McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Wonder Woman - Dark Knights: Death Metal

 As the Earth is enveloped by the Dark Multiverse, everything is transformed into a hellish landscape. Many heroes are captured or killed. Wonder Woman forges a new weapon made of her lasso and invisible jet to create a Chainsaw of Truth (I did not make this up!). The chainsaw radiates Anti-Crisis energy (I feel very lost in these comics sometimes), and with it, she is able to go toe to toe with The Batman Who Laughs and his Dark Knights. 

This is a pretty awesome look for Wonder Woman. I love the armour, the helmet piece, and even the strange chainsaw! And can we talk about the cool blue hair?? Amazing. The figure, despite having heels, stands fairly well as they are pretty wide and solid. The sculpt and paint are great here, and the articulation is better than the others in Death Metal. The articulation range is pretty unhindered for the most part. This is a good figure! 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Superman - Dark Knights: Death Metal

In the Dark Knights: Death Metal storyline, Perpetua is freed from her prison and takes over the Multiverse. Many DC heroes are locked up in New Apokolips, Superman being one of them. As Wonderwoman comes to rescue him, she finds him changed. The Dark Father has imprisoned him to power the sun, whilst using the Anti-Life equation to weaken him. Normally Superman is resistant, but with a constant drain on his powers, while being used as a human battery, he is vulnerable. It isn't explained very well, but it seems he has absorbed or taken over by the Anti-Life equation, making his arm undergo some metamorphosis. 

This changed version of Superman only lasts for the comic run, at which point the multiverse is restarted, kicking off the ending and the Future State storyline. I do like his design and rocker aesthetic that goes well with Death Metal Batman and Wonder Woman. I do think that because of some missed paint areas and a head that is perhaps too unSuperman looking, he is the weakest figure in the Dark Father set. It's a mix of just off painting and sculpting with it kind of not being impressive enough on its own. I'll be honest, I wouldn't have bought this. My main reason is I wanted 3 out of 4 of the wave and figured one more would allow me to build the figure, which, might as well if you only need another couple of pieces to complete! 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Robin King - Dark Knights: Metal

 Yet another Bruce Wayne of the Dark Multiverse is Robin King. Even though I've read the comics and have done some cursory searching, there's no listed Earth negative number for him, but basically, imagine if Bruce had been homicidal as a kid. In this story, Bruce stabs the mugger in the alley, THEN kills his parents with the mugger's gone! Sounds like there were lots of red flags before this...so....yikes!

Hearing a robin chirp at his parent's funeral, he took that as a delusional sign of joy, and eventually became a leader of youths who would overthrow the old order of power. He would lead them and become the Robin King, and eventually when Perpetua executes her plan with the Batman-Who-Laughs to take over the Multiverse, would be in charge of the Crow Robins. 

This figure looks pretty neat. I like the face application and general design. I think that's the big draw for me to all the Dark Metal figures: how they capture a dark, corrupted alternate version of Batman with a quick backstory and a sweet aesthetic design. Being a smaller figure, they've gone the route of their other scaled-down figures of having slightly fewer points and poseability. His one, in particular, is kinda rubbery-overlay feeling many places, and the ankles are difficult to balance despite the large boot size. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse The Drowned - Dark Knights: Metal

 

Bryce Wayne was born to Martin Wayne on Earth - 11. Like the Batmans before, her father was shot by criminals. After rogue Metahumans killed her lover, Sylvester Kyle, Bryce went about killing every metahuman as revenge. The ruler of Atlantis in this world, Aquawoman, proposed a peace treaty that proved to be unreliable and resulted in an attack. Bryce responded by killing the Queen and taking the trident to eventually lead a surface army to defeat the Atlanteans. In retaliation for the Queen's death, the Atlanteans drowned Gotham and a good part of the world. In order to win the desperate war, Bryce modified her body to adapt Atlantean features such as hydrokinesis, fast healing and breathing underwater. She defeated the Atlantean empire, drowning the world. Becoming The Drowned, she was soon met by the Batman-Who-Laughs who proposed his multiversal scheme. Side note, shouldn't she be The Drowner? Anyway, onto the figure review!

As with all the Dark Metal designs I really love The Drowned character design. It's a mix of dark green, gray flesh of an undead person with the attire of a pirate and the cybernetic eye of a cyborg? Anyway, all put together it's cool. Here's a quick breakdown of the figure's merits!

