Marvel Legends - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

The Marvels - Totally Awesome Hulk BaF - Captain Marvel - Hasbro 2023

I'm really excited ot see The Marvels in the next few days. I haven't made specific plans yet, but I'll definitely be seeing it in the theatre. While my most anticipated part is honestly going to be the further development of Monica Rambeau in the MCU, I'm also looking forward to seeing Carol grow into a more well-rounded character. I feel like our MCU exposure to Carol so far has always been in unique circumstances and also rather early on in her superhero life. I like Carol best in the comics when she's doing some classic superhero'ing (not necessarily saving the universe or learning about her powers). And I think The Marvels will give us more of the funny quippy Carol that I love. I was pretty unhappy with the unmasked Brie Larson headsculpts from the 2019 movie figures, and for a while I thought she likely had a likeness that just didn't translate well into plastic. But this figure is pretty great. The updated face scan and the Photo Real face printing is pretty impressive. Let's check out Carol below!

Marvel Legends - MONICA RAMBEAU!

Marvel Legends - Totally Awesome Hulk - Photon (The Marvels) - Hasbro 2023

The thing about The Marvels that excites me most is the further development of Monica Rambeau in the MCU. Ever since we met her mother Maria (and a young Monica) in Captain Marvel (2019), I was hoping for her full inclusion into the MCU. And by 2021, I got my wish as she appeared in WandaVision on Disney+. Initially she was unpowered and I thought she might remain a military character through S.H.I.E.L.D., but by the end of the series she had gained powers and I knew she was on her way. The upcoming film The Marvels stars Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau... apparently as Photon. When Monica was introduced in 1982, she was Captain Marvel. The first female Captain Marvel actually, as Carol had only gone by Ms. Marvel and Binary by that point and Mar-vell had only died 6 months earlier, who was the only Captain Marvel before Monica. Since then, Monica has used several code names including Puslar, Spectrum, and Photon. 

Marvel Legends - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel Legends - Secret Wars 2-Pack - Capt Marvel vs Dr Doom - Hasbro 2023

When Marvel Legends released their Firestar figure back in 2021, I had to reassess my top most wanted figure. Angelica had been my top choice for so long that I was truly lost. But I soon settled on a classic Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel. I've always loved this costume. Even though the disco era in popular culture was past its prime by the early 80s, a lot of comic characters introduced around this time still had a certain disco vibe. And Monica's billowing sleeves, swashbuckler boots, and perfect afro hairstyle definitely fit the bill. As a young comic reader I never read a single issue with her in it. However, she was on a ton of covers and promotional material related to the Marvel 25th Anniversary and Secret Wars, so her image is infused in my youth. I didn't get to know the character until much later in NextWave and Marvel Divas. But the 2019 Captain Marvel: Monica Rambeau TPB that reprinted her early appearances reinvigorated my love of her original suit. This figure is perfect. Let's check her out below!

POP Funko - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel POP! Covers #03 - Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) - Funko 2022

One of the most visually iconic characters of the 1980s to me was Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel. I admit I don't think I actually read any of her stories back then, but I would see her on comic covers and was always intrigued. In a world of bright colorful costumes that were getting more detailed and complex every year (culminating in the 90's explosion of pouches and warpaint), this character stood out for having a stark black and white costume with a simple but striking design. Her legacy has endured and thankfully her roles in Captain Marvel, WandaVision, and the upcoming Marvels is finally making her a household name. I only hope she gets suited up in some version of her classic costume. This Funko Pop was very unexpected but very very welcome. It was my first Funko Comic Covers purchase and it came with a few surprises (which I will detail below) but I am ecstatic to add her to my collection. And maybe this will prompt a Marvel Legends figure soon. Let's check her out below!

