[Crazy Jetty]

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Originally Posted by ToyAddict

Back to what I said earlier. . .about Mattel being scared to go up against Marvel Universe. . .I said that not necessarily because one comic brand/character lineup is better than the other, but because Marvel Universe did that scale and did it well. They've "cornered the market." So, as a differentiation strategy, Mattel can aim for cheaper, kid-oriented figures.

When Marvel Universe runs out of steam, I'd bet we see Mattel step in with Marvel Universe quality 4" figures. (Or at least they ought to.) But for now, we have the cheaper, less articulated figures they make now. And I'd bet Man of Steel figures will be of the same quality.

On the flip side of that. . .Mattel has done 6" well for many years now. DC Superheroes was, what? 5 years ago? They cornered that market, around the same time Toy Biz Marvel Legends was winding down. Yes there was some overlap, but it had largely run its course.

Now that DC Universe Classics is largely running out of gas, Hasbro picks up Marvel Legends again.

Also, I'd guess Marvel is riding a popularity high right now, with the Avengers movies and the individual movies for those characters, and a new Spiderman movie. Enough to where Hasbro can do cheap figures (Spiderman line), good 4" figures (Marvel Universe), and 6" (Marvel Legends). If DC could get its act together and make a Justice League movie, they might feel bold enough to pump out as much product.

I largely agree with this. It makes sense. Especially with MU riding the popularity wave of the movies. That makes no difference to the fans here, but it makes a hell of a difference to the kids who'll be buying the majority of the figures.
I witnessed the same thing with the Green Lantern line. Locally it sold like hotcakes when the movie was there to push it for the kids. Once that was gone, they died really fast.
But anyhoo, why I'm responding is this:

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If DC could get its act together and make a Justice League movie, they might feel bold enough to pump out as much product.

This may be arguing semantics, but DC isn't the problem as much as Warner Bros. It's WB that doesn't have any faith in anything that isn't Batman or Superman. Any DC fan knows DC is full of properties and characters that could hold their own just as well, if WB put as much faith in them and quality as Marvel did Ironman or Thor. After all, Wonderwoman isn't any more increadible or harder to sell to the movie going audience than Thor is. (If anything, she'd be a lot easier to accept).
But I agree with the baseline of what you're getting at, Yeah, if WB would put this stuff out there, Mattel would have a vehicle to market their stuff, and the dynamics could easily change.
(I am so sick of Batman cartoon after Batman cartoon after Batman cartoon. And there are so many, one after the other, that they're getting so rediculous in trying to make themselves different from one another. Why not Flash? Why not Green Arrow? Why not Batgirl? Why not Blue Beetle?)