McFarlane Toys Geralt of Rivia - Witcher 3 Video game (Kaer Morhen Armor)

 

Geralt is the legendary monster hunter protagonist of the Witcher book series and games. Witchers, for those unfamiliar, are magically mutated and highly trained monster hunters whose primary goals in life are to mercenary out their services in the practice of their craft. As the main character of the franchise, he is rough around the edges and brooding. He is also sympathetic and helpful (for some coins!). The game itself made him seem a lot more in touch with humanity than the books or other media make him seem. He carries two swords; his regular steel sword and his silver sword for monster slaying (many seem vulnerable to silver in this universe). Witchers have also undergone deadly trials of poisonous mutagens that give them enhanced strength, speed, and agility. Their eyes have mutated to be able to see well at night, and they are able to use rudimentary magic called signs.

This figure version of Geralt is wearing the standard armour he starts with out of Kaer Morhen, the training location of the School of the Wolf. They did fairly well for the sculpt and details here. The face isn't perfect to the game, being a bit of a soft sculpt for the contours of the jaw and cheeks. The articulation holds up fairly well with parts of the body being a rubbery overlay. I don't super like how when that is done, the figure barely crunches forward or back at all. He strikes a pose very well and has good reach with his arms for a double-handed sword grab or a sword draw. The only other thing I wish is that the swords were better painted. They're alright, but the blade itself starts to look somewhat like translucent plastic in the right light instead of solidly painted steel or silver colour. 

McFarlane Toys Eredin - Witcher 3 Video game

 

Eredin Breacc Glas AKA Sparrowhawk is the fearsome leader of the Wild Hunt in the appropriately titled Witcher 3: Wild Hunt video game by CD Projekt Red. It was a fantastic game, and I think I liked the two DLC's Blood and Wine and Heart of Stone as much as the original game story content. ANYWAY, Eredin is an elf who by succession becomes the leader of the wild hunt, whose original objective was to raid villages and take humans as slaves for the elves. Over time, they lose the ability to use gates to travel to different worlds. The only way to quickly travel again was to use Elder Blood, present in the mysterious Cirri, adopted by Geralt the Witcher. This said, Eredin for the main villain gets the LEAST screentime I've ever seen, not that it isn't impactful or ominous...but it's very little. 

This figure is a great representation of Eredin, full of great armoured textures, with a fantastically sculpted skull helm worn by him in the game. Too bad they never go with an unmasked head but instead save it for extra sales mileage in another figure that is nearly identical. A lot of the armour and parts are surprisingly rubbery, which I wasn't expecting. Even the shin guards! 

4th Annual Top 10 Most Viewed Figures!

 It's a few (*coughs many coughs) months late but I've finally gotten around to the 4th annual most viewed figures! This year I've dived headfirst into the absolute INSANE world that is McFarlane toys in a big way. As in, I've had to really push myself away from not collecting EVERY DC Multiverse toy that came along. Some were easy decisions (often mediocre face sculpts from live-action DC films) and others were tempting but from comic lines, I had never read nor cared a lot about (White Knight, Last Knight on Earth etc). Advance warning this list of 50% McFarlane, 20% import, and 30% older figures I recently got hold of. I did recently get a Spiderman PS4 figure THINKING it was the real thing but sadly it is a knockoff. Maybe one day if I get the real one I'll do another comparison. 

So here are the ten that you liked clicking on! 

NECA TMNT Shredder - 1990 Film

 

In Japan, Oroku Saki was a fierce rival of Hamato Yoshi, competing in just about everything including the love for Tang-Shen. Tang-Shen managed to convince Yoshi to escape to America with her. Seeking revenge for losing to Yoshi again, he follows them to New York and murders Tang Shen in cold blood. He kills Yoshi when he returns home, but his rat manages to attack and leave him scarred before escaping. 

Oroku later adorns himself in bladed metal armour and takes over the Foot clan, a gang of thieves and societal rejects that work together to build Shredder's criminal organization. In the movie the clan is mostly seen shoplifting and doing petty crime so...that's interesting! Not what you'd think a ruthless gang trained in martial arts weaponry would be doing. Eventually, April O'Neil starts discovering evidence of the gang, and only with the intervention of the turtles is the assassination attempt quashed.  

