Funko’s Pop! Vinyls have taken the world by storm, with over 8,500 (and counting!) figures of everyone and everything you can imagine. Odds are there’s a Pop! that you’ll love, whether you’re a fan of comics, movies, video games, talk show hosts (Conan O’Brien alone has 29 versions), rappers, or even Filipino fast food mascots. We have quite the collection of rare, unique, and fun figures at Starbase, including a few that are near and dear to my arc reactor.
5. Thanos
Thanos has been one of Marvel’s most formidable villains since his first appearance in The Invincible Iron Man #55 (1973). Josh Brolin’s incredible take on the “Mad Titan” in Infinity War added even more depth to the character. With a more philosophical reason for annihilating half the universe (rather than appeasing his girlfriend, “death”) and a more personal connection with his daughter Gamora, you almost felt for him…almost. Any empathy disappeared at the snap of a finger, along with half of the earth’s mightiest heroes. Thor really should have gone for the head…
4. Venom
Every great hero has an equal, yet opposite villain. Sherlock has Moriarty, Batman has Joker, and our friendly neighborhood web-slinger has Venom. Few characters have as complex and interesting a history as Eddie Brock and the Symbiote. Donny Cates and Ronny Stegman’s new series is exploring this relationship even further on the page, along with Tom Hardy’s portrayal on the silver screen. As sad as we are to see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man leave the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), at least we may now get to see him battle our favorite dual personality.
3. Carnage
Who’s more terrifying than Venom? How about a version with about 90% less skin and 100% more bloodlust! Theatergoers caught a glimpse of Cletus Kasady last year and will hopefully get to see a lot more of him soon. In the meantime, Cates and Stegman’s current run has Carnage and his followers targeting everyone who has ever worn the now-iconic black suit.
2. Astral Form Dr. Strange
The Avengers’ favorite wizard (Tony Stark’s term, not mine) takes out-of-body experiences to a whole new level. While we’ve seen a few characters transported to the Astral Dimension in the MCU (including a quick trip by Bruce Banner in Endgame), no one has wielded its power quite like Stephen Strange. In the movies, he used it to incinerate Lucian Aster with a defibrillator and battle Thanos – unfortunately with a lot less success (See #5). Fun Fact: The very first appearance of the Astral Plane dates back to Strange Tales #110 (1963) when the Fantastic Four defeated a villain named Paste-Pot Pete. Now THAT’S a story for another time…
1. Chief Brody From the Best Movie Ever – JAWS!
Have you ever had a really bad day? I mean the kind of day when you try to close a beach to avoid shark attacks, but get undermined by a snooty elected official. Then you have to: 1. Go after the shark in a fishing boat (that could frankly be a lot larger), 2. Listen to Robert Shaw tell a bunch of creepy war stories, and 3. Almost get eaten alive.
Chief Brody had one of those days. Did he let it get him down? No. He blew up that shark with a scuba tank. Everyone could be a little more like Chief Brody.
Even though my Top 5 are obviously the best choices, I suppose everyone else is also entitled to an opinion. Check out hundreds of figures at Starbase and find favorites of your own!
