. I don't remember Natasha's Avengers jacket, but I like that addition to this figure, along with her wristbands and utility belt. The array of accessories included is fantastic: firing, smoking, and regular wristbands, additional splayed hands, and a jetpack complete with pegged jet fire blasts. Impressive. We've received probably a half dozen Black Widow figures in the last five years, but I love the retro-appeal of this one. The facial portrait  and hair sculpt are superb on this figure, an area that Hasbro has really evolved in the last few years. For a mass-produced figure retailing at twenty bucks, this is a solid value.

I'd have a hard time choosing a favorite between this Wal-Mart exclusive Widow and the Target exclusive Deadly Origins Widow I reviewed recently, who also came packed with accessories, including an arsenal of firearms we are usually denied. I had to have both!

I was mad for the recent 80th Anniversary Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America, and get them out whenever the subject of any of my posts warrant the occasion. I imagine Cap training with Black Widow in the Avengers headquarters, or perhaps in combat in a time before she joined the Avengers. Though her origins are as a nemesis to Iron Man, her later defection from Russia and subsequent affiliation with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers link het more strongly to Cap...

And finally, Black Widow with a few classic Marvel Legends Avengers that live here in the Super-DuperToyBox, including the aforementioned 80th Anniversary Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America, the Vintage Series Hawkeye and Vision, and perhaps my favorite Marvel Legends figure of 2019, The Hulk from the 80th Anniversary Hulk/1st Appearance Wolverine 2-pack... 

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Marvel Legends Taskmaster (Black Widow Series)

I liked the Black Widow MCU figures upon their reveal, though I'm not really interested in the Crimson Dynamo BAF. I've not been out much recently, but stumbled on this Taskmaster at a Walgreens, and picked him up at a 25% discount with some reward points. There's been a rumor swirling that this character may be represented by an actress as opposed to an actor, but we'll have to see. I had the comic-based Taskmaster for a brief time, but sold him along with most of my Marvel Legends Infinity War figures. Still, I liked the MCU interpretation of Taskmaster best of most all the figures in this wave. This figure doesn't have any of the Crimson Dynamo BAF parts, but features a ton of accessories, including three sets of hands. 

I was glad Hasbro decided we're all big girls and boys and gave us at least one arrow to lose, but should given us two or three Still, Taskmaster can hold it, though a fully drawn bow might be tricky. The bow looks great however, as does the deco and sculpt of this beautiful figure. A scabbard for the sword and quiver for arrows would have solved the stowage issues here, but the bow can be strapped across the chest. I've heard complaints about the small shield, but this may be the case regarding the forthcoming film- what's missing is the dorsal port to peg the shield onto the figure's back.

This figure enjoys all the articulation of a current Marvel Legends figure, the incredible abdominal crunch being the stand-out. The head is very limited due to the hood, but there are slight butterfly joints at the shoulders that help a little around the armored torso. Not bad. For $20.00 at retail, this figure is a solid value.

Taskmaster has the ability to instantly mimic the individual fighting styles of his opponents, countering their attack to great effect. While we've yet to see the forthcoming Black Widow, I've heard postulation these clawed hands represent the Black Panther's combat attack. The modified adrenal steroid that unlocks Taskmaster's procedural memory makes him a nearly undefeatable tactician, but puts his body under great strain, and can only be effective for shirt periods of time- Black Panther's great endurance may be his saving grace against Taskmaster!

And finally, Taskmaster with my Marvel Legends Endgame Hawkeye and Black Widow, a great 2-pk with extra heads that I really liked. It may take two Avengers to take down the Taskmaster, and this make a formidable team!

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Marvel Legends Avengers Endgame Black Widow, Hawkeye, & Ronin

I've had this Avenger Endgame Hawkeye/Black Widow 2-pk for a year now, but only ordered this Endgame Ronin from Amazon recently. I'd intended to buy him for awhile, but could see after several months that he would be available for awhile, and that his price would come down. Those factors combined with some points I'd earned saved me about 60%. I admire Marvel Studios' interpretation of the character, heavily inspired by the comics version. The detailed sculpt is fantastic, with a lot of great texture throughout.

The hood is removable for one option, and the Clint Barton head from the Hawkeye/Black Widow 2-pk fits on this figure- a fantastic bonus. Ronin came with two swords that sheathe onto his back, and an additional "throwing stars" left hand.

