Master Mordo is one of the new Marvel Legends MCU figures, released in the Spring of 2022, from the upcoming movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Mordo is part of the Multiverse of Madness wave which also includes Wong, America Chavez, and Doctor Strange from the movie as well as the build-a-figure, Rintrah.
There is a subtle rainbow scheme applied to the box colours for the MOM figures with a multicoloured backdrop sitting behind the two side art panels, and also used on the card back within the packaging itself - this also being inset with the window design from the Sanctum Santorum.
The rear of the box gives us a clearer look at Master Mordo and a checklist of parts for the Rintrah figure. There is also a brief text overview that gives away a couple of plot points, although nothing we couldn't discern from the end credits of the original movie and what we have seen in trailers.
"Mordo has gone rogue since leaving Kamar-Taj, hunting other sorcerers for breaking the laws of reality, and is never far off the trail of Doctor Strange."
Master Mordo has had a makeover since his original 2016 appearance and his first Marvel Legends figure. The base colour of his robes remains green, but the costume is now much more layered and complex. The inner tunics seems to include around five differing layers, and over these are placed some golden components that is not quite armour - but not quite part of the costume either. Similar gold armour has been added at the wrists in the form of two shaped bracers. The belt and lower robes are comparable with those worn by Stephen Strange and the belt detail includes a sling-ring sculpted tucked to one side. The outfit ends with a pair of knee-high black boots.
Most of the costume is cast in the base colour - green predominantly - but nearly every area has had a level of paint treatment from the gold trim on the robes, to the very intricate pattern on part of the lower skirt that almost looks printed. Where paint is applied, the finish is crisp and neat and one of the better-painted bodies I've seen in a while. The outer robes are an individual piece and look like they would come off with a bit of heat which would provide a second look for Mordo (I wasn't brave enough).
Every piece of Master Mordo appears new, although the legs are still pinned indicating they might have had a previous life (let us know if you recognise them) or were developed before the wider use of pinless bodies.
Mordo sports a brand new Chiwetel Ejiofor head sculpt and it is a vastly improved likeness to the original 2016 figure as well as coming with a more realistic look thanks to the photo-real paint app technology. This realism and attention to detail extend to the facial scars on Ejiofor's forehead - a result of a tragic accident when he was younger.
The hairpiece is cast in black plastic with intricately sculpted braided hair that flows back to a tied section and then down and over the shoulders of the body with a few braids set to come down over the shoulder to the front of the figure. These are flexible enough to move when the head is posed but are shaped to sit in a certain position over the body.
Mordo has a pretty decent set of included accessories, certainly on par with both Wong and Doctor Strange. He arrives with a pair of open hands which allow for magic casting poses, and you can swap these out for a second pair of clenched fists.
A third pair of gripping hands are then included allowing you to equip Mordo with the included weaponry. This is made up of a mini-crossbow, which is executed as a two-part piece. The wooden main body is very intricate in terms of its pattern, but sadly this is not enhanced with any paint application. Onto this is glued the limb, string, and firing mechanism complete with a loaded bolt. These are cast in grey plastic and this is too dull and would have looked better with a gunmetal finish.
The crossbow can fit into both the left and right hands, but it is a little tricky to get the trigger finger included on both hands to sit over the ornate trigger of the crossbow.
The final accessory for Mordo is a retracted Staff of the Living Tribune. This is cast in a dark brown, with the central wooden shaft painted over with a lighter brown. The staff can sit in either hand but as it's retracted it does lack presence on display and I would have preferred an extended version - as seen on the original Mordo figure - or even both versions.
I would also have liked to have seen the magic effects we see Mordo using on the box art. These are a staple for Doctor Strange figures and exist already and could have been repainted for Mordo and included in the set - the wrist peg is identical.
Master Mordo has a relatively low articulation count with 16 points of articulation. The legs are fully articulated including double-jointed knees, but much of the movement is held back by the skirts and cloak that Mordo is wearing.
The arms see a single elbow joint with rotation and a standard shoulder joint without any evident butterfly joints within the torso. These are sufficient for Mordo to be posed with either of his accessories or in a number of spell casting positions.
The body is a ball joint at the waist which moves quite well but will push out the robes at odd angles if you bend Mordo forward. The head is jointed at the base of the top of the neck only, allowing for the head to be rotated or tilted as much as the hair will facilitate.
Master Mordo is certainly a big improvement on his 2016 figure both in terms of character design on screen and also in execution. Comparing the old and new figures does really show clearly the strides made by the Marvel Legends team in the past 6-years with textures, decor, and that all-important photo-real decor for the head.
Mordo is well painted, well-sculpted has a great likeness to what we have seen so far on screen, and comes with a pretty decent set of accessories - although the perfectionist in me would have liked to have seen the magic effect hands and an extended Staff of the Living Tribune. A great figure in a pretty strong wave overall and certainly a good foil to sit alongside Strange and Wong.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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