McFarlane Toys Accounces DC Wave 2 // News
ComicCon at Home ran through last month like a whirlwind, with new project announcements and new toys and collectibles galore. One item of interest was McFarlane Toys’ next wave of DC Universe figures, announced on the 24th.
The second wave of figures in this line is not yet available for pre-order but is predicted to come out in the Fall of 2020. It features a strong lineup of figures that a lot of adult collectors will be wanting. McFarlane is even dipping their toes in the Build a Figure concept that is all the rage with the $20 6-inch figure lines these days. The lineup includes:
-Azrael in Batman armor from Batman: White Knight
-Batman from the video game Arkham Knight
-Batman (Thomas Wayne) from Flashpoint
-Cyborg from the 2003 animated series Teen Titans
-Deathstroke from the video game Arkham Origins
-The Flash (Barry Allen) from DC Rebirth
-Joker from DC Rebirth
McFarlane Toys has also announced multiple two figure packs, which will presumably retail for twice the normal price of a single figure. They are:
-The Flash (Barry Allen) vs. The Red Death
-Red Hood vs. Nightwing
Amusingly, the Barry Allen Flash and Nightwing figures appear to be nearly identical to their other releases. In the case of Nightwing, he has the New52 color scheme of red on black that also references the delightful 1996 film Batman and Robin. The Flash, meanwhile, seems to feature an alternate head sculpt showing a snarling face. The Red Death and Red Hood are not currently available individually, so fans may need to make a choice.
Finally, after dipping their toes into the Build a Figure concept with a three-part batmobile with their first figures, McFarlane Toys is leaping right into the deep end through multiple flaming hoops with this wave. The figures are as follows:
-Batman from Dark Nights: Metal
-The Batman Who Laughs (With Sky Tyrant Wings)
-Robin from Earth-22
-Superman (Infected)
Collect these pieces to assemble The Merciless from Dark Nights: Metal. There is an amusing side-note, where there are three different versions of the Earth-22 corrupted Robin, each with their own head-sculpt. It is currently unknown if there will be an individual piece of The Merciless with all three, or if each will come with duplicate parts. Considering the size of The Merciless, it does seem like fans will be expected to pick up all three to complete him.
McFarlane Toys has made some interesting choices with this next wave. All of these figures look genuinely amazing, but their focus on Batman-centric concepts and Batman variations of other heroes is potentially troublesome. However, with the Batman Who Laughs receiving the biggest push any DC concept has received in decades to… admittedly mixed results, it does make a lot of sense that McFarlane toys would parley their fantastic history with the grotesque, superheroic, and monstrous into the Metal spin on the DC Universe.
However, considering that most of their first line and second line are somehow Batman-related or Batman himself, it does raise questions if someone in DC is putting in requests rather than letting McFarlane Toys choose what they want to make.
The second line is currently predicted to release in the Fall of 2020, though the ongoing pandemic may change that.
Brandon Masters is a writer who is hoping for a Golden-Age line.
Or at least a Starman.
Any of them.
