[Ultra Seven]

No problem, BM! Thank you for the Shakespearean (or, honestly, Lee-esque) soliloquy, you summed very eloquently the exact problems I’ve had with the MCU for some time. Namely: gah, I am glad someone agrees with me about the ambling, aimless nature of what they’re doing right now! Bonus points for use of the word “mishegosh.” And “things slightly adjacent to what I want” is hilarious.

On the Marvel Legends front, boy it is hard to admit that the Legends team isn’t at fault for everything, isn’t it? I’ve been petulant ever since they announced the AOA wave in 2019 (which I still hold was a mistake). It drove me nuts after watching that interview to admit that I had to be mad at bureaucracy, not the ML team, for the lack of Guardians 3000 figures. That said, we wouldn’t have this problem if the character selection was more in-line with fan demand.

I’m going to conclude by borrowing someone else’s words to summarize my opinions. Here’s a Fwoosh post that highlights my problems with the line:

“It can go both ways. I get that there are a lot of people who are happy to expand the cast of characters for their comic universe shelf, I am one of these people to a point. These 2 are deeps cuts that I've never read a comic they've been in, and I don't find them to be visually engaging enough to be excited about putting them on my shelves.

At this price point, they are even less likely to sell to casual collectors (people looking for more well-known characters) which will not reflect well in sales and hurt future chances of such obscure characters being made. This is where the price increase will really hurt a sub-set of collectors who are anxious to get these D-listers, only to see them sit largely unsold and give retailers pause about ordering waves with lesser known characters in the future. If things continue in this direction, some folks better hope to get their favorite D-lister now, as I don't see it being sustainable the way inflation is going.”

Edit: for the record, the “brand confusion” comment originated earlier, but has been reiterated ad nauseam because, as evidenced by this thread, it got people interested in specifics. I believe it started when they announced Falcon, explaining that they were unable to make him for years due to a contractual request from their licensors not to produce comics versions of secondary MCU characters.