Marvel Legends - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel The Infinity Saga - Avengers: Endgame - Captain Marvel - Hasbro 2021

I really disliked Captain Marvel's appearance in Avengers: Endgame. The color blocking of her outfit had the red and blue swapped, much like the suit Mar-Vell wore in the comics. While I always liked this coloring on the male costume, I didn't look right on Carol. Then the hair. I really really dislike this haircut. It looks like they intended to create her cool shaved-side fauxhawk look, but wussed out and gave her a mom 'do. It also stayed way too styled and coifed during the battle (no helmet-hair at all). It actually made me laugh in the middle of that awesome battle scene, which was a shame. But then this toy was announced and I decided, what the hell? The face sculpt is significantly improved over the Captain Marvel Movie wave. And the hair looks way more natural in plastic than it did on screen (that's a first!). Plus the maskless look makes me appreciate the color-blocking of the suit more than I expected. Overall it's a surprisingly great addition to my MCU collection. Let's check out Carol below!

Marvel Toybox - GHOST-SPIDER!

Toybox - Marvel Action Figures #24 Ghost-Spider - Disney Store Exc - 2020

I must admit that Disney's Toybox line has really been impressing me lately. When they first started rolling out back in 2017, I had pretty low expectations for character selection and overall quality. My first purchase was a Star Wars Rey who, at the time, was an overproduced character with chunky articulation and an odd face sculpt. I still loved the figure and I was still intrigued by the line, but I couldn't say I was necessarily excited. However, the next three years would see a steady (but slow) flow of new characters across a handful of licenses (Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and NBX). And the quality has steadily improved. The face sculpts alone are getting better and better - at least for Marvel and Star Wars (the recent Bo Peep looked creepy imo). Spider-Gwen aka Ghost-Spider was a character I knew would eventually come to the line, and she does not disappoint. She has a great sculpt and her sturdy build and articulation create undeniable sense of playability. Let's check out Ghost-Spider below!

Basic Series - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel Comics 9.5" Basic Series Assortment - Captain Marvel - Hasbro 2019

One of my favorite things to collect in recent years are limited articulation figures. Describing these can be difficult, because they aren't knockoffs, and they aren't "basic" figures like we see in Target to support a superhero movie. Instead, these are branded items (this one is from Hasbro) that often re-use sculpted details from the collector lines, but they have extremely limited articulation and a low price point (usually $3.99-$9.99 depending on scale). These are produced for discount markets like Family Dollar and Big Lots, but often show up in grocery stores and Wal-Mart checkout lines. Historically they have been a 6" scale, but recently there has been a shift to 9". What I love about collecting these is that they are a true challenge. They are rarely announced, they have sporadic distribution, they don't have a consistent name, and all this is quadrupled for the female characters. This Captain Marvel hit stores in the 2019 Holiday season, but I was unaware of her existence until a reader emailed me last month.

Marvel Select - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel Select - Captain Marvel (MCU Red Version) - Diamond Select Toys 2019

I think the Carol Danvers Captain Marvel suit is one of the coolest modern costume upgrades in a long time. I love how it has all the features of the original Mar-Vell's design, blends it with the classic Ms. Marvel look, then gives it modern edge with a more techy helmet and mohawk. And I also think it's one of the most successful looks to be translated into the live-action universe. It's often hard to tell if a product is representing the comic or MCU style. when we received the Marvel Select Starforce Captain Marvel in her green suit last year, I think we all knew this classic-colored re-issue was inevitable. I was considering skipping this purchase due to sheer repetition in my collection, but when I saw her in person (in the Disney Store) I found her hard to resist. I figure it won't be long until we get a slew of products featuring her Avengers Endgame design (which I think it the same costume sculpt, just different coloring and a bad haircut). I already predict I will cave and buy more. Let's check out Carol below!

