Pepper Potts Finally Gets Her Hot Toys Due

Pepper Potts is finally getting hers, and it only took seven years and four dozen other Iron Man figures for Hot Toys to finally make its way to one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most powerful women.

I was never a huge fan of Pepper Potts until a few years ago. Prior to Matt Fraction's and Salvador Larocca's run on Invincible Iron Man, I didn't much have a feeling about her one way or another, save for her appearances in the Iron Man films. I didn't even read Iron Man regularly enough before Invincible to have a firm grasp of her history. None of that mattered though once she became Rescue. Though Rescue's time in the comics was relatively short, the impact on fandom was long-lasting.

We never got the Rescue figure from Hasbro the company teased as part of its Iron Man 3 line a few years ago, and I've been steadily complaining and questioning why, after so many Tony Starks, Hot Toys hadn't delivered so much as an alternate head sculpt for Pepper Potts and the MK XLII. Today, I couldn't be happier. We're finally getting the Pepper figure we've so desperately needed.

There are going to be two different versions of Pepper Potts offered, with one just being Pepper and the other also including the Iron Man MK IX armor. I'll admit that after waiting for so long for a figure like this to happen, I'm a bit disappointed she's not been given a bit more personality in the clothing department. Pepper's had a lot of nice suits, and that Hot Toys opted for a simple slacks and shirt combo is a bit disappointing. Additionally, I wish there was a tiny bit of emotion in her face. As it stands, she just looks bored. It's also not the best Gwyneth Paltrow likeness, but it is a prototype, and there's a chance it could be improved by the time it releases. Beggars can't be choosers, but when we're talking about $200 figures, we can sure be picky.

The Mark IX armor is nice, and it comes with all the accessories you're used to seeing with an Iron Man armor to this point. There's some alternate hands, a light-up stand, and a few missile attachments, too. He's not the real star of the show, but the inclusion in the two-pack is a nice way to get another armor from the film out there without releasing it separately. Though the MK IX does play a part in the epic finale, Pepper's true association comes with the MK XLII armor. There have already been numerous MK XLIIs released, so instead of putting out another one, Hot Toys merely opted to include an alternate Pepper Potts helmet head to swap out on that figure. If you don't own one, well... uh... here's a nice disembodied Pepper head, I guess?

You can only get this alternate head with the two-pack, which is a tiny bit frustrating. The stand-alone Pepper does come with an alternate MK IX arm (with light-up repulsor) so you can reenact that moment from the conclusion of Iron Man 3 where Pepper rips the arm off the MK IX to blast Guy Pierce back to Australia. Curiously, there is a silhouetted image of Pepper in Hot Toys' imagery, which it usually only uses to keep something a secret. Perhaps this figure will also come with a black tank top like she wears in film. Still would have liked to see her any of the one million other outfits she owns.

No pricing or release date information has been announced, but we'll update this post as soon as Sideshow Collectibles has more details.

Update: Both versions of Pepper Potts are available for pre-order. The stand-alone figure is available for $224.99, and the two-pack with the Mark IX is available for $439.99. Either is due to arrive between December 2015 and February 2016.

An earlier version of this post stated the figure had the wrong Mark IX arm, but it is the correct arm from the film. We regret such an obvious blunder on our "expert" toy guy's part. What a jerk.