Before recently, I had no idea who Owl was. Usually I can at least recognize most Marvel and DC characters who get an action figure, but that is not the case with Owl. He's also apparently just Owl and not "the Owl," which is also something I find kind of weird. Anyway, here I am, sitting around typing up a review of Owl from the most recent Marvel Legends Retro Collection: Spider-Man series that showed up at the end of 2025. So, yes, Owl is a Spider-Man villain, although he apparently was a Daredevil villain first. I was actually surprised to learn that he appeared in the Netflix Daredevil series. I would think I would remember this guy, you know? It turns out that he was really just a regular guy in that series, going by his real name of Leland Owlsley and working as Kingpin's accountant. The comic Owl is also in finance, onetime being known as The Owl of Wall Street. After being caught up in corruption charges, Owlsley becomes a crime boss and a figure in the underworld. He can glide and hover a little bit, he has hollow bones, enhanced senses and strength, and he can turn his head 180 degrees. Crazy. I actually wasn't looking for Owl at all but when he came across my path for $7 bucks on a Target clearance sale, I decided he actually could make a cool member of the wierdo group of Cobra agents like Croc Master, Raptor, Crystal Ball, and so on. Ready to check out Owl? Then join me after the break...
Height: 6 1/4ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball-jointed hips, balljointed abdomen, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.
Accessories: 4 swappable hands, 2 claws, Owl, 2 jacket shells, and a scarf.
Original Retail Price: $28 dollars
Year of Release: 2025
* Leland Owlsley doesn't look like your typical crime boss. He honestly looks like a weird Batman villain or some sort of 19th century British ruffian. If you told me that Sherlock Holmes fought this guy, I might believe it. That being said, he is a rather neat looking figure with a rather cool looking outfit. I'm digging the earth tones, especially as part of such a grubby wardrobe. Owl is wearing green pants with a cream colored sweater, a brown trench coat, and then a larger coat overtop. I don't think it's an Inverseness cape since it has sleeves, though it does have what looks to be a mantle over the shoulders. The coat also looks like it's definitely seen some wear as it's rather tattered and torn. Apparently this specific figure is heavily inspired by the 2023 Gang War event.
* I wonder if Feral, Wolverine, and Owl go to the same barber? I mean, check out this do. Besides looking like he's going to harass the Baudelaire children, Owl also looks like he's trying to capture Wolverine's look. He definitely has very sharp, pointy features that make him appear like a bird of prey. And that goatee/ beard? Incredible. It actually looks like an owl with its wings spread. Incredible! Not many people can make their facial hair resemble an animal but, somehow, Owl did.
* I'm impressed by how Hasbro layered Owl's coat. it doesn't look overly thick and each layer is separate and distinct. You can't really take off his coats and display him like that but he does look really good with a layered appearance. When posing him you can make the brown coat stick out from underneath, which just looks really cool. I'm a fan of the layered look.
* Here's a look at the back of the coat so you can see the detail. If someone else uses this coat, I can't recall it off hand. It's really tattered and torn. There's even a bit of mud at the bottom hem.
* Here's Owl with his talons. I really can't make any jokes about him trying to capture Wolverine's style since Owl first appeared in Daredevil #3 in 1964 and Wolverine first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #180 a full decade later in 1974. So Leland doesn't follow the trends; he sets them! He's wearing some short metal talons on his hands. They are easily removable, though they leave large holes in his hands, so there is no reason to do that.
* Owl also has a scarf for when it's rather cold out. The red pop of color is nice and definitely completes his look.
* Besides the hands with the metal talons, you also get a pair of hands with long nails. Those are pretty nasty, too, and might be just as nasty as the metal talons in close combat.
* Guess what? Owl has a pet owl! It's a simple slug figure with some nice sculpted detail on the feathers and a little bit of paint work. Nothing too fancy but still a nice extra. Maybe Owl needs to hang around with the Court of Owls?
* I don't have the No Way Home version of Doctor Octopus but I'm pretty sure Owl reuses the torso from Doc Ock, right? I think the whole body (minus the hands) and the inner coat are all reused from Doc Ock. Remove the coats and you can see the attachment points for Doc Ock's tentacles. Wild!
This is the first figure of Leland Owlsley/ Owl that I've reviewed. For more Marvel Legends Retro Collection reviews check out the following:
Marvel Legends Retro Collection by Hasbro
Marvel Legends Retro Collection: Fantastic Four by Hasbro
Marvel Legends Retro Collection: Iron Man by Hasbro (2023)
Marvel Legends Retro Collection: Secret Wars by Hasbro (2025)
Marvel Legends Retro Collection: Spider-Man by Hasbro
Symbiote Spider-Man
Marvel Legends Retro Collection: X-Men by Hasbro
Apocalypse
Avalanche
Dark Phoenix
Gambit
Marvel Legends Retro Collection: X-Men by Hasbro
Apocalypse
Avalanche
Dark Phoenix
Gambit
Wow. Did not realize that Leland (from the Netflix show) is also supposed to be Owl.
ReplyDeleteSomeone should do a diorama with Feral, Owl and Wolverine at a barber shop. :-)
The only reason I know who this guy is is because I read he was apparently intended to be revealed as a big bad in X-Factor, but editorial told the writers they couldn't use him, leaving them to have to create a new villain. They created Apocalypse.
ReplyDelete