Hasbro Pulse’s VHS Collection figures have, over the years, presented exclusive characters and repaints based specifically on 1990s animated incarnations of the X-Men and Spider-Man. In the case of Spidey, they’ve generally come as two-packs, often with one figure being a civilian character unlikely to sell at mass retail like Aunt May. With deco specific to the animated incarnation, the figures come in packaging that resembles the old sell-through VHS tapes kids could buy at big box stores, often with just one or two episodes on the thing.
Fear Holds No Water Here
For the latest set, Hasbro offers up Hydro-Man and Daredevil, two popular characters who just so happen to also have appeared — in very different forms — in the MCU Spider-Man movies. Daredevil, the man without fear, comes with his billy club nunchuks and a cel-shaded shadow effect to make him look like he’s coming out of the darkness. It’s a unique design take that makes him look more like an action comic or cartoon than just a flat red might.
Hydro-Man utilizes translucent plastic for a water simulation and comes with two water effects that can either help him to stand or “attack” his foes by wrapping around their legs. Unlike the movie version, who was just a projected illusion and drone effects created by Mysterio, this Hydro-Man is a real criminal named Morris Bench who can turn his body to liquid as needed.
The two characters never fought each other on the show. Daredevil generally showed up when Kingpin became involved, though he also interacted with Smythe and Chameleon. Considering that running water is rarely silent, Matt Murdock’s enhanced hearing would at least prove advantageous in the fight. As a fun fact, Hydro-Man gained more prominence in the Spider-Man cartoon than he ever had before because he was used as a substitute for Sandman, a character legally unavailable at the time due to his use in James Cameron’s unproduced scriptment.
This Daredevil/Hydro-Man set will be available beginning February 8th at 1 pm ET for Hasbro Pulse Premium members and an hour later for everyone else. Here are a few select images:
