The Shi’ar Empire gets two coveted products in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line. Gladiator gets a brand new figure and Deathbird makes his debut in the line. Both figures are inspired by classic X-Men comic book appearances. The Gladiators are members of the Royal Guard who are responsible for protecting the Shiite Empress Lilandra Neramani. Deathbird is Lilandra’s sister and seeks to overthrow her and usurp her throne.
Thank you to BigBadToyStore for sending me the Hasbro Marvel Legends Series 6-inch X-MEN Gladiator and Deathbird figures for review.
BigBadToyStore offers flat rate $4 shipping to the US and the Loot Pile feature shipped at a later date. Use this link to start shopping.
Launch: November 2025
Gladiator and Deathbird are packaged in a window box featuring the X-Men logo and artwork, with images of Marvel Comics characters on both sides and images and descriptions on the back. Both figures are packaged in a plastic tray along with their accessories.
Deathbird is comic-inspired and wears a purple costume with some metallic purple parts, metallic gray on his torso, gray tubes connected to his forearms and back, and a detailed cloak with sculpted texture and pattern design. The cloak is non-removable and is sculpted over the shoulders and around the neck. There is also a tube in the front of the cloak that connects to the back, and the hands are sculpted with fingers separated by black claws.
Her head sculpt includes a purple plastic comic book headpiece, which is also non-removable. Her head sculpt is great, giving her black hair in the shape of outstretched bird wings. Also, facial details include white eyes, an open smiling mouth with purple lips, white teeth, and well-finished facial details.
Deathbird does not include any accessories, which is unusual for a Marvel Legends figure.
Her articulation includes a ball-jointed head, ball-hinged shoulders, swivel biceps, swivel-hinge elbows, swivel-hinge wrists, ball-jointed torso, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, double-hinged knees, and hinged and rocker ankles.
Gladiator gets a much-needed upgrade in Marvel Legends, with new muscle sculpts and a reuse of the figure’s cape previously offered in the Apocalypse Build-a-Figure wave and the SDCC exclusive before that. This product has improved sculpting as well as color and facial resemblance to more accurately recreate how he appears in the comics and animated X-Men. He wears a classic red, blue, and yellow costume, with a yellow abdomen and a thin black line on his belt buckle, and a yellow and black insignia on his chest. The cloak is removable and has a plug inside that plugs into the back so it stays securely in place.
The Gladiator includes two head sculpts, one neutral and one with effects for the eyes and open mouth. Both heads include purple skin, black mohawks with blue washes, and both have nice facial details.
Gladiator includes two sets of interchangeable hands (open and closed fists).
His articulation includes a ball-jointed head and hinged neck, ball-hinged shoulders, swivel biceps, swivel-hinged elbows, swivel-hinged wrists, ab crunches, swivel hips, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, double-hinged knees, swivel calves, hinged ankles, and rocker ankles.
Here are some comparisons to some other Shia figures, along with recent Phoenix figures.
Overall, Deathbird and Gladiator are great pieces of work and bear a great resemblance to the source material. While it’s a lot of fun to get this new version of Gladiator, I was never thrilled with his previous releases. This new updated product has much better numbers and Deathbird is also a welcome addition to this product line. Get this set now at BigBadToyStore for $57.99.
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BigBadToyStore offers flat rate $4 shipping to the US and the Loot Pile feature shipped at a later date. Use this link to start shopping.
