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. Ronan the Accuser from the Guardians of the Galaxy set is this week’s choice for discussion.
Discussion: I’ll be going over another Pop from the ever popular Guardians of the Galaxy set as we continue the Guardians love leading up to the North American premier of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 which coincidently drops today. I hope everyone seeing the film this weekend have already purchased their tickets because the theaters are going to be packed as Guardians kickoff the summer movie season. I’ll be seeing the film Friday night in IMAX so I might leave a couple quick notes in the comments section. Make sure you stay until the credits are over because there are five mid/end credit scenes.
Ronan was first introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy. Originally, Thanos was using Ronan to get an Infinity Stone but once Ronan had possession of the stone he took it for himself and threatened Thanos which is never a good idea. Ronan is the main villain the Guardians were trying to defeat which of course led to a dance off which is one of the funniest scenes in the film. He was unsurprisingly defeated by the team of misfits and the galaxy was saved…for the time being. I’m not sure if they can bring Ronan back but I’d love to see that happen because I really enjoyed the character. Sadly, Ronan only received one Pop from the set. At this point it’s doubtful we’ll get anymore Ronan Pops unless it’s based off of the comic book version.
I’ve noticed a trend while working on the previous Guardians columns and it continues with this one. The prices of Gamora, Drax, and Ronan have been steadily increasing. I have a feeling and I’m high on believing that it has to do with the imminent release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. New fans and collectors are trying to get their favorite characters from the first film and that’s driving up demand. Ronan has been hovering around $20.00 and I believe it will continue to increase. If you can pick him up for less than $15.00 you’re getting a deal. He was widely released back in 2015 at all major outlets that Pops were available such as Barnes and Noble, GameStop, and Hot Topic. You won’t be able to find Ronan in stores so for those interested please check out our Facebook group here.
Guardians of the Galaxy Set: Ronan is numbered 75 in the set. The set includes 1 Cosmo, 1 Drax, 1 Gamora, 8 Groot, 1 Nebula, 5 Rocket, 1 Ronan, 3 Star-Lord, 2 Thanos, 1 The Collector, and 1 Yondu for a grand total of 25 Pops. The set also had a ton of exclusives including Amazon, Box Lunch, Entertainment Earth, Hot topic, Loot Crate, Previews, SDCC 2014, SDCC 2015, and the Specialty Series. The set really shines with its variety. There’s so many different characters that most people will find at least one Pop they enjoy. Also, having so many different versions of popular characters such as Groot and Rocket probably delighted and annoyed some collectors. Look for the next set to give this number a run for its money while introducing even more exciting characters to the MCU.
Description/Review: Ronan has a black headdress that covers the majority of his head. His skin color is a light pale blue which can be seen on the front of his face and his hands. He’s got what looks like black face paint surrounding the black eyes and going downwards around his mouth. The entire body is clothed in black armor. The chest has red painted streaks that form a diamond. He’s holding a gold colored hammer which he attached the infinity stone which gave the weapon great power. Enough power to destroy Xandar.
I really like the design and paint job for this Pop. It looks like it was pulled right out of the film. If only we could add the Lee Pace voice this Pop would be phenomenal. I don’t have any complaints about Ronan but it would’ve been cool to see the Infinity Stone on the hammer.
What’s next? As far as I know there are no further plans for Ronan. He is not scheduled for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, or either of the upcoming Avengers films. Will he return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? I highly doubt it.
What do you think of Ronan? 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