Comparing Mattel's DC Multiverse line to Mcfarlane's part 8

With dozens of more figures coming out every year between new designs, new characters, and updates to classic designs, here is another running down looking at what came before (Mattel's DC offerings on the left side) and comparing them to what modern day has given us (Mcfarlane's DC offerings on the right). So with 10 comparisons to run through, here is my 8th run down of DC action figure's past and present!

(Images Source - unless stated otherwise)

Captain Atom

A very simple design from the comics for toylines to take on, Captain Atom is one of my personal favorite characters in the DC universe and I was thrilled to see an updated version of the character crop up in Mcfarlane's line of 7 inch scale figures. As with the original Mattel figure, Mcfarlane's incorporates a painted on insignia, and both employ a nice metallic look to their figures. Where the Mcfarlane one comes out on top would be articulation advancements of the modern age, along with the inclusion of energy effects!

Catman

(Mattel Catman image source)

Both Catmen are repaints from existing Batman molds, but which one is the better of the two? Both are solid depictions of Thomas Blake, bringing new belts to the mold and the harness around his shoulders. Mcfarlane's has the edge articulation-wise, along with a nicely utilized cloth goods for the cape. Along with that, Mcfarlane's take on the character includes a few more accessories, those being knives which are storable on the figure, and a more impressive pair of hand claws. 

Doomsday

(Mattel Image Source) (Mcfarlane Image Source)

The Doomsday figure we got from Mcfarlane is not an exact match to the design Mattel gave us years ago at the end of their classics run, with Mcfarlane's being based on the Reign of Doomsday title, but the designs are similar enough to compare. Mattel's does a nice job of capturing the classic look of the character from those iconic comics; however, the sculpting detailing of Mcfarlane's makes it more impressive to look at. There is not a massive difference in articulation, but the posable jaw on Mcfarlane's makes the character much more expressive, and the spike detailing feels much more pronounced. Hopefully Mcfarlane eventually applies all this to a truly classic version of Doomsday. 

Batwoman

(Mcfarlane Image Source)

I will firstly give Mattel points for making their Batwoman much more easier to acquire! Mcfarlane releasing their Batwoman in a three pack with two previously released figures (one being a mega-fig at that!) was a frustrating choice. The ultimate figure we got though is great and a near perfect representation of Kate Kane from the comics! The choice of reds are fantastic, I love all the sculpting detail with a stellar headsculpt on top of all that which beats out Mattel's soft-looking release. Mattel's did include an unmasked headsculpt which was a nice bonus, whereas Mcfarlane's came with a mud soaked batarang...

Alan Scott

I could not be more excited to be getting more Justice Society characters in the line, with Alan Scott being a fantastic modern action figure update to what came before! Sporting a new mold in the line, Alan looks great with tons of articulation and sculpting detailing. The headsculpt looks more natural than what Mattel gave us, though both lantern accessories match up in appeal for me. Mattel's figure does include the sculpting detailing for Alan's collar which is notably missing on the newer figure, though my guess is that was omitted to make the mold more accessible for re-use (which we've seen already with Red Tornado). 

Joker (Bank Robber)

(Mattel Image Source)

Mcfarlane has been leaning heavily into the Nolan universe for figure representation ever since the awesome Build-A wave that kicked off 2023. One of the figures released since then has been the bank robber version of Joker from the start of the movie, and right off the bat I'll say that Mcfarlane's suit sculpt easily beats out the tired, stiff suit sculpt that Mattel used for years! The extra hands and headsculpt from Mcfarlane's is nice as well, he is just missing the gun due to Warner Bros' gun ban for figures. The suit's color looks a bit different in different pictures from the movie, but the darker blues look a bit more accurate than the lighter browns of Mattel's release, while Mattel's print for the inner shirt may be ever more slightly cleaner. 

Batman (Sinestro Corps)

There will never be a shortage of Batman figures out there, even when it comes to deep-cut designs such as Batman's short lived Sinestro Corps uniform. As an action figure, I think that Mcfarlane came out better of course with modern articulation and sculpting detail; however, there are choices made with it that I wish they had followed Mattel's example for. A screaming, gnarly headsculpt would've been great, and the belt design is completely off on our new version. Though while the bat construct is a re-used sculpt from their old Dawnbreaker mold, I do think it fits this version of Batman more than the giant batarang from Mattel. 

Justice Buster

Mattel's first Build-A-Figure in their original DC Multiverse line has been recreated by Mcfarlane in their Multiverse line. The Justice Buster from Mcfarlane is one of my favorite Mega-Figs to be released in the line so far, a hulking chunk of a figure that could do with a bit more heft to it, but is still nonetheless a eye catching size on the shelf. Where it beats out Mattel's version would certainly be the painted detailing and choice of plastic that truly makes the figure look like metal, not to mention the increased articulation for such a chunky design. What I do like about Mattel's version is that it includes the shoulder spikes which are oddly absent on Mcfarlane's take.

Joker (Heath Ledger)

(Mattel Image Source)

I've compared Mcfarlane's Heath Ledger Joker to a Mattel version previously, but that was Mattel's original offering for the design which saw an upgrade years later in the short lived Signature Collection from Mattel. This subline actually put out some really nice action figures, including Ledger's Joker which saw hightened articulation, a nice paint scheme, and a flurry of accessories including a set of cards, his knife, and screen accurate weapons. Mcfarlane's Joker came with a pile of money which is neat, but more hand held accessories would have been nice, though Mcfarlane does come a bit closer to capturing Ledger in the head sculpt likeness which this one. 

Bane (Trench Jacket)

(Mattel Image Source) 

Hardy's Bane is one of my all time favorite live action superhero film villains, with his trench jacket look being the iconic look for the character in my mind's eye. When I saw that Mcfarlane was releasing this version of the character as a variant I was beyond excited, though that quickly fizzled when I saw what the final product looked like. The cloth jacket was a novel concept, but is much too puffy and thick on the figure, making it look very doll-like. The action figure itself is a vast improvement over what Mattel's Movie Masters line gave us years ago, but I wish Mcfarlane had taken Mattel's route for this release by sculpting new arms and giving him a plastic jacket overlay.