Out of the NECA TMNT I own, this is actually my favourite. Yes, you heard me right, the angry one-dimensional villain figure is my favourite. First of all HIS CAPE. Wow....just so shiny and metallic with a lot of good bendy wire. Secondly, his clothing is also sparkly. Third, all the blades are just perfect. There's a lot more that's great about this figure but easily a favourite of mine.

NECA TMNT Splinter - 1990s Film

Splinter comes into most of the TMNT franchise as the pet rat of the ninja Hamato Yoshi. The rat, Splinter, mimics his master's movements during practice. Later, when Hamato Yoshi fights with Oroku Saki (Later, Shredder). He is murdered, but Splinter escapes from his cage and claws at Saki's face, giving him his scars. Saki slices off Splinter's ear during the fight. Splinter escapes to the sewers of New York. Later a canister falls into the sewers along with four turtles and it mutates all five of them. Splinter names them and trains them in the ninjutsu of his master Hamato Yoshi. 

NECA as usual has done an amazing job of replicating Splinter to top-notch movie accuracy. They did a great job of shading and sculpting each line of fur, claws and bandages. The scale compared to the turtles is great. I'm not a big fan of cloth goods but in this case, it works well. Very tattered and loose-fitting. It's quite easy to remove as well. The ribbon that sinches it together is pretty strange. I would've almost preferred a soft rubber peg-in attachment belt. Overall though, fantastic figure to go along with the turtles! 

NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (All 4) - 1990 Film

 

If you haven't seen the 1990's TMNT live-action movies just stop reading and go watch them all. Right now. I'm serious! They were great and like most properties from before the 2000s, full of nostalgia. I rewatched them on Netflix recently and it's interesting watching those movies when you're older. You start to notice stuff that is just kinda funny...I mean....the kids the Foot clan is using are just doing petty crime! That's hilarious. They're literally stealing toasters and TVs. These days it would be like hardcore gangster violence and high stakes heists. 

NECA does some licenses super well, and they've absolutely KILLED it with the NECA TMNT line. Every figure is so amazingly movie-accurate regardless of the scale. The paint and sculpt is amazing.  I got my second hand so they didn't come with all their accessories, one is misplaced (that is definitely not Donatello's staff) and one of Leo's swords broke in transit. What are you gonna do! 

DC Collectibles Azrael - Arkham City

 There's not a lot to dislike about the character design of Azrael. He's basically a modern-day knight with a massive badass sword. Sometimes his sword is flaming, sometimes his armor is arcane, but it's all cool no matter what. This design from Arkham City didn't make a ton of appearances except as cut scenes/dialogue for a side mission. I've reviewed a bit of his backstory here: Arkham Knight Azrael

This figure is pretty cool. He's got all the classic get-up of Azrael: armor, red suit, and cape (cape flanges?), a scabbard, and his sword. The sword is definitely not as imposing as the Knight version but still well done. This figure isn't as poseable as the Knight figure but still looks great on the shelf. The only design I don't quite get with the Arkham Azrael figures is the hockey mask. It's kinda Jason-y in optics. I always think of Azrael as more a holy avenger that sometimes is in the wrong, sometimes in the right. 

DC Collectibles Robin - Arkham City

I've said it before, but Robin's design in the Arkham games is kinda neat I think. The issue with Robin if you're trying to hide your identity is he only has a domino mask. Not very identity hiding, to be honest. He's got a short cape so it doesn't get in the way of his acrobatics but still hides his profile a bit from the back. He's got his hood up to hide most of his head, and some armoured boots and gauntlets. He has a bit of a side mission in Arkham City where you play as him for a short amount of time in order to rescue Batman. I really enjoyed the mechanics of his extending staff and bullet shield. 

This figure in particular is quite a bit of an articulation loss when it compares to the Mattel Legacy Robin or the Arkham Knight Robin. The paint isn't bad, though they skipped out on some valuable shading. What I don't quite get is he comes with a black, featureless staff. In the game, it is supposed to be dull grey metal, with ridges throughout to indicate the extension capabilities and reinforced nature. This is just....a long piece of black plastic cut to size. Anyway! It's not the worst but if it wasn't for the lot I wouldn't have bothered even though it's my favourite design between his appearances in City, Origin and Arkham Knight.  

