Morbius is not completely new to the action figure world, but I’m going to go ahead and proclaim this one the best version that’s ever been made. I know that’s a bit like a sighted man winning a game of Pictionary against some blind dudes, but here we are.
Morbius had a previous action-feature-afflicted figure back in the original Spider-Man Classics line. If you have one and haven’t looked at him in a while, I’d be surprised if you can contain your scream of terror if you decide to go look at him now. Mine is decidedly unpretty due to the magical melting plastic used for its face. But I don’t think I’ll have the same problem with this iteration of the character.
Morbius has had a decent career in the comics. He’s been one part tragic villain, one part reluctant hero. He had a decent run of stories in the ’70s, joined some random groups, killed a lot of people, and yet keeps going. He’s also got a great name. If your name is Morbius, you’re not going to be farting rainbows. It’s like if your name is Jeeves, you’re going to be a butler. Just accept it.
Morbius is a very basic figure. I’ve noticed that calling a figure “basic” nowadays can be construed as an insult because people seem to want unique sculpts for every character. Many are lamenting the constant use of the Bucky Cap body, which Morbius utilizes. I’m in the extreme opposite camp. I love knowing that I’ll be getting a consistency of quality when a familiar body type is used. I don’t really think of it as “paying for repaints”; I think of it as paying for certainty. The only area of articulation that I’d like to see improved in a lot of the bodies Hasbro currently uses is the lateral spread — which would also be a great name for a rock band. This body, as well as the thinner Spider-Man body, don’t have the clearance that I’d prefer in those areas.
Morbius only comes with a single set of hands, the clawed Black Panther hands. Of all the choices, those are perfect as they are the most expressive for his particular situation, although I would have loved to have gotten a set of fists for him as well. I know, I know, standard complaint.
As far as paint, Morbius is plain black with dirty white skin on his arms, hands and upper chest. His red belt is painted on. He has a collar attached made out of a flexible material that doesn’t interfere with his head motion. I look at that collar and all I can see is Destro. And then all I can think of is Hasbro using this figure to tease us all with the 6-inch Joes we’re not getting. You bastards.
He comes with a pair of capes: relaxed and dramatic. The dramatic cape only works if you have his arms in one position, for floating, flying or attacking. It’s not a perfect solution for capes like this that are supposed to move with the arms, but some things are harder to translate from the printed page to 3D. The relaxed cape is going to be the default cape for lounging around or stalking and so forth. Both plug easily into the hole in his back and stay on without issue.
Since the body is without much ornamentation, the head has to bear the burden of all the extra interest in the figure, and this is a sculpt full of personality. Morbius is a blood-sucker, and this is a pale, creepy, evocative sculpt that looks like he’s about to sink his teeth into an unsuspecting victim. He’s got pointy ears and just the hint of a snout — although I’d like to have seen a bit more stumpiness in the nose. His red eyes are rimmed with black, which makes them stand out all the more. The teeth on mine are even painted well. All of this adds up to a disturbing head sculpt that looks like it popped right off one of those larger format comic magazines of the ’70s.
Morbius has had a number of decent upgrades to his look, from his “Midnight Sons” years to some of his current appearances, all of which look great, but it’s nice to get a great looking version of his classic costume and to fill yet another spider-villain niche. He never drinks … wine.
The Absorbing Man series featuring Morbius is in stock at Big Bad Toy Store. You can order a case with just the 7 figures needed to build Absorbing Man, or buy the case with an extra Ben Reilly Spider-Man for an extra five dollars