It always seemed possible that we’d get another toy of Val Kilmer as Batman someday. Though Batman Forever isn’t as popular as some of the other Bat-films (I mean, we love it), Kilmer himself generally gets high marks for his brooding, sometimes distracted Bruce Wayne. But never did I suspect that we’d get a good John Wesley Shipp Flash action figure based on the 1990 TV series, beyond the cheap, likeness-free Toy Biz version that came out at the time, and featured a pull-back motorized platform which usually toppled over.
Mattel is bringing these into their DC Multiverse line, but as special “Signature Collection” figures with alternate hands, display base with both foot pegs and “flight stand” for dynamic poses, and backdrops featuring the original actors. Big Bad Toy Store has Batman and the Flash up for pre-order at $52.99 per set or $24.99 for just Batman; catalog leaks have revealed that a Lynda Carter Wonder Woman will be next.
The Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman movies have never really gotten the comprehensive toy lines they deserved, as the first two movies relied on modified Kenner Super Powers figures, and Batman and Robin‘s toy designs didn’t match the final product especially well. So there’s a wealth of potential there, though you shouldn’t expect a Jack Nicholson Joker any time soon, as his likeness is so famously costly at the moment that only Hot Toys has met his price.
But the willingness to do the Flash, from a show fondly remembered but canceled after one season, opens up a whole new realm. Could we get a Dick Durock Swamp Thing? A Shaquille O’Neal Steel? Tilda Swinton from the Keanu Reeves Constantine movie? Nuclear Man?
It’s presumably all fair game, so long as the fans keep buying them. What live-action DC character from the past would you bring back in toy form? Comment below, and let the world know.
Images: Mattel
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