4000+ characters in the Marvel Universe. 5000+ in DC. There will never be action figures of all of them. Sure, most of us can probably do without the Red Bee and the Torpedo. But there are some very worthy characters out there that have somehow managed to never have a figure. The ten most worthy after the jump.
Mego’s World’s Greatest Super Heroes. Marvel Legends. Super Powers. Every Man of a Certain Age has a particular comic book action figure line that’s closest to his heart. Over the years, there have been innumerable different lines made by countless different companies. They’ve come in every size from 3” to 16”. They’ve been super poseable and…not so super poseable. There have been one-time only, limited edition commemorative figures, and figure lines that produced hundreds of unique characters.
Some of the most famous heroes, such as Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man, have had enough different figures made of them to fill a room. And fans have been fortunate enough to see even the most obscure characters come to life in three-dimensions. Howard the Duck? Killer Moth? Savage Dragon? All covered.
But for all that, there are still a few characters that have somehow never once been made into an action figure. Never! Ever! What follows are the top ten most worthy of a figure, that have never yet had one. Ever!
#10 THE STAR SPANGLED KID
The Star Spangled Kid’s history begins way back in 1941. He headlined his own title, Star Spangled Comics and starred alongside the other Seven Soldiers of Victory in Leading Comics. He returned in the 70s to join the Justice Society of America, the All Star Squadron and inherit Starman’s Cosmic Rod. He then went on to found Infinity Inc. before finally being killed by Solomon Grundy. With a career spanning multiple eras and teams, and a highly “toy-etic” costume, it’s surprising that he’s never once had a figure.
#9 MARVELMAN
In 1953 when Fawcett Publications ceased producing Captain Marvel comics, publishers in the UK kept him going- as Marvelman. The books weren’t half bad really, and he had a quite respectable run as England’s most popular superhero for nearly a decade. But Marvelman’s legacy didn’t end there. In 1982, Alan Moore plucked him out of retirement, and a new chapter in comic book history was begun. Moore’s Watchmen and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman are credited with helping take comic book respectability to a whole new level. But it could be argued that both had their origins in Marvelman. Certainly the darkly deconstructed Michael Moran is a precursor to Moore’s take on the Charlton characters of Watchmen. And while Gaiman took over the Miracleman (name changed for the U.S., naturally) title at Eclipse at roughly the same time he was writing his seminal Sandman for Vertigo, there’s little question that each book influenced the other.
The complicated rights having recently been secured by Marvel Comics, it was teased that there may be a 2010 SDCC exclusive Marvelman action figure. But as ComicCon draws nearer and there has been no official word, it looks unlikely to happen. Nevertheless, Marvelman’s long and important history should make him a prime candidate for his first ever action figure. Heck, bring on the entire Marvelman family!
#8 MONICA RAMBEAU
Ms. Rambeau has gone by several aliases over the years (Captain Marvel, Photon, Pulsar) but whatever name you know her by, you know that she’s a more than significant character in the Marvel pantheon. A long-standing member of the Avengers, at one point she was even the team’s leader- the first non-founding member since Captain America to serve in that capacity. Indeed, it was during that time that she took part in the milestone epics Secret Wars and Under Siege. With her service in the Avengers, Nextwave, and in various adventures on Earth and in the cosmos, Monica has been a fixture in the Marvel Universe for nearly 30 years. A recent rendition as a “Mini-Mate” not withstanding, it’s a crime that Ms. Rambeau has never had a proper action figure.
#7 CEREBUS THE AARDVARK
What began as a parody, ended up changing the entire comic book industry. The longest running comic by a single creative team in history, Cerebus broke down barriers in the realms of self-publishing, creator rights, and the way publishers deal with distributors. Oh, and it also happened to be one heck of a book. Cerebus the Aardvark is one of the most iconic and seminal characters in comic history to never have an action figure. And just think of all the cool accessories he could have!
