We’re in the middle of another Marvel toy news drought, which makes this weekend the ideal time to knock out the final entries in my series of 2018 X-Men Marvel Legends Apocalypse Series reviews. And at this point, it’s time to talk about the figure that seemed like the inevitable shelf-warmer from the moment it was released. X-Men Legends Gladiator seemed destined to be a slow-selling repaint—is there more to him than meets the eye?

Ah, Gladiator of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard. Theoretically one of the most formidable powerhouses in the entire Marvel Universe, but also forced to lose to pretty much every major character he’s encountered over the last decades, as he’s rarely the protagonist.

Other than a single-issue throwdown with Cannonball in Uncanny X-Men #341, I’ve never been a huge fan of Gladiator. I’m still bitter about Toybiz heavy-packing Kallark in the 5” X-Men toy line and making Phoenix nigh-impossible to find when I was a kid.

As such, I wasn’t terribly tantalized by the first-ever Marvel Legends Gladiator figure when it came out as part of the SDCC 2014 Thanos Imperative box set. 4 years and one mass-release reissue later, am I liking this figure any more?

In this case, the answer is a slight “yes”. This is a 100% repaint is the Thanos Imperative Gladiator—so if you have that figure, you basically know what to expect here. The oft-used Hyperion mold appears again, but I think it works perfectly for Gladiator’s design and body type. It’s almost as if the body was made especially for him!

What’s different? Well… some paint. And that’s essentially it. But one paint revision is a MAJOR improvement to the overall aesthetic of this action figure. Whereas the SDCC Gladiator had a crazy metallic bright blue paint for the blue areas of his costume, the Apocalypse Series Gladiator has a very dark navy blue matte paint in those areas.

It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it turns out that this one simple deco change drastically improves Gladiator’s appearance. He looks exactly how I remember him from his comic book appearances now, and even matches the old Toybiz Gladiator more closely. Thumbs up.

And… that’s really all that’s new to talk about about this guy. Gladiator’s head and cape are both recycled, and there are no new accessories (besides the severed head of the new Apocalypse Build-A-Figure).

Since this is just a repaint, some new interchangeable grappling hands or an extra head with Kallark’s pupils painted in his eyes would have been groovy, but those bonuses just are not to be.

On the bright side, the reused Gladiator head is still terrific. It looks majestic, powerful, intimidating and arrogant all at once. I also really love the texture and mixed paint apps on the Mohawk. Great stuff!

The cape is incredibly rubbery, and the peg is so soft and gummy that there’s no way it’s staying locked-in long-term. In fact, that’s my single biggest beef with this X-Men Legends Gladiator: the heavy cape gets in the way and keeps flopping out of place. Annoying.

As this is the Hyperion buck, you know the drill articulation-wise: hinged Ankles with Rockers; ball hips; swivel waist/thighs/boots/biceps; ab crunch; double-jointed knees and elbows; swivel-hinge wrists and ball-hinge head and shoulders.

The cape tends to get in the way and inhibit some posing possibilities, but the joints themselves are nice and sturdy this time (unlike the SDCC first release) and I could still have some fun posing him despite the cape.

Overall: Marvel Legends X-Men Gladiator is a fine figure—for a 100% repaint (of a body mold that’s admittedly pretty perfect for the character). The paint deco this time is a monumental improvement with the matte dark blue, and the QC of the construction of the figure feels better this time out.

On the downside, there’s really nothing new here besides some better paint and improved QC. How about some grappling hands or an alternate head (with pupils)? Coupled with the rubbery cape that’s a pain to keep in, and this new ML Gladiator figure is a decent repaint that fails to impress by offering anything truly new.

GRADE: B-

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