Black Knight

Introducing - the only Marvel Legend who will comfortably fit in with your Mythic Legions!! An expert horseman and superior swordsman, Black Knight has a checkered history as a powerful combatant with no clear allegiances. No clear whatnow? He's an Avenger. Well, and he hung out with Excalibur for a while, but that doesn't change the fact Dane Whitman is a good guy. It was his uncle Nathan Garret who fought the Avengers as one of the original Masters of Evil (though he reprented on his deathbed, and Dane managed to infiltrate a later supervillain teamup by posing as Nathan). And they were both descended from Sir Percy of Scandia, a Knight of the Round Table who had appeared in his own pre-Marvel comic series in 1955. The modern Black Knight is a reliable hero whose allegiance is to the side of good... when he's not being mind-controlled by his evil bloodthirsty sword, because comics are weird. Hasbro's ongoing quest to redo and improve all of the classic ToyBiz Marvel Legends has, here, lapped itself - here's a figure Hasbro themselves did previously, as part of the Brood Queen Build-A-Figure series, now given a lovely and impressive upgrade as part of their Ant-Man and the Wasp/Infinity War combo series. While the old toy was undoubtly a comicbook hero, this new toy would indeed comfortably stand alongside a Mythic Legionnaire or two. The sculpt here is reused, but no less impressive for it, featuring three interchangeable heads, all of which look tremendous on the repainted body. The layered mesh texture on the arms and legs here very nicely simulates scale mail, with a branded bodice at front and then nicely detailed "fabric" as seen on the cape. His belt is nicely detailed and can store his sword. Each of the three heads is unique, and as noted, all fit the body nicely, giving him three specific looks of which you can choose: the full helmet is the one worn by the original Sir Percy Black Knight, making for the complete medieval knight look, with fancy patterns along the edges and a soft PVC golden bird perched up on top; the smaller, simpler helmet is the one Dane wore when he adopted the identity and throughout all his time with the Avengers and whatever various other teams; and the slightly larger one with the Mythic Legions-style bat wings over the ears comes from his appearances in the Marvel UK comics circa 1979, where his story reintroduced and reinvigorated Captain Britain. That each works so well is testament to the great work Hasbro are doing here. Similarly, the paint is excellent, with nigh an overspray or mistake anywhere, with appropriate detail and shading where required to really bring out the strong colors. Articulation is exactly what one expects for a modern Marvel Legends figure, and it is amazing. Of particular note is how well the balljointed neck works, both in allowing him to have full movement while easily changing the heads over. Otherwise, the combination of rotating hinge and double pin joints all over allow for maximum moving and posing. This works very nicely with his weapon, the Ebony Blade, which he can wield nicely or store on his belt. It's carved from a meteor, was quenched in the blood of everyone who had ever lived and died, and has a curse on it that makes its wielder want to kill. At one point it was stolen by vampires, fell into the hands of the Vatican and, when a fanatical Catholic descendant of Lancelot took it with him in an effort to convert the population of Wakanda, became the property of Black Panther for a time. Note again: comics are weird. Additionally, the figure features the right leg of Cull Obsidian, the big bad Build-a-Figure for this wave series. Hasbro have done a superb job here updating one of their older Marvel Legends figures that wasn't in... dire need of an update, but the work here is great. I'm always fond of toys that you can mix in with other series, and the Black Knight here is a toy you can have in your Marvel Legends display, or comfortably over with your Mythic Legions. Top points!! -- 06/24/19

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