Square Enix Shows Off Even More Amazing Alternate Marvel and DC Characters [Toy Fair 2017]

Creativity abounds at Toy Fair every year, but you can always count on Square Enix to show up with some of the most clever and inspired action figures. Though they might not have the volume output of some of the larger companies at the show, Square Enix certainly brings the quality. This year was no exception with a couple of great new Marvel Variants planned, as well as even more Tetsuya Nomura DC Comics designs.

The man behind the look of Kingdom Hearts brought us some rather wild Batman and Catwoman action figures the past few years, but Tetsuya Nomura's Joker and Harley Quinn might even outdo those previous toys. Now we did see the Joker in his villainous form at New York Comic Con, but what we didn't know at the time was that he was actually a transforming figure. Where Batman and Catwoman were rather straightforward, if exceptional, interpretations, Joker and Harley will both come with two different "modes."

Square Enix itself doesn't know the story of the world Nomura is crafting where these versions of the Bat-characters are living,  but suffice to say it's a wild one. Joker apparently lives under the guise of an old, dying man in a wheelchair, while Harley Quinn works as his nurse. Of course, the duo have their evil sides as well, with the Joker's chair turning into a set of mechanized arms and Harley being able to armor up into some kind of killer nurse. I understand that these versions of these characters aren't for everyone, but as Nomura uncovers more of his fantastical Gotham, I can't help but be intrigued by what's really going on there. He's just getting warmed up too, and even more rogues could find their way out, let alone the likes of Robin and Batgirl.

DC wasn't the only publisher to get some love at Square's booth however, with Marvel getting some more traditionally styled figures as well. Doctor Strange and Magneto will join the Variants line, which has already seen a number of Avengers and Spider-Man characters make the leap. Magneto has a really cool design which interprets his cape as tiny little bits of metal coming together to form the flowing "fabric." The detail in his armor is strong too, but it's the small variances Square's sculptors make like the cape that really make characters who've gotten a number of figures in the past stand out. The same could be said for Doctor Strange, who gets some fantastic ornate sculpting in not just his costume, but in his magic sigils as well.