McFarlane Toys reveals Return of Superman figure with character’s iconic mullet

The new wave of McFarlane Collector Edition figures brings the classic Superman mullet look to toy shelves, alongside a new Batman and Captain Carrot.

McFarlane Toys has announced the next wave of its McFarlane Collector Edition line, and it’s got more than a few surprise faces. 

The Collector Edition line has already met with some speed bumps. Figures in the line faced criticism over reusing old molds and designs that closely represent characters but are off just a little. 

That hasn’t stopped the company from pushing forward, and now they’re expanding the Collector Edition to include one of Superman’s most iconic looks from the ‘90s.

McFarlane Toys announces mulleted Return of Superman figure pre-orders

Announced today via the McFarlane Toys Instagram, McFarlane Collector Edition wave 3 will feature Superman as depicted in the classic Return of Superman storyline. This means fans finally get a new figure featuring Superman’s ‘90s mullet hairstyle. 

While there are no packaging shots or word on everything the figure will come with, the post does confirm Superman will ship with a figure of Krypto the Superdog. As many fans have pointed out, though, the figure is again largely re-use, with a new head on an existing Superman body. 

This new McFarlane figure will immortalize Superman’s mullet look even further. The look ties into the biggest comic book story of all time, The Death of Superman. When he returned from death to deal with four pretenders to his title, Superman sported a sleek black bodysuit and noticeably longer hair. 

Once Superman was back as the definitive Man of Steel, he ditched his black recovery suit for his more traditional red and blues. The mullet remained for years afterward and is depicted in some of the era’s biggest stories, like Grant Morrison and Howard Porter’s JLA. He would finally chop it off for 1996’s Superman: The Wedding Album, just in time to get married to Lois Lane. 

Rounding out wave 3 will be Batman as a Green Lantern and Captain Carrot, based on his Justice Incarnate appearance. The wave join a collection of impressive, albeit not quite beloved, figures. Other McFarlane Collector Edition figures include Action Comics #1 Superman, Green Lantern Alan Scott, Hawkman, Firestorm, Abyss, and Sinestro. 

The line has been plagued with minor controversy as old figures re-used molds, resulting in inaccurate figure designs, such as Alan Scott’s Green Lantern ring being on the wrong hand or Superman’s Action Comics #1 look having mold lines for the wrong boots. 

While some fans take issue with the practice, re-use is a common strategy for the action figure industry. Using existing parts allows for the budget to be spent on making new, complex molds for additional characters. In this instance, the re-use of parts on Superman and Batman is likely how the wave can include a character as unique as Captain Carrot. 

McFarlane Collector Edition wave 3 will be available for pre-order on November 15th. For more McFarlane Toys & DC Comics news, be sure to follow all of Dexerto’s coverage.