To say that the current partnership between McFarlane Toys and DC Comics has been beneficial for everyone is a vast understatement. Since taking over the DC Comics toy license for Warner Bros, the brand has flourished with countless new DC Multiverse figures flying off the shelves. That’s why it is especially exciting to hear that they will be taking things to a whole new level and reviving the recently defunct DC Direct brand.
DC Direct was formerly the Warner Bros Consumer Products in-house collectibles division. Unfortunately, last summer Warner Bros decided to shut down DC Direct as part of their company-wide layoffs, canceling several previously announced products. Longtime fans of the DC Direct brand were devastated as they watched countless product lines they have collected for years suddenly go away in one fell swoop. But thanks to McFarlane Toys, the DC Direct legacy may yet live on!
McFarlane Toys has partnered with Warner Bros Consumer Products to expand the terms of their global licensing agreement and take on the DC Direct branding and revive many of their popular collector’s lines. McFarlane has already had great success with their DC Multiverse line of action figures, so if they can carry over that consistency to DC Direct’s brands it sounds like it could be a match made in heaven.
Effective immediately, McFarlane Toys will be taking over the management of DC Direct’s current inventory stock to ensure that their previously made products, and even developed and previously unreleased products, will find their way into the hands of collectors. This is all on top of a variety of new statues, busts, and figures that will now be designed and developed by the McFarlane Toys team and released under the DC Direct banner.
As far as what we can expect from this new era of McFarlane Toys managed DC Direct, many fan-favorite lines are set to return. Long-running statue lines like Batman Black & White, Harley Quinn Red, White, & Black, and the DC Designer Series are officially set to return.
While not name-dropped in the press release, many are also anticipating the return of several other classic DC Direct lines like DC Bombshells, DC Covergirls, DC Artists Alley, and maybe even DC Essentials (I know I’m personally hoping McFarlane carries over DC Direct’s Batman: The Adventures Continue figure line).
In addition to all of these, it is also expected that McFarlane Toys will be producing some new original lines of their own under the DC Direct banner, so this is all just the tip of the iceberg for fans. If McFarlane plans on handling the DC Direct brand the way they do the DC Multiverse line, we may even see some all-new original designs for some of our favorite characters by Todd McFarlane himself!
While we do not know how quickly we can expect McFarlane to work on the distribution of the current DC Direct inventory, fans can expect to start seeing the new McFarlane Toys developed DC Direct products hitting the market sometime in 2022. In the meantime, you can still buy several previously released DC Direct products here and catch up on the McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse line here.
Are you excited to hear that DC Direct is coming back from the dead? What DC Direct product lines are you hoping to see McFarlane tackle first? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for more McFarlane Toys updates!
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