Thursday, July 15, 2010

Marvel Universe figures I'd like to see

A while back, despite not being a fan of 3.75 inch figures on the whole, I got into collecting the Marvel and DC lines of figures (Marvel Universe and DC Universe: Infinite Heroes, respectively). Although my collection started out slowly due to the figures being so bleedin' expensive for that scale ($7-10, which is the same price range that the larger versions of those figures were going for just before these lines hit), eventually I started finding some on sale and clearance, as well as a few cheap ones on Amazon and eBay, and now altogether, between the two, I probably have around thirty figures, including a much larger Skrull Giant Man. Most of these are Marvel figures, as the DC figures are rarely on sale and the local stores don't have as enticing of a selection as they do of Marvel.

Recently, whilst setting up my newest batch on a shelf, I began to ponder which figures I'd like to have in my collection that hadn't been made already. Thus, this list. Some of the figures might make more sense in other Marvel 3.75 lines (and in fact, I actually suggest a subline by itself in the list), but for simplicity sake, I've lumped them all together. By the way, if any reps from Hasbro happen to come across this and decide to crib some ideas from here, I won't raise a fuss ;)

So, without further ado, in now particular order, I present the list!

The Deadpool Corps
It's no secret that Deadpool is one of Marvel's most popular characters right now, what with his appearing in a dozen titles a month (a feat that he actually mocked Wolverine for), plus appearances in several modern Marvel video games, the Hulk vs. Wolverine animated film, and a role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine that has led to his own spin-off. Being an overly violent character who is also insane, funny, and is a frequent breaker of the fourth wall, it's easy to see why he's so well-liked.

Deadpool himself started out as a semi-parody of DC's Deathstroke the Terminator. Likewise, when he was given his own team to lead (The Deadpool Corps), its existence became a pastiche of different superhero teams, most notably DC's Green Lantern Corps. Interestingly enough, Ryan Reynolds, who portrayed Deadpool in the Wolverine movie and is set to reprise the role in his own film, is also playing as Green Lantern in a film.

The roots of The Deadpool Corps. has its roots in a mini-series called Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth. The disembodied head of the zombie Deadpool (from the Marvel Zombies universe) landed in the standard Marvel universe (henceforth to be referred to as Earth-616), and was being worshiped in the Savage Land. Deadpool was sent to retrieve the head, as it was being treated as a biological weapon (due to its zombifying bite). Through a series of crossing dimensions to attempt to return the head to its own world, Deadpool came across several alternate dimension versions of himself, including an army major (working for the "United States of Canada"), Wild West gunslinger, and a distaff counterpart.

Later, due to an intergalactic crisis, Deadpool was recruited to form a team. Crossing dimensions again, he picked up the female version of himself ("Lady Deadpool"), a child version ("Kidpool"), a canine counterpart ("Dogpool"), and the disembodied zombie head ("Headpool").

There are a couple of different ways that I can think of that would be handy in the release of The Deadpool Corps as action figures. One method would be to collect all five in one box set; alternatively, they could be released in the original line, with smaller members accompanying the larger: Deadpool could come with Dogpool, Lady Deadpool and Kidpool would be together, and then maybe Zombie Deadpool would be his own figure, but with a detachable head and a beanie accessory.

The Pet Avengers
Sort of a modern-day Marvel version of the Legion of Super-Pets, the Pet Avengers are a whimsical super hero team composed of the animal sidekicks of known heroes and other Marvel animal characters. Hasbro might actually be edging toward this release, as the last two waves have included Lockheed with Kitty Pryde, and Ms. Lion with Mary Jane. In the future, I'd like to see combo releases of Falcon/Redwing, Speedball/Hairball, Ka-Zar/Zabu, Thor/Throg, and either Black Bolt/Lockjaw or (since Lockjaw is so large), Lockjaw/Puppy.

Squirrel Girl
My second favorite Marvel character (after Deadpool), Squirrel Girl is an innocent-looking, happy-go lucky throwback to the golden age of comics. She also occasionally breaks the fourth wall, and although her perceived abilities are lame on first glance (talking to squirrels, retractable little knuckle claws, and a prehensile tail - she's been able to beat some of the mightiest villains in the Marvel universe. This makes her undeniably badass. She would obviously come with several of her squirrel sidekicks.

Hulked-Out Heroes
During the World War Hulks storyarc (or maybe it was Fall of the Hulks... I dunno), many prominent heroes became irradiated with gamma rays, transforming these already powerful lads and lasses into berserk monstrosities with severely upgraded powers. The body count included the likes of Wolverine, Cyclops, Deadpool, Spider-Man, Thor, Storm, Human Torch, and many more. Getting at least one or two of these folks into the Marvel Universe line should be no problem.

Invisible Woman
Not terribly one that I'd be excited for, but she's the only member of the core Fantastic Four to not show up in the line yet.

Kick Ass & Hit-Girl
I haven't read the book or seen the film yet, and I know they're not part of the standard Marvel universe, but I'd really like to see figures of at least Kick Ass and Hit-Girl of this scale, even if they were just released under the standard Kick Ass figure line (which I'm not even sure who produces that line... meh.)

Galacta
Having read the one-shot that came out back in May, I found the daughter of Galactus to be one of the more endearing (and adorable) characters I'd come across in comics in some time.

Venom (Mac Gargan version)
I know Eddie is the definitive Venom in most peoples' eyes, but Mac Gargan is the most recent one. Yeah, they have "Dark Spider-Man" coming out soon, but that's not the same. Strangely enough, in the current Spider-Man line, they have art for Gargan venom all over the place, but the only Venom figure of the line is Brock.

First Appearance X-Men
I'm pretty sure Toy Biz or someone made a set like this for the old line back in the day, but I'd like them in MU scale. Ol' Slim Summers, Marvel Girl, snowy-looking Iceman, human Beast, and bazooka-wielding Angel together in one set. And speaking of which...

First Appearance Wolverine
Straight out of The Incredible Hulk #180 and 181!
EDIT: Looks like this one's been confirmed!

'90's Rogue
'90's big-hair Rogue just like the one that was used in the animated series at the time. 'Nuff said.

Marvel Movie Classics

The Iron Man 2 and X-Men Origins lines seem to have done well, so how about revisiting some of the beloved movie characters of the last few years in a sub-line? I'd love to have the movie versions of Green Goblin, Beast, Hannibal King, Invisible Woman, and more in this scale.