DC Collectibles Hush - Arkham City

 As things run rampant in Arkham City, a man matching the description of Bruce Wayne appears to be up and murdering folk. It's up to you on this side mission to find out, and of course, it is Hush. Thomas Elliot is a sociopath and childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. You discover who it is, at which point he manages to escape and you don't really hear much about him until Arkham Knight. He is an exceptionally skilled surgeon who hunts down people who have face parts that match what he needs. Seems like a super elaborate disguise to me! Anyway, his face is usually bandaged in comics for healing from whatever face grafts he has undergone or is about to undergo.  

This figure has all the classic looks of Hush, they didn't really change much. He includes his long coat, armored body look, and two pistols that can be holstered. He's not the worst for articulation, but the range in the knees and elbows is just ok. This figure was also made with clear plastic pegs for the joints, so one arm was broken and had to be repaired with a metal wire and glue. It worked out, just don't look at the inside elbow joint too long! The only thing I would otherwise wish here is that they had included the fake Wayne face with all the suture lines! 

DC Collectibles Batman (Detective Mode) - Arkham City

There's not a ton to say about this Batman I haven't covered in other Arkham Batman reviews. He's a lot like the first Arkham City Batman release (limited articulation, small hands, cape off the shoulders), and similar in articulation to this one: Arkham Asylum Batman Review. This model shows off the Detective Mode that Batman enters in the game that allows you to see through floors, walls, and ceilings. Everything is in a shade of blue, where enemies and traps are n some kinds of orange. It was an important game mechanic that allowed you to track crime scenes and enemies for stealth takedowns. I loved it!  

This one must've been a pretty easy paint job, but the sculpt is nice and I like how shiny the blues are. The only real bonus to owning this one if you already have others like it is the bat gadget he comes with: the REC (Remote electrical charge) gun. It was part of the set lot I ordered, so no loss here! You can still find him pretty cheap (20 CAD or less) in most places like eBay or third-party sites. 

DC Collectibles The Mad Hatter - Arkham City

 

Jervis Tetch is a delusional criminal who believes he is the reincarnation of Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatter. He uses his background in hypnotist to commit crimes, and even has a device in his hat that aids with this (how? No idea). In the game, he is a side mission where Batman has to rescue a woman Tetch has kidnapped and dressed up as his "Alice". Later, Batman fights on a massive clock while battling goons with White Rabbit heads. It's pretty creepy! He also has a Most Wanted DLC mission in Arkham Knight. I like his design, with all the patchwork coat and generally grubby look. He's kind of perfect for who he is! I rarely enjoy appearances by him in comics, shows or films but in this case it was a fun little side story. 

This figure is a pretty good representation though aside the articulation, I wish the hat fit better. He is the Mad Hatter after all! 

DC Collectibles The Penguin - Arkham City

In the Arkham games, The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot), is very similar to what he is in any other media form. He's a short, long-nosed, corrupt little man who runs a black market of weapons and runs the Iceberg lounge as one of his larger business fronts. But this isn't just any game, it's Arkham, so as a design choice, Penguin has a broken bottle stuck in his head instead of a monocle. How quaint! 

The figure is super well done, but the articulation may be one of the worst out of the whole line, tied with The Mad Hatter. I appreciate that they made his top hat out of soft rubbery material so it's less likely to get damaged or fall and chip paint. He's a solid figure though, and looks great with the others! 

DC Collectibles The Riddler - Arkham City

 

The Riddler seems to be one of those villains that are rarely portrayed as a serious threat. He's the king of the B grade villains in the Batman universe; supposedly clever enough to start something, but rarely finish. His catchphrase is pretty well known among geek culture (Riddle me this...), but he's rarely accomplished anything of worth in the comics. There have been a few storylines where the writer has taken the character seriously, and he does create some pretty crazy inventions with very roundabout ways of defeating his enemies and specifically Batman. 

One that actually worked well was in the Telltale video game, Enemy Within. In the Arkhamverse, he really gets around town with his machinations. In the Arkham Asylum game, it's mostly just riddles and collectibles for you to find. In Arkham City, the majority of his appearance involves saving hostages to finally confront him in an end mission. Arkham Knight is the most insane, where he has somehow managed to completely revamp underground tunnels and passageways to make insane races SPECIFICALLY for the Batmobile tank. Like, in real life this would cost BILLIONS of dollars and several companies of crews to design. He does have a more prominent story role though, with capturing Catwoman and putting an explosive collar on her neck so Batman has to solve his riddles and save his burglar friend. This iteration of the Riddler is my favorite in a few ways. I like his suit, it's not over the top, but it's signature enough for him. My favorite is his cane design. It's very nifty looking, and most of his canes are pretty plain and kinda boring in showing the question mark design. 

