Sugiyama Supitoyo's Cinema Figure Theory vol.7 "S.H.Figuarts the Avengers Series

Many people want to keep their favorite hero movie or monster movie character at hand. BANDAI SPIRITS' collector's item brand "TAMASHII NATIONS"'s Cinema figures will fulfill such a wish. I would like to talk about its charm from the perspective of a film writer.

今回はマーベル・シネマティック・ユニバース（MCU）人気を不動のものにした『アベンジャーズ』（12年）からアイアンマン、キャプテン・アメリカ、ハルク、そしてソーの4人が登場です！

the Avengers are now well-known, but probably before 2012, at least in Japan, I think they were really “known to those in the know”. The 2012 movie "the Avengers" became a big hit, and the name became famous.

I first learned about the Avengers in 1980, exactly 40 years ago.
At that time, there was a comic magazine called Popcorn published by Kobunsha, and there were several translations of MARVEL comics.
Mr. Koyo Ono introduced us to MARVEL in the form of a column, as well as the selection and translation of the works. It is no exaggeration to say that he introduced American comics to Japan. the Avengers were introduced in that column.

the Avengers was published in 1963. Heroes such as Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Antman & Wasp, who had already made their debut, team up to fight Evil God Loki.
The formation episode is very interesting, and Loki originally manipulated Hulk and caused great confusion. The boys who notice it ask another hero, Fantastic Four, for help wirelessly. However, at that time, the Fantastic Four members were in space and did not listen to the radio. Instead, other heroes who heard this message gathered and wondered why they would fight together (laughs). This is the origin of the team.
When you read this plot, you may think, "Huh?", but Captain America has not yet participated at this time. It is set that the members of the Avengers will later find him frozen and join them.

Regarding the Avengers, Mr. Koyo Ono said that it is interesting that this hero team is not a so-called "group hero" but a "collection of heroes with different personalities". I think it's interesting to have a human touch that clashes with each other. And the Avengers' greatest contribution to MARVEL 's comic book history was bringing Captain America back to life.

Originally, Captain America was a classic hero born in 1941 and was not yet a so-called MARVEL hero. But through The the Avengers, you brought this legendary hero back into MARVEL Universe.

Since then, the Avengers has become a popular title at MARVEL.
So, of course, the Avengers were well-known among people who liked American comics, but on the contrary, the more people who knew about the existence, the more they thought, "Isn't it supposed to be made into a movie?" ? (By the way, I am one of them).
Again, it's difficult to suddenly turn the Avengers into a movie like "Hero Sentai the Avengers", and it's not interesting unless the core heroes are first made into a movie and introduced.
Those heroes get together! This is because the dream team-like uplifting is important. That means that it took at least 10 years to go through "Godzilla" (1954), "Radon the Great Sky Monster" (1956), "Mothra" (1961), and then "The Biggest Battle of the Three Monsters on Earth" (1964). That's what happens in Hollywood.
But I really did it! (Lol).
So when Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, appeared in the bonus scene of "Iron Man" (2008) and mentioned the name "the Avengers", I was really surprised! I'm going to do it! What?
As a fan, I'm happy, but I was also worried unnecessarily. Because "Iron Man" was a hit, but in order to realize "the Avengers" in the movie, at least before that, you have to make a movie about Captain America and Thor and make it a hit to some extent. But it ended in vain.
When I saw "the Avengers" in a movie theater, it was of course interesting as a hero movie, but I never thought I would be able to see this on the screen! And I remember being moved by the miracle of that itself.

By the way, it is a figure of the main character from the movie, the item introduced this time.
Actually, in the MCU, it is necessary to bring out the newness every time, so the costumes of the main characters are changed little by little, and the actors gradually follow the role.
That's why the heroes of the first "the Avengers" have the appearance closest to the image of the comic, and the actors are also nice, so there is a freshness of a debut hero team.

For example, Thor in "the Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015) is familiar with the other heroes, so he is not strangely tight, and in "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) he has short hair Avengers: Endgame (2019) is fat (laughs).
Therefore, it is only in "the Avengers" that he has long hair, is dignified, and has a tense, sharp expression because he is still keeping a distance from humans. You can enjoy that saw with this figure.

In addition, Thor's "Swinging Mjolnir" is an accessory part! (Saw swings around Mjolnir and flies in the sky due to its centrifugal force, so this rotation is very important.)

Also, this Thor figure has a cloak (cape) made of cloth.
One of the great features of the American comic hero is the existence of a cloak.
One comic artist said that the way the cloak flutters and the emotions of the hero are linked.
That's why the cloak is part of a very important protagonist.
A cloak is indispensable to reproduce the dynamic feeling of Thor flying in the air and the elegance of a prince.
It's a cloth, so feel free to play around with it.
Just by changing the way it flutters a little, the figure will show a different look.

Captain America also changes costumes in all movies, but the closest to the comic image is this "the Avengers" version.

Captain America figures are produced by many manufacturers all over the world, but this is the only figure in the world where you can enjoy the impressive "Captain instructing police officers" scene in the movie (laughs).

Even Hulk was completely a "good person" in "the Avengers: Endgame".

If you like wild and monster-like people, this is the Hulk. That unforgettable expression that makes Captain America grin when he says "Rampage" is also set.

With these three bodies, you may be able to reproduce the legendary "Battle of New York (the climax of "the Avengers")".

Among the four figures this time, only one color is different from Iron Man 's figure.

Although it is a Mark 6 version, Iron Man participates in the "Battle of New York" with a Mark 7.
Mark 6 appeared in the first half. However, in the first highlight scene that fans wanted to see, where Iron Man and Thor fight, this Mark 6 is attached! So how about creating a great match between Thor and Iron Man?

It also comes with a repulsor and laser effect parts, so you can enjoy flight scenes and ray attacks. If you're a ray-technical hero, it's nice to have these item.

If you look at the four figures side by side, you can see that each is a figure with a different charm.
That's probably because "the Avengers" is "a collection of heroes with different personalities". So you can find heroes you can relate to. The way to enjoy the Avengers and MCU is to meet heroes you can recommend. First of all, why not start assembling from a hero that you can pin down?

Text: Sugiyama Supitoyo

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