Invincible was one of those comics that by the time it’d reached 24 issues, my wish list for figures was already closing in on the 50s. As an Image Comics title not put out by Todd McFarlane, Invincible didn’t have that built in toy base to create great figures. And it wasn’t like Hasbro or Mattel were going to alter their Marvel and DC deals to crank out an Invincible line.
Now with the series getting the animation treatment courtesy of an Amazon Prime series, more eyeballs are on the property and now it’s time to revisit that whole let’s make a massive, sprawling Invincible figure line. Based off the first six episodes, I’ve already easily fleshed out three full waves complete with a Build-A-Figure.
A few companies have teased a comprehensive Invincible line with Invincible and Omni Man figures, but I need the full 800 characters from this universe or as reasonably close as possible. OK, I’d settle for a strong seven six figure waves with BAFs.
One of the strengths of the Robert Kirkman/Ryan Ottley and Corey Walker series is the fantastic character designs. Granted to do an Invincible line right the figures need to capture the style of the comic — not a lifelike take on the characters like we see with Star Wars The Black Series figures from the Clone Wars and Rebels.
To keep things semi-reasonable, I decided each wave needs to follow the pattern Mattel originally used with its DC Classics series with the hero/villain/sidekick theme. For Invincible, that’s slightly altered to include a civilian character since they’re actually essential in the series.
And just for giggles in this imagined dream line of mine, let’s get David Vonner back with Mattel to create this 6-inch line. That’s all the build-up, let’s see what I came up with for the first two waves.
Wave 1
Invincible — clearly the title character gets first dibs. We need Mark Grayson’s alter ego to have every bit as much articulation as your standard modern Marvel Legends Spider-Man. For accessories, he can have his space helmet and cell phone.
Omni Man — we get a two for one here, but for the sake of spoilers, I’ll just say getting Mark’s father and superhero mentor is key for the first wave. Accessories: Bag with bloody costume.
Atom Eve — Mark’s closest superhero ally couldn’t miss the first wave and she’s got one of the more colorful outfits to further stand out on the shelf. For her accessories, give Eve a Teen Team poster and energy effects.
Robot — The new leader of the Guardians of the Globe needs a pair of arm weapon attachments along with a Monster Girl human form accessory and maybe a vial of blood.
Debbie Grayson — Sure, the mom of a superhero might not sound super exciting, but Debbie is an integral part of the story. Accessories: videotape, laptop.
Titan —The granite-like adversary Mark faces off with early in his career makes for an easy villain and if our magic figure company is interested, he makes the most sense for a chase figure with his alternate look.
BAF – Monster Girl. Sure there were some villains that would have made for good options here, but Monster Girl is an enduring character in Invincible and it makes sense to pair her in a wave with Robot in her heroic form.
Wave 2
Invincible (battle damaged) — Invincible was an incredibly bloody comic and Mark took his share of beatings so this will be the ripped, shredded and bruised version of our hero.
Rex Splode— the resident jerk/hothead of the Guardians is a loudmouth, but useful in a fight. Accessories: unmasked head sculpt and fireball effects.
Black Samson – The veteran of the new Guardians was a member of the original team until he lost his powers for an extended period of time. Accessories: removable armor.
Dupli-Kate – This is admittedly a shock choice, but she adds another member to the Teen Team with Rex Splode, Robot and Eve while paired with the right segment of the BAF allows for easy army building just like the Marvel Legends Hand Ninja. Accessories: alternate head sculpts.
Cecil – The shadowy government agent who runs the Guardians and the greater superhero community has a distinct look that helps make up for the idea of releasing a guy in a suit. Bonus, his accessory could include an alternate Donald Ferguson head sculpt to double up the government agents from the series.
Mauler — The Mauler Twins are some of the more formidable villains and this is a bit of a cheat way to get both in a wave with some BAF creativity.
BAF – Mauler #2. To work around our budget issues and the likelihood of some collectors buying multiple figures in this wave, we’ll let folks assemble the second twin and give him some extra goodies like a lab coat, glasses and part of a cloning pod in case he loses his twin again.
So that’s just the start of my Invincible lineup. Who would you like to see from the series while sticking with the characters introduced in the show so far to avoid spoilers?
Photo Credit: Amazon Studios