Marvel Titan Hero Series - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel's Avengers - Titan Hero Series: Blast Gear - Captain Marvel - Hasbro 2019

I predict this is going to be a fun year for 12" action figures. With new lines like Jazwares' Fortnite and Spinmaster's DC Universe, we know there will be a handful of new ladies popping up (Hopefully a few from Wonder Woman 1984 as well). Then the Marvel Titan Hero Series will likely continue with MCU figures for Black Widow, The Eternals, and maybe even Doctor Strange and Thor. But I'd be lying if I said my favorite figures weren't the comic-based ones. And those are the figures that tend to really sneak up on you without much advance warning. This comic-style Captain Marvel has been a long time coming. While it is actually a weird blend of comic and movie styles, the coloring and headsculpt definitely put her in the comic category in my opinion (the head is a pantographed comic-style Marvel Legends head after all). Pictures of this figure popped up on Instagram and I found her in a store the following week. Hopefully Hasbro has more sneaky releases like this coming! Let's check out captain Marvel below!

Super Hero Adventures - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel - Playskool Heroes Mega Mighties - Captain Marvel - Hasbro 2019

Playskool has been such a disappointing company since Marvel Super Hero Squad era fizzled out a decade ago. They've managed to release only a handful of female characters since then. Their Star Wars line has the most with two Reys, Phasma, Rose, and Enfys Nest.. yes, only five. The Marvel line has two different Black Widow sculpts and a Spider-Gwen. The fact that Gamora, Hela, Scarlet Witch, or Captain Marvel haven't been included yet are sinful (I didn't list Wasp because I still have hopes they'll released the cancelled figure). But in the past two weeks I've found two surprise female additions to the oversized Mega Mighties line. These figures are 10" tall with 6 points of articulation at $9.99 price point. I must admit I wasn't always sold on these figures, but these ladies are kind of winning over (only kind of). They're still big and weird to me, but I still found myself excitedly googling to see if there was a Spider-Gwen coming (I don't think there is). It's going to be a slippery slope. Let's check out Carol below!

Marvel Toybox - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Toybox - Marvel Action Figures #18 Captain Marvel - Disney Store Exclusive - 2019

The Disney Store exclusive Toybox line is really on a roll these day. When the line launched just a little under two years ago, I had high hopes, but low expectations. The first female offering was Rey from Star Wars and I had mixed feelings. The scale, articulation, and overall quality was great, but the face looked creepy.  Thankfully two years later all the faces now look great, and the character selection has been exciting. This Captain Marvel is my 5th figure so far, and I hope there will be many more. (I skipped all the Disney ladies: Jessie, Minnie, Bo Peep, and Incredibles). I like how this Carol Danvers figure is a blend of her comic, MCU, and Disney Infinity designs. Hopefully future figures will be the same (Gamora? Valkyrie? Scarlet Witch? Pepper Potts as Rescue?) I kind of like how the new figures are kept a secret until pictures are leaked just a few weeks before they hit the stores. Really keeps us collectors on our toes and reminds me of the old toy hunting days. Let's check out Captain Marvel below!

Marvel Select - CAPTAIN MARVEL (STARFORCE)!

Marvel Select - Captain Marvel (Movie) Starforce - Diamond Select Toys 2019

The Marvel Select line from DST has had an amazing year. This Starforce Captain Marvel marks the fourth Marvel Select female in 9 months. And I only hope the momentum continues. There's potential for so many more great figures. I know we're very likely to see a new Storm and Black Widow next, but I have hopes for so many more. This Starforce Captain Marvel figure is terrific. She's articulated beautifully and the sculpt is great. The only downfall is the unmasked head has pretty lackluster paint apps and looks almost nothing like Brie Larson. This same issue existed the with Marvel Legends figure from Hasbro. Maybe she has a tricky face to scan or a unique color palette that has to be precise to look right, but either way the problem seems to be consistent across multiple product lines. Luckily (for me at least), I could care less about unmasked alternate heads. If a character has a mask or helmet, that's always the way I will want to display her. And Carol's masked head is perfect. Let's check her out below!

Marvel Legends - CAPTAIN MARVEL (BINARY)!

