Hasbro Marvel Legends and McFarlane Toys: The Sweet Spot for Collectors
When I think about Marvel Legends and McFarlane Toys, I don't really think about them as competing brands. They're different things, and that's what makes the whole conversation interesting to me as a collector.
Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line arguably has arguably been around the longest, has created a vast lineup of characters, and with the most loyal following, it continues to grow and get better. There are plenty of other lines out there to choose from for Marvel figures, Hasbro doesn’t have a monopoly here. But; for price point, and the sheer amount of people in the world collecting these specific figures, Marvel Legends is where it’s at.
McFarlane Toys, right now, is probably best known for its DC line of figures they've built up over the years. They are equally well known for their awesome in-house Spawn figures, notable movie lines, and a smattering of Marvel Posed Figures taken right out of the pages of Todd McFarlane’s most iconic Comic Book Covers.
We carry both at RAWSTARWARS, and I collect this stuff myself, so I'm looking at these figures from the same perspective as the people who shop with me.
But there's something about McFarlane that I think gets missed when people just compare one figure to another.
Todd McFarlane didn't just start making action figures one day. He had already changed the comic-book industry before he ever got into toys. And when he moved into action figures, I think he did the same thing there.
That's really the story I want to tell.
Todd McFarlane Changed the Way We Looked at Comics
If you go back to Todd McFarlane's early work at Marvel Comics, particularly on Spider-Man, you can see pretty quickly why he became such a big deal.
His Spider-Man didn't look like the Spider-Man people were used to seeing. The proportions, poses, and webbing all felt different, with a lot more movement and attitude in the character.
You could look at a page and know who drew it.
That's not easy to do with a character as established as Spider-Man.
Todd took something that everybody already knew and reimagined it. That's what caught people's attention. He wasn't just trying to make Spider-Man look like everybody else's Spider-Man.
And I think that influence lasted.
When I look at Spider-Man today, including the way the character has been portrayed in movies and other media, I can see some of that visual thinking that Todd brought to the character. I'm not saying every version came directly from him, but he definitely changed what people expected Spider-Man to look like.
Then he went on to co-found Image Comics and create Spawn.
So by the time Todd McFarlane got into toys, he wasn't coming into that business as somebody who had never designed a character before. He had already spent years thinking about characters, artwork, and details.
Then he brought all of that into action figures.
That's where things really got interesting.
He Did the Same Thing With Toys
When Todd started McFarlane Toys in 1994, he brought a completely different way of looking at action figures with him.
And I remember seeing those figures and thinking they were something different.
The detail was better. The paint was better. The sculpting was better. The figures had more of the attitude you saw in the artwork.
That's important because an action figure is still supposed to look like the character.
You can have the right name on the package, but if you don't get the character right, what's the point?
Todd understood that.
He came from comics, where the way you draw a character matters. Then he started making that character in three dimensions, and all those little details suddenly mattered in a completely different way.
That's what I think changed the industry.
He made people pay attention to what was actually being done with the figure.
And once collectors started seeing that kind of detail and presentation, the other companies couldn't just ignore it. If you're making action figures and somebody else comes along doing things at a higher level, eventually you've got to look at what you're doing and figure out how you're going to keep up.
That's what Todd did. He pushed the industry.
He made everybody else think about how much better these figures could be.
You Can Still See That Influence in Collecting
That's one reason I think the history matters when you're looking at Marvel Legends Action Figures today.
Hasbro has been making Marvel Legends for years, and the line gives collectors a huge Marvel universe to work with. You've got X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, villains, heroes, and different versions of characters that people have been collecting for years.
And that's where I think the fun comes in.
Take Wolverine. I can see one Wolverine figure and like it because it's a good representation of the character. Then I can see another one and think, "That's the Wolverine I remember."
It's the same character, but something about the way that particular figure was done connects with you differently.
That's what collectors pay attention to.
