MeatHookGekko
Super Freak
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2007
- Messages
- 2,399
- Reaction score
- 1,693
Black Panther / Wakanda Forever
Captain Marvel/The Marvels
Dr Strange / DS-MOM
Shang Chi
The Eternals
Figures that have close to no accessories. Inflated price points due to the cost of licensing plus spiraling worldwide inflation plus (while this is going to sound odd here) the growing worldwide fuel/diesel crisis.
Also The Big Mouse is hard driven to wipe out all guns from their IPs. They can't do it everywhere ( they can't just disarm The Punisher now) but they'll neuter as much as they can. Also the kid friend/family friendly mandate in the major films requires non cool simplistic overly colorful uniforms that just aren't appealing to many adult collectors. And the hard ESG push everywhere means more female characters/figures when, let's be honest, historically in the figure/collectibles market as such, female figures generally don't sell as well.
Let me run a hypothetical by you for a second. Let's say Shang Chi was a police officer, and he was on the SWAT team, and the beginning of the film had a major action sequence and a shootout. He fails at some level. Then he finds the Ten Rings, but he can't really control it, but he can make it a power source, so he puts it into a motorcycle that can transform into a mech armor system. ( I'm literally stealing from the 80s here, which is Robotech/Genesis Climber Mospeada) So now he's got some laser guns, shoulder mounted rocket systems and a bad ass motorcycle.
I recognize that doesn't fit into canon. However what I've done is basically "McFarlane" the hell out of the Shang Chi concept. I can sell a SWAT figure. I can sell a transforming motorcycle mech, and maybe have him fight some middle weight Kaiju type enemies. I can't sell a guy with no guns with an outfit that makes him look like a failed backup KPop dancer played by an irritating actor with no real star power and isn't bright enough to stay off social media. Not at an ever increasing price point.
Disney is trying to make the MCU turn into Toy Story. I LOVED the original Toy Story. Even up to the third film, there was a lot of heart and real development in those Toy Story characters. And it was a merchandising machine. However we aren't even getting another Toy Story. We are getting a mediocre generic copycat of something trying at being Toy Story and failing at it. Todd McFarlane is an exhausting self promoting narcissist. But he understands toys. He understands the collectibles market. He understands merchandising. Sometimes he fails. But most of the time, he "gets it"
The collector base for our side of the hobby is predominantly male. You need things that appeals to guys. Disney demands that we all succumb and be the epitome of weeping Beta males and to be consumers as such. Well it just doesn't work. Sorry, I'm just not spending my weekends getting excited at going to various farmer's markets between Soul Cycle classes and trying to perfect making the best Sunday Funday brunch themed crepes.
Someone will say, "Are you saying you want The Eternals to all have pulse rifles, mech armor and shoulder mounted rocket launchers?"
Yes. And so does an 8 year old. And so does the average collecting 45 year old with disposable income still in his prime earning years.
