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The third time is the charm—or at least, that’s what a lot of Vance Atrovik fans are hoping with regards to the hero’s inevitable third figure. Because the second one, which is the subject of today’s review, isn’t quite the version most fans were hoping for. Marvel Legends Justice is now flying in at retail—is this Void Series figure a winner despite not being the original New Warriors iteration of the character that the line seems ready for?
One of the most shocking and memorable events in the original New Warriors comic book run was when founding member Marvel Boy accidentally murdered his father and was consequently convicted of homicide and incarcerated in The Vault.
Vance Astrovik would return from his jail time under the new identity of Justice, a super-persona he would carry forward from the New Warriors to Kurt Busiek’s Avengers—and now, to the Marvel Legends Void Series!
This figure is a bit of a controversial choice, as it’s the second version of this character Hasbro has released (following the 2018 Vance Astro/Major Victory), and still isn’t the most-requested version (the Marvel Boy that will fit the original New Warriors team).
Seeing as how we also got a non-original Namorita in this wave, I have little doubt Hasbro is well aware of the iterations fans want most and is holding out on them until the “right” moment.
Regardless, I’m okay with having a Justice Legends figure to hang out with later New Warriors and Avengers rosters (there’s even a perfect classic Vision in this same series to pair Vance with for the Busiek era Avengers).
What I’m less okay with is that this figure just feels plain outdated at this point. The pinned knees and elbows are ugly (especially on the white arms), and the lack of butterfly swivel shoulders bothers me more than I anticipated.
Furthermore, the only accessories for Justice are a pair of open hands and his Void BAF pieces. As a powerful telekinetic, something as basic as some clear hands Or basically anything to demonstrate Justice’s mutant powers would have been appreciated. As it is, there are very few fun or interesting ways to pose this action figure.
Justice’s cape is very stiff, which doesn’t help with dynamic posing potential. It definitely looks the way I think it should, despite its rigidity, though.
Vance Astrovik is a pretty calm dude, so I think the neutral expression on the portrait is just fine for him. The plastic and paint colors are also fitting choices, although the white on my figure definitely suffers from some painting sloppiness in spots. I’ve gotten used to Marvel Legends having masterful paint apps, so noticeable minor errors on this figure’s deco were a surprise, even if they’re not world-ending.
Overall: I would have been more accepting of this Justice Legends figure five years ago, but by today’s standards it feels both underwhelming and antiquated. Visibly pinned joints, no butterfly shoulders, no effects pieces to facilitate fun poses, being the least wanted iteration of this character and having a $25 MSRP leave this figure feeling overpriced and undesirable. The Void BAF legs are cool and I think the completed Void Build-A-Figure will impress, but please let’s just get to the New Warriors Marvel Boy figure Marvel Legends longtime fans are primarily wanting, Hasbro. I think this is a rare sub-standard ML 6” release.
GRADE: C-