And I think Todd McFarlane had a lot to do with creating that kind of expectation. Once you've had figures where the sculpt, paint, pose, and overall presentation really matter, you start noticing those things in everything you collect.
You can't really go backward.
McFarlane Became a Big Part of DC Collecting
When I look at a McFarlane Toys collection, I see another side of the hobby.
McFarlane's DC lines have given collectors a different way to build their DC collections, with the scale, sculpting, character selection, and presentation that have become associated with the company.
And there's a lot coming out.
If you're a collector, you've probably noticed that already. McFarlane is constantly putting new stuff out, and sometimes it feels like there's another character or another release to look at before you've even finished deciding where the last one is going.
That's part of the fun for me.
I'll be looking at one thing, and then something else catches my attention. Maybe it's another DC character. Maybe it's Spawn. Maybe it's something from another property.
That's how collecting works.
You don't always know what's going to be the thing that makes you stop and say, "I want that."
I Collect What I Like
That's also why I don't look at this as a situation where you have to pick McFarlane or Marvel Legends Action Figures and stick with one.
I'm a collector.
My kind of thing is, if I like it and want it for my own personal collection, I sell it.
If I wouldn't want something in my own collection, I'm not interested in putting it in front of another collector just because it's available.
I have to look at it and think it's something worth having.
That's why you'll see different lines at RAWSTARWARS. I'm not trying to tell somebody they should only collect Marvel or only collect DC, or to collect only what I collect. If you like both, collect both.
If our product line matches just a few things that you want for your collection, we are super happy about that. We may not have everything, but we got it where it counts, kid!
Most importantly, if we help you fine tune your collection so you can keep it manageable and fun, that’s a huge win for us. That’s how we want to be remembered.
Pre-Orders Keep the Hobby Moving
That's also why I pay attention to what's coming next.
Pre-orders are a big part of collecting because you're not just looking at what you can put on the shelf today. You're looking at what's going to be there a few months from now.
RAWSTARWARS has upcoming Marvel Legends releases including Cyclops, Gambit, Thor, Doctor Doom, Captain America, and Shang-Chi from Avengers Doomsday, along with other Marvel releases.
On the McFarlane side, current listings include DC products such as Plastic Man from The Terrifics, Sinestro from the Green Lantern Corps, and DC Super Powers releases.
So if you're watching pre-order DC Universe figures, there's always something new to keep an eye on.
And that's what I like about pre-orders. You can see something announced and immediately start thinking about it.
There's Still More Coming
I can look at my collection and think I'm done for a while, and then a new Marvel Legends announcement comes along.
Or McFarlane puts out something that I wasn't expecting.
Or I'm looking through pre-order DC Universe figures, and suddenly there's a character I didn't realize I wanted.
Then I'm back to looking at figures again.
And if you've been following a McFarlane Toys collection, you already know how quickly things can change. There's always another release, another character, and another reason to take another look.
McFarlane Toys DC Line - Game Changing News
One more thing… Have you noticed that McFarlane has been pumping out a Metric Ton of new DC Action Figures the last year? We’re hitting October and there are more being announced almost every week. To top it off, they are all being promised for delivery in 2026. That’s a lot of figures coming in the next 3 months.
So, if you haven’t already heard… DC is ending its longstanding relationship with McFarlane Toys and has given its action figure license to Mattel starting January 1st, 2027. That’s a bit scary and disconcerting if you ask me, as I am not as enamored with Mattel figures and packaging. I am anxious to see what they come out with, and will be a strict judge because I am ultimately deciding if I am going to continue DC collecting with Mattel, or jump to another line that gets the job done better.
If you collect McFarlane DC, or even if you currently don’t, the next chapter could make some of today’s releases a lot more interesting to own. I believe the increased value of a retired line like McFarlane DC will be considerable.
Keep an eye on what McFarlane DC figures keep popping up in our Pre-Orders section.
Take a look at the latest Marvel Legends, McFarlane, and other collectible releases at RAWSTARWARS and see what catches your eye before the next wave arrives.
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