Marvel Legends Secret Wars Daredevil Review: A New Definitive Daredevil Figure?

The Marvel Legends Secret Wars Wave 2 Daredevil figure was a highly anticipated release for a couple reasons. The first is that this figure is a modern recreation of the original Mattel Secret Wars figure. Then the second is that this is the first single packed, comic-based, red suit Daredevil figure since 2015 (Hobgoblin BAF Wave). Then, finally, this Daredevil is put on a brand new body mold. So lots of build up from reveal to eventually reaching my hands. Does it reach the hype? Does it replace the 3-pack Daredevil? Does it fit my collection? Let’s go through it right now. 

Body Mold - Let’s start with this brand new body mold. Now admittedly, when the initial reveal happened I was very unsure about it, because the shoulders seemed to be bulbous and stick out too far. In hand that is less so but still present. Although, when put into an action pose, it looks much better to me. The rest of the body is great though, it is bulky and a better frame for Daredevil than the previous 3-pack release (which was on the Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows mold). It even features suit wrinkles, a baton holster, sculpted boots, and even has his underwear on the outside (take that everyone who hates it on superheroes). Now the double-D logo and black painted stripes on the suit are not sculpted which is likely so this mold can be reused plenty in the future. Speaking of, I'm not really sure who I’d like to see on this body in the future as it could fit some characters with its bulk, but the size wouldn’t fit others. Lots of potential with the body and I overall am satisfied with the look. 

Articulation - Building off the new sculpt, we have plenty of articulation. Including, but not limited to, butterfly joints, a super articulated torso, double-jointed pinless limbs, boot swivels, and ankle pivots. Now there are two articulation points you could say are missing. The first is drop down hips, which thankfully the legs have enough range and clearance to where that isn’t a problem. The other is a toe joint. That ultimately is up to personal preference, I don’t mind when it is on figures but I don’t feel it’s entirely necessary on this release. Now, something I only thought about while typing is the neck joint. Recently, the Legends team has been using one of three neck articulation options: ball with a hinge, double ball aka dumbbell, or a combo of the two with a ball connecting the neck to the torso and a hinge at the top of the neck. All three have their merits and people will have preferences. This Daredevil features a ball with a hinge, and I’m perfectly fine with that as it gives plenty of range looking up and down which I feel is necessary for a Daredevil figure. 

Comparisons - I've referenced previous Daredevil figures so let's actually see this new one against others (just the two red suit comic figures I have, not every Daredevil I own). The 2017 figure is on the “BuckyCap” body mold, which was commonly used in the line but is now obsolete thanks to time and new molds. Then the 2023 figure is the one on the previously mentioned Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows body mold. I was shocked to see that all 3 of these are all close to the same height. I had the assumption that the “BuckyCap” mold was shorter as it was an early mold introduced in this era of Hasbro figures. One thing I do like about the new figure compared to the 2023 version is the broader shoulders. Something else to note is the costume styles. Yes these are all a version of classic Daredevil but with subtle differences. The 2017 figure has the darker red accents and black outline on the symbol that some fans prefer. Like I said before, this new figure is based on the old Mattel figure. Which isn't necessarily inaccurate to certain comic art, and that potentially gives me an excuse to make it work for my collection. 

Accessories - Now we get to the part of the review where I get to be a bit negative, the accessories. The figure comes with: a set of grip hands, one left fist, one right open hand, two matching batons, a small connector piece for the batons, a radar effect that pegs into his back, and the standard Secret Wars lenticular shield. My biggest issue with this accessory loadout is the missing hands to complete the pairs. This has been a common occurrence with Legends lately and I’m so tired of having hands that are missing a match. There is now the question of what also could have been packed in. I always appreciate alternate heads for options when posing, like maybe: a gritted teeth expression, smile, or unmasked Matt Murdock head. Then, since it’s Daredevil why not include a cable to put the batons on, which I pulled my own previous cables in to use for photos. So accessories aren’t nothing but could have been improved.

So we have gone over just about everything this figure has to offer, but how does it feel in-hand and what are my final thoughts? The in-hand feel is fantastic, the figure strikes all the poses I attempted and feels very natural while doing so. I love to use the term “Fun Factor” when gathering my thoughts on figures. Which basically is a vague feeling a figure has when posing it around that makes me want to pose it more. In this case Daredevil definitely has a “Fun Factor”. I spent several hours sitting at my desk posing him alone or with other figures and I had a great time doing so. Now that leads into my final thoughts. This Marvel Legends Secret Wars Wave 2 Daredevil is great but not perfect. The flaws fall into the accessory number compared to the price, which is $27 here in America. Does it replace the previous three pack Daredevil in my display?  I think ultimately it will. Although I don’t plan on getting rid of the three pack DD, both have a place in my collection. It's just a matter of finding where the old one will go to make room for this new figure. That is just my opinion though, I can see this release being divisive on certain points but I know overall reception is very positive.

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