McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Dark Father - Dark Knights: Death Metal

 

The Dark Father is a Batman from one of the Dark Multiverses that defeated Darkseid and acquired his powers as well as mastery of the Anti-Life equation. He even changed the parademons into pararobins! Interesting. Anyway, he is put in charge of powering the sun or at least making the captured Superman of the new world power it anyway. The Death Metal Batman and Wonderwoman infiltrate...the Sun I guess! and free Superman, who punches Dark Father out into space! Theatrical to say the least. 

This figure isn't what I was looking for, but overall it's not bad. After buying the Death Metal figure line, you assemble all the pieces, and they fit pretty nicely, but not so tight you are worried about disassembling him. He has pretty decent range of motion, especially in the legs. The cape is a bit boring, flat with a peg in piece at the back and front to keep it from flopping everywhere. I do like the cracked skin details and metal look to him, though it's not like, a very strong presentation. I kinda wish he came with his Omega beam gun from the comics and maybe a smirky look instead of the blank look we got, but what are you gonna do?

McFarlane Toys Batcycle - Dark Knights: Death Metal

 

This just an amazing vehicle that I couldn't pass up. I did pass on many of the other McFarlane vehicles, mostly because they don't really fit in my collection vision. I am very tempted by the upcoming Batmobeast, an evil Batman who is a sentient car (this Dark Knights line is so crazy), but it's so huge I wouldn't know where to put it. If I'm going to get a vehicle that big, it'll be an actual Batmobile I'm looking for. 

This one has amazing sculpt details in all the bone textures, the bat face, and the details of the bike parts. It's hard not to criticize some things in my head like "uh, that's not how those bones look...and those shouldn't even be bones!" but I push it aside because it just looks so neat. The bike completes the Death Metal look and makes me want to get the scythe death metal Batman version (probably won't unless there's a sale). The bike has working wheels that are well made, and turn at a swivel point too! 7-inch figures look pretty comfortable on it, but six-inch and true six-inch figures make it look a little too big. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Batman - Dark Knights: Death Metal

 

The Death Metal comics wouldn't be metal without a sweet Batman in a spiked trenchcoat and a crazy scythe guitar, amirite?! This version of Batman only appears as a variant cover for the Death Metal comics. Taking place in the time after Perpetua is freed and the Source Wall falls, he struggles with the other heroes who survive to take back control of the Multiverses. Batman in this verse uses a black lantern ring to resurrect the dead and leads his army of zombies astride his Batcycle to fight the Batman-Who-Laughs. Pretty sweet imagery!

In the comics, he is mostly portrayed holding a scythe while riding a skeletal Batcycle (guess which review is next??), but I couldn't pass up on this version. He is fairly well articulated despite the trenchcoat limitations and obviously, the guitar is hella sweet. They did a pretty decent job of the paint, but once again miss some small areas like the lack of paint on his shoulder jacket spikes. 

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!