Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman movie tie-in Schleich figurines

These figurines tie in with the characters appearance in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movies, such as Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. They are from the Anglo-German company Schleich who also make animals, dinosaurs, and Smurfs, among others – as well as DC Superheroes.

These are small figures, about 4 inches or 10 cm high, roughly the height of a Star Wars figure – but these are figurines, so they have no articulation.

Batman Superman Wonder Woman Schleich figurines Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice toys
Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman Schleich figurines compared to their onscreen counterparts they’re based on in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

The body sculpts are good, with lots of fine details on the outfits especially. The paint jobs are ok – a few liberties have been taken with the colours, and some details look a little rough in places. These are cheaper than their equivalent action figures though, so perhaps that’s to be expected.

Unlike the other DC Superhero figurines Schleich make, these movie tie-in ones also attempt bear the likeness of the actors playing the characters. Some are more successful than others.

Superman Wonder Woman Batman Schleich figurines

Batman looks close enough to Ben Affleck’s caped crusader, which is also reminiscent the iconic 1980’s The Dark Knight Returns look. Superman looks a lot like Henry Cavill, which is a strike against it in my books (I’m not a fan of his interpretation of Superman). It also has an unfortunate paint job which makes him look rather perplexed – as well as having a pretty pasty complexion (compared to Wonder Woman especially). The Superman figure also appears to be leaning back a lot, seemingly weighed down by his flowing cape.

It could be argued that the Wonder Woman figure is the least successful likeness-wise. However, I really like the way this figure looks – it has a less skinny and stronger looking frame than Gal Gadot (especially compared to the packaging artwork), and her face has more classically Mediterranean in look, in keeping with Wonder Woman’s greek origins.

Gal Gadot Wonder Woman toy compare
This Wonder Woman tie-in toy looks very little like Gal Gadot – especially compared to the packaging artwork.

The Wonder Woman figurine seems to be based very specifically on the first promo image of Gal Gadot as the character.

Gal Gadot Wonder Woman Schleich Figurine
The Wonder Woman figure’s pose closely resembles that of the first promo image of Gal Gadot as the character, released in 2014.

Perhaps because it’s based on this early image, where the outfit’s colours were unclear, some license has been taken with the figurine’s colours. It is a shame that the vibrant blue and red colours of the Superman figure are not repeated in the Wonder Woman paint job, where those colours become pale blue and pink!

Batman V Superman – Dawn of Wonder Woman merchandise

I love the amount of Wonder Woman products we are finally seeing in the shops. For so many years, she has been an obvious omission from the shelves among all the Batman and Superman toys.

I am yet to be convinced about Wonder Woman’s movie outfit, but I am still to see it fully in action. I miss the vibrant primary colours of her classic costume, here looking more like a less earthy Xena Warrior Princess. But seeing Wonder Woman portrayed as a strong, proud, and athletic character is great.

girl playing with Wonder Woman and Batman v Superman Schleich figurines
These figurines, while lacking articulation, provide ample opportunity for character based imaginative role play.

My daughter likes the figures. I was worried the lack of articulation would mean her interest would wane quickly, but she is enjoying lots of imaginative role play with them. Coupled with her other sets of this trio (such as this one and this one), it is firmly established in her head that Wonder Woman is as important a part of this team as Batman and Superman.

Perhaps even more so – as far as she’s concerned Wonder Woman is stronger, cleverer, and has greater leadership skills than either Batman or Superman. Who am I to argue with that?

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Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice ©2016 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Disclaimer: We were provided with these figurines free of charge for the purposes of this review.

Family Fever

If Kids Can’t See Batman V Superman, Superhero Movies Have Lost the Plot

Is Batman V Superman suitable for kids? Don’t be silly.

This is a golden time for the comicbook nerd. As a superhero loving child, I never dreamed that my beloved comicbook heroes would be dominating both the box office and the cultural conversation in the way that they currently are.

As I was growing up, it used to drive me nuts that people could only see superheroes in terms of the sixties Adam West TV show. Superheroes were primarily silly as far as the general population was concerned. I knew better.

