Here at Legendary Focus, we present one character that, despite a long, long history in comics, has somehow been denied elevation to Legendary status by achieving that pinnacle of honors: the 6-inch action figure. There are many shocking omissions in the annals of Marvel action-figure history. A previous recipient of Legendary Focus, Thanos, is now on track for getting his own action figure, though it’s in the wrong costume and likely too tall. But still, he’s getting acknowledgment. That’s something.
Today, we take a look at someone with one of the snazzier costumes around: Stingray.
Seriously, look at that. There’s really no way that there could be any improvement there. It has achieved that rare state of perfection in superhero costumes. It’s immediately recognizable, iconic unto itself, and visually striking. The only thing I believe that may be holding it back is the execution of his cape. It’s a very deliberate, unique design that has to be carried out in just the right way, allowing for full flexibility and posability without ruining any playability. I call those the three “bilities.” Or at least I do now.
Stingray as a character has been a perpetual guest star since his late ’60s debut. He has never been an A-lister and has never had his own title, but he’s so recognizable that he’s not a complete unknown either. When he shows up in a comic, he needs no introductions. He’s like Jack of Hearts in that respect, another character with a visually perfect costume that needs his due. With collectors being bafflingly fickle nowadays in what “wows” them, there needs to be characters with that specific shelf appeal quality that Stingray has. This figure would look dynamic in package, and I can’t imagine any collector not wanting him suspended over their display.
Despite his outsider status, Stingray has been both a Defender and an Avenger, though neither for very long. However, among heroes, being an Avenger brings along a certain cache, and with all things Avengers being hot these days, the time is right for an outside-the-box choice like Stingray to make his 6-inch debut. Much like Machine Man, another perpetual guest-star slash Avenger, Stingray would make an ideal surprise entry into some future wave of Avengers-relate figures. He’s a deceptively simple figure: blank body and a regular mask. His cape would require the most new tooling, which would give enough wiggle room for a really knockout cape made of a highly flexible rubber that would allow it to be posed in both neutral and flying poses beautifully. Couple that with a snazzy quasi-metallic paint job and you have the makings for a showpiece.
Stingray resides in that strange middle ground between potentiality and obscurity. He’s by no means obscure, at least to Marvel fans, nor is he someone whose stories you anxiously await. He’s spent the better part of 45 years in this strange limbo, waiting for somebody to really grab hold of the character and turn him into a star. But thankfully, in the action figure world, we’re the authors of a characters fate, and we control just how popular or unpopular a figure is. Stingray could be the star of our shelves. All it takes is a little plastic love, and a little effort on Hasbro’s part. With a costume like that, he deserves it.