Welcome to Flashback Friday: The Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this series you’ll get a review and discussion on some of your favorite Pops and Dorbz from the MCU. Here, we really appreciate the shared universe so the figures will come from film, television, and streaming. Dark Elf from the Thor: The Dark World set is this week’s choice for discussion.
Discussion: What’s interesting about Funko making a Dark Elf Pop is that they didn’t make a Malekith Pop as well. The main villain in Thor: The Dark World who is pretty forgettable didn’t make the cut but a minion more or less is given the Pop treatment. I don’t understand the logic behind the choice but here we have a Dark Elf.
Dark Elves were Malekith’s minions in the Thor: The Dark World film. They really didn’t do anything but they were a minor nuisance to our heroes. It sure seemed like they were easily defeated similar to Ultron’s robots in Age of Ultron and Loki’s army in Avengers. I highly doubt we’ll see the Dark Elves in future MCU films so if you are a fan that’s a bummer and if you’re not a fan you’re welcome. The Dark Elf was released in 2013 which is the same year the film debuted in cinemas worldwide.
I remember seeing this Pop everywhere and it was always stocked on the shelves. You could find this at all of the major stores that carry Pops such as Barnes and Noble, FYE, GameStop, and Hot Topic. Target and Wal-Mart were not as big into supporting Funko as they are right now. I picked mine up at a game store for $8.00 a couple of years ago. They had a ton on display. Since Dark Elf has become vaulted its price has continued to increase which doesn’t surprise me but surprises me at the same time. The character doesn’t seem that popular at least from what’d I’ve heard from several people in the community. However, when a Pop becomes vaulted interest usually increases which is exactly what’s been happening here.
The Dark Elf can easily be a $40.00 – $50.00 Pop if eBay sales continue to increase. It’s steadily been gaining steam over the last couple of years and right now it’s averaging around $25.00. Look for that price to continually increase as more and more collectors are trying to complete sets. Becoming vaulted has definitely increased demand. If you’re looking to buy, sell, or trade you should definitely checkout our Facebook group which can be found here. It’s one of the best places to find what you’re looking for whether its commons or grails.
Thor: The Dark World Set: The set only contains six Pops which is one of the lower MCU sets. The set includes 1 Dark Elf, 2 Loki, and 3 Thor. The three exclusives in the set are from Fugitive Toys, Gemini Collectibles, and Hot Topic. I consider Pops to be in an MCU set when they have the films name on the front of the box. However, some folks think that there’s still 1 Heimdall, 1 Lady Sif, 4 Loki, and 1 Odin that are part of the set. I don’t consider these to be a part of the set because at the top of the box it lists Marvel instead of Thor: The Dark World.
Description/Review: The majority of the face is a cream color. There’s some white hair on top of the head and the ears are covered with what appears to be some form of black armor. Most of the body is black. The chest and abdomen area are the same cream color as the face. It looks like armor but I’m not sure if it’s actually part of the body. The left shoulder is sporting some armor as well as the left hand and wrist. The right arm has a claw like weapon attached to the wrist stretching over the hand.
Overall, I think the Dark Elf Pop looks fairly similar to its film counterpart. This is definitely not a memorable character but they did a decent job on the sculpt and paint. I think a bloody version would’ve looked really cool with the red paint contrasting with the cream color. A battle damaged Dark Elf could have been a nice variant.
What’s next? I wouldn’t expect another appearance of the Dark Elf in the MCU line of Pops. If you like the character then this is probably the only Pop you’ll be able to get. Look for Thor: Ragnarok to shift the focus on the relationship between Thor and Hulk while the film’s events will lead directly into Avengers: Infinity War. Be sure to check out all of the upcoming MCU films. We have three this year for the first time ever and Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters in November.
What do you think of Dark Elf? Sound off in the comments section below.
Would you like to see a specific Pop or Dorbz in a future article? Post your choices in the comments section and you just might see your favorite character “Pop” up in the coming weeks.
Check back next week for another MCU flashback. Excelsior!
Matt Norris