Marvel Legends - Captain Marvel (Binary Form) - Walmart Exc - Hasbro 2019

It's been a really long time since I've been completely underwhelmed by a Marvel Legends release. I wasn't a huge fan of the unmasked Carol head from the the standard Captain Marvel from earlier this year. (For some reason it missed the mark and looked almost nothing like Brie Larson). Then this Walmart exclusive Binary version comes along and really features that unmasked head sculpt. Plus I normally love translucent effects (especially fiery orange ones), but I honestly feel the final result of this figure is just weak. The translucent effects don't read as that dynamic (and are just re-purposed effects from other figures) and her exposed neck is completely distracting to me. It doesn't help that the comic version of Binary is insanely awesome. This figure would be amazing if she were entirely translucent, or at least had some crazy (original) power effects.. trailing from her eyes.. a figure stand of energy flowing from her hands and feet (to be re-used on FireStar of course).. I have so many ideas. Let's check her out!

Basic Series CAPTAIN MARVEL(S)!

Avengers Endgame - Basic S01 (Single & 2-Packs) - Captain Marvel - Hasbro 2019

I'm loving the trend of quality basic series figures tying in to all the blockbuster movies lately. It wasn't too long ago when Hasbro's answer to this market was a thousand multicolored Iron Man shelfwarmers. Batman had the same representation and I always got depressed by the sight of those unimaginitive toy aisles. But now we get diverse characters, very decent sculpts, and impressive articulation (especially for the price point). Just like the Titan Hero Series figure I posted on earlier this week, I was upset when the Captain Marvel movie didn't get the full action figure treatment in all scales. But I had a hunch she would get representation in the Avengers Endgame products, and I was right. Better than right, because she got both a standard and powered-up version. And I'm especially excited because I predict several more figures in the line. The Rescue prototypes were leaked a long time ago, but I'm also hoping for Valkyrie and Nebula. I'll bet we see surprise product hitting the shelves soon after the movie comes out.

Marvel Titan Hero Series - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Avengers Endgame - Titan Hero Series: PowerFX - Captain Marvel - Hasbro 2019

I was really upset when all the Captain Marvel movie product was revealed and there were no Titan Hero Series 12" figures made. I feel like almost every MCU movie has had at least one token figure made.  But I knew we'd get one eventually so I was patient. And sure enough a few weeks later this figure was leaked. I'm beginning to think that Brie Larson didn't ever have her head scanned by Hasbro. In comparison to the super-high standards of actor likenesses exhibited in the past few years, the Captain Marvel products look nothing like Brie. They still look really good, albeit like a random person. I'm hoping we see a helmeted Titan figure and a green Starforce variation eventually. I also hope they do away with the new forearm port that is debuting with these Endgame figures. Titan figures have always had ports on their back to activate the backpack voice chips in their accessories. But these new figures have bulky secondary ports on their forearms and I think they seem awkward. Let's check out Carol below!

Marvel Legends - CAPTAIN MARVEL (STARFORCE)!

Marvel Legends - Captain Marvel (& Minn-Erva) Starforce - Target - Hasbro 2019

I'm very excited to see the Captain Marvel movie this week. Beyond the fact that we'll be a seeing a kickass female superhero take center stage, I'm now super intrigued to see how her blue-skinned Starforce teammate, Minn-Erva, is portrayed. I actually just learned about this character this week. I have some fuzzy memories of her on a cover of Quasar when I was a kid, but mostly she's brand-new to me. She was introudced around the same time as Carol's Ms. Marvel debut, but she was a villain to the male Captain Marvel. I'm guessing that Carol's Starforce teammates will be unhappy with her defecting to become and Earth hero. And I'm really looking forward to that conflict. This Target-Exclusive Starforce Captain Marvel comes with an assortment of accessories to make a Minn-Erva. Kudos to Hasbro for this collector-friendly bonus. The leaked Endgame 2-pack with pieces to make 5 characters shows a continuation of this trend and I couldn't be more excited (C'mon New Mutants! Hellion! Original X-Men!).

Marvel Legends - CAPTAIN MARVEL (Movie)!

