Star Wars Black Series The Empire Strikes Back Figures — Complete Guide

The Star Wars Black Series Empire Strikes Back sub-line within the Galaxy Collection is the smallest of the Original Trilogy dedicated film lines — just four figures released between 2020 and 2022 — but it operates as the tip of a much larger ESB iceberg in the Black Series overall. The Empire Strikes Back has been one of the most consistently covered Star Wars films across the entire Star Wars Black Series history, with ESB characters appearing in the Blue Wave, Red Line, and most significantly the 40th Anniversary sub-line, which dedicated three full waves exclusively to the 1980 film. Understanding the ESB sub-line requires understanding where it fits within this broader context.

The ESB Galaxy Collection Sub-Line

The four figures in the formal ESB sub-line represent Hasbro’s targeted Galaxy Collection additions to a film that was already well-covered by earlier releases. Darth Vader (ESB) at ESB 01 is the 2020 Photo Real update of the Empire Strikes Back Vader — different helmet and cape proportions to the ANH version, specifically tuned for the Bespin duel configuration. Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder) at ESB 02 covers the Battle of Hoth pilot suit — orange snowspeeder gear with a Photo Real Hamill likeness — a notable upgrade over the earlier Red Line and 40th Anniversary versions of the same costume. Rebel Trooper (Hoth) at ESB 03 is the standard Hoth soldier — white cold weather gear, blaster rifle — giving the Battle of Hoth scene its army-builder backbone in the Galaxy Collection era. Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) at ESB 04 is the Amazon exclusive in the pre-production white and grey Kenner prototype colours — a collector-focused variant rather than a film-accurate release, notable for its significance to the history of the original Kenner toy line.

The Bigger ESB Picture — 40th Anniversary and Beyond

For collectors building an Empire Strikes Back display, the formal ESB sub-line is only the starting point. The 40th Anniversary sub-line dedicated more than thirty figures specifically to ESB in its Wave 3 and Wave 4 releases — covering the full Bespin cast, the Battle of Hoth, the Dagobah sequence, the bounty hunter lineup, and key moment figures like Han Solo in Carbonite and the Boba Fett SDCC Kenner release. This represents by far the most comprehensive single-film coverage in the Black Series and effectively makes the 40th Anniversary the primary ESB collection rather than the formal ESB sub-line.

Key ESB characters also appear in the Blue Wave — Bossk, IG-88, and Yoda all made their Black Series debuts in blue packaging in 2014–2015 and have not yet received Galaxy Collection Photo Real updates. The original ESB bounty hunters — Bossk, IG-88, 4-LOM, Dengar, Zuckuss — are spread across the Blue Wave, Red Line, and 40th Anniversary without a consolidated Galaxy Collection update, which remains one of the most notable gaps in the ESB coverage.

The Bespin Duel — Coverage Across Eras

The Bespin duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader is the most recreated scene in Black Series history, with both key figures receiving releases in every packaging era. For a Bespin duel display in 2025, the current recommendations are Darth Vader (ESB) for Vader, Luke Skywalker (Bespin) from the Orange Wave or the 40th Anniversary release for Luke — the Galaxy Collection has not yet produced a dedicated Bespin Luke — and Han Solo (Bespin) from the Red Line for the carbon freezing chamber extension of the scene.

Battle of Hoth Coverage

The Battle of Hoth is covered primarily through the ESB sub-line’s Rebel Trooper (Hoth) and Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder), supplemented by the 40th Anniversary AT-AT Driver, Imperial Snowtrooper, Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder) 40th version, Princess Leia (Hoth), and Rebel Soldier (Hoth). The Hoth scene is one of the better-covered action sequences in the Black Series across eras, though the lack of a Galaxy Collection AT-AT Driver update means collectors wanting modern face printing on the Imperial side need to use the 40th Anniversary version.

What Is Still Missing

The ESB Galaxy Collection sub-line is conspicuously small given the film’s significance. No dedicated Galaxy Collection Lando Calrissian (Bespin), no updated Yoda, no Chewbacca (ESB), no Princess Leia (Hoth or Bespin) in Galaxy Collection packaging, and no updated bounty hunters. The 40th Anniversary line fills many of these gaps but uses Kenner-style cardback packaging rather than the standard Galaxy Collection mural boxes. Collectors who want consistent packaging across their ESB display must choose between the Galaxy Collection format and the 40th Anniversary format for different characters — there is no clean solution to this until Hasbro produces more ESB Galaxy Collection releases.

