We’re continuing our look at 2025 figures with one that should have arrived in plenty of time to squeeze it in. Walmart has been doing a Collector Con annually for a few years and you just never know if you’re actually going to receive the figure you preorder. So it was with the Spider-Man retro card Mysterio which kept getting pushed back on me. I’ve done this dance before and what typically happens is Walmart just pushes the release back until it eventually cancels it. Rather than wait for that, I was able to find this guy on the pegs at a local store, albeit one out of my way. Others weren’t so lucky. I’m also going to make an effort starting with this review to attempt to be more brief when it’s warranted and a Marvel Legends figure certainly fits that criteria.
This Mysterio is based on his appearance in the animated series Spider-Man which debuted in 1994. This basically means he’s just the same villain we’re used to, but with a simpler costume and one that also happens to be a very bright green. Since the comic version usually has a quilted pattern to the costume, this figure actually utilizes very little from past releases. It may actually just be limited to the accessories. That doesn’t mean this guy is entirely all new. The body is essentially a base body. I’m not sure if it is indeed the Vulcan body, but it’s basically the same body as the Secret Wars Iceman we looked at not too long ago and the hole in the middle of his back would seem to be a giveaway there. The gloves and boots are unique as are the belt, cape, and the domed helmet. The figure is primarily colored plastic with paint reserved for the belt and the green areas on his boots. There is a pearl finish to the dome which looks nice and helps keep the opacity up so one cannot see what lurks beneath.
The figure is about as basic as it comes for a Legends release, but it has some quirks about it. Namely the cape which is designed to sit high to give it that billowing effect. To achieve this, it actually pegs into the back, but while there are two, yellow, clasps on the front they don’t actually do anything. It sits a little high as a result from the front. The dome also doesn’t actually connect to the figure. It connects to the cape which is a little strange, but it does work for the most part. He does have two optional heads, including an unmasked Quentin Beck head that’s all new. It’s a terrific likeness to the cartoon, and if you really want to you can try to cram it under that dome or just go without. The dome does detach from the cape, it’s a little tight, but I don’t think it will break.
The other accessories in the box are repeats from a past release. There are two sets of hands: fists and open. He also has some effect parts done with translucent, red/pink plastic. Two of them are these smoky, tentacle parts that can clip onto his ankles and the third part is a skull with tentacles worming through it. They’re not from the show or anything, but they look pretty cool so I’m happy to have them. The articulation is typical, Vulcan body Legends. You have a ball-hinge head, shoulders, butterfly, bicep, wrist, ab crunch, waist twist, hips, thigh cuts, double knees, ankle hinge and rocker. I’m surprised he doesn’t have a boot cut. They wiggle a little, but it must be keyed in such a way that it prevents rotation, which is weird. He’ll do what you probably need of him, though the cape is cumbersome.
The one and only reason to get this Mysterio is if you like the look of the character from the old cartoon. And it mostly accomplishes what it set out to do. It is missing the seem line on the torso that’s even present on the card art, but I’m not surprised Hasbro didn’t go back and sculpt that in. I wish the cape sat a little lower, but at least it provides clearance at the shoulders. The different portions of the body do suffer that discoloration we see with many Legends where one area doesn’t match another. In this case, the torso is a little lighter than the arms. It’s not as noticeable as it is with other figures, but it is there. He’s also a pain in the ass to get, but that’s a Walmart problem and not the figure’s fault. Hasbro does have a track record of re-releasing these kinds of figures if the demand is there so if you can’t find one maybe he’ll come back in a year or two. Then again, they still haven’t released the Walmart exclusive Venom figures or the Spider-Man ’94 so I guess you shouldn’t hold your breath.
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