The process of making action figures is not an easy one. It's not just about digitally sculpting a character, throwing it in the development pipeline and watching a factory machine spit out a brand-new collectible to play with. It's a much more complicated process that involves careful planning, licensor's approval and, if you're adapting the likeness of an actor, actors' approval as well. Now, 2022's Black Adam has given us an inside look at the painstaking process behind creating the toys we know and love.
Todd McFarlane sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Popverse (link to the full interview is here). In it, the businessman revealed that, during the development of figures for the Black Adam film, Dwayne Johnson reached out to him to make one change to his collectible. According to McFarlane, the actor wanted his plastic counterpart to look more muscularly defined:
"Recently, we had to get approval on 'Black Adam,' and Dwayne Johnson's only comment was — which I think he was right — was, 'Can you make me more ripped?' It actually seems like a silly one, but it actually was right, because I think we all, in our mind, have a romantic version of many people, and the costume itself wasn't showing off his muscles. We were super accurate to the costume, it's just that the costume wasn't showing it off, so he just wanted us to show it off a bit more. We took a little bit of artistic license to do it. I think it was the right move."
Now, for some, it may be easy to take this story as, "Har, har, The Rock and his muscles. He can never lose a fight on screen, etc." But it's not actually that... at all. In fact, Johnson's request was completely reasonable and fair. Action figures are very similar to screenplays; the first draft is usually not the one to go with. That type of product needs to go through several revisions until the manufacturer and all the parties invested in the look of the figure are satisfied with what they have in front of them.
McFarlane himself explained that, ultimately, requests like Johnson's are not a big deal. And, though he picked a comical example to get his point across, he made clear that, at the end of the day, the goal is to get the toy approved:
"Let me tell you that even if I disagree, the client is always right. I'm looking for an approval. Hey, if you want me to give you two heads, I'll give you two heads. Whatever you need for me to get a sign off."
Johnson's comment was even more rational given that, if you're familiar with the collecting world, there are a lot of action figures that don't quite nail the muscular look of their real-life counterparts. A big example of this, for example, is Hot Toys' Spider-Man: No Way Home figure of Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker. The detail on the figure itself is great, but its frame is somewhat lanky when compared to Maguire's broader physique.
So, yes, Dwayne Johnson's ask ultimately helped avoid an outcome like that one, and also made for a pretty good-looking representation of Black Adam in action figure form.
What did you think about this insight into the toy-making world? Leave your thoughts in the comments!