What Is Marvel Legends? Scale, Waves and Build-A-Figure Explained

Marvel Legends is Hasbro’s line of collector action figures based on Marvel comics, films and series. Almost every figure is made to the same 6-inch scale, so Spider-Man from a comic wave and Doctor Doom from a film wave can stand together on one shelf at believable sizes. Figures are released in groups called waves, and in many waves each figure comes with one piece of a larger character, the Build-A-Figure, that you can only complete by buying the whole wave. If you know those three ideas (scale, waves and Build-A-Figures), you can read any Marvel Legends box.

The rest of this guide explains each idea, the special formats that sit around the core line, and how to tell Marvel Legends apart from Hasbro’s other Marvel figures.

A short history

Marvel Legends began at Toy Biz in 2002. Hasbro acknowledged that start in 2022 with its Marvel Legends 20th Anniversary Series, which it described as celebrating “the 2002 Toy Biz debut release”. Hasbro became the Marvel licence holder at the start of 2007, according to the line’s Wikipedia history, and has made the figures ever since.

The Build-A-Figure idea also dates from the Toy Biz years. The same Wikipedia history credits Toy Biz with introducing it in 2005, with Galactus as the first character built this way.

What “6-inch scale” means

Hasbro describes each figure as “designed at the Marvel 6 inch action figure scale (15 cm)”. The important word is scale. A figure is not always exactly 6 inches tall; a typical human-sized hero comes out at about that height, and other characters are made in proportion. A small character will be shorter, and a giant will be much taller and packaged differently.

Collectors often call this roughly 1:12, since a six-foot person shrinks to six inches at that ratio. Hasbro itself uses the 6-inch wording, so treat 1:12 as shorthand rather than an official figure.

The shared scale is the whole point of the line. It lets you mix characters from decades of comics, the films and the animated series in one display without anyone looking out of place.

What comes in the box

A standard 6-inch figure comes in a window box, so you can see the figure without opening it. Hasbro lists “over 20 points of articulation” on its Legends pages, so a figure can hold a wide range of poses. Most figures include accessories such as alternate hands, weapons or effect pieces. Hasbro rates the figures for ages 4 and up.

How waves work

Hasbro rarely sells one Marvel Legends figure on its own. It announces and ships figures in waves: a group of characters released together, usually tied to a theme, a film or a Build-A-Figure.

Two recent examples show the pattern:

• The Executioner wave. Revealed at New York Comic Con 2025 and shipping from January 2026, it has seven figures: WWII Wolverine, Mark 72 Mysterium Armor Iron Man, Werewolf by Night, Enchantress, Dark Avengers Spider-Man, Warbow and Phantom Rider. Hasbro Pulse lists Enchantress with three accessories and an Executioner Build-A-Figure piece.
• The Marvel’s Box wave. Announced for summer 2026, it also has seven figures: U.S. Agent, Lady Deadpool, Psylocke, Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes), Ultimate Wolverine, Dark Avengers Hawkeye and Marrina.

Film and series waves follow the same release pattern, though not every one includes a Build-A-Figure. Marvel.com’s coverage of the second X-Men ’97 wave lists Magneto, Nightcrawler, Jean Grey, Goblin Queen, X-Cutioner and Cyclops as separate figures. For Avengers: Doomsday, Hasbro Pulse lists a 6-inch-scale Lord Doom with four accessories, including alternate hands and open and closed spell books. You can see it with the rest of the film’s toys on our Avengers: Doomsday toys and collectibles page.

Build-A-Figure, step by step

A Build-A-Figure (often shortened to BAF) is a large character split into parts across a wave. Each figure in the wave includes one piece in its box, such as an arm, a leg, the torso or the head. Buy every figure and you can assemble the extra character; miss one and the build stays unfinished.

A few practical points follow from that:

• Plan for the whole wave. If the Build-A-Figure is the reason you are buying, budget for every figure that carries a piece.
• Read the listing. Hasbro’s product pages say when a figure includes a Build-A-Figure piece, as the Enchantress listing does.
• Watch for exclusives. Some waves have figures sold only at one retailer. On the Eternals wave, Thena and Ajak were retailer exclusives; our Eternals merchandise page lists the figures that carry parts of Gilgamesh.
• Big characters fit the scale. A Build-A-Figure is usually a character too large for a single box, which is why it is built from parts.

Deluxe figures and HasLab

Some characters are too large for a standard box but not suited to a Build-A-Figure. Hasbro sells many of these as Deluxe figures in the same 6-inch scale, in a bigger package.

At the far end is HasLab, Hasbro’s crowdfunding platform for products that only go into production if enough fans back them. The X-Men Sentinel was one: Hasbro’s newsroom described a figure 26.3 inches tall with 72 points of articulation, needing 6,000 backers, and the target was reached in a little over a day. The HasLab Galactus that followed in 2021 stood 32 inches tall and needed 14,000 backers. Both were made for the Marvel Legends line, so they tower over standard figures on the same shelf.

Other things called Marvel Legends

The Marvel Legends name also appears on products that are not 6-inch figures.

• Retro 3.75-inch figures. In 2020 Hasbro added a smaller line sold through Hasbro Pulse, with figures on Kenner-style blister cards and five points of articulation. These do not share the 6-inch scale.
• Roleplay pieces. The Marvel Legends Iron Man Electronic Helmet and the Infinity Gauntlet Articulated Electronic Fist are wearable props. Hasbro rates both for adults rather than children. The helmet runs on three AAA batteries, and the gauntlet has light-up stones and sound effects.

If a listing does not say “6-inch” or “6-inch scale”, check whether it is one of these instead.

Marvel Legends or Titan Hero Series?

Hasbro makes a second Marvel figure line that is easy to confuse with Legends. The Titan Hero Series is built at a 12-inch scale and listed for ages 4 and up, the same age rating as Legends. The difference is in what the figures are for. Titan Heroes are big figures aimed at play, and Hasbro does not list an articulation count for them. Marvel Legends figures are half the height, with over 20 points of articulation, accessories and often Build-A-Figure parts, in window boxes suited to display.

	Marvel Legends	Titan Hero Series
Scale	6-inch	12-inch
Age on box	4 and up	4 and up
Articulation	Over 20 points	Not listed by Hasbro
Best for	Collectors and older kids who pose figures	Younger children who want to play

Buying tips

• Decide early whether you want to complete a Build-A-Figure. It changes how many figures you need.
• Look for “6-inch scale” on the listing if you want a figure to stand with the rest of a Legends shelf.
• For a young child, compare the Titan Hero Series before choosing a Legends figure with small parts.

For more ideas, see our Marvel gift guide, the licensed clothing in Avengers clothes and outfits, the Venom merchandise page, or browse all Marvel merchandise.