Hasbro has officially confirmed their Black Widow wave - and they've given viewers their first glimpse of the complete Red Guardian costume. Wonder Woman broke the glass ceiling for female superheroes back in 2017, and Captain Marvel proved that wasn't a one-off event when it grossed over $1 billion in the global box office. Next year will see these female superheroes move to the center-stage, in a range of movies that are both starring, and directed by, women; Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, and of course Black Widow.

Marvel movies may be blockbuster hits, but they also make their money through distribution and tie-in merchandise. Unfortunately, Marvel historically has problems in the area of merchandise, with reports that influential business leaders argued female action figures didn't sell. That became particularly controversial back in 2015, when action figures replaced Black Widow for Captain America in a prominent Avengers: Age of Ultron figure featuring a bike. Given this context, there's been intense interest over just how Marvel would handle the tie-in merch for Black Widow.

Related: Black Widow Trailer Breakdown: 23 Story Details & Secrets You Missed

Hasbro has just announced their full Black Widow Marvel Legends range. As is common, the range is split between movie and comic figures; while there are only a couple of women in the range, they're the headline characters. The full line-up is:

  • Black Widow (in her mysterious new MCU costume)
  • Yelena Belova (MCU)
  • Taskmaster (MCU)
  • Red Guardian (MCU)
  • Crossbones (comic)
  • Winter Soldier (comic)
  • Spymaster (comic)
  • Build-A-Figure: Crimson Dynamo (a design actually based on art for the old Avengers Alliance Facebook game)

The most newsworthy of thee is the Red Guardian action figure, which reveals the character's full costume - including a shield he traditionally wields in the comics. While this doesn't necessarily confirm the shield will crop up in Black Widow - these are usually based on concept art, rather than finished designs - it heavily implies that it will do so.

Marvel Legends Black Widow Wave

The figures seem to be meeting with mixed reception from collectors. Hasbro's more recent Marvel Legends have incorporated remarkably accurate facial likenesses, but that technology doesn't seem to have been used for Black Widow, and as a result a number of head-sculpts aren't especially impressive. On the other hand, Black Widow and Taskmaster in particular come with an unprecedented range of accessories. Hasbro has learnt from criticism over previous Black Widow models, and as a result Black Widow and Yelena Belova both come with gun holsters on their legs - and Glocks to slot into them.

All in all, this is a fairly positive beginning to the Black Widow merchandise. The Crimson Dynamo Build-A-Figure is a little random, especially given the design hails from a now-defunct Facebook game rather than from the comics, and the facial sculpts for some of the figures could do with some improvement. However, the inclusion of the hotly-anticipated Crossbones and Winter Soldier Marvel Legends guarantees that this wave will sell well.

More: Black Widow Trailer Proves The Movie Is Years Too Late

Source: Hasbro

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