The Empire Strikes Back in the Black Series — Full History

The Empire Strikes Back has been represented in the Black Series across every packaging era. The Blue Wave in 2014–2015 delivered the first dedicated ESB figures at Galaxy Collection-predecessor quality — Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight), Chewbacca, Yoda, Bossk, and IG-88 in blue packaging. The Red Line added Han Solo (Bespin), Princess Leia (Hoth), AT-AT Driver, Snowtrooper, Lando Calrissian, Dengar, and Vice Admiral Holdo across its 2016–2020 run. The 40th Anniversary sub-line dedicated three full waves to the film in 2019–2020, making it the most comprehensively covered Star Wars film across packaging eras.

Given this depth, the formal Galaxy Collection ESB sub-line is intentionally tight — Hasbro clearly assessed what the 40th Anniversary had already provided and targeted gaps rather than duplicating figures. The four-figure sub-line fills specific Photo Real-era gaps: an updated Darth Vader, a Snowspeeder Luke, a Hoth Rebel Trooper army builder, and a collector variant Boba Fett.

The Bounty Hunter Lineup — Best Sources by Era

The Empire Strikes Back bounty hunter lineup scene — Bossk, IG-88, Boba Fett, Dengar, 4-LOM, and Zuckuss assembled on the Executor — has been a display goal for Black Series collectors since the line began. The current best sources by character: Boba Fett from the Orange Wave or the Galaxy Collection versions; Bossk from the Blue Wave (no Galaxy Collection update); IG-88 from the Blue Wave (no Galaxy Collection update); Dengar from the Red Line; 4-LOM from the Red Line; Zuckuss from the 40th Anniversary 4-LOM & Zuckuss two-pack. The bounty hunter lineup requires drawing from four different eras and still relies on pre-Photo Real figures for Bossk and IG-88 — one of the more notable remaining gaps in the line’s ESB coverage.

Dagobah and Hoth — Supporting Scenes

The Battle of Hoth display has good coverage through the ESB sub-line’s Snowspeeder Luke and Rebel Trooper plus the 40th Anniversary’s AT-AT Driver, Imperial Snowtrooper, Princess Leia (Hoth), and Rebel Soldier. The Dagobah scene — Luke training with Yoda — is covered through the Blue Wave Yoda and the 40th Anniversary Yoda (Dagobah) and Luke Skywalker (Dagobah) releases. Neither scene requires purchasing Galaxy Collection figures specifically given how well the 40th Anniversary covered them.

Secondary Market

ESB Galaxy Collection sub-line figures are widely available. The Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) Amazon exclusive commands a premium among Boba Fett completionists given its unique prototype colour scheme. The 40th Anniversary ESB figures vary in availability — the SDCC exclusive Boba Fett and Han Solo in Carbonite are the premium pieces, while the standard wave figures are straightforward to source.

Building an Empire Strikes Back Display

An ESB display works best when organised around the film’s three distinct settings. The Bespin Cloud City sequence anchors most collectors’ ESB displays — Darth Vader (ESB), Luke Skywalker (Bespin from Orange Wave or 40th Anniversary), Han Solo (Bespin from Red Line), Lando Calrissian (40th Anniversary), and Princess Leia (Hoth or Bespin from 40th Anniversary) form the core. The Battle of Hoth display requires Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder), Rebel Trooper (Hoth), and the 40th Anniversary AT-AT Driver and Snowtrooper for the Imperial side. The bounty hunter lineup on the Executor — all six hunters in a row — is the ESB display that collectors invest the most effort in assembling, requiring figures from four different sub-lines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Black Series Empire Strikes Back figure? For the ESB sub-line specifically, Darth Vader (ESB) is the display anchor. For the broader ESB collection, the 40th Anniversary Boba Fett and the Blue Wave Commander Cody are the most sought-after individual figures.

Are there Black Series figures for every ESB bounty hunter? Yes — all six bounty hunters from the Executor lineup have been produced across various eras. However, Bossk and IG-88 remain only in pre-Photo Real Blue Wave versions and have not received Galaxy Collection updates as of 2025.

Is the 40th Anniversary or Galaxy Collection ESB better for display? The 40th Anniversary covers ESB more comprehensively but uses Kenner-style cardback packaging. The Galaxy Collection ESB sub-line has fewer figures but uses the standard mural packaging. For a consistent shelf appearance, pick one packaging format — both offer comparable figure quality given they overlap in the Photo Real era.

What Black Series figures do I need for the Bespin duel? Darth Vader (ESB) from the Galaxy Collection and Luke Skywalker (Bespin) from either the Orange Wave or the 40th Anniversary are the core pairing. Han Solo (Bespin) from the Red Line completes the carbon freezing chamber extension of the scene.

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