Marvel's M2 1st Appearances STINGER!

Cassie Lang's Original Alter-Ego: Stinger  - M2 1st Appearances - ToyBiz 1999

Cassandra Lang is known to to most comics aficionados as the daughter of the second Ant-Man, Scott Lang, who later grew up to become one of the original members of the Young Avengers as Stature.  This was the first time in mainstream Marvel continuity that Cassie became a superhero, but back in the late nineties in the M2 Universe, a twenty-something Doctor Cassandra Lang donned a modified Ant-Man helmet and became Stinger as a part of A-Next.  This same continuity introduced us to a lot of interesting female superheroes including May Parker as Spider-Girl, Thena (Daughter of Thor), American Dream, and Wild Thing (Daughter of Wolverine and Elektra), among others.  ToyBiz surprisingly jumped on this universe and created a series of four pretty cool action figures based on these characters.  It was an unexpected but much appreciated move.  Kudos ToyBiz!  If only Hasbro would do the same and release a female-centric Marvel Legends wave (I won't hold my breath).  Let's check out Stinger below!

G.I.Joe Classified - COBRA FERRET SCOUT!

G.I.Joe Classified Series #119 - Cobra Ferret ATV & Scout - Hasbro 2024

One of my favorite things about the super-popular G.I.Joe Classified toyline has been the inclusion of unnamed female troop builders, pilots, and drivers. As a massive fan of the G.I.Joe cartoon in the 80s, I viewed the Cobra Troopers as massively iconic. They were in nearly every episode... but only sparingly included females. I was also nuts for the toys and always desperately wanted an army of Cobra Troopers and Officers (I never got any). I also would see the Cobra Stinger vehicle in stores that came with a gray Cobra Trooper, and I was obsessed. When the Classified line first showed their Stinger with a gray driver, I was hoping we'd somehow get a female version. Then we saw this new Scout for the Ferret ATV. The vintage Ferret never came with a figure, but I distinctly remember friends of mine always having Baroness be the main Ferret driver during battle play, so something about the female Scout seems correct to me. I think she's awesome. Let's check out the Cobra Ferret Scout below!

Marvel Legends - STINGER!

Marvel Legends Astonishing Ant-Man 2-Pack - TRU Exclusive - Hasbro 2018

Toys R Us has given us some amazing Marvel Legends exclusives over the years. Just in the past twelve months, we've got Mary Jane Watson, Dark Phoenix, five great figures in the A-Force box set, and the recent Shuri as Black Panther. I especially love them because the majority of the figures are characters we would never see in a big box store. The final two ladies, a Scarlet Witch redeco and this Stinger figure, are keeping up the high standard, but it's kind of a solemn affair knowing these are likely the last of their kind. When the description of this set was leaked several months ago, the description was "Scott Lang and Cassie Lang" and I think the collective nerd conscious instantly got excited for a Stature to add to our mix-matched Young Avengers lineups. Clearly, we were all mistaken, but I am super happy with her Stinger incarnation as a consolation. In the late 90s, the alternate universe of MC2 was created and featured the children of various heroes and villains all grown up and donning costumes.

Marvel Legends - WASP!

Marvel Legends Infinite Series - Ant-Man (Ultron Wave) - Hasbro 2014

Woohoo lookee what I found yesterday!  I wasn't paying attention to release dates for the Ant-Man wave (or any of the upcoming ML waves for that matter), so when I went into Toys R Us yesterday afternoon and saw this I thought I was hallucinating.  Buried there amongst the overstocked Avengers and Spider-Man figures was this lone Wasp. There wasn't another Ant-Man figure in sight.  I snatched her up and immediately started looking over my shoulder in paranoia as if her appearance was some mistake. But alas, she was real.  Janet van Dyne first appeared as the Wasp in Tales to Astonish #44 in the Summer of 1963 as a partner to Ant-Man.  Within a few months she would earn her permanent place in the Marvel universe by becoming one of the founding members of the Avengers in Avengers #1 1963.  I was a little upset that she wasn't included in the two previous Avengers movies, but then again I never thought there would ever be a solo Ant-Man film.  It makes sense that they saved her for this movie.

Quantumania - CASSIE LANG!

Marvel Legends - Cassie Lang (Ant-Man & Wasp Quantumania BaF) - Hasbro 2023

One more glorious step towards the Young Avengers in the MCU! The Young Avengers comic is one of my favorite superhero team books of all time. In the story, the Avengers were missing and Vision initiated this failsafe protocol where a group of backup Avengers were gathered to form a replacement team. They are all young versions of the classic characters, often with some familial pedigree. Cassie Lang, the daughter of Scott Lang, joined the team as Stature. In the MCU and Disney+, there have been 8 or 9 Young Avengers characters introduced so far in unrelated projects. So, in my mind, a Young Avengers series or film is definitely coming. Cassie Lang has made a handful of MCU appearances, but it was in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania that we first met her as a young woman in a costumed role. She never adopts a codename in the movie, but in the comics she has been: Stature, Stinger, Ant-Girl, and Giant-Girl. I kind of hope she gets a new name to add to her collection. Let's check out Cassie below!

