In 1973 Hannah Barbera Animation Studios was tasked with bringing to young Saturday morning television viewers a more child friendly version of the Justice League of America. The first few seasons of the Super Friends boasted DC Comics most popular characters.

Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and young sidekicks Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog. The first few seasons had a revolving roster of guest heroes, but in 1978 everything changed.

Challenge of The Super Friends featured eleven of the top, DC Comics superhero characters. Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman and Aquaman were joined by Hawkman, The Flash and Green Lantern Hal Jordan. New characters created for the Super Friends team included Samurai, Apache Chief, Black Vulcan and two new teen sidekicks in the form of The Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna. Alien siblings from the planet Exxor and their accident prone pet space monkey Gleek.

This All-Star lineup of DC Comics greatest heroes was the only group powerful enough to challenge the intergalactic threat known as The Legion of Doom.

Banded together from remote galaxies, thirteen of the most sinister villians of all time, dedicated to a single objective. The conquest of the Universe!

Led by the greatest criminal mind of our age, Lex Luthor, the Legion of Doom members include Brainiac, Sinestro, Gorilla Grodd, Bizarro, Black Manta, Solomon Grundy, Captain Cold, The Toy Man, The Riddler, The Scarecrow, The Cheetah, and the colossal threat of the villainess Giganta.

McFarlane Toys and the Art of the Retro Figures

The McFarlane Toys line of 6 inch retro themed action figures originally began with versions of the classic 1966 Batman television series featuring Adam West and Burt Ward and many of the live action characters from the show. Soon the line started to delve into depictions of characters from the comic book adaptation of the classic series, then versions of the classic Filmation Batman cartoons from 1968 and later, 1977. All of this was achieved by McFarlane Toys through their infamous practice of reusing existing molds, varying plastic colors, repaints, minimizing the need to create unique tooling as much as possible, culminating with the McFarlane DC Retro Super Friends figures depicting the forementioned heroes and villains.

Deep Cuts and ‘Universe of Evil’ Variants

There are a total 34 figures from the six waves already produced, yet only eleven of our core heroes and nine of our core villains have been produced. Twelve figures have been variations of the same characters, mostly of our heroes, with different paint schemes and/or different head sculpts.

Depictions of our five original heroes from the episode Universe of Evil, beginning in the first wave with an evil version of smokey-eyed Superman accented with nightmare inducing red sclera and his iconic costume re-cast in ominously, dark deep blue. The Batman figure is re-cast entirely in red plastic perfectly recreating his devilish appearance in the episode. Robin the Boy Wonder is criminally mustachioed like in the episode. A grimacing Aquaman with an eyepatch fit for a pirate is re-cast and painted in darker green and orange. Last but certainly not least we have the evil version of Wonder Woman with a new head sculpt featuring an absolutely sinister face portrait that reminds me of an old girlfriend I’d rather not talk about right now.

Other repaints and variations include a version of Batman from the Bizarro World with a disturbing Bizarro style head sculpt. “Farmer” Superman is re-cast in a slightly darker blues plastic, accessorized with a straw hat, a gardening hoe and a small unarticulated figure of Mister Mxyzptlk similar to the figure of Gleek that came with the Red Platinum Jayna. Sadly, there is no evil version of Gleek. I would’ve taken a robotic version with glow-in-the-dark painted eyes. Make it! We’ll buy it! Lex Luthor is re-issued adorned with a purple judge’s robe made of cloth and gavel from the episode Trial of The Super Friends.

A regular Batman from the first wave is re-issued, this time cast in slightly darker gray plastic as a variant. Batman is again reissued, cast entirely in translucent black plastic with white paint accenting his features, depicting him as trapped in the Phantom Zone. “Crystallized” Superman is again re-issue cast entirely clear translucent plastic with black lines depicting his features as he was in the episode Revenge of Doom.

And yet ANOTHER Superman in this seemingly final wave. Superman’s head is replaced with that of an eagle as he appeared in the episode Warpland.

Batman is depicted in that episode having the head and wings of an actual bat, but sadly we’re not getting a truly batty Batman action figure in this wave of only four figures.

The Unfinished Hall of Doom: What Happens Next?

The seemingly final wave will offer JLA guest star The Atom and The Joker from his one and only appearance from the entire Super Friends series. Apache Chief in his normal sized form will be the last core member of the Super Friends to be released. Yet the teams are yet to be complete.

Members are missing. Heroes and villains essential to complete the teams. No Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Samurai and no special one-shot guest appearances by Green Arrow or Plastic Man. No future members like Firestorm or Cyborg or El Dorado. What about Rima the Jungle Girl?

And what of the great big bads of the Legion of Doom? Gorilla Grodd? Solomon Grundy? Giganta? What about the sinister Scarecrow?
Just a few more months before the end of the McFarlane era of DC action figures.

Is that enough time to finish off the line with a few more figures?
Will, Mattel spend thousands of dollars on unique tooling just to finish what McFarlane couldn’t? Mattel toys may very well create versions of these characters especially in 6 inch form, but not necessarily to fit-in with the McFarlane line. They may have to create unique sculpts, not necessarily following the classic designs of Alex Toth. Will the aesthetic be off? Will they be close enough? Will they even make them at all? Hopefully they won’t make anything that reminds me of old girlfriends with anger issues.

Hopefully Mattel will make figures that rekindle memories. The timeless charm of classic limited television animation. You know… all of that nostalgia bait us old nerds spend too much money on.