DC Collectibles Clown Thugs - Batman: Arkham City

 

Nothing makes an Arkham game like random minions that populate a completely empty city, asylum or sector! Not only that, but they colour-match their outfits to the villain they are a member of! It's kind of funny how basically each villain has their own gang that either just roams the streets causing mayhem, or guarding some building with hostages/devices. I was kinda disappointed that we didn't get more villain minions than the two clowns. There were plans I believe to make Arkham Knight Tyger Guards, but they got cancelled and never made it to production. 

That said, these are super well detailed! Not extremely articulate, but the weapons look good and they are menacing enough to make a couple of good vignettes with Batman fighting. For whatever reason, these are generally extremely expensive but I managed to get them in a pretty decent lot of older Arkham figures and NECA movie TMNT figures. 

SH Figuarts Batman - Batman 1989

 

I missed out on the NECA version way back when, and never got into Mezco for their version, so this SH Figuarts one is something I had desired ever since I saw photos last year in March. The 1989 Micheal Keaton Batman is my go-to favourite live-action Batman above all others. I'm not crazy critical when it comes to who plays Batman in film. Even rewatching the Clooney and Val Kilmer, while cringey, isn't so bad when you consider a Batman role really doesn't need a ton of acting chops or flair. I'm sure I'll even enjoy Battison as Batman even though my initial reaction was "really?" to his casting in the solo film. 

What is your favourite live-action Batman? I rank mine like this:

1. Micheal Keaton

2. Christian Bale

3. Ben Affleck

4. Adam West 

5. Val Kilmer

6. George Clooney

7. I haven't seen Robert Lowry, or Pattison yet, but I'm sure when I watch they'll make it in my rankings someday. If this was an animated/cg'ed Batman list, Kevin Conroy would be #1 here. 

The point is, this is top for me! And because it's SH Figuarts, he comes with a ton of good accessories, and I really like all the details. His articulation and balance is great, as are most SH Figuarts I find. The likeness isn't as bad as I thought, and mostly I attribute it to how they did his eyes. It's got a weird shine that makes it look like both eyes aren't looking in the same direction. The other main criticism I have for the figure is the cape. It's a super thick leathery material that doesn't want to do too much. Even how it drapes is kinda off. It does allow some plastic pieces to insert to create his gliding scene, so it's not all bad, but probably the least useful cape aside from hard plastic ones that don't move. 

McFarlane DC Multiverse Batman - Flashpoint

 

In the alternate Flashpoint timeline, (and no this isn't a Dark: Knights Metal character, I know...), Joe Chill actually shoots Bruce, leading Thomas Wayne to seek vengeance on the criminals of Gotham and become Batman. Unlike Batman, he has no qualms about killing. He carries dual pistols and isn't afraid to use the arsenal of his enemies and friends: an amazon sword as well as the scarecrow and poison ivy toxins. 

This Flashpoint Batman is pretty sweet, and I like the style! Point cape shoulders, red eyes, and logo, dual pistols are all great design choices that are well represented here. I noticed that McFarlane recently released an unmasked version with the Amazon sword, which is a clever way I suppose to get people to rebuy the figure. I'd much rather he charge more for a figure and include more stuff (interchangeable hands, the unmasked head, and sword) since all those parts don't take up a ton of room in the package. Oh, capitalism. 

This figure has some pretty good poseability and has a nice, simple colour scheme. I approve of this figure! Look below for some ratings! 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Devastator - Dark Knights: Metal

On Earth -1, the story of Batman progresses, as usual, joining the Justice League and fighting for the safety of Earth from threats. On this Earth though, Superman starts using his power (not sure why) to kill those who stand in the way of the Justice League's mission. He even ends killing Lois (dark!), and Batman seeks to stop him. Superman manages to blow off Batman's kryptonite spear-wielding arm, resulting in Batman using is the dreaded backup plan: The Doomsday virus. Upon ingesting it, he regrows his arm and mutates into a monstrous Doomsday-like creature. As the Devastator, he manages to become the psychopathic monster required to kill Superman, but the virus actually spreads to the rest of the world, killing off humanity rapidly. It's at this time the Batman Who Laughs comes to Earth - 1 to induct him into the Dark Knights. 

