Andrew Garfield, the new cinematic Spider-Man, cuts a different figure on screen than the previous Spidey,
Tobey Maguire. That fact will be reflected in their toy counterparts, too.
The first action figure from next year's
The Amazing Spider-Man movie will be on display this week at Comic-Con. Fans will be able to check him out starting Wednesday during preview night at the Hasbro booth on the
San Diego Convention Center floor.
Sony is rebooting the franchise on screen, and Hasbro is falling suit with the toy line. "Although it's still Spider-Man, it's a new story and he's got a new look," says Grant Gie, Hasbro's senior global marketing manager for the
Marvel Comics brand.
In the new movie directed by
Marc Webb, Garfield wears a new and improved superhero outfit from Spidey's past, so Hasbro added metallic finishes and an additive called rutile to make the figure sparkle. And although the eyes may look white, they have a golden cast to them when catching light in a certain way.
The figure is also sculpted in a way to pick up all the details from the movie Spider-Man. The bottom of his feet were tweaked to look the same as the film versions, and he reflects Garfield's leaner physique.
"He looks amazing and he's a really great new silhouette that harkens back to a classic take on the character," says Vickie Stafford, Hasbro's lead designer for its Marvel line.
The new toy Spidey also has 20 points of articulation so kids can twist his arms, legs, head and other parts and "get him into great Spider-Man poses," Stafford says.
(In comparison, figures from the new C
aptain America: The First Avenger movie toy line only have around 13 points of articulation. Then again, those characters don't crawl on walls.)
While Spider-Man is a big deal in movies, comics and toys in the
USA, he's ginormous internationally.
"Spider-Man is one of those brands that transcends very broad age groups," Gie says. Kids — boys and girls as young as 2 and 3 — are fully aware of Spider-Man. They know the red and blue of his suit, that he climbs walls, that he shoots webs. He's very unique when it comes to the world of superheroes."
In addition to the figure featured at Comic-Con, next year's
Amazing Spider-Man toy line will offer characters from the film and from the comic books, as well as roleplay gear such as web shooters.
Adds Stafford: "Kids are going to get excited about it and feel extra tough when they're playing with the roleplay items."
