The Eternals’ Ikaris

By Hervé St-Louis
October 6, 2021 - 07:29

Ikaris is the tactical leader of the Eternals and one of the most powerful one. With the power of flight, super strength, and cosmic-energy powered beams that shoot from his eyes, Ikaris has often been compared to DC Comics’ Superman. The closest comparison should be the New Gods’ Orion who was also created by Jack Kirby. Ikaris was initially the main character of Kirby’s Eternals’ series at Marvel, published in The Eternals #1 in 1976. Ikaris’s name is of course inspired by the Greek mythological character named Icarus, the boy who flew to high to the sky, while attempting to escape from the labyrinth with his father, Daedalus

There has never been an Ikaris action figure by Hasbro nor under the Marvel Legends banner while it was held by Toybiz. There is another Ikaris action figure that has been released at the same time by Japanese toymaker S.H.Figuarts / Bandai. The difference between Hasbro’s ikaris and Bandai’s is that the latter costs a lot more and is more detailed. It has dark blue knee pads which the Hasbro version does not have. Also, the gold detailing on the Bandai Ikaris is more extensive. The etchings on the Bandai version’s boots goes further. It also has a full pair of shoulder plates, unlike the sculpted-in ones the Hasbro figure has. Yet, for most collectors, the Hasbro version of Ikaris will do, as it is easier to buy and is much cheaper.

Likeness

I find that the Ikaris’s face sculpt does look like Richard Madden. The suit is not as detailed as the one from Bandai, as mentioned above, but it is good enough. Although I have a few qualms about his proportions, he does present the classic heroic figure that we will probably see in the Eternals’ movie. I cannot say much more as I have not seen enough media from the film.

Sculpt

Ikaris appears to have spaghetti legs like a bodybuilder who only trains parts of his body. His hips and thighs are huge which interfere in the traditional V-shape. His calves and shins appear to be too tiny compared with the thighs. Then his feet are humongous, and I don’t understand why. Were they sculpted this big sop that they could support his weight? Compared with Kingo whose feet are more proportioned, Ikaris seems like a cartoon character or from the comic-based Marvel legends line where such weird proportions are more common.

His grasping hands are equally as huge, compared to the rest of his body. His arms appear to be too long. Now, this could be how actor Richard Madden’s shape is. The Eternals’ body shapes are quite interesting as they look nothing like the ideal norms that we find with other Marvel Legends figures. A selling feature of this figure is the excellent face sculpt of actor Richard Madden. The figure looks like him, although it seems like Madden was skinnier and, on a diet, when he shot the film. He does not appear as bony usually. The sculpt of his hair is great.

Ikaris’s suit is more intricate than the other Eternals whose costumes and detailing seems less extensive. Ikaris and most other Eternals has a good under shin that does not give off the face mask look to their heads. They do not feel hollow and as if they were just sitting on a peg. His neck sculpt feels thick enough to support his head and hides any possible gaps. In the movie images, it appears that Ikaris has shoulder pads but there are none on the figure. They are simply etched in.

Paint

The gold on metallic blue paint is incredible and quite visible. His suit is shinier than the other Eternals. He is brighter than other Eternals. Automatically, he shines because of the beautiful mix of colours. Madden’s iconic white streak is visible in the figure. With 3D face painting, Ikaris sports stubble on his chin and cheeks.

Scale

Ikaris is a tad shorter than Kingo even though Richard Madden, is a bit taller than actor Kumail Nanjiani who plays the latter in the Eternals’ movie. Of course, Ikaris looks great next to all the other Eternals. He is shorter than most Marvel Legends action figures, even other cinematic ones. However, he is just bit taller than the G.I. Joe Classified Duke. As of this writing, my Sersi has not arrived yet, but Ikaris does look great with other female Eternals!

Stability

The figure is quite stable. If it was not with such big feet, it would be a problem.

Articulations

You cannot easily pose Ikaris in a flying position because of the ball joint design of his neck articulation. His head sits on a ball joint that allows him to rock his head easily. Ikaris can raise his arms at about 85 degrees and can rotate his arms. He has no butterfly joints. He has bicep curls. He has good double elbow articulations that work well. They are pinless. His hands can bend at the palms and rotate.

His diaphragm articulation is a bit too loose. It does not bend enough to give Ikaris a good flight pose, without exposing a gap in his diaphragm. He has no waist articulations allowing his to twist. Surprisingly, he can raise his legs sideways at about 75 degrees. None of the Eternals that I have so far, can do such a good split. His skirt stops him from raising his legs, but he can bend them backwards well enough.

He has thigh curls, double knee articulations, and good ankle bends that have a good rocker. Of course, I tried the Superman flying pose with Ikaris and it works well but with the above-mentioned gap in the diaphragm. His open grasping hands are perfect for that.

Plastic

Ikaris feels solid but then again, he is made of PVC, like the other Eternals. His tartan is made of softer plastic.

Props

Ikaris comes with an alternate head that has just shot cosmic rays. Thus, the cosmic rays effects are glued to his eyes. It would have been fun if some of the energy effects had been painted on his face too, as if the energy was moving through his nerves and veins.

Packaging

On the back of the box, Ikaris is featured as being part of the Eternals’s wave along with the other non-exclusive characters that form the build-a-figure Gilgamesh. That’s okay. A photoreal painting of the character is fully reproduced on the back and the sides of the box. On the front, there is the usual Marvel Legends’ branding, and Ikaris’s name at the bottom. It’s a nice box.

Cost

Ikaris costs $22.99USD or $33.99CAD. Prices will vary at most retailers since Hasbro increased the price of its products in 2021.

Availability

Ikaris has been released in late September 2021 and should be easy to find in many retail and online stores. However, Ikaris is the most popular Eternal character and the most classic one for collectors that dislike the changes Marvel Studio did to the franchise. He also is not part of the build-a-figure. Then, Ikaris is also played a by Richard Madden, a very popular Game of Thrones actor. The old Game of Thrones action figure of Robb Stark does not have as a nice a face as Hasbro’s Ikaris. This character will probably be one of the most popular and will probably sell out very fast.

I really like Ikaris. He has great play value even though his body sculpt is not as good as Kingo’s. that’s because unlike the other Eternals, he does not wear a robe but a shorter skirt or a tartan! It is a great figure that I am glad that I picked up. I have no idea if Hasbro will ever make a comic book Ikaris. Any such action figure would never look as good as this one, as it would just reuse an old Hasbro mould like Bucky-Cap!

Rating: 9 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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