This figure is BIG and really heavy! He looks great though, with very decent articulation given his size and bulk. I appreciate the articulated jaw and the sheer monstrousness of his spikes and skin texture. He's a cool addition to the Dark Knights and I can't wait to get my hands on the Drowned for a completed group picture! 

McFarlane DC Multiverse Grim Knight - Dark Knights: Metal

 Here we have another Dark Multiverse alternate Batman! Batman using guns isn't really a new thing, in fact, Detective Comics #27 had Batman use a machine gun at a criminal! The original idea for the character was an inspired pulp hero like The Shadow. Anway! So here as usual Joe Chill kills Batman's parents, but drops the gun while trying to take Martha's pearls. Kid Bruce grabs the gun and kills him. Can't say I blame this one! He later learns all the deadly tricks of combat and in his first year as Batman starts taking down the wealthy elite protecting Gotham's criminals by burning them alive! Hardcore!

He stashes and uses guns he's had all around the city. Needless to say, this Dark Universe builds up with the good characters of the world trying to control his absolute Judge Dredd attitude, and it's about to end when The Batman Who Laughs asks him to join his squad as his second in command on the prime infected world. 

I gotta say, it's all the crazy guns that drew me to this one. It also reminded me of the alternate Batman from the future in Batman Vs Superman. He looks kinda neat all stacked up with guns at the back, weapons everywhere on his moulded belts/bandoliers and the grenade launcher and uzi he comes with. Amazing! His poseability is fairly decent despite the belts getting in the way, and as a plus, though his ankles look oddly chopped up, he's got a solid balance and stance. I like the head sculpt, though sideways it appears a bit bizarre. My one wish is that they had bothered to paint the belt parts and guns....it's all just plain gray-black that isn't very inspiring. I will definitely end up doing this. 

McFarlane DC Multiverse Nightwing (Red Version) - DC Rebirth (Two Pack)

 

So this is from the two-pack with Red Hood. Could I have waited and saved some money just buying the Red Hood single figure that came out later? Yes...what's your point!?!? Haha. Realistically though, the only difference here is all the blue parts are red, and the eyes are also black-outlined red instead of white. Otherwise, it's identical! Still very cool next to Red Hood, and with the Damian Wayne coming out soon, Batfamily 3.0 will be complete! The review for the original figure link is here.

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Red Hood - DC Rebirth (Two Pack)

 I guess I just couldn't wait for the single release because I bought the two-pack of Nightwing (in red) and Red Hood as soon as the Cmd.ca store released it! I wasn't expecting to find or want this one, given I was already pretty pleased with my holy grail figure Red Hood from the Arkham Knight game and the DC Essentials one that really hit the spot. This has just proven to me that dual-wielding pistol characters with sweet helmets will always be a want! 

For anyone that isn't familiar, Red Hood is the anti-hero persona AKA Jason Todd, the second-ever Robin in comics. See my Red Hod review here to read up on his character. 

This is an amazing version of Red Hood. Definitely bulkier on top than the DC Essentials version, and with nicer looking pistols. His head and the blackline to define the helmets seams looks really good. The pistols are a nice scale for the figure, and the posing options are good. The paint is pretty clean although I will say they could've maybe added some wash to his jacket and made his leg braces stand out a bit more. I like that there is more just solid black for the torso to help the red logo stand out more here. 

McFarlane Toys The Merciless (Build-a-Figure) - Dark Knights: Metal

 It is assembled! It was very satisfying putting the figure together since it looks glorious! I think overall it was worth buying Wave 2 just to get this beast in hand. The Merciless is another member of the Dark Knights, led by Batman Who Laughs to give rise to a permanent Dark Multiverse. The Merciless is the dark mirrored reflection of a Batman who assumes the powers of Ares. Bruce Wayne of Earth -12 grows to be Batman in typical fashion. Ares, the God of War, creates a helmet that amplifies his powers a hundredfold. For a couple of years, Wonder Woman and Batman work together to stop him from conquering, falling in love in between. 

