Much like formula of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we have made you wait for THANOS, but again, like the MCU, he is finally here. So let’s take a look at the payoff Build-a-Figure for this Avengers: Infinity War Marvel Legends assortment, the Mad Titan himself.
We do not know quite yet if the arrival of Thanos and his Black Order will be worth all of the buildup and all of the hype that has been ramping up over the past several years, but I am pretty sure that, in at least one way or another, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will never be the same. We still have to wait until April 27th for that, but we now know if all of this waiting for a Marvel Legends figure Mr. Infinity Gauntlet is worth buying into a full ML series. While there are some pretty killer figures in this series, the short answer is, maybe? I am kind of torn on this one because there is a lot to like here, but some things could have been handled better.
I know, that last revelation is pretty much par for most action figures these days, and very, very few are without their faults, but sometimes those faults sting just a bit more when they come with a BAF. Now, some of my beefs with this figure are not really the fault of the figure itself, but more so to do with the actual character design, but being completely honest, Thanos is the only S.H. Figuarts purchase I made (well, I got BW, too, but that version does not have an ML offering at this time) from A:IW because I feel that the ML figures cut the snuff well enough for the rest of the crew, but not so much here. I know, that seems like a downer to start with, but let’s consider everything going on with this figure first.
From an overall construction and product quality standpoint, this Thanos is pretty good. He is big, solid, and all of the joints are strong, but retain great range of movement without much restriction from the detents. Thanos is a big boy, and this figure certainly reflects that, and his movie costume is rendered faithfully. As nice as that sounds, that is my first quibble with this figure, and it is not really the fault of the figure itself, because the costume design for Thanos in this movie is just kind of boring. It is not bad or anything, and, for the most part, it retains some comic book styling integrity, but it is just so subdued. I am used to muted tones in movie costumes, but the blue and brown colors are very similar and not at all exciting. The gold is muted, too, and even the Gauntlet itself is not overly eye-catching, even with all of the stones.
Plus, some elements are missing here, and not for the better. The right arm is just kind of bare and out there with nothing really happening in terms of detail or costuming, and where the heck is his helmet? I am going to get into the likeness in a minute, but in terms of design choices, leaving Thanos without his helmet, especially after seeing it in Guardians, is just weird to me. There might be a perfectly good explanation for it, and maybe all of the scenes and products are being withheld due to a reveal, but for this movie design of Thanos, I think he REALLY needs his dome cover. The good news is that that, for what is here, there is a lot of sculpted detail that looks nice, if not overly exciting, and everything looks to be rendered faithfully (for better or worse) to the screen. I still wish the damned gems were brighter and more noticeable; they are, after all, like the whole point here. All six are present, so we will finally find out about the Soul Stone, and I really hope Vision doesn’t meet his demise.
Now, about that likeness… it has some goods and some bads, too. First, from a sculpting standpoint, I think it does a good job of capturing the look of MCU Thanos. Overall, Thanos’s movie likeness is pretty close to the comics, with his chin being a big part of that. The thing is that, without the helmet, the look is just thrown off for me. Yes, I have seen all of the memes and pictures likening him to a California Raisin, and while I don’t really think it is that extreme, it remains an interesting choice. But again, that is not the fault of the figure, really, so it will just take some getting used to for me, and likely others as well. Where the figure itself kind of misfires for me is in the expression and with the paint job on the eyes. I think I see what they are going for with the expression: an egotistical and confident smirk for staring down you (assumedly) inferior enemies, but in the end, it just kind of looks like he is happy. Thanos should not be happy.
That happiness look is just exacerbated by the paint work on the eyes. In plain sight, it almost looks as though the eyes are in the process of rolling back, or at least looking up for some reason. Thanos is a big dude, and he towers over most of the Avengers (save for Hulk, and maybe Ant Man) so if anything, he should be looking DOWN on his rivals. I hate to say it, but for me, this really does throw the entire look off for this figure. The eyes and smile just aren’t doing it for me, and even with the rest of the figure making a pretty good effort overall, I am struggling to get past it. Am I being too harsh? Maybe I am, but I HATE having to be because I want all of my action figures to be good. The combination of overall character design and a couple of execution miscues have me waiting out the SHF release.
Like all figures, your personal thoughts on this MCU Thanos will likely vary from mine, and that is cool, but they cannot all be winners. As I said, from an execution standpoint, everything from the neck down is pretty good, but the eyes and mouth shape are unconvincing for the most dangerous threat the MCU Avengers have faced yet. Hopefully the character design will be more impressive onscreen, and even more, Thanos needs to get his helmet going in the movie, he just doesn’t look right without it.
Remember, since he is a BaF, you will need this whole series to complete him, so pick it up at BBTS or Dorkside now.
