Welcome to Flashback Friday! Each Friday I’ll be bringing you a brand new article on a related Pop or Dorbz that’s connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anything film or television related is fair game. I’ll be doing a short review going over the design and costume and then moving on to my thoughts on the piece and series. Today I will be discussing the Marvel Pop Figure numbered 01. This Pop is none other than the God of Thunder himself, Thor.
Thor 01 is very significant for a few reasons. It’s the first Marvel Pop Figure ever released. It’s the first Marvel Cinematic Universe related Pop coming from the Thor film that was released in 2011 and produced by Marvel Studios. Lastly, it’s number one out of the current 260 Marvel Pops which include all of the variants as of this writing. Who would have thought when this was released 5 years ago that today we’d have 260 unique Marvel Pop Figures and counting? It’s amazing when you think about it.
Let’s jump right into the costume design. Thor is sporting the same red cape from the film and looks quite good. The suit and body armor resemble the costume from the film fairly well. The sleeves look great but when you get to the wrist area I’m not sure why the pieces are painted black. They are silver if you compare an image from the film to the figure. Seems like a really odd choice from the designers. The chest piece looks fine but the two silver circles near the abdomen are way too small. I think the helmet is the biggest issue I have with the figure. The color should have been a bit darker and the top portion on each side of the helmet should have swung out a bit more similar to the helmeted Thor Pop from the second film. Overall it’s a solid but underwhelming first attempt. Thor Pop Figures that have been released for Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron look much closer to the character from the films.
The Thor series only includes two Pops. Thor is number 01 and Loki is 02. It’s a shame that this series only includes two figures because there are so many memorable characters and fan favorites from the film. I’m not sure if there were character rights issues at the time but I would’ve loved to see Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Heimdall, Odin, and Lady Sif. It would also be sweet if there was a 6” Frost Giant or Destroyer. Again, the Thor line would benefit from Funko going back and adding a few new figures to fill the series out.
If you’re looking to add Thor to your collection it will be challenging. He was released way back in 2011 so it’s very unlikely you’ll find it sitting around in comic shops for original retail price. I can’t find anywhere that says he’s been vaulted so that should be a plus. If you’re looking to purchase the first ever Marvel Pop he averages about $120 on eBay. You should check out our Facebook Group page which can be found here https://www.facebook.com/groups/funkopopvinyltrade/ and see if someone is selling it cheaper or perhaps work out a trade.
Please join me next Friday for another flashback.
Matt Norris