#6 HELLCAT
If longevity and sustainability count for anything, it’s hard to beat Patsy Walker. Patsy saw continuous publication at Timely/Atlas/Marvel Comics in one title or another (or sometimes several) from 1944 all the way up to 1967. Not even Captain America can make that claim! After some brief downtime, it wasn’t long before she was back on the scene, this time as the super heroine Hellcat. As Hellcat, she became an important member of the Defenders, and fought alongside the Avengers and numerous other heroes. After a brief period of being dead (be fair- who hasn’t died at one time or another?) she’s back up and about as one of Marvel’s premiere heroines. Meow.
#5 TIME TRAPPER
If you can explain the history and continuity of the Time Trapper, you’re a better fan than most of the rest of us. He might be Superman. Or he might be an alternate version of Cosmic Boy. Or he might be a ten year old girl. I have no idea. What I do know is that the history and continuity of this Legion of Superheroes adversary is essentially the history and continuity of the entire DC Universe. He’s been meddling with heroes, timelines, and reality itself for at least four decades – possibly more depending on how you interpret his confusing comic history. He’s been right at the heart of the two biggest “retcons” in DC’s history: Post-Crisis Superman and the Final Crisis reset. And yet he’s never had a figure. Oh, and he was once defeated by Gleek. True story.
#4 MASTERMIND
As popular as all things X-Men are, how is it that this guy has never seen plastic? In the 1990’s, amid a deluge of X-Men product, ToyBiz made figures of everyone from Shatterstar to Bonebreaker. But no love for Mastermind. Why is he so deserving, you ask? You mean aside from being the only member of Magneto’s original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (a team including such stalwarts as Toad, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch) to never have a figure? That’s not enough? Well, he is also responsible for turning Jean Grey into the Dark Phoenix, thereby kicking off one of, if not THE, most famous storylines in comic book history. Yeah, I think he deserves an action figure.
#3 CRYSTAL
The Inhumans were one of Jack Kirby’s milestone achievements at Marvel. While several Inhumans have seen life as action figures, by some oversight Crystal- perhaps the most notable Inhuman of all- has not. A member of the Inhumans’ Royal Family, her forbidden love with the Human Torch made for a wonderful, enduring Romeo & Juliet romance. Eventually the Inhumans made nice with humanity and Crystal became the first person outside of the original founders to serve as an official member of the Fantastic Four (while the Invisible Girl was on maternity leave). If that weren’t enough, she went on to become a long-standing member of the Avengers as well. And while she never became an official member of the X-Men, she was married to the mutant Quicksilver and that’s close enough for the Marvel Trifecta in my book. I should also mention that she and Quicksilver begat the first mixed race Inhuman child; a milestone in the Marvel Universe, indeed. I’d say she’s more than earned her day in the toy aisle. And would it be too much to ask that she come packaged with her pet dog Lockjaw?
#2 JOHNNY THUNDER
The Justice Society of America was the first ever superhero team. Without the JSA, there would be no Justice League, Fantastic Four, X-Men or Super Friends. Needless to say, every single charter member of the JSA has been rendered as an action figure at some point. All that is, except one. Johnny Thunder is that notable exception. Even if he did join the team by crashing their first meeting, is that an excuse for his glaring figure omission? When you’re talking legacies, it doesn’t get much richer than Johnny’s. He’s been running with the big boys since before WWII, playing a role in numerous “Crises” (…on Earth 1, Earth, 2, Earth 3, Multiple Earths, Infinite Earths, etc). Need we mention that his all-powerful, genie-like Thunderbolt is a mandatory accessory?
#1 RICK JONES
Toy companies may be reticent to produce “civilian” characters without an active tie to a major motion picture. But Rick Jones is much more than a dude in a t-shirt and jeans. He’s responsible for Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk, and the formation of the Avengers. Without Rick Jones, Marvel Studios has no tent-pole for 2012. He’s been trained in combat by Captain America. He’s played “Billy Batson” to Captain Mar-Vell and single-handedly ended the Kree-Skrull War. He even hung out with Rom the Spaceknight. You show me a Marvel Comics character without an important tie to Rick Jones, and I’ll show you Razorback. There is simply no other character with as much comic book street cred that has never had an action figure. Someone really needs to get on that.