In a final conflict, Diana appears dead after being incapacitated by Ares, and Batman takes the helmet and dons it. Gaining incredible strength, magma control, pathokinesis (the ability to inspire rage and a desire to fight), and energy absorption, he kills Ares. He begins believing his old code to be worthless and becomes The Merciless. After awakening, Diana fears what the power will do to Bruce, and tries to remove it. So addicted to the helmet's influence, he kills her as well. He goes on a rampage that involves killing nearly every hero. His fight goes all the way to Themiscara and the Greek Gods. His world is about to end in the Dark Multiverse when Batman Who Laughs appears and recruits him to be part of his Dark Knights. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Dawnbreaker - Dark Knights: Metal

 Bruce Wayne of Earth -32 is pretty similar initially. His parents die, and he sees the murderer, Joe Chill. His emotions leave him and are replaced by a cold void. A green lantern ring finds its way to him, and he uses its powers to find and kill Joe Chill. Now, Green Lantern rings don't usually allow the bearer to create a construct that kills, but Bruce forces his incredible willpower while flooding the ring with his cold emotionless void, breaking that one rule. After killing Jim Gordon for questioning his methods, the Green Lantern Corps comes after him. Then he up and murders them all! Wow. 

Afterward, he enters the Green Lantern Power Battery by shedding his former identity and adopting a Batman type persona after the cave of bats under the manor. As his world is crumbling, The Batman Who Laughs offers he join the Dark Knights in subverting the Multiverse. 

This isn't the first time by a longshot that Batman has had a power ring, but it is easily the evilest version! Change my mind! I like how they captured the figure. His skin is this dusky grey, he's got a mean sneer on his face, and his Green Lantern outfit really pops against the black underlayer. I added a slight black wash to most details to make things stand out more, as I'm finding more and more with these figures they are just missing a little something to make them more interesting. His accessory bats are neat, and his poseability works pretty well, though I wish he could look up more. Any flying character should have a lot more head flexibility.

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Batman Who Laughs with Sky Tyrant Wings (Dark Knights: Metal)

Bringing back the same Batman Who Laughs you know and love (see review here if you missed who the Batman Who Laughs is: Batman Who Laughs review), McFarlane toys made him part of the Build-a-Figure The Merciless because he's a much cooler iteration, and THOSE WINGS THOGH. 

Alright, let's rewind a second. Sky Tyrant is Hawkman of Earth 3 (No, not -3, just 3), where good and evil are reversed. He's of course hella evil and kills to prolong his own life. He actually dies on this Earth, but Hawkman of Prime Earth does end up being infected by The Batman Who Laugh's toxin and unlocks these memories and violent tendencies of his Earth 3 alternate self. He eventually becomes part of the Secret Six alongside other infected heroes. 

The reality is, Batman Who Laughs never actually rips off Carter Hall/Hawkman/Sky Tyrants wings and uses them. That's just a variant cover for Hawkman #18. It is cool though! I like how they mixed up the chest gear and wings for Hawkman into Laughs. The sculpting as usual is both unique in places, amazing, and highly detailed. They really left out some paint here that they would have previously put on though, which I think is a product of Todd rushing through figures as fast as they can be made. Not complaining, but definitely, it's noticeable the product painting is less detailed than usual lately. He comes with the wings, The Merciless head, shoulder pauldrons, blade, and of course the stand and card.

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Robin - Dark Knights: Metal

 

On the homeworld of the Batman-Who-Laughs homeworld, Earth -22, the Joker makes Bruce Wayne relive his trauma by repeatedly killing parents of children and then exposing the children to Joker Venom to turn them into infected orphans in the process. Batman breaks free and kills Joker, only to take in the children to try to find a cure. Eventually, Batman succumbs to his own exposure to the Joker venom and becomes the Batman Who Laughs. These children are the Crow Robins of Earth -22. 

This Robin looks great in many ways. He's got the slightly askew ties for his classic red and yellow robin costume, green fish scale shorts, and overly large green gloves and boots. The face sculpt is great, and it is a random draw as to which of the three Robin heads you get with the figure (grinning, screaming or winky face with open mouth). I love all the sculpted pockmarked arms and legs, the folds of the boots and gloves, and the way everything drapes. I'm not super impressed by the fact his face is a stark white but the rest of his body is a drab gray. It's a bit strange once you look at it long enough. The other thing I'm not fond of is the articulation. If DC Icons can do a Robin much smaller with double joints, what happened to this one? It's also a bit awkward, and unbalanced easily due to the way the knee joints are permanently bent.