I was completely unaware of this character until I read the Grayson volumes of comics back in 2017. I always loved Nightwing as a character, and this was a sort of new phase of Nightwing's career as an Agent 37. He works for Helena Bertinelli's (Huntress) spy group Spyral, and he encounters Midnighter keeping an eye on Spyral. They initially clash, and later Grayson convinces Midnighter to join him in his fight against a cult group, the Fist of Cain.
But Midnighters story is more or less that of a normal human bioengineered and enhanced with neural implants to give him abilities. He was initially part of a covert group, then transitioned to The Authority, which watches over world governments. He hasn't directly dealt with Batman, but he has with many of the Batfamily. He is usually depicted as a pretty violent, brutal fighter with superhuman speed, resilience, pain control, and strength. He is equipped with a neural implant that allows him to process every possible combat outcome. Basically, if there's a possibility he can win, he will!
The figure is pretty good, and this simple design and colour palette is exactly McFarlane's wheelhouse. I love that he comes with punching hands, but where were those with EVERY Batman figure?!? I also like the batons, but I don't remember him fighting with these; he was just using a bo staff.
Sculpt & Paint: 2/3 It's a pretty basic design, not a ton to talk about here. Nice work on the face painting which I find often key in McFarlane figures because not as much effort is put into the very nicely sculpted details on the rest of the figure. The long jacket is soft enough to move around and is sculpted dynamically. Otherwise fairly plain moulded grey and painted black with a nice Midnighter symbol.
Articulation: 3/3 (30+ points): Decent range of motion in most areas here, even with the coat. Not a ton of forward ab motion due to sculpt but the diaper crotch design is much less noticeable here. Double joints are pretty well done but stiff due to the ratcheting nature. Shoulder pads are well-designed and soft to fit under the jacket when posing and don't get in the way.
Accessories: 1/1 He comes with his fighting sticks (unpainted, not even some dry brushing), and funny enough, extra fist hands! These have been wanted for so many figures for years, especially for Batman, so maybe McFarlane is starting to listen? Who knows. Also the standard card and stand.
Fun Factor: 2/3 You can get this figure in some decent poses and the swooping cape, extra hands and stick weapons help you get some variety out of it. I like it!
Verdict: 8/10 Limited It is very decent McFarlane fare, but I don't know if I hadn't read the Grayson comics if I'd have wanted this one. That said I love having it in the collection, and I hope they release an Apollo figure at some point as well to make the complete duo!
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| Decent face paint here, a little grainy |
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| Excellent swoosh |
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