“I know you seek vengeance as much as I do.”
The first curated releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe outside of the main Legends waves came in 2018. The ‘First Ten Years’ sets marked the 10th Anniversary of the MCU and went on to fill several gaps in our collections with figures like Red Skull, Yellow Jacket, Crossbones, and more. The series was then renamed the 80th Anniversary series in 2019 and here, alongside comic book releases, we saw more new releases including Skurge, Ghost, and Peggy Carter. 2020's releases saw a switch to the Fox movies and a set of releases celebrating both the original X-Men movies and Deadpool. And then finally in 2021, these annual releases evolved again into the Infinity Saga collection, a series of figures celebrating the first three phases of the MCU and including a mix of re-releases, and new characters such as Quicksilver, Odin, and Obadiah Stane.
The Infinity Saga would go on to skip 2022 but returned in 2023 with a set of 8 figures from the first full arc of the MCU. The packaging’s square box shape is consistent with all the movie releases dating back to 2018, while the design for the Infinity Saga established in 2021 is continued with a black window box, reflective side artwork - which is the same on every released - and the use of the movie logo on the box front, and the movie poster on the rear alongside a small piece of supporting text.
The release of a Dark World Thor as part of the 2023 Infinity Saga series is a little odd considering a Dark World Thor was created for the 2018 First Ten Years collection. While there have been enhancements over the past 5-years, there are certainly other figures that would have benefitted more from inclusion - particularly Thor himself who still lacks any new Legends format figures from his first movie, or from the first Avengers outing.
This new Dark World Thor is a complete re-use of the body from the 2018 version. This body is well-proportioned for Thor with muscular arms and legs against a solid-looking torso, overlaid with armour. It is however very tall when displayed with other Legends - standing a good half a head taller than the Mk2 Iron-Man from the same wave, while dwarfing the Captain America and Black Widow. The decor feels more muted than the original releases and we have a dulled-back bronze look to the armour with a hint of blue trim around the waist and some red in the bracers. The cloak extends from the armour and flows down the back of Thor as a softer plastic piece. It is not painted at all, but is textured - differently on the inside vs the outer cape - and the light this texture captures adds definition.
Thor features two head sculpts and I am pretty certain these are both different from the 2018 version or very heavily re-worked. The first is a neutral-looking Thor, while the second is a smiling Thor which doesn’t for me fit too well in terms of the story of The Dark World itself. Both heads are an improvement on the previous version, but they are still not absolutely perfect likenesses to Chris Hemsworth even with the latest face print application. The neutral version is the better of the two, particularly viewed from off-centre. The smiling version is OK, but only the hair and eyes define it as Thor. The hair colouring remains off - an issue with the first Dark World figure - with the hair a shade too light, and the beard a shade too dark. Bring both colourations closer in terms of a match and the overall look would be improved. The hair piece is an individual piece sculpted and then attached to the head with flowing strands of hair over Thor’s shoulders. Casting it as a single piece does make the hairline neat and tidy with no paint issues to speak of.
Thor of course comes with Mjolnir, another re-used part, and with possible issues back at source as I have quite a substantial casting fault on my hammer. It is painted in silver with visible patterns around each face of the hammer. The shaft is brown with a silver spiral design, and the pommel is silver with a brown strap. The strap remains fixed and therefore when posing Thor with Mjolnir the gravity of the strap has to be taken into account. Mjolnir fits into either gripping hand provided with Thor.
You also get an alternative pair of hands that appear to have been donated from the Avengers: Endgame Final Battle Thor. These are outstretched hands, sculpted as though to summon lightning - with lightning effects included with Endgame Thor, but not with this release.
Articulation is pinned joints throughout, reflecting the base figure's age as most of it dates back to Age of Ultron and releases from 2015. We have 18 points of articulation in total with a full range of motion on both arms and legs, although the latter have to contend with the stiff plastic cape which doesn’t allow much in terms of leg positions. The joints all feel tight and robust, and Thor is easy enough to stand providing the legs are straight enough to lift the cape off the floor.
In summary, this is a tweaked repack of a figure that dates back to 2015. There are other Thor’s that warranted a release ahead of this one - particularly the fact we still can’t assemble the 2012 Avengers in their entirety from the Legends stable - and even other Dark World characters that these releases used to bring us outside the main releases such as Malekith, Skurge or even Frigga. This new 2023 Dark World Thor is an improvement on the older version. The head sculpt is improved, but still not perfect with the hair and beard colouring in particular being too far apart in colouring. The additional head is an odd choice, and any Marvel Legends head that tries to convey a particular emotion or facial gesture have always fallen short (Ant-Man) so I am not too sure why this figure warranted an additional head or indeed one smiling in a slightly odd fashion. This one won’t be flying off the shelves, but it will fill a gap for anyone who missed the original Dark World Thor and provides an option to upgrade the head on an older Age of Ultron Thor if you wish.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...