The Endgame Hawkeye/Black Widow 2-pk really excited me when it came out- yes, the outfits don't match the movie outfits, but they make quite the visually appealing pair nonetheless. I love the detailed sculpts with matching Avengers insignia on the breast, and the outstanding facial portraits of actors Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner.

Hasbro including extra heads of other characters is a neat idea- the Ant-Man head looks fantastic on the Hawkeye body, and I was surprised how much I like the Nebula head on the Black Widow body. The pistol included in this set is the same included with the Guardians of the Galaxy Nebula, which had a slightly different head than this one, which spots a panel of copper/orange on the left side of her head.

Below, Nebula with my Capt. Marvel Starforce Edition Menerva...

Black Widow came with the same collapsible staff the the Infinity War Black Widow included...

Below, Endgame Black Widow and Hawkeye with Endgame Pepper Potts Rescue, 

Mark LXXXV Iron Man, Smart Hulk BAF, War Machine, and Infinity War Thor...

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Marvel Legends Black Widow Deadly Origin

I preordered this Marvel Legends Black Widow Deadly Origin from Target this winter, right after it was announced. I'm only starting to read Deadly Origin, so I don't have a great deal to offer regarding that story arc, but I would say it's turning out pretty interesting. I really enjoyed the 2016 Waid Samnee arc I read awhile back however, more so than what I've read of Deadly Origin thus far. Regardless, I loved this figure at first sight, and am even happier with her than I anticipated. She came armed to the teeth in one of the best looking Marvel Legends boxes I've seen- the panel featuring alternate cover art from the second issue of the original 2010 series , by Bosnian artist Adi Granov. Fantastic!

I was thoroughly impressed by the accessories included with Black Widow. including two unique pistols, a rifle, and both muzzle blasts and wisps of barrel smoke that universally fit all the weapons. Rarely do we get this many realistic weapons in one package, and I hope Hasbro continues to include weapons effects accessories. At the price of a regular Marvel Legends release, I found this a great value. There is a little gappage where her neckline meets her collar unfortunately, but it's a minor gripe considering an otherwise killer action figure...

Black Widow can hold her rifle pretty well, a trait that a lot of Marvel Legends often fail at. The muzzle blasts an barrel smoke blast accessories also fit the rifle, which comes with a functional shoulder strap- very cool! See my January post on the Marvel Legends Demogoblin Wave!

Below, Deadly Origin Black Widow with my Samnee/Waid Black Widow 

that came with a motorcycle, which the aforementioned looks fantastic on!

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Marvel Legends Thor & Black Widow (Avengers Infinity War Wave 2)

Backtracking to a couple Marvel Legends figures from the second Avengers Infinity War wave, I picked up Thor and Black Widow a couple weeks ago, the only two I have from what was a pretty good lineup. We are well into an incredible run on the Marvel Legends line, which has produced both comic and movie renditions of a ton of our favorite characters, often in multiple versions. There are so many that I have neither the budget nor space to collect all of them, especially when getting two waves of movie figures, such as the case with Black Panther and Infinity War.

Hasbro also released a sleeveless Thor w/o cape in a box set with Rocket Racoon and teenage Groot, but this one came with the Stormbreaker axe and lighting effect accessory. I love the monochromatic chest plate, and metallic tones throughout the figure's armor!

Below, Infinity War Thor with Marvel Legends Ragnarok Thor. I've had and sold a few Legends Thor figures, but these two are good as any of those- the sculpt detail on both is exceptional...

I had mixed feelings about Black Widow returning with blonde hair in Infinity War, but Hasbro nailed the portrait, and I love the green flak jacket. We are once again denied firearms with our Black Widow figure, instead receiving holstered tasers and escrima sticks that can be assembled into a staff.

Black Widow's flak jacket can be removed if one prefers a more traditional look for the character, and while I'd rather have a couple sidearms, the tasers do sheath snugly into their holsters.

Below, Infinity War Black Widow with last year's Marvel Legends Black Widow from the motorcycle box set, which I got a smokin' Amazon Warehouse Deal on. I enjoyed that set and the 2016 Black Widow title it was aesthetically based on...

I was glad to find these in the wild so many months after their release- I'm now tempted to collect the remaining parts from eBay to assemble the Cull Obsidian BAF. Hasbro captured the look of actors Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johanssen pretty well for mass-produced action figures, and the small details are really great!

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