At retail, civilian characters are a hard sell, no matter how a toy company might try and skew them. While the humans might be considered the “main characters” in a line like Jurassic World, its the dinosaurs everybody really wants to play with. Even in lines that could absorb the odd civilian (G.I. Joe or Transformers) rarely bother, and furthermore, there doesn’t seem to be any fan demand there. Ah, but Marvel Legends collectors are a different lot.
Often these collectors are invested in the Marvel characters due to previous exposure to comic books or cartoons and are not only familiar with the good guys and bad guys, but all of the supporting players as well. As such, there’s a sense of incompleteness when it comes to their toy shelves. Can you really have a Spider-Man shelf without his lady-love Mary Jane Watson? Can you truly rock a Hulk display without General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross? And what kind of mad world do we live in where our Howard the Duck figures are forced to live without Beverly?
In the Beginning…
In the beginning there was Mego, and it was good. Y’see, while the company never specifically offered any civilians for their superheroes to save, there were enough other lines being produced at the time that an industrious kid could put together a decent little group of onlookers/witnesses/victims. There were Mego or Mego-like figures for Happy Days, the Dukes of Hazzard, SWAT, Starsky & Hutch, etc.. Furthermore, you could swap regular street clothes onto Planet of the Apes Astronauts or the Star Trek crew and have them join the crowd. Ultimately it was much easier to fake a “normal guy” like Rick Jones than key characters like Daredevil or Doctor Doom, neither of whom received Mego figures.
The next few Marvel lines offered diddly-squat when it came to Regular Joes. It wasn’t until 1994’s Spider-Man: the Animated Series line that collectors finally got their first fleeting taste of Marvel civilians, with a special 2-pack of Spider-Man and Mary Jane, later to be repainted and offered in a holiday-themed set. Oh, and there was a J. Jonah Jameson head packed in with the Chameleon, so we’ll count MJ twice and say 2 1/2 civilians total. A few years after, Aunt May was offered in the 8-inch Famous Covers line, but there’s no fire in Hell hot enough to purge her evil.
In 2002, ToyBiz’s Spider-Man movie line provided collectors with both J. Jonah Jameson and Mary Jane Watson, as well as a non-Goblin version of Norman Osborn. Three uncostumed characters in a Marvel line? It was too good to be true and ToyBiz seriously backed off on “regular people” after this. Marvel Legends wouldn’t revisit the civilian population again until the Hasbro SDCC exclusive Stan Lee in 2007. This means, in toy terms, the Marvel Universe is more than 99 percent super-human characters. Imagine how hard it must be to get insurance.
The Usual Suspects
With the release of the Chameleon, Marvel Legends collectors finally have a non-movie version of J. Jonah Jameson to display. Unfortunately, having the only other person in your social circle being a guy that hates you more than cancer means Spidey is in serious need of some companionship. Interestingly enough, Gwen Stacey will beat Mary Jane to Spidey’s side thanks to her powering up as Spider-Gwen (Ugh). As this figure will come with an alternate unmasked head, industrious customizers are no doubt readying green micro-skirted bodies as we speak. As far as seeing characters like Joe Roberts, Ben Urich, and Betty Brant goes, you’d have to sell your wife to Mephisto to get ’em. Other than (maybe) Mary Jane, the future looks dim for Web-head’s supporting cast.
Rick Jones has certainly earned a figure. He’s been around since the dawn of the Marvel age and has been a key player in such pivotal events as the birth of the Hulk and the Kree-Skrull War. He’s palled around with the Hulk, Captain America, the Avengers, and even ROM. For a time, Rick shared a weird dual existence with the Kree Captian, Mar-Vell. Later, he became a full-blown hero of his own when he absorbed a mess of gamma radiation, turned blue, and started calling himself A-Bomb. His iconic jeans and leather jacket look would be the way to go, but the classicist in me wants to see his Teen Brigade-era gear:
Yeah, cool it, man! At least long enough for Hasbro to get us a “Thunderbolt” Ross figure. With the character playing a significant role in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, now is the perfect time to deliver the gruff, no-nonsense General who also occasionally turns into a big, red rage monster.
Civilians have always been a big part of Stark Industries. Where would Tony be without right-hand man Harold “Happy” Hogan and gal Friday Virgina “Pepper” Potts? Dead in his office mere inches from an electrical outlet, that’s where! And while a movie version of Pepper in Rescue Armor is set to be offered through the Marvel Comics digital subscription service, the chances of getting a classic version are remote, which is tough for Tony. Hey, a man cannot live by outlet alone.
Jarvis the Butler may have been made obsolete by his robotic proxy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but longtime comic fans remember how great ol’ Jarv was. Whether tending to Thor’s goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, updating the Mansion’s security protocols, or just having his head beaten in by Mister Hyde, Jarvis was an indispensable part of Avengers operations. So what if he’s a portly, balding dude in a tight-fitting suit? Doesn’t he deserve something for his years of service? And what about poor old Jane Foster? How long is she going to get the short end of the mallet? And what about Foggy Nelson? Amadeus Cho? Millie the Model…!
So Who Is Gonna BUY All This Crap?
So let’s pretend Hasbro pulled the trigger and actually produced this dream wave of civilians. Who would be in line to buy them? Okay, it’s you and me and that guy back there. Is your hand up, sir? What’s that? You just want to know where the restroom is? Just down the hall; follow your nose. Okay, so that’s two of us. And while I understate for the purposes of comedy, you get the idea. The market just isn’t big enough to support civilian characters. Even the line’s most ardent supporters would be on the fence if it came to committing $120+ to something like this. There are newer and sexier things coming along every day, and they’re sure not Peter Gyrich, Wyatt Wingfoot, and furshlugginer Irving Forbush! We’ve gone past the curve, folks — the already-tenuous collector base has eroded to the point where Hasbro would be flushing money down the toilet making these figures. The answer is clear — get powers or get lost!
In Closing
So yeah, there’s pretty much no chance Hasbro will ever make any of these characters, other than Mary Jane. But if you really have your heart set on building the civilian sector of your Marvel Legends display, creativity may be your best option. Invest some time and research in finding out just what “normal” figures have been released in the past 10 years. Lines like Buffy the Vampire-Slayer were choc-full of regular-looking people — well, maybe not their heads, but that’s where customizing comes in. With a little bit of practice you can bypass Hasbro and make that Beverly figure for your Howard the Duck figure yourself. Check out the Fwoosh customizing forum for tutorials, tips, and ideas for growing your collection. Now get out of here before I sick Aunt May on you.
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