That slowly began to change in the 1980s, with the likes of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, and Alan Moore’s Watchmen and breakthrough Batman: The Killing Joke. Finally, the idea was getting into people’s heads that superheroes weren’t just for kids.

Except now, things have gone too far. Way too far.

These great superhero movies that are filling up screens on an almost weekly basis? They’re all rated 12/PG-13 as standard. So despite having toys, clothes, and other merchandise marketed to them with these characters – the films that are driving this superhero resurgence are being deliberately produced to be unsuitable for young children.

In terms of movies, I’ve barely had the chance to share my love of Marvel superheroes with my 4-year-old daughter as yet. They are all pitched to an early teen audience. We have watched a couple. The plots are fine, even when they include death they are useful ways of discussing mortality. But the tone of violence is just too visceral to really be considered suitable.

It gets even worse. Warner Bros. have released an R-Rated version of Batman V Superman, so is not recommended for anyone under 17.

This is absolutely insane. Perverse even. The idea of having a mainstream movie with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman that children are not supposed to see is mind-blowingly ridiculous.

Should Batman V Superman be ok for children?

These characters are first and foremost for kids. Yes, the revisionist takes by Miller and Moore I mentioned were useful pop culture reference texts. But instead of informing our fundamental understanding of these characters and genres, they have become go-to texts in themselves.

I (mostly) love what Chis Nolan did with Batman. But he took it as far as it should go, and even then he gave the character a real heart at the centre of his darkness. Conversely, I almost totally hate what Zach Snyder has done with Superman. Disaster-porn was a correctly used phrase to describe Man of Steel. It was a travesty of what Superman represents.

Currently, Deadpool is rightly rated R, and Jessica Jones on Netflix is also correctly pitched as adults only too. That network’s Daredevil I’m on the fence about, but doing justice (again) to Frank Miller’s interpretation is the right way to go.

But looking ahead we have DC adult movie Suicide Squad, and even the promise from Hugh Jackman of an R-Rated Wolverine.

So in all of this, where are the superhero movies for kids? In the past it seems.

DC had some great animated series, beginning with the Batman Animated Series in the nineties. Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980) are amazing (I would like someone to lock Zach Snyder in a darkened room to watch them repeatedly one day).

And that silly Batman TV show that used to bug me so much? I love it. It’s awesome. It is visually inventive, has great actors terrific playing characters, and is great family viewing – working brilliantly for children and adults. It has one of the best title sequences in TV history. And it gave us Batgirl!

Saying something is ‘for kids’ has been seen (including by me in the past) as saying something is dumb, simplistic, stupid. A bit rubbish.

Well, that’s rubbish. It doesn’t mean that. Making a superhero movie work as a great story with compelling characters, without resorting to ‘gritty’ violence, is a real challenge that takes great skill, effort, and ability.

It is interesting that the best superhero movie ever made is still Superman: The Movie (1978), an epic movie that spans galaxies, has a cast of legends, and gave the source material – comic books for children – the reverence it deserves.

Perhaps things weren’t so bad for onscreen superheroes in my childhood after all.

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‘Batman v Superman’ images courtesy of Warner Bros. The Ultimate Edition has been rated 12 in the UK.

First Look at Wonder Woman in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’

While it’s pretty clear that Star Wars – The Force Awakens was the big winner at Comic-Con 2015, the Princess Leia reveal overshadowed another iconic female character who’s returning to our screens soon.

A new trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gave us our first look at the brand new big screen Wonder Woman (played by Gal Gadot) in action.

Wonder Woman, Dawn of Justice, Batman V Superman, Gal Gadot

Wonder Woman, Dawn of Justice, Batman V Superman, Gal Gadot. comic-con 2015, female superhero

You can also check out the full trailer here:

I showed these images of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman to my daughter (who has numerous items of Wonder Woman merchandise) and she had no idea who this was. However, she recognised Henry Cavill’s Superman and Ben Affleck’s Batman instantly.

I think it’s the colours. When I showed her this image, she recognised it straight away.

Wonder Woman, Dawn of Justice, Batman V Superman, Gal Gadot

What do you think of this first look at Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Does she look like Wonder Woman to you?