Marvel Universe.. How Long Will It Last?
 

I am pretty heavy into collecting the Marvel Universe line.. have about 60 carded figures and the Huge Galactus toy from Toys R Us.

As I look at all my action figures I have collected through the years today, I started to wonder just how much longer The Marvel Universe Line will be active?

How long do you guys think they will still produce new figures.. and while you are here, are they ever going to re release some of the older figures again?

Thanks for any input you may have.

I don't see it ending anytime soon. Though there are movie lines each year, Marvel fans still come back to Marvel Universe. Right now it's arguably the best and most consistent 3-3/4" Marvel line.

it'll end when some one destroys their main body molds.
so probably 3 days from now (jk)

I think Black Costume Spiderman should be retired next. Lord knows that was used as a basis for several figures now.

The contract between Marvel and Hasbro is up in 2017, and because Marvel is now owned by Disney there's a pretty good chance (but not a guarantee) that the license will end after that. If Marvel Universe does last until 2017, that would be nine years, which is a pretty good run for a toy line. I don't see it lasting much after the Avengers movie, but it really depends on what sort of movies, tv shows, and media tie-ins come next.

Hard to say, depends how well the Thor, Captain America and Avengers movie lines do, if they fail then MU will get more of a push and gain more figures / line, but if they do well then Habro may go to just movie themed figures rather then Marvel Universe all together. If they make 1 movie say blade,.. they can make 10 different versions of him, 2-3 villans, 2-3 companians/fellow actors, and then on the basis of that create a comic line, concept line and the movie line,. I would like to see them continue for a while, However I have a ton of figure left to get, a stop for a bit wouldn't kill me as it'll take me years to collect all the holes missing in my collection.

Hasbro has the Marvel license until 2017, so you better believe they'll be releasing Marvel figures in some form until then.

As for the Marvel Universe line that debuted in early 2009, if it lasted in its current incarnation with a similar amount of releases until 2014, it would be on the high-end for a toy line. I imagine there'll be a pause or "reboot" sometime in the next few years, because, with lines like this, there gets to be a point where all the main, secondary and most of the C-list characters have been released. It becomes really expensive for new collectors to get into the line, because the older figures are going for ridiculous amounts, so the line/license has to be rebooted.

Look at the X-Men figures from the '90s. They had a good run at four-ish years before the line became all gimmicky for kids. For Marvel Legends, the line lasted four or five years before it went on hiatus until 2012 (another four or five years, basically).

Let me answer that question with a question. Do you think the GI Joe or Star Wars lines will end anytime soon? I'd personally love to see this toyline evolve and grow over the decades a la Hasbro's other 3 3/4" big two but I guess that will be up to Marvel, either way I'll support it (I have damn near every fig so far.)

The bottom line is

______

If they keep making money, they'll keep making them, which works for me, because they are awesome. They have an almost limitless amount of characters from which to choose from, and, like starwars (whose figures are still going strong) if there is a fanbase, there's a way.

i think hasbro will continue this line and dont want to stop to produce more and more for marvel universe line. Right now this series already main part of their business.

Good stuff guys, thanks.

I think a big part of this is going to be based on the success of the Marvel movies. They will attract new comic book readers and toy fans to the line. If those movies keep making money and drawing in an audience then the 3/34 marvel line will run and run.
Marvel Universe is going to thrive for a while yet, collectors don't let this stuff go and demand is very high for these figures. That's enough for Hasbro to keep running the line, even if it's at a reduced level.
I hope that the run lasts until I have space for nothing but Marvel figures.

I think personally it will go like GI Joe and Star wars where we will get repaints of new figures practilly every year but they'll throw in an obscure character in every wave just to keep the collectors hooked i hope it continues anyway

Everyone kind of already said what I think is out there.

My opinion is that I don't think that if MU makes it till 2017, I think Disney would think that the line has staying power seeing as it will have been one of the longest selling toylines and will either let Hasbro keep going with it or to keep it going under a new name.

I was just wondering what I should focus my cash/time on.. having kids kinda makes my collecting money slim.. haha..

Just enjoy it while it lasts :)

Everything you know will come to an end on 12/21/2012. Tell your love one's you love and appreciate them everyday.

Are you sure? I mean, I hear the world is gonna end on May 12th 2011 with the Rapture. Then theres a date in 2020. And who can forget April 13th 2015, the year the great Beetle returns and will devour the First King of Canada.

No name-calling, even if you were just kidding. - Toyark Staff

You could always start writing dates as DD/MM/YYYY then you should be fine.

Enjoying it while it last seems like good advice to me. Given that Marvel Legends has lasted for a good few years it seems likely Universe will go on for a bit as well.

I think Marvel Universe has a few more years to go. MU has never had any official media to promote the toy line directly, unlike Super Hero Squad or the movie lines.

So even if the upcoming Marvel movies tank, I still think MU will carry forward in some capacity until 2017, at least.

YouTube - R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World

It aint gonna end til i get my spider-ham dammit!!!

In some ways the movies have slowed down the Marvel Universe line because retailers go crazy for movie toys and they tend to ignore other toys if there is a movie line to push so like at my local Wal-Mart the Marvel Universe figures only appeared again this week because the push was on Iron Man 2 toys until then.

So that means there are still large chunks of the Marvel Universe out there that haven't been tapped or could get a re-release from a hard to find wave. Yes thank goodness Hasbro does give some second changes with Marvel Universe unlike some other Hasbro toy lines.

With 4" figures being such a popular scale and the Marvel figures being something that kids could work into their other figures I see it lasting for a while. Sure as adults we might not see Wolverine and Snakes vs Darth Maul as being local but kids tend to go for what looks cool and Marvel Universe come up with some cool stuff.

For the collector there is still years worth of Marvel villains that haven't been done yet or that could be done better than they have been done in the Spiderman line.

I just hope it lasts for awhile, being a Married dude with two kids, my budget is limited.. I have a massive batman collection but pretty much have stopped buying all batman things to concentrate on the MU Line..

I remember way back in the day of the batman animated / new adventures of batman series that the figures were so HOT for about two years and then out of no where, they just stopped.. and even today the demand for those figures (other than a few rare ones like batman, penguin etc..) are nothing to what I thought they would be 15+ years later.

Thanks for all input guys.

The line will offically end when I see Spiderman in some baseball get-up and Iron Man in some neon-green ninja outfit. It will eventually happen and that's when I'm bailing out.

LOL

like the six thousand different batman suits they put out for the Dark Knight line?