Every hero needs a most vile villain. For the Fantastic Four, there is no one other than Dr. Doom. He has been a thorn in the team’s side since the beginning with his story stemming even before that, all because he has hatred for Reed Richards. Luckily, Reed has a good friend in Ben Grimm to help him against the good doctor in the Thing and Dr. Doom two-pack set for Marvel Minimates Series 5.

The Thing is the strongman on the team. His rocky exterior creates a unique appearance for this character. Everything about this character reeks of a basic Minimates figure. There are no special accessories attached on to him except for two things: a headpiece with a huge brow and two giant hands. This figure relies heavily on the textured rock pattern to make up his exterior appearance. If this didn’t fare well at all, then the entire Minimate would be considered a failure. Luckily this isn’t the case. My own problem with it is the harsh black lines used in illustrating the effect. I think I would have prefered a dark brown just to tone it down a bit. I really like that not only the front and back have this rocky detail but his sides as well. It’s usually overlooked which disrupts the flow of the design.

His face looks great, as if he is ready for some clobberin’ time. I really like how the ridge of his protruding brow creates the desired effect for his entire head. The problem with this figure is his size. The Thing is a big guy but it’s not reflected with this figure. The big hands are a good start but it looks completely awkward. Between that and his oversized brow, he looks like a skinny boxer wearing gloves and protective headgear. Still, this earlier version of the Thing is not a bad start, though experimenting with his size in later versions becomes touch-and-go.

Dr. Doom is one of the most recognizable villains and a definite threat to anyone in his line of sight. A lot of his anger stems from his jealousy towards Reed Richards so he set out to make himself better. Doom wears his most iconic outfit with his mask, hood and cape. As ruler of the country Latveria, he comes across as regal. The mask is rendered very well and gives him a threatening appearance. It really reminds me of how he was first depicted many years ago. I love the almost vacant look with little beady eyes.

The cape is fantastic rendered with nice natural folds. It is connected to the hood which drapes over Doom’s head. However, this really limits any head movement at all. Silver paint application is used to for his armour with black line detailing to accentuate the shiny areas. His green skirt is present but hinders leg movement a bit. While I like the look, there is something robotic looking about the whole figure. He looks too stiff. Nevertheless, the entire look for Dr. Doom is nicely executed.

Both figures have 14-points of articulation. None of them have any accessories, though, which is a shame because something should have be included. Doom could use some sort of deadly device and the Thing could have a bent steel bar or something.

Thing and Dr. Doom is a decent two-pack set from Marvel Minimates Series 5. It think it would have been a more natural pairing to have Mr. Fantastic and Dr. Doom together in this set but this is the next best thing.


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***This is part of my 2012 Funny Pages Write-Off. Let your inner geekdom out. You have until the end of July.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 6.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure
Age Range of Child: Kids to Teens