Black Widow Adds Spark to Hot Toys Avengers: Age of Ultron Line

Though she was hinted at during Toy Soul late last year, Hot Toys officially revealed the Avengers: Age of Ultron Black Widow figure today. With a new 'do, uniform, weapons and more, Black Widow has never looked better. Well, except in her Captain America: The Winter Solider form, which had the exact same head sculpt.

Hot Toys has been revealing new Avengers from the upcoming sequel with increased regularity, though we still haven't gotten a glimpse at any of the new human characters like Quicksilver or Scarlet Witch. Still, getting closer looks at the returning cast of Age of Ultron in their new duds is certainly appreciated. I was a big fan of the Winter Soldier version of Black Widow, and the iterations made to her here seemingly improve upon an already solid figure.

I'll admit I'm a little disappointed the head sculpt is being reappropriated and will merely get a new paint job and hairstyle. That said, she's not the only character in the line to get this treatment, so it's slightly understandable. With regards to that haircut, I wish anyone who purchases her good luck in getting it to match that styling out of the box. It would have been nice to see an improved likeness though. Fortunately, she comes with a wealth of new accessories to more than make up for the lack of alterations to her head.

Widow will once again come with one of her trademark Glock pistols (the same that have been included every single time), but she'll also come with a set of shock sticks, grenades, a knife and two much, much larger rifles (possibly lasers?). It's the most accouterments she's come with since she started getting Hot Toys figures, so it's appreciated. You'll also notice some electric effect wraps for her bracers, which is the first time we see Hot Toys acknowledging the Widow's bite beyond painting her gloves blue on the Winter Soldier version.

The best part though has to be the revamped uniform. Her Winter Solider suit was exquisitely tailored, and with the new red and blue highlights, the AOU version looks like it could surpass her previous look. It's hard to tell in the trailers and scenes we've seen so far because they have been so rapidly paced, but there's a lot of variation and style in this uniform upon a closer glance. Interestingly, there doesn't appear to be any SHIELD or Avenger patches or insignias on her person, which would play off what happened in Winter Soldier. The AOU Captain America appears to be the only figure so far to have any organizational emblems at all, and it'll be interesting to see if that small touch is addressed anywhere in the film.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron Black Widow doesn't have a release date or price as of yet, but should retail around $200 or so based on her previous releases. We'll update this post as soon as Sideshow Collectibles has new information.

Update: Sideshow is now accepting pre-orders for the Black Widow. She'll set you back $219.99, and is expected to arrive in the fourth quarter of 2015.