Review: Marvel Legends Magneto from Avengers: Doomsday, Amazon Exclusive
“Death comes for us all. It's all I know for sure. The question isn't, "Are you prepared to die?" The question is, "Who will you be when you close your eyes?"
Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas in the UK on the 16th of December 2026, and ahead of the launch, excitement began to build for the new movie through the release of a first wave of Marvel Legends action figures from Hasbro.
The first of these to arrive was the Amazon Exclusive Magneto figure, not a true part of Wave 1 but aligned with it and expanding the launch figures for the movie to 7, with the Fantastic Four releases still to come. Magneto arrives in an outer shipper, within which is the standard Legends box with the design for Doomsday following the movie’s dark stonework colour scheme and green, ethereal magic. The Doomsday logo sits on the bottom rail under the window, while the top section is headed by the usual Marvel Legends logo. The character name is printed down the side rail.
The right-hand spine carries a full image of the character, which can be lined up for a wider collection, although the pictures do not connect to each other as we see in the Star Wars Black Series line. The left-hand spine includes a wrap-around of the window and a smaller headshot of the character.
The back of the box includes another picture of the character alongside some text. I expected this text to be generic and aligned to the top-level plot, but it is specific to the character and semi-spoiler-y in content. Under this text is a checklist of the main wave and all 6 figures included in it.
Magneto is secured inside the box in the standard tray with his cape slotted through the back to keep it relatively straight. Behind this tray is a card insert - identical in all the releases - with more Laterverian-inspired patterns in green and a glowing magical effect.
In hand, Magneto is wearing his suit, including his full helmet. This is cast in burgundy plastic with an upper tunic that includes trim that runs down to a gunmetal belt with an X-Men red and silver buckle, and then down into some soft plastic tails. The legs are reused from the older Red Skull figure and include quite broad thighs, and then taper down to where they are tucked into gloss black knee-high boots. The bulk of Erik’s outfit does appear to have a subtle dark wash to add weathering and shadows, and while this looks pretty impressive, the finish on the softer plastic skirt varies quite a bit from the rest of the suit.
The cape is soft goods, a relatively unknown feature for Marvel Legends, and uses a similar fabric to the Jedi capes used in the Star Wars line. It is attached under the head and around the neck piece with a black outer face and a deep red inner lining. The sides are crisp and clean, while the hem is tattered and a bit worn.
The head sculpt is new and a good likeness to Ian McKellen squeezed into the Magneto helmet, with his now longer, wispy white hair spilling out at the base and to the sides to sit over his shoulders. Facial printing does enhance the likeness, but there is a lazy look to his eyes rather than the fiery and intense eyes we know from previous movies and appearances, both in the Marvel Universe and beyond. The helmet itself is burgundy, like the suit, and trimmed out in a deep blue around the edges, over the crown and down the two lined sides and on the crest that is a sculpted piece just over the forehead. The helmet is not removable, nor is there an unmasked head included.
It is worth noting that the neck peg is the same as the previously released 2020 Magneto figure, so if you wish, you can use the previous McKellen heads or indeed the Fassbender heads to create different 'Magnetos from the Multiverse'. We still do not have an iconic 2000s X-Men Magneto, but this suit is close in terms of the cut and its included cape, just not the colour. I am still using my Kylo Ren body in the absence of anything else.
Magneto has no accessories, just an alternative pair of hands allowing you to pose him with either clenched fists or open, outstretched hands as he manipulates the metal around him. These hands are black, fingerless gloves, and if you look closely, you will see triangular overlapping armour, as these are originally from the Sam Wilson Captain America figure. There is no flight stand either, but aftermarket options can be used if you want him levitating on your display, with the soft goods cape a benefit, as it won't really get in the way of any waist grip.
Articulation is 19 points in total and a mix of formats due to the re-used legs from the 2018 Red Skull. These legs are pinned, but still double-jointed with a thigh swivel and hip joint above, and a robust ankle rocker below them. Stability is good, and Magneto is easy enough to stand, but marginally obstructed at the hips by the base of his tunic that overlaps both sides.
The upper torso is a new piece and includes a swivel waist and a T-joint ab crunch. The arms start with standard shoulder joints - no butterflies - and then a bicep swivel, double-jointed, pinless elbow that bends back almost on its own, and wrist pivots. The neck is a single joint and includes a pivot that is thankfully well disguised under Magneto’s chin. The head can rotate, but the hair spread over the shoulders does restrict other movement.
Magneto is a character I am glad to have in the new Doomsday line, but one that has been created as somewhat of a Frankenstein mix of existing and new parts, and with a head sculpt that doesn’t do the legendary Ian McKellen any favours. The WW2-style uniformed trousers borrowed from Red Skull are not remotely close to the combat-style pants we see Magneto actually wear, as demonstrated by both Hot Toys and Iron Studios on their releases. There is also a disappointing mismatch of weathering between parts.
I do like the cape, particularly going down the soft goods route, considering how Magneto likes to hold his cape to the side as seen in earlier X-Men movies. The lack of accessories is probably expected from an Exclusive, where costs will be kept lower than wider general releases, but considering the bulk of the face sculpt is done already under the helmet, offering a second unmasked version would have been a nice touch. The Avengers Doomsday release of Magneto remains available at Amazon globally.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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