This isn’t an article about customizing your action figures. What we are talking about today are simple head swaps that could increase the versatility and display options for both the casual and hardcore Marvel Legends collector. Additional heads have long been a staple of import figures, and, with Hasbro recently getting into the act, it’s time to rethink the head game. Whether produced by a third-party or by Hasbro themselves, either as a box set or a monthly service, here are thirteen heads that, if produced, could bolster the ranks of anyone’s Marvel Legends collection.
Note: I have only chosen “host” figures with the newer-style solid ball necks. Figures that would have to be boiled and popped were not considered for this list, only figures that could accept the new-style head.
13. My Three Skrulls
Image via Marvel.Wikia
The concept of the shape-shifting Skrull is ideally suited to toys. Any figure on your shelf with a swappable head is one step away from being a Skrull imposter. Honestly, it boggles my mind that Hasbro hasn’t done more with the idea — the company lives for re-use, and an investment in three distinct Skrull heads could net them thousands of additional collector sales. Since the neck peg in Marvel Legends varies from figure to figure, the best way to cover the bases is to issue three different Skrull heads, each sized to a differently scaled ball peg. This would go a long way in providing diversity in a display and clearing the shelves of lingering product.
12. SHIELD Agents
Image via charactermodel.tumblr.com/
And while were on the subject of army building, new SHIELD agent heads are a no-brainer. Collectors would be happy to add to the ranks with generic “soldiers” but bonus points awarded if the heads look like Jasper Sitwell, Jimmy Woo, or Clay Quartermain. The top-secret intelligence agency has been a key player in the Marvel Universe since day one, so being able to represent its large and diverse cast is key. Provide some helmets, googles, and other gear to diversify the forces even further and everyone is happy.
11. Pepper Potts
Collectors cried foul when the Rescue armor Pepper Potts 6-inch figure was issued without the already-sculpted-and-shown unmasked head, making the perky redhead the rocket-firing Boba Fett of the modern age. Okay, it wasn’t that bad, but it really did grind people’s gears — it wasn’t like that head was something we ever asked for, but once we knew we were supposed to get it and didn’t, the final product ended up feeling kind of bare bones, even for a website exclusive. Hasbro could curry some favor by putting that head out now — after all, it would still work and collectors could cross another character off of their lists.
10. Mac Gargan Venom
Image via Marvel.Wikia.com
I don’t really keep up with modern comics, but I liked Norman Osborn’s Avengers enough to group them on my shelf. I have an old symbiote Spider-Man representing Mac Gargan, but he lacks the body mass to really pull it off. Fortunately, the recently released Venom figure provides a nice stocky frame for old Mac. Unfortunately, both of the figure’s included heads have mouths, making them unsuitable for this incarnation of the character. A classic black suit Spidey mask on a bigger head would be just the ticket for the former Scorpion, and the featureless head could be used down the line for other masked characters.
9. Bullseye
Image via marvel-war-of-heroes.wikia.com/
8. Johnny Blaze
Speaking of the Dark Avengers, one way to clear retail shelves of all those unwanted Hawkeyes is to provide Marvel Legends collectors with an unmasked Bullseye head. For those of you not in the know, Bullseye assumed the mantle of the Avenging Archer during the first series, but remained his usual murderous self. While any future release of Bullseye will likely be in his classic costume, getting a new scarred head to pop on to that pre-existing Hawkeye figure to represent Bullseye’s brief stint as a “superhero” would be a sufficient way to suggest his Dark Avengers-era look.
Image via superherohype.com
7. 616 T’Challa
Back in the day, ToyBiz took a swat at Johnny Blaze with their Ghost Rider variant, but not everyone cared for the mid-transformation look chosen. Its a nifty concept but the “neither fish nor fowl” approach made the figure tough to work into display. A swappable Johnny Blaze head would take care of that problem nicely. I mean, it’s bad enough Hasbro didn’t give the poor guy a motorcycle and he has to ride to ride the bus everywhere, so the least they can do is give him a normal human head so he can go home to dinner on Sundays without scaring his family half to death.
Image via curiousoldlibrary.blogspot.com
As of this writing, the recent MCU Black Panther remains a highly sought-after figure. Not only is he the breakout character from one of this summer’s only blockbusters, but his figure also comes with a movie-accurate unmasked head. Sadly, the Panther’s previous comic incarnation lacked such a vital accessory, which is unfortunate — unlike other superheroes, the Black Panther’s costume is ritual garment — T’Challa doesn’t just sit around wearing the full head mask, and is frequently seen in the comics without it. Those lucky enough to have the 616 version need an alternate head to represent both looks.
6. Undead Grim Reaper
Image via marvunapp.com
I’m a classics guy, but if you grew up reading comics in the 1990s, the Grim Reaper wasn’t a buff, grinning maniac, but a soul-sucking corpse with a hatred of Avengers to rival Ultron. And while the figure’s buff body would remain the same, an evil wrinkled head would look pretty nifty stuck on top of it. The key would be to make sure the batshite-crazy expression remains the same across both heads so there’s no mistaking it for some other supervillain.
5. Vampire Storm
Image via mediacache.com
Vampire Storm is a cool idea that been revisited one too many times. That said, a fang-sporting Ororo would certainly look nifty hanging out on the shelf with Dracula or facing off against your Cap-Wolf figure. The line as whole could use more horror, and a vampire X-Man make a fine addition to our League of Monsters. Just keep her away from your Morbius figure — I don’t see that ending well.
4. Flash Thompson
Image via mediacache.com
In spite of moving to space and turning into some sort of whale/tank hybrid, the “Agent Venom” version of Venom remains a favorite of both fans and collectors. Easy custom, so Hasbro or someone else should take note. Puny Parker be darned, the world is ready for a Flash Thompson figure. Well, the head, anyway, although the (possibly) upcoming green-shirted Sandman might make a good stand-in for his old jock clothes. We already have Peter, Gwen, and JJJ, with rumors of Mary Jane coming soon, so I think Flash’s time has come.
3. Screaming HYDRA Agent
Hasbro have produced some dud figures at the restart of the line and they know it. Their first attempts at Punisher, Nova, and Cable have all been supplanted by new high-quality updates; they even went back and redid the oversized and under-articulated HYDRA soldiers. But while the new version is a vast improvement over the first attempt, the figure’s expression was a bit on the neutral side. This is the one area where the old figure trumps the new, but Hasbro could easily remedy the problem with a new “angry” head sculpt. As army-builders, these could prove to be the most desirable heads of them all.
2. Obidiah Stane
Obidiah Stane got a raw deal. Even though he only wore the Iron Monger armor once, that is the sole representation of the character in Marvel Legends. That’s like getting an action figure of yourself, but wearing a sweater you wore one time so your aunt wouldn’t cry at Christmas. We need an unmasked head to represent him. The suited body would be a fine, if uninspired, choice. We need more Iron Man villains for the shelf and this guy was briefly one of the biggest. And speaking of shell-head …
1. Tony Freaking Stark
Image via galagalaxior987.wordpress.com
Yes, I know, we’ve been given a number of Tony Stark heads in recent years. The problem is most of these have been movie-style likenesses that don’t really gel with the pre-existing Iron aesthetic. There was the unmasked head that came in the Toys R Us two-pack a few years ago, but it’s kind of small and is rocking a pretty serious mullet to boot. Collectors need a new modern comic-accurate Tony Stark to slap on a suited body or one of the dozens of armors they undoubtedly have on their shelves. I mean, this is Tony freaking Stark here — what’s the holdup?
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