When you think about how often green pops up in the Marvel universe, you'd usually think it's common to find it on both sides of the universe. Heroes and villains are generally shown to be associated with green, and it's not unheard of to have a hero AND a villain have the same color, even if it's in different shades. Now, with the Hulk and Abomination as rivals in Marvel history, we should be able to put them together in thr sr review as we have the brawn and brain for today's review!
Let's give attention to the big guy himself, The Incredible Hulk. This is a reuse of the buck first used in the SDCC retro-carded release back in 2019, and it's a generally good one at that. It fits the proportions of the character nicely, the bare skin looks appropriately toned and chiseled (compared to most attempts at making defines torsos that end up looking soft), and there is a nice use of a wash to define the musculature to go along with the subtle veins. The torn pants are also done up nicely, with the sculptwork giving them a realistic appearance thanks to the textures of the fabric and the remnants of what used to be the rest of the lower leggings being ripped off thanks to the Hulk's feet. The joints on the elbows, wrists, and feet may be a slightly different shade of green, so they may disrupt the flow of the green skin. Speaking of, his torso's anatomy is kept intact due to Hasbro choosing not to make the butterfly joints move forwards. It's a rare yet strange decision.
Head sculpt is made remarkably well as always, with the expressions carried over well in addition to the attention to detail put towards the lips, eyes, eyebrows, and his hair. Well done! It also captures more of a 70s look than other iterations. His articulation is generally good, though some decisions come off as baffling. His head can move turn left and right with a bit of up and down movement due to his bulk, shoulders move front and back as well as in and out, with a bicep swivel and an unusual addition of an elbow swivel. The elbow bends are single-jointed while the wrists swivel and the hands hinge up and down. His torso has both a diaphragm joint and a waist swivel combined, so no ab-crunch joint. His hips move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, double-jointed knee bends, and feet that hinge up and down as well as pivots. Alternate parts for him include a yelling head and two fists.
Included is not a comic but a backdrop depicting a recreation of The Incredible Hulk #314, where he fights imaginary versions of various Marvel foes consisting of M.O.D.O.K, Abomination, Juggernaut, Rhino, and The Leader. It can be inserted on a display stand that has the embossed Marvel Legends logo, but you can alternatively flip the backdrop around to instead have more modern comic art that depicts a ravaged building with a hole.
Using it as a backdrop may seem underwhelming compared to a comic being included, but at least it does help point out that Hulk's history dates far back in a way that most "Evolution" videos that mostly give too much attention to the MCU fail to perform. His other accessory is a well-sculpted display base that includes an integrated effect piece for the stomp that The Hulk would do, and held in his hand is the head of a Mandroid BAF. Interesting seeing it return for this guy, since the last time we had the figure was back in 2014 as part of the Winter Soldier wave. Will there be a gold variant coming soon?
As far as the reuses go from previous Hulks, this is the SDCC 2019 version that comes with what appears to be less shading for the musculature and a similar shade for the green and purple on him. He lacks alternate hands but does come with a banged-up pipe for him to wack against enemies, and his head has a shorter hair cut that he sometimes has.. He's supposed to be in carded packaging.
The figure saw a variant around the same time, this time depicting his appearance to be closer to what we get for the Hulk we have today, only with a different snarling expression and a torn-shirt accessory. He comes with a first-appearance Wolverine, which I'll admit is nowhere near as good as the modern Tiger Stripe ones, both in design and as a figure.
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And as we transition from green to red, we have Compound Hulk, which merges Bruce Banner Hulk and Thaddeus Ross into a composite form courtesy of Impossible Man. It appears the figure may either be dual-molded in red and green plastic for the head and torso while the purple and black on the pelvis are dual-molded. It helps that the arms and legs can be their respective colors with no issue, though it's possible the parts that share both colors are painted in one way or another. It's only good to get if you're a fan of the 2011 story that inspired this Walmart exclusive.
Next up, we have the proper Red Hulk himself, which is basically the same are the one we saw a while back, only completely symmetrical in terms of coloring. This guy is a Target exclusive.
And this is Grey Hulk, which is the appearance that the character used to have before Gray Hulk would later be phased out for the time being in favor of the Green Hulk we all know and love today. This version's more Frankenstein's Monster-inspired face represents his past in Marvel history, with an orange shirt and a bronze pipe for him to use as a Hasbro Pulse exclusive
Finally, we have Maestro, depicted as an alternate future Hulk with more control on his strength and a wicked beard. He's got some golden gauntlets on his forearms, a golden collar, and brown pants that remind me of the 2012 movie.
And now, it's time for The Leader. While some fans would immediately want him to be Simpsons Yellow and paint an N on his forehead to call him Neo-Cortex, The Leader is another victim of the gamma blast radiation that affected Bruce Banner as the Hulk. Originally named Samual Stems, this figure is the same buck used for Mister Fantastic with a less-muscular build that fits more scientific characters while still ensuring they don't miss out on leg day. The Leader's orange and yellow are unapologetically saturated, which I think fits a more toxically-intelligent character like him. The belt and chest harness are the only new parts made specifically for him, while the gloves and boots have yellow paint to go with the yellow hands and feet. His forehead makes him look taller, and it helps him stand out along with his vibrant colors.
Head sculpt is already great, though what I like is that it has a look of realism to it that makes it feel like an actual villain that would be taken seriously even in spite of his massive cranium. I wish he had an alternate head that depicts him with the same evil grin he has on the box art, because it fits him very well! His articulation is standard for the Marvel Legends line, but if you can tell from my wish for there to be an alternate head, this guy comes with no accessories. Not even a bright red vintage sci-fi blaster that he could use against the Hulk! Instead, he has the left leg of The Abomination. For those wondering which version, it's the 2020 Avengers game design that I feel was alright for what it was, though I'm not sure if I will get to completing the BAF right away because I'm not interested in any of the characters from the game, and IDK if I want to get Rage, Mach-1, or even Mar-Vell right away.
So overall, this set of two iconic green guys in the Marvel universe makes for a great way to get not just the green giant for my Marvel display, but also a villain that hasn't been remade after the Face-Off 2-pack version from long ago. I'm happy to get both of these figures at the same time from an eBay seller. I've seen some sellers put up Hulk at a somewhat higher price, but being able to get The Leader for a 2-in-1 set release? Yes, please. Hulk's badass as a Marvel Legends release with very few flaws, while The Leader is an alright but not too mindblowing release that could at least use more accessories to make up for the reused Mr. Fantastic body.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Hulk)
⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (The Leader)
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