At this point, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has released so many teasers, TV spots, trailers, IMAX promos and Turkish Airlines advertisements that fans are likely to be shocked if there’s anything in the final film they haven’t already seen. And yet, even after all that footage, none seems to have become more iconic than the first “reveal” teaser from over a year ago; which depicted an armored Batman using the bat-signal to illuminate an angry-looking Man of Steel in the sky during a raging thunder storm.

Now, specialty toymaker Funko is paying homage to that now-iconic teaser - using a pair of their Funko POP! figures to recreate the big reveal and promote its new DC Legion of Collectors promotion.

The minute-long spot features Funko POP! versions of Superman and the armored variation of Batman acting out the poses and glowers of their big screen counterparts, before departing to reveal that Batman’s “rooftop” was actually the collector box used to ship the new promotion. The DC-themed subscription collector service, announced last month, will let fans sign up to receive annual boxed-shipments of Funko goodies, with an exclusive Armored Batman figure exclusive to the inaugural shipment. The new program is being framed as a DC equivalent to Funko’s Marvel Collector Corps promotion launched last year.

What stands out most amusingly about the clip is the obvious contrast between the cute “chibi”-style figures and the deliberate aping of Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder’s signature ultra-grim machismo. While some have maintained from the beginning that the DC characters in particular are uniquely ill-suited to such a stylistic reworking, the juxtaposition goes beyond unusual to outright absurd when Batman and Superman are swapped-out with toddler-proportioned vinyl dolls whose expressionless big-eyed stare feels stuck somewhere between Peanuts and Precious Moments - something that only adds to the intended joke.

Originating in 1998 as a specialty toy brand with a focus on retro and nostalgia properties, Funko has grown into one of the main players in its field through lucrative licensing deals with Marvel, DC, Lucasfilm, Disney, WWE, The BBC, Dreamworks and other major IP holders. The “star” of the company has consistently been the “Funko POP!” line of vinyl figures, which render a wide variety of characters from different media in a uniform style inspired by big-head/tiny-body “superdeformed” figurines popularized in Japan. Last year, the company announced a new T-shirt line based around the POP! figures that will be exclusively carried through the youth-targeted fashion retailer Hot Topic.

While no information is yet available as to what future exclusives to the Legion of Collectors boxes might entail, fans widely expect to get early (and likely brief) glimpses of the remainder of The Justice League at some point in Batman V Superman. If so, it’s very possible that Funko merchandise (maybe even POP! figures) for characters like Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg may well become part of the promotion somewhere down the line; making this a potentially very attractive deal for DC fans who enjoy the toymakers’ takes on the material.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25, 2016, which is followed by Suicide Squad on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 16, 2018; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and then Green Lantern Corps. on June 19, 2020.

Source: Daily Superhero