I remember the character was included in the Lego Marvel Super Heroes games, was featured in the last two iterations of Avengers cartoons that aired and even showed up in Super Hero Squad.
Those were all a decade or more ago when Ike Perlmutter was the head of everything, but now it's Feige. There is no way any of that gets made today, or even five years ago.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 features Man-Ape, and was released in 2017. The four episodes of Avengers Assemble he appeared in originally aired between October 2018 - February 2019.
I forgot that Ike Perlmutter was still head of everything except Marvel Studios until 2019--that was the year Feige took over all of Marvel. So my assertion that they wouldn't have used Man-Ape five years ago is wrong, but I can't see Feige--or almost any other future CEO--allowing it.
Note that I'm not implying Ike Perlmutter is racist. I've never seen evidence of that, and in general I like that guy and what he did at Marvel. I thought many of his ideas when he ran Marvel Studios--particularly the Marvel Creative Committee--were good ideas, even if they didn't pan out. But he's old school and wasn't as sensitive to PC issues as most modern executives. He's also the guy responsible for Toy Biz along with Avi Arad, so as much as I wasn't as thrilled with their fingerprints on Marvel films they both still did a ton of good work during their times leading Marvel.
I think most of us here understand the ugly history and (potential) racist connotations of the character, which is why it's being discussed. But the movies DO make the association to the ape theme in a very explicit way - they are known as the gorilla tribe, they wear gorilla furs/skins, and they grunt and make ape noises. They obviously had confidence in adapting the character to the screen and keeping these explicit associations, and it worked! People loved it, and as TSI notes Winston Duke has become a household name (in part) because of the role.
Great point. I now recall noticing that when I saw Black Panther in the theatre, but I haven't rewatched it and forgot about that. It's a subtly great solution for not likening the character to an ape while still paying homage to the original association between M'Baku's tribe and their association with one of my most powerfully interesting animals on the planet.
Cool mods and photos! Seeing him with the trenchcoat made me realize I've really warmed up to the vest look, though.
Hey, speaking of Blade, did anyone ever figure out what the hell that thing that attaches to his thigh is? That is still plaguing my mind to this day.
@vwbeetle I think it might be an extended stock for when you assemble both pistols into rifle mode but I'm not 100% sure because I haven't found a reliable way to put in on yet.
@shinigami-customs I thought it looked like a stock too, but I also couldn't figure out a way to attach it. Plus, the big peg sticking out makes me think that's probably not for that. Hmm.
Edit: Also, what the hell... I never realized that the two guns attach to each other. It looks kinda silly but that's a fun hidden feature. I'm guessing the thigh thing just slides on the flat part of the back gun, but it feels too tight and looks kinda janky.
Maybe MSWord will be able to shed some light on that mystery then.
???
Photo is correct. I believe there were ultimately some manufacturing hiccups, so it may not slot together as well as it should, but that was the idea.
Today is the first day of NY Toy Fair, but the booth doesn't open to press until tomorrow. So tomorrow night, you can expect to see a pic of the new X-Men figure, I think. Not sure about Annihilus, but maybe him, too.
Photo is correct. I believe there were ultimately some manufacturing hiccups, so it may not slot together as well as it should, but that was the idea.
I'm really happy to have this mystery solved after all of this time even if I'll probably never display it like that. It's a really fascinating hidden feature but it ultimately just looks like two handguns attached to each other. Still, I appreciate the creativity and want to give props to whoever is coming up with clever ideas like this to give us more options without exceeding the budget.
Can't wait for the NYTF photos.
Today is the first day of NY Toy Fair, but the booth doesn't open to press until tomorrow. So tomorrow night, you can expect to see a pic of the new X-Men figure, I think. Not sure about Annihilus, but maybe him, too.
ooh I hope we can see Annihilus!
Whoa, wasn’t expecting that! He does look incredible. I hope they’re committing to the Jim Lee era. Been wanting a Cyclops since the classic one came out so mediocre. We’ve got Colossus and Iceman from the gold team, so at least Storm and Jean need to be made, Bishop too.
He looks really great.Can't wait see more images.
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