Phastos

Bob the Builder ain't got nothin' on him! Over the centuries Phastos has helped nudge humanity forward technologically while always keeping his brilliance hidden in the shadows. Okay, this one isn't even as hard to decipher as Makkari: the builder guy is named Phastos? He's the inspiration for human tales of Hephaestus, the blacksmith of the gods! So who's his Aphrodite, and what would her silly name be? Frodight? Apro? Venis? Alennifex Lodripez? Magidbeleon? Phastos is the Eternals' tech guy in the comics as well, being the one who helped Ikaris build a set of wings for his son (that may not have turned out very well, but you can hardly say it's Phastos' fault). He's also mopier than Eeyore, believing that life itself is absurd and pointless, and searching like Diogenes for someone or something who can prove him wrong. And despite making all the Eternals' fancy weapons, he himself is a pacifist. Being created by Jack Kirby in the mid-70s, it's no surprise all the Eternals were white. We're lucky more than one of them was a woman! (Two. Two of them were women.) Phastos, however, was created by Peter Gillis and Sal Buscema in 1985, adding some much-needed diversity to the group. He's been black since the get-go, meaning casting Brian Tyree Henry is not a change for the character. Phastos is rocking a pretty nice dress. It's got the same silver accents everyone except Ikaris has enjoyed, and its base color is somewhere in between purple and indigo. Eternals may not be directly adapting Jack Kirby's costume designs, but at least the characters are all colorful and distinct. The circular patterns on his chest are reminiscent of a clockwork, or a model of the solar system - appropriate for the gear head. His comic costume was pretty plain, compared to the rest, a simple blue bodysuit with purple trim and silver accents. He generally carried an advanced hammer, to help him in his work, but this toy doesn't. Phastos includes alternate fists, and the right leg of Gilgamesh, the Build-A-Figure. One thing about these figures that really stands out on Phastos: the barbell-jointed heads all seem to sit a little too high on the neck, which doesn't really become apparent until you move them around. It's not just Phastos, but you can definitely pick it out here. -- 11/01/21

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