Welcome to Flashback Friday: The Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this series you’ll get a discussion and brief review on some of your favorite Pops from the MCU. Here, we really appreciate the shared universe so the figures will come from film, television, and streaming. The Hulk that got hexed from the Avengers: Age of Ultron set is this week’s choice for discussion.
Discussion: Avengers: Age of Ultron was released in North American cinemas in May of 2015 to a massive opening weekend at the worldwide box office. One of the major draws from the trailers was the Hulk fighting Iron Man’s Hulkbuster suit. Of course one of the questions is why is this fight taking place when everyone should be trying to stop Ultron. When watching the film it turns out that Scarlet Witch has put some kind of hex or spell on Bruce Banner which creates an uncontrollable Hulk. This is why Tony sends in the Hulkbuster suit which was created as a failsafe in case the Hulk went off the reservation. Funko gave us the “Savage” Hulk as many people call it. He doesn’t look like the normal Hulk Pops we’re used to seeing. The skin color is pale and the eyes look all wacked out.
There were multiple Hulk Pops in the Age of Ultron set. Besides the “hexed” Hulk that I’m currently discussing there is a normal Hulk and a glow in the dark Hulk. Having three Pops in one set when the movie is full of various characters is a big get. History tells us that when a set has more than two Pops the character is usually featured as the lead character in the movie. It seems that the outliers are the three Hulk in Age of Ultron, three Vision in Age of Ultron, three Crossbones in Civil War, and three Black Panther in Civil War. It would’ve been nice to see a Bruce Banner Pop or even a Bruce and Natasha two-pack. I know I’m not the only one but where is a 6” Hulk Pop? I feel that’s a given that collectors would go crazy for.
This Pop was an exclusive to Hot Topic. If you collect the set or Hulk Pops then this one should definitely be in your collection because it’s so different than what we’re used to seeing. The good news is that if you don’t currently have this Pop you should be able to pick it up at retail cost. Right now, you can get it on Amazon or eBay for under $15.00. Another option is to check out our Facebook group which you can buy, sell, and trade your Funko merchandise. A lot of people enjoy trading so if you’re interested please check out the link right here. I expect over the next few years this Pop will increase in value. I think that Hulk’s part in Thor: Ragnarok will increase his popularity and in turn his Pops will be more sought after.
Discussion/Review: The skin color is very pale even somewhat gray. His hair is a darker shade of green. The forehead sculpt is sloped downward to show his anger. His mouth is wide open with grinning teeth which also exudes anger. Red/orange surrounding the black eyes immediately tells us something isn’t right with our favorite green monster. You can tell that he’s been hexed by Scarlet Witch. His fists are clenched and his body looks tense. He’s definitely ready to attack or destroy something. The classic purple shorts finish off this very unique Pop. I really like this Pop. Comparing it to the onscreen version it’s definitely a lot paler than it needed to be. Hulk still looks fairly similar to the normal Hulk but with red eyes and his veins look to be a bit more extenuated. Overall, it’s a great Pop.
What’s next? Hulk will be very busy coming into the latter half of 2017 and the early portion of 2018. We’ll see him in November for Thor: Ragnarok and he looks to be a big player in that film. He’s already got two Pops for that film on the market and I expect there will be more to come. Hopefully a 6” Pop is on the horizon. In 2018, we should have more Hulk Pops due to the release of Avengers: Infinity War. I’d think by the end of 2018 we’ll probably have at least six or more Hulk variants.
What are your thoughts on Hulk? Sound off in the comments section below.
Would you like to see a specific Pop in a future article? Post your choice 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