Marvel Legends Kree Sentry Series - Captain Marvel (Helmeted) - Hasbro 2019

I'm very excited about the Captain Marvel movie. When I was a kid I was obsessed with the comic Spidey Super Stories. In issue #22 I was first exposed to Carol Danvers as Ms. Marvel and I just thought she was fantastic. As I grew older I realized how dated her costume and hair were, but I still loved her. Her black thonged Warbird outfit made me cringe so I ignored her as a modern character for decades. But then in 2012, she took on the iconic mantle of Captain Marvel and finally fulfilled her destiny. Suddenly her costume lacked both a bare midriff and thong, and predictably she looked better than ever. I always thought it was interesting that the after-thought female version of an established male character has become more popular and long-lasting than the original. There are tons of gender-swapped heroes like this, but none has surpassed her predecessor quite like Carol. I'm so happy that this movie will launch her into the public eye in such a spectacular fashion. Let's check out Captain Marvel below!

Late 2017 Collection of MARVEL MINI-MATES!

Marvel Mini-Mates Series 72, TRU 24, and Walgreens Wave 5-7 - DST 2017

Photographing small toys is a bit cumbersome for me. My photo tent is set up for 6 inch figures, so when it comes to the little guys I have to construct a stage of sorts to ensure they're properly lit. So out of laziness I tend to pile up a bunch of tiny figures and photograph them all at once. Mini-mates are a prime example of that. This post will collect all the Mini-mates I've picked up since May (when the Guardians of the Galaxy waves hit). Included will be Spiral, Hela, Gwenpool, Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel, Black Cat, Proxima Midnight, Spider-girl (Petra Parker), Medusa, and White Tiger. Diamond Select Toys really haven't been skimping with character selection. It seems like every couple months there is some heavy-hitter heroine on the shelves. Plus I love having yet another reason to stalk all my Walgreens stores. I hope Mini-mates last a long long time and I will keep buying them as long as they keep this level of character diversity up. Let's check out this newest batch of Mini-mate ladies below!

Rock Candy - WOMEN OF MARVEL!

Rock Candy - Capt. Marvel, Thor, Spider-Gwen, She-Hulk, Mystique - Funko 2016

I've had this group of Marvel Rock Candy figures forever but have been delaying posting them out of sheer laziness. I'm really impressed with this line overall and I'm so glad to see it growing in leaps and bounds. It seems like every few weeks there's a new announcement, and I'm already finding myself being very selective with my purchases. If I manage to find the exclusive Gwenpool and Red She-Hulk Rock Candys in the next few weeks I'll want to post on them right away and I didn't want to be caught too far behind with this first Marvel wave. The Rock Candy line started a little over a year ago with a DC Wave and was followed up several months later with this first batch of Marvel figures. I was a little bummed when I realized that, yet again, the Marvel figures must be bobble-heads. But I found that by jamming some tissue up in the head you can make it stay still in a normal position and overall I'm very happy with this group. (I'm still shocked there wasn't a Masked Captain Marvel variant though). Let's check them out!

Funko POP Marvel - CAPTAIN MARVEL (Masked)!

Marvel POP! #154 - Captain Marvel (Masked) - GTS Exclusive - Funko 2016

I was very nervous that I wouldn't be able to get my hands on this Pop when she was announced earlier this year. I had never heard of GTS and it seemed like direct retail orders for this exclusive wouldn't be offered. GTS is a distribution company that focuses on gaming and sports cards but luckily they also seem to distribute to a fair number of comic shops. I found mine at MidtownComics in Manhattan back in August (and they had a ton). Carol Danvers as the new Captain Marvel is one of my favorite character revamps of all time. They finally gave this tough, militant, and powerful woman a costume and title that befits her status. No more thongs or bare midriffs while saving the planet. I can't believe it took so long. I'm excited to see what the 2019 solo film will do to this character's popularity. I'm hoping we end up getting toys of all the historical incarnations of Carol - especially her first appearance and Binary looks. Only time will tell. Let's check out this exclusive Masked Captain Marvel Pop below!