Adam Warlock

Just for the record? This figure has nothing at all to do with the New Mutants. Probably immortal, and possibly all-powerful, Adam Warlock has lived many lives. Originally created to be the perfect human by a mysterious organization known as the Enclave, he escaped into the world with his mind a blank slate. His innocence led to narcissism, which in turn caused him to commit great acts of destruction inadvertently. Fleeing his earthly troubles, he wrapped himself in a cosmic cocoon, where he slept and grew until the High Evolutionary found a use for him, and Warlock found his purpose as a savior. Though in his adventures he has died many deaths, he has always returned when needed, and may at this very moment be awaiting another turn on the stage of life. Warlock was one of Marvel's cosmic characters, pretty much put on a bus and forgotten after the 1970s, just like the rest of his genre. When epic stories returned with The Infinity Gauntlet, Adam Warlock came back with them, resurrected from the "heaven" he'd been in and ready to be a major force in the galaxy once again. Surprisingly, Adam gets a new body. Yes, hard as it is to believe, Hasbro actually passed up the opportunity to use the Bullseye body for one of their figures. It's been so long, I almost forget what it's like to actually have to review a sculpt, rather than simply refer to an old figure! Warlock is muscular, but not cut: in comicbook terms, the detail is a bit soft, but no real-world clothes would ever hug a body this tightly. His trunks bunch up, and there are wrinkles in the small of his back. The shape of his legs originally made me think the thighs had been assembled wrong - swapped left and right - but no, they're correct. They just stick out that way on purpose. There are notches on the side of his torso that have been filled in and painted over - that's because this body was meant for the as-yet-unreleased Black Bolt. Along with the new body comes new articulation. Most of the points are Hasbro's favorite swivel/hinge balljoints, but they're getting better. Look at the elbows, which can finally move beyond a 90° angle. About damn time. How'd they manage it? By taking a notch out of the front of the biceps. The knees don't get any similar advantage, but they do have strange pointy kneecaps. And although there are swivels in the mid-shin, the ankle balljoint offers the same range of motion. So consider this a better than average spread for recent figures, but still with room to improve. Warlock's paint is only so-so. The edges of the black apps are blurry, in many cases, so that's something to watch out for before you buy. He doesn't have a lot of skin showing, just the face and neck, but it should be a much stronger orange - the figure's skin is peach, but it's pale enough that it could pass for a human skintone, which definitely shouldn't be the case. When we say "orange," we really mean orange. This needs a repaint the same way Banshee's hair did. Same color, too. The thick strands of hair and the extra-wide jawbone suggest whoever sculpted Doc Samson did Adam Warlock, as well. Since this costume is taken from the time of The Infinity Gauntlet, Adam Warlock is wearing a two-tone cape with a high collar and a golden skull clasp. More importantly, he's wearing the Infinity Gauntlet itself. Accounting for differences in the specific shades used, all six gems on this glove are in the same place that they were on Thanos' version. See, kiddies? This is why companies maintain style guides. The paint on the gems could actually cover a bit more than it does, but the drops are all centered and look nice. He doesn't have a replacement hand, so if you want to give the Gauntlet to anyone else, you'd better be able to swap elbows. The only true accessory in the set is a wooden staff with a bird motif on top; at 6¾" tall, it's ¼" bigger than the figure. Of course, as part of the Target-exclusive Marvel Legends series, the package contains a piece of the exclusive BAF, Red Hulk. Adam is paired with Hulk's left leg, which doesn't have any major differences from the Silver Savage's inclusion, the right leg. Well, beyond the obvious, of course. It's not like the toes are the same, just the general size and the articulation. Adam Warlock isn't generally a character who interacts with a lot of other Marvel heroes, so there probably isn't a lot of demand for him to interact with your other Marvel Legends. However, the toy is well made, shows some growth on Hasbro's part, and is definitely a new entrant in the 6" plastic Marvel Universe. If you got the Marvel Select Thanos (and you should have), you need someone to keep him in check - Adam Warlock is that someone. -- 12/22/08

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