POP! Marvel – Black Widow

My Marvel POPs now outnumber my DC ones by a not inconsiderable degree. While once I was happy with just Wolverine, Deadpool and the Silver Surfer, the release of Guardians of the Galaxy last year really cemented my love for Marvel's cinematic universe. A couple of impulse buys later and I suddenly have a near complete set of the Avengers – including the subject of today’s review, Black Widow.

I was never a huge Scarlett Johansson fan prior to her entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but recent films have sold me on her as an actress. Consistently entertaining and never there to act as the helpless bimbo, Scarlet Johansson has turned Black Widow from a B-list comics character into one of the most important supporting roles in the Marvel Universe.

This is actually the second Black Widow POP, as one was released last year to belatedly tie in with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That one was okay, though not amazing. This one is distinct enough to be worth double-dipping, and is also the far better of the two.

Bedecked in her Avengers: Age of Ultron costume and wielding two shock-prods, this is one of the better female POPs out there. The original base body that Funko used for Wonder Woman was okay, but a lot of the others have tended towards too skinny and dainty. This is a good compromise. 

You’ll need to watch the shock prods – I’ve seen some that are quite bent in the box. The other thing I’ve spotted when looking at another was excess plastic hanging down on the neck; this shows up on Marvel POPs from time to time due to their bobble-headed nature, and it can totally ruin their look. Paint is not amazing but it’s certainly of a better standard than many others I own; make sure you check the eyes and the hairline. 

   

Like the Alien, Black Widow comes with a transparent stand to support her. You should be pretty okay to get her standing without it, but it’s nice to have the extra support. I assume the Elisabeth Olsen-based Scarlet Witch will have one too when she arrives.  

It’s good to see Black Widow actually get some associated merchandise. There was virtually none to accompany her starring role in the first Avengers film, and it seems that the fan uproar has won out over the traditional response of “Girl toys don’t sell”. Kudos to Funko for meeting this gap in the market and managing to produce a solid toy while they were at it, rather than a crappy cash-in.