According to Idle Hands, beginning of 2013 brings some very grim news for MU line enthusiasts. Idle Hands: Hasbro and Marvel Into 2013

I really hope that this is not all.

Some highlights:

Hasbro Marvel Avengers Assemble: Assortment of 15 new 3.75 inch Avengers animated style figures in 2013 blister packaging. Expected January 2013. Wave 2 in February, Wave 3 in March.

Iron Man 3 Iron Assemblers Action Figure Assortment: 14 "Connectable" figures (wave 1, Feb 2013) with multiple interchangable pieces to deliver maximum customization. Wave 2 in March and Wave 3 in April (probably 3.75 inch)

Iron Assemblers Battle Vehicle: Tony Stark's stylish ride launches your Iron Assembler figure out of the front...

Also a 3.75 inch line coming featuring Power Webs that power a unique action accessory. Heroes and Villains included in the line. Feb 2013.

Well, fuck.

Hope you guys like accessory gimmicks and low articulation.

As long as they finish out what they still got left to do. I'm good.

Nova and Jubilee along with black bolt and emma frost were some of the last ones on my list.

Though I'd expect more mold reusage first. Like She-Hulk to red she-hulk and titania, and the suit buck to osborn, stark, and some others. I don't think MU is on that list though because that list is only for new products. It didn't list some of the stuff that is staying that's already on shelves like those mystery balls, though it did show the expansion of those mystery balls with the webbing gimmick.

It doesn't list marvel legends either.
And we also know how well animated figures with action features worked out compared to MU with WATX when MU first started. So yeah, this doesn't mean anything yet at all.

Don't forget Charles and the rest of those new team packs but ya sad.

Animated style? Dear lord, what will that mean...

marvel toys are de-volving back to iron man armored adventures. shudder.

Kids need toys, this is probably to cater to them, they know collectors still exist, they wont alienate us

That's the hope and kids do buy MU as well.

This could just be talking about NEW lines...I mean Legends were not mentioned either...

I assume that's what it is but maybe MU will minimized for awhile. The line would still be going but it wouldn't be the best case scenario.

so its going to be like the spring all over again? No MU for six months?

This doesn't mean anything in regards to MU or ML. This is simply new media tie-in products. It's identical to the release of any other Marvel tie-in that Hasbro has done in the last few years.

There's a new Iron Man movie coming out next year, so a toy line for it is getting released. Same thing happened in 2010 with IM2; in 2011 with IMAA, Thor and Cap; and this year with Avengers and ASM. And you know what, MU kept on trucking the whole time.

It's easier for me to believe that the world will end in little over a month than MU will get cancelled in 2013 because a movie line and two cartoon lines are getting released.

Marvel fans love giving themselves reasons to shit their pants over nothing.

Well there is a little difference - IM2, Cap and Thor lines were perfectly compatible with MU line both in style and scale, while it seems Avengers and ASM lines seem to be something different.

I agree that these news mean nothing to the future of MU line, however I would be much more happy if they announced ie. new Avengers Assemble 3.75 inch line that would feature MU style figures with outfits, villains and packaging inspired by new animated series.

Your first post says "grim news for MU enthusiasts" then you say here that the news " means nothing to the future of the MU line".

Um..ok..makes sense.

Actually it does. At least for me as MU enthusiast, the information that new Hasbro lines will probably not be compatible with MU figures means less options for customs, less options for complementing my MU collection with other lines so for me it is grim news indeed.

Just one example - I have Mandarin (IM2 line), Carnage (SM line), Crossbones (Cap line) and others displayed among other MU figures. I think many of us do it as well. Would I get those figures if they were animated style? Nope.

That's pretty much the MO with Hasbro now. If it's an "ongoing" (non media tie-in) line, it basically disappears for the first 3/4s of the year, and then floods the market in the last quarter in time for Christmas.

Just like the last few years, it'll be almost entirely tie-in lines for most of the year, and everything else will be practically impossible to find if it's "new".

That's why they need to merge the tie-in lines together. Then let MU standalone as an all comic marvel line for that same scale.

Though I will admit I do reallllllllly want a Luke Cage in comic detailing and age but ultimate spider-man costume. Maybe the comic young power man or something should get an MU figure(the one trained by luke cage and iron fist). Isn't that his costume anyway? Same to young avengers hawkeye and movie hawkeye/616 hawkeye. White tiger is the same both ways. Nova they could pull the MvC3 way for the ultimate spider-man costume as a variant. Honestly they should probably do a hulk box set too at some point. With She-hulks and co. Like Skaar, WWHulk/red hulk, red she-hulk, a-bomb, and savage or sensational she-hulk all using the MU molds.

On the flipside though. If the new avengers lines have all the repeats we don't want while MU carries on in that manner. I'll love it. Lines of pure caps, ironman, spider-man, and you name it. With their costars occasionally in MU to carry waves of that as store demanded. Letting the populars swamp the toon lines and out of MU. This also allows some better villian coverage in MU too. Plus occasionally an animated villian design is pretty badass.

What's funny about them pimping their movie tie-in lines is that TRU's by me are still pulling out old unopened cases of IM2 and Thor. Pegs upon pegs of basically four different figures that couldn't sell when they were new. They did this last year as they geared up for the holiday shopping season.

Get excited, kids! There might be a nice Mark V or a yellow-shirted Thor with shoulder rocket launchers under your tree this year!

Most kids should know by now they are probably getting fury for X-Mas.

I'm intrigued by the Iron Assemblers. I wonder what size they are? I love the idea of modular toys. Hopefully, they're 4" tall and can swap armor pieces.

I worry these are underarticulated.

Most of the list looks like a press release for "TOYS FOR ROSS WINTER 2013!"