It has been a while since I last did a post on a Marvel Legends figure, but I recently picked up this pair based on their appearances in Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again (or season 4 of Daredevil depending on how you look at it).
After unboxing them I felt inspired to set up a few shots and ended up taking far more photos than I planned. So rather than just dropping them on social media, I thought they deserved a proper post.
Let’s take a look.
The Devil (and the Punisher) Tempted Me Back
Marvel Legends is the line that got me into collecting action figures as an adult, but over the last few years I have become increasingly frustrated with rising prices and what often feels like a drop in quality.
As a result I ended up selling most of my collection and instead focused on fewer figures that were a little more expensive but generally much higher quality.
That said, these two managed to tempt me back. The promo shots looked like a noticeable step up from some of the recent Legends I had owned, and when I spotted them on sale I decided to give them a chance.
Thankfully, once they were out of the box they immediately sparked an idea for a few photos… which quickly turned into quite a few more.
The Man Without Fear… and the Man With the Side-Eye
One of the first things that stood out when photographing these figures was the quality of the face sculpts. Both characters capture the likeness of their on-screen counterparts surprisingly well, and the paint work around the eyes and facial features is nicely handled.
Daredevil in particular looks great in close-ups, with the sculpt doing a good job of selling the more grounded look from the show.
Punisher is a little more mixed. From certain angles the sculpt looks excellent, especially from the side, but from straight on his face looks slightly asymmetrical and weirdly sad. It is not a deal breaker, but it does mean he looks better when the camera is not pointed directly at him.
Luckily, dramatic lighting and a slight turn of the head can do wonders.
The Devil’s in the Details
When you pull the camera back for wider shots, the strengths of the face sculpts become a little less important and the rest of the figure starts to matter more.
This is where the paint work starts to feel a little lacking, particularly with Punisher. His outfit is very accurate to the show, but it also means large areas of the figure are simply plain black plastic with very little paint variation or texture.
Daredevil fares slightly better thanks to the suit design, but overall the figures could definitely benefit from a bit more paint detail to help break things up.
From a photography perspective this meant relying a bit more on lighting and shadows to create visual interest.
Fighting Shape
Articulation is solid and perfectly usable, but nothing particularly special.
Both figures can hit the kinds of poses you would expect for street-level Marvel characters – fighting stances, crouches, and the occasional dramatic rooftop pose.
The range of movement is good enough for photography, even if it does not push beyond what you would normally expect from a Marvel Legends figure.
In other words, they get the job done… just without any acrobatics that would make Spider-Man jealous.
Justice Served ?
Despite a few flaws, I ended up having a lot of fun photographing these two.
The face sculpts look great in close-up shots, the articulation works well enough for action poses, and they capture the feel of their Daredevil: Born Again appearances nicely.
That said, they are not without issues. The lack of accessories is noticeable, the plastic feels a little cheaper than I would like in places, and some of the paint work could definitely be more detailed.
Still, thanks to the sale price and the fun I had shooting them, I am happy to have picked them up. Sometimes a figure does not have to be perfect to be photogenic.
Behind the Scenes:
If you want to see how some of these shots came together, I also posted a short video on TikTok showing the setups I used while photographing them
FREETHEFIGURES 