Written By Dan Hickman • Toy Editor
Hasbro strikes again with this amazingly screen accurate Baron Helmut Zemo 6 inch Marvel Legend action figure, based on his appearance in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
*Possible Spoilers*
The following synopsis on the MCU version of Baron Zemo comes directly from Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki.
Baron Helmut Zemo is a former Colonel with the Sokovian Armed Forces and a commander of EKO Scorpion. Following the Battle of Sokovia, Zemo became a criminal mastermind who sought revenge against the Avengers after losing his family and became obsessed with destroying them. Knowing he was no match against the Avengers, Zemo had planned to have them destroy themselves, by framing the Winter Soldier for killing T’Chaka, which caused Captain America to defend Barnes from the world. That action had caused their Avengers Civil War, in which Iron Man led their manhunt for Barnes and Zemo allowed Stark to discover that Barnes was responsible for his parents’ murder. With the Avengers now in ruins, Zemo tried to shoot himself but was captured by Black Panther and given to the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre for his imprisonment. Following eight years of incarceration, Zemo was broken out of prison by Bucky Barnes, to assist him, and Sam Wilson, in tracking down the Flag Smashers. Zemo agreed, intending to put an end to super soldiers for good.
Of all the Disney+ Wave figures, Baron Zemo actually comes with the most accessories. He has one unmasked head with an exceptional facial likeness of Daniel Bruhl, a masked head, two pairs of hands… one fisted pair, one pointing hand, and one to hold his pistol or the Winter Soldier file. He also comes with a gold pistol and the aforementioned red dossier on the Winter Soldier. Zemo also comes with one wing section of the Build – A – Wings set.
The Marvel Legends Disney+ Baron Zemo is a really sharp looking figure. He is clad in a maroon wrap tunic, long blue trench coat, with fur lined collar, gray trousers, black shoes and his purple and black gloves. I was very, very pleased with the paint apps on this figure, although I would have liked a little more detail on his shirt and maybe on the trench coat. I was happy to see his belt buckle was painted, giving us a nice transition from the shirt to pants. Overall though, everything was very cleanly applied and really catches the look of the character on-screen. His face and hair were painted quite well and I was happy to see the hair application was done properly.
Review: Marvel Legends Disney+ Wave 6 Inch Baron Zemo Action Figure
I’ve seen several figures in which the paint is just a bit off base and you can see the sculpt of the hair, still in flesh tone. Mine had a small dot on one cheek, which I was able to gently scrape off, without damaging anything. Both pairs of gloves are detailed exceptionally well and the purple and black look really goes well with the deep blue trench coat. His masked head is also painted very well but, disappointingly, doesn’t sit properly on his neck peg. I’m not sure the best way to describe it except that it seems to sit lower on the peg, giving him the illusion of having no neck at all. I’ve seen other reviews with the same gripe and it’s a shame because this figure really looks sharp with the masked head on it… honestly, I’d prefer to display it that way, but because of the ill fitting design, Daniel Bruhl’s face gets to look around at the other figures on my shelf.
I was also very pleased with the small red dossier on the Winter Soldier, with the single black star in the middle. The weathered, aged look to the dossier really evokes memories of it’s initial appearance in Captain America: Civil War and is a nice touch for the figure, as it allows you to display Zemo lurking in the background of your MCU Civil War figure set up.
Now as nice looking as Zemo is, I’m actually disappointed with its articulation. Zemo has the standard Marvel Legends articulation, head turns side to side, unmasked head can look up to a degree and forward to the same degree, masked head can turn side to side, but doesn’t really look up or down very well, due to the poor fit on the peg. Shoulders rotate 360 and can raise arms in the standard “T” pose. He has a bicep swivel which allows for nice movement and double jointed elbows which bend nicely and lastly for the arms, all four hands hinge and rotate. Zemo does have a diaphragm joint which allows for some forward bend, but because of the trench coat, limits his back bends. His waist pivots well within the trench but now we get to the limitations.
His legs will do awesome splits… only to be pushed back down by the fairly unyielding trench coat. They can kick forward nicely and he has great upper thigh cut, double jointed knees, which in theory should allow him to kick his own butt, however, due to the trench, will only bend back about 90 degrees. His ankles are very off-putting for me as the cut of the trousers at the ankles limits the hinge and rotational ability. This makes Zemo very, very difficult to stand without having him perpetually in some mild form of a dynamic pose. I fought with Zemo to get him to stand straight upright in the pictures and had to brace him from behind so he’d not tip over. Add to that both of his legs are very loose and in spite of this being a great looking figure, I’m ultra disappointed in his posability.
Much like Loki, Marvel Legends Baron Zemo is kind of a pain to get to stand, unless you are able to either find a good dynamic pose or discretely brace him against something. That being said, I’m still pleased with the figure.
At the price point of around $20, Baron Zemo is a very nice addition to your MCU Disney+ display. Also, like Loki, Baron Zemo’s articulation issues earn him 3.5 toyboxes out of 5. You can find your own Disney+ Wave Legends figures at The Big Bad Toy Store. Thanks for checking out the toybox and, until next time… Geek Out!
Related: Review: Marvel Legends Disney Plus Wave 6 Inch White Vision Action Figure