Ant-Man & the Wasp Marvel Legends - WASP!

Avengers Infinity War: Wave 2 (Cull Obsidian BAF) - Wasp - Hasbro 2018

I was already really looking forward to Ant-Man and the Wasp in July, but something about this figure launched my excitement to a whole new level. The Wasp I am familiar with is Janet Van Dyne, the original Avenger who will be portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in this movie. The Wasp played by Evangeline Lilly in the movie is Janet's daughter, Hope Van Dyne (her father is Hank Pym / Michael Douglas). Hope was originally introduced in the MC2 comic universe (where we were introduced to Spider-Girl (Mayday), Stinger, American Dream, Wild Thing, etc). She was a villain known as the Red Queen who was the nemesis of Stinger (Cassie Lang) - who is coincidentally a young character in the movie played by Abby Ryder Fortson. I doubt these characters will have the same dynamics as portrayed in the comics over the years, but I'm curious to see how they all fit into the MCU. This Marvel Legends figure gives me the first really detailed look at the costume and I think it's amazing. Let's check her out below!

Marvel's M2 1st Appearances WILD THING!

Wild Thing: The Daughter of Wolverine  - M2 1st Appearances - ToyBiz 1999

Marvel's MC2 Universe is one of those odd blips in the comic world where the stars seemed perfectly aligned for my tastes, but I was somehow utterly uninterested. An entire female-centric Marvel spin-off universe? It seems tailor made for me. But the art and stories just were not my cup of tea. I even waited 17 years to complete the action figure line! Toy Biz created a 4-figure Previews-exclusive line of the most popular characters from the MC2 universe. I've reviewed the 3 others over the years, but only picked up Wild Thing a couple weeks ago. Wild Thing is Rina Logan, the daughter of Wolverine and Elektra in this alternate future storyline. She appeared in J2, Last Hero Standing, Spider-Girl, and her own shirt-lived solo series (not to mention the 2007 Avengers Next reboot). My real inspiration is my recent adoration of Laura Kinney as the All New Wolverine. I'm guessing we'll probably see her in Marvel Legends form soon and knew I couldn't not have Wild Thing by her side. Let's check her out below!

Miraculous - QUEEN BEE!

ZAG Heroez - Miraculous - Series 01 - Queen Bee - PlayMates Toys 2021

I love Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir toys so much. I've tried to watch the cartoon but I'm too far removed from the target demographic to fully embrace it. But these action figures just thrill me. Colorful female characters with animal themed costumes makes for a toyline seemingly custom-made for me. Plus, I always take notice when an action figure line is catered to a young female audience. It's surprisingly rare for there to be product beyond dolls. But Miraculous has never shied away from true articulated plastic action figures, and I adore them for that. Recently the toy license has shifted from Bandai to Playmates and the core characters are slowly being re-released in a slightly smaller scale and greatly improved accessories. It's a very well-made line, but the distribution is extremely spotty and only the five original figures shown have been released. I certainly hope there will be more, but only time will tell. There are tons of characters deserving of figures. Let's check out Queen Bee below!

Masters of the Universe Classics - SWEET BEE!

Masters of the Universe Classics - Club Etheria Mattycollector Exc - Mattel 2014

This figure is exactly the reason why I love MOTUC so much. In the classic She-Ra cartoons, my least favorite character by far was Sweet Bee.  I didn't like her looks, I didn't like chemistry with He-Man, and I absolutely loathed her voice. Of all the POP characters to be made into MOTUC figures (back in the day when it was just a pipe dream to get them all), she was very low on my list of wants. Never underestimate the Four Horsemen though.  When this figure was revealed earlier this year, I didn't waste any time before eating my words.  She's gorgeous. The best part about it is that this figure makes me totally reappraise my feeling about the original animated Sweet Bee.. kind of like how a cover of a song makes you appreciate the original. When it came time to make a decision about subbing up for 2015, the excellent interpretation of Sweet Bee was my deciding factor. Perfuma is another character I've always kind of dreaded for this line, but now I'm excited to see what they can do with her. Let's check out Sweet Bee!

Beast Hunters AIRACHNID!

Transformers: Prime - Beast Hunters - Airachnid - Hasbro 2013
 
It's amazing how many female Transformers we are getting these days.  Granted, it's pretty much the same two characters over and over again, but considering how long Hasbro kept the Transformers sausage party going, I couldn't be happier.  This miniature version of Airachnid is pretty much the best representation of this character I have seen.  The Kre-O version I reviewed a few weeks ago is great, but still a block figure nonetheless.  The 6" Deluxe Airachnid from last year was an atrocity.  I was so excited for that figure, and was very very let down.  Mine is actually in pieces as I removed every screw trying to visualize ways to customize it into a decent looking fembot.  This little version, however, gets it right.  The transforming isn't perfect, and it would be awesome if the helicopter blades had a more spider-like presence, but all-in-all it's very nice.  I love the character of Airachnia.  Besides my general love of villainesses, she in particular strikes my fancy because she reminds me of Blackarachnia, Maleficent, and Hexidecimal combined.  Let's check out this great figure below!

