DC Multiverse Superman (Unleashed) // Review
With the DC’s action figure licensing with Mattel expiring in 2018, and the rights transferring to Spin Master, fans of the broader collectible market began to wonder what would happen to the higher-priced six to eight-inch figures made for adults and “serious” collectors.
Luckily, McFarlane Toys would swoop in to alleviate collector concerns with an announcement of a line of action figures dedicated to the entire continuity of DC comics, going back over 80 years. Featuring figures from the popular Arrowverse, modern comics, and the ever-beloved DC Animated Universe, the toys shown off in previews looked incredible. Now that they’re starting to come out, do these figures hold up?
In a word, yes.
The packaging for the DC Multiverse line is both plain and striking. The figure shows through a massive plastic window on the front, backed by accessories and a blue-and-White background of retro and modern comic panels. The back of the box doesn’t show off the figure in action, instead using the source art to show where the figure came from, in this case, Superman Unchained #7. There are also other smaller images along the bottom, showing other figures offered in the first release waves.
The sculpt for the Superman Unchained figure is stunning. Jim Lee’s modern designs can be notoriously tricky to get into figure form satisfactorily, but whatever madman hired to do the job at McFarlane Toys did a near-perfect job. The S shield is raised off the armor, making it pop. The layers of armor actually have more than just paint desperation, making the figure look like an actual human (Kryptonian) wearing armor rather than a sentient suit of armor. The articulation is surprisingly great for such a bulky figure as well, with joints along the arms and hands to make multiple comic-accurate poses.
Aside from the sculpt, the figure is excellent. The cape for this version of Superman uses a pair of blade wings that mount into the back. They’re also hinged, so they can be posed to look like they’re in flight rather than just dangling behind him. The paint job is also spectacular, using a matte black for the base and undersuit of the armor, making the metallic blue all the more eye-catching. The S shield is painted with a metallic red, while the rest of the armor has a simpler red instead. Again, the draws a contrast with the rest of the armor and keeps that chest the center of attention. The only oddity is that the hands are posed to hold accessories, and the included trading card notes that Superman used a battle ax and shield in combat with this armor… but those accessories are MIA.
This doesn’t mean you can’t use (or make) your own, though.
The included stand is also nice but is a smaller stand that only fits under one foot, making for some balance issues if you’re not careful. It is a little sad that a flight stand was not included with this version of Superman, but that hardly takes away from the figure’s excellence.
McFarlane Toys has a legacy of some fantastically sculpted figures, ones that either don’t move much or are incredibly expensive when it comes to standard releases. These DC Multiverse figures straddle the line perfectly between those two realities. A fantastic sculpt alongside some incredible ranges of motion, and a $20.00 MSRP price tag has made for a bargain that almost everyone is going to jump for.
