Sunday, January 25, 2026

Wrapping Up 2025: Catwoman (Batman Returns) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   Christmas was a month ago but I'm just getting around to checking out a few action figures that I received as presents from my family. I had bad luck finding the Batman Returns action figures from McFarlane Toys but my Mom and Dad didn't! No, indeed. On Christmas evening when we went to my parents house I found three of the four figures I was looking for from McFarlane Batman Returns subset of their DC Multiverse line underneath the tree (still no Penguin Commandos yet). I've talked many times before about Batman Returns and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman (I think we even did an episode of the Confirmed Epic Podcast about the film) but in a film that is absolutely insane and wonderful, offering an incredibly strange take on Batman and the denizens of Gotham City from Tim Burton at the top of his craft and including a killer circus gang, an army of rocket launching penguins, Danny DeVito as the most terrifying Penguin you could imagine who literally bites a guys nose off, Keaton in his best Batman performance ever using gadgets galore, and Christopher Walken being delightfully evil, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman is still the high point of this film. As someone who can debate and critique different Batman media interpretations all day, this film is still pretty high on my list even though it's just so strange and unlike the comics. It's just a wild, Elseworlds take on Batman that works oh so well.

   2026 might be the end of McFarlane Toys' time with the main DC license (it seems like they may still be involved, perhaps with the DC Direct license) but they seem to still be intent on putting out a massive amount of product. They've done a pretty solid job with getting out most film versions of Batman and most of the villains from said films but Batman Returns was what I've been really wanting for some time. These have been released with the moniker "Deluxe Theatrical Release," which seems like a marketing blurb, but they were also released for $35 bucks each. Yikes! That's a heck of a jump! McFarlane has done figures at higher price points, sure, but usually they came with some significant extras. That's not the case for these Batman Returns figures, though. Is this to cover licensing fees, tariffs, or because McFarlane may have (incorrectly) expected these to sell fewer figures? Who knows? This Catwoman has a solid likeness and is a long awaited release but do I feel she's worthy of a higher price point? I don't know. What I do know is that I feel so much yummier. Did I try to hard to force that line in? Maybe. Well, let's check out Catwoman after the break....






The Facts:

Height: 6 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Hinged toes, double swivel hinged ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, swivel/hinge hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid torso, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ ballsockets, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/ hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.
 
Accessories: Whip, stun gun, collector card, and display stand.
 
Non-Scalper Price: $35 dollars








The Positives:

* I am going to knock some design decisions and the price of this figure but I'll first come out and say that she does look good. Very, very good. McFarlane has really been improving on their movie based figures in the DC Multiverse line and the Batman Returns line is definitely the best set of figures they've released in terms of likenesses. Look at some film images of Pfeiffer in her Catwoman costume and you'll really be impressed by how realistic this figure is. It's thin, but it doesn't look like it ignores basic anatomy or anything. It looks like a real woman wearing a costume. The costume is shiny (apparently the actual costume was buffed to give it a mirrorlike shine) and covered with those white stitch marks from where Selina Kyle sewed it herself. Does anyone else out there want a secretary version of Selina Kyle? Does anyone else think the best actors of 1992 should have been anyone who had to pretend on screen that Selina Kyle wasn't just incredibly gorgeous even before she was Catwoman?


* This is one heck of a portrait and really captures Michelle Pfeiffer's features visible underneath the mask. The eyes are incredible and definitely look like Pfeiffer's. One think I really thought about here is the skin tone, but I think it's right. Yes, Catwoman seems to look like she has almost whiteish skin (like the color white, not the race) in so many stills, but that seems largely due to the lightning. In other scenes, it's clear that her skin tone isn't really that different as Catwoman, so I think going with the true skin tone was the right way to go. I think it's another Han Solo's coat on Hoth/ the Xenomorphs in Aliens kind of thing where the lighting really changes the perception. 






* From the back you can see all of the stitches she used for the costume and the details of the corset. The corset isn't removable but it is a separate piece of the sculpt. 















* The stitching on Catwoman's costume isn't just painted on; it's actually sculpted detail with paint hits over it. I'm impressed by it, especially for what is still a mass market toy. 














* While it's disappointing that Catwoman doesn't come with extra hands, I do like the nails they gave here. She's got some serious claws and is ready for a fight. 







* How's the articulation? Not bad. I've been reviewing quite a few S.H. Figuarts action figures lately and while you're not getting something like that, Catwoman can definitely move. No, you're not really going to get crazy poses like her laying down on her side or anything but she's comparable and probably even a bit better than most other McFarlane figures from the past year that generally are well received. If you're familiar with them, you know what you're getting. Yes, the knee, ankle, wrist, and elbow joints are still not really that appealing, but overall the range of motion is quite good. 


* Catwoman comes with her whip and it's pretty decent. Yes, it looks a little too large (like most McFarlane accessories), but the sculpt is good. I checked it against the other McFarlane Catwoman figures I own and I don't think it's reused. It's a bit pliable but not really rubbery or bendable or anything. It does look good if you get her in a good pose with it, though. 







* She also comes with her O-Mega Super Stunner stun gun, a real weapon that's logo is shown in the film. That's some product placement, huh? It's a simple tool, sure, but not an accessory we see that often in toy form. I have a number of smaller tasers but not many stun guns. I can't remember if I have any stun guns like this. The difference between this and a taser? This requires direct contact with the metal prongs while a taser fires the prongs attached to wires. 







* Like most McFarlane DC Multiverse releases you get a solid disc stand and a collectible card. While all of the characters in this set seem to have the same front image, the back does have information specific to Selina.






* The knee high leather boots look pretty good here, too. The laces and creases are all sculpted well and they're nice and shiny, though distinct from the suit.

The Negatives:

* The heels aren't long enough and they don't touch the ground at all. She comes with a stand so they're not "necessary" but it's weird all the same. Also, those ankle joints are ugly and really break things up.





* I think overall the corset looks pretty good, my only problem with it being that it seems a bit too loose around the waist. I'm presuming that McFarlane designed it like this to preserve the articulation there (which is quite good) but I'm just not completely sold. 






   Catwoman really is a nice figure and McFarlane did a pretty solid job on it. I do think she's nicer than a Catwoman they would have put out two or three years ago and I can't think of many companies who aren't NECA that could have done a better job under import prices. Still, I do have to ask why she's a $35 dollar figure for McFarlane. Maybe if she had some swappable hands? Maybe if she'd come with a portrait with a ripped mask and visible hair? Maybe if she came with a portrait with her tongue out when she's giving herself a bath? (That'll probably be a McFarlane Premium $200 dollar figure.) She's a Good and a 1/2 figure and I'm glad to have her (seriously, I was pretty excited to get her for Christmas) but calling her a Deluxe Theatrical Edition feels like marketing speak to score more money on a basic figure. Still, I can't imagine Mattel giving us a Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman nor one that looks this well, so that is something to still be appreciated. 

   If you're looking for more of Catwoman/ Selina Kyle, I've also reviewed McFarlane's DC Multiverse Catwoman (Batman: Knightfall) and Catwoman (The Dark Knight Rises), Mattel's Classic TV Series Catwoman, the Legends of Batman special edition Catwoman, basic Catwoman, and Egyptian Batman & Egyptian Catwoman, the Lil Bombshells Catwoman, the Greg Capullo Catwoman, the Darwyn Cooke Catwoman, the Arkham Knight Catwoman, CultureFly's Tiny Mights Catwoman, and the Nano Metalfigs Catwoman DC44 from the series 3 5-Pack A and the series 3 10-pack and DC 112 from the Series 4 20-pack.


For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:
Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad)
Hugo Strange (Batman: Transference)




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