POP Funko - SPIDER-GIRL (PLUS CHASE)!

Marvel POP! #955 - Spider-Girl (Mayday & April Parker) - PIAB Exc - Funko 2022

In 1998 there was an issue of What If? that posed the question, what if Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson had a teenage daughter (with Spider powers). The concept proved popular and soon May "Mayday" parker spun off into a solo series that became the longest running female-led title of all time from Marvel. (Plus two follow-up series Amazing and Spectacular). And she was also the catalyst for a whole new comic universe, MC2, which gave us Stinger, Wild Thing, and American Dream among others. What I always loved about Spider-Girl was her costume. It seems like no-brainer, but there had never been a real female hero wearing a version of the classic Spider-Man suit before (not counting Valerie from the Electric Company). This Funko Pop is awesome. She took a while to arrive.. just under a year from her pre-order, but she was well worth the wait. I ordered three Mayday Pops in hopes of scoring a 1:6 chase and I ended up getting two. Let's check out the Spider-Girl(s) below!

Marvel's M2 1st Appearances AMERICAN DREAM!

American Dream: The Star-Spangled Fangirl  - M2 1st Appearances - ToyBiz 1999

Shannon Carter grew up idolizing Captain America.  Unlike most fans, however, she had a closer connection to her hero in the form of her Aunt Sharon Carter, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.  She even found herself being a tourguide in the Avengers Mansion.  She first appeared as American Dream in the pages of A-Next (in Marvel's alternate M2 Universe) alongside Spider-Girl, Thena, and Stinger.  After that series ended, she starred in a solo title, as well as Captain America Corps.  This action figure is the only merchandise ever produced of Shannon (Shocking that there hasn't been a Heroclix or Minimate at least).  It has all the standard pitfalls of 1990's ToyBiz figures (awkward proportions, weird pose, giant accessories, etc), but it's still a pretty fantastic toy.  Her super-iconic costume is recognizable to almost anyone.  Your non-nerdy friends will undoubtedly ask who she is (and if she was in the movie).  Let's check out American Dream in detail below!

Marvel Legends Vintage - THE WASP!

Marvel Legends: Vintage (Toy Biz) Series 02 - The Wasp - Hasbro 2018

I was a little bitter when this figure was announced. I'm a sucker for classic impractical costumes and I thought for sure the rumored vintage series Wasp would be her red and black helmeted original Avengers costume. But instead we got this obscure blue outfit that she only wore in two issues in the early 2000s. I'm fairly certain the only reason fans really love it is because this was intended to be a variant in the 2006 Marvel Legends MODOK wave. That variant was never released, so she instantly became a holy grail for most collectors. Personally, I couldn't stand female Marvel Legends figure back then. They were gangly and awkward and I always found them so disappointing. So, I literally viewed the cancelled variant as one less sub-par figure to be tempted by. My opinions are pretty harsh, but at the same time I am a little jealous of the enthusiasm everyone else seems to have for their ToyBiz nostalgia. But in the end, this figure ended up looking so great that I don't even have to pretend. Let's check her out below!

Miraculous Ladybug - QUEEN BEE!

Miraculous Ladybug Action Figures: Wave 04 - Queen Bee - Bandai 2018

I love Bumblebee-themed characters. I even did a week-long series of bee-lady reviews back in 2014 leading up to the release of Sweet Bee. There's something about the yellow and black color palette that I find very appealing (with the inexplicable exception of team colors in sports... on a jersey I hate this color combo). The occasional wings and stinger added to the look is just an added bonus. Something I find enjoyable about Miraculous is how the same human characters assume different costumed identities throughout the series. Chloe is Marinette's nemesis and has appeared in Ladybug's outfit, a color-swapped version named Anti-bug, then this Queen Bee costume (which I think is her most iconic look), followed by a color-swapped version Queen Wasp. Marinette's best friend, Alya, has been Lady Wi-Fi, Rena Rouge, and Rena Rage. And Marinette herself has been a number of characters, most notably Ladybug, Lady Noire, and Multimouse. I love this system. Let's check out Queen Bee below!

Avengers: United They Stand - WASP!

The Avengers: United They Stand - Series 01 - Wasp - ToyBiz 1999

Avengers: United They Stand was a very short-lived animated series from 1999. It lasted only 13 episodes, but it the first time that the Avengers were featured in their own series. It was essentially the Avengers version of X-Men the Animated Series. They had made previous appearances in X-Men, Iron Man, and Spider-Man, but for the most part the Avengers were unknown to the general public and the show was not a success. With only 13 episodes, I'm totally going to find it on YouTube and binge it all. It will be interesting to see how the earliest non-comic representation of Marvel's super-team was portrayed. The toys they made from the cartoon are pretty awesome. Hawkeye is a dud, but most are pretty sweet. I've always liked this Wasp figure and definitely thought it was way nicer than the first Marvel Legends Wasp from 2006. There is going to be a film titled Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018 so I'm curious to see how popular the character gets.  Let's check out this 1999 figure below!