Falcon

We're 121 days away from Captain America: Civil War hitting theaters, and that seems like the perfect time for Funko to reveal its first line of figures from the upcoming film. Already we've seen Hot Toys and Lego hint at respective plans for toys based on the third Captain America film, and with Funko now diving in, that leaves just a few stragglers (including Hasbro) to show us what to expect on the toy front from the Marvel film that will divide it's two biggest stars. Typically, Funko just reveals its own proprietary mass market figures in the Pop line, but this time the vinyl-maker has also given a glimpse into the variants we'll be able to find, and which retailers will be home to those alternate looks. Curiously enough, the biggest characters in the film wound up with the fewest versions. At least all three of the major female leads are all present and accounted for this time.

Although cosplay has been present for decades within the comics, anime, and sci-fi/fantasy fandoms, social media has played an integral role in the thriving communities of costuming that exist, such as Cosplay.com and the Superhero Costuming Forum. Over the years, the cosplay community has evolved into a creative outlet for many fans to establish and showcase some impressive feats of homemade disguise, craftsmanship, and sartorial superheroics at conventions. In honor of the caped crusaders of the convention scene, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), an ongoing collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we’ve discovered and assembled into a super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent.

This past weekend Hot Toys displayed a number of new products at the annual Toy Soul convention. While new Star Wars figures are nice and all, the real meat and potatoes was in the unveiling of the first Captain America: Civil War figures. These are the first new collectibles for the upcoming sequel that anyone has shown to this point, though only returning characters have been given the public spotlight so far. At least as far as the sixth-scale line is concerned. There were a few vinyl figures for some of the newcomers, but it would appear anyone holding out hope for the sixth-scale Black Panther or Agent 13 will have to wait until 2016 for a glimpse. Still, that we've been given a look into the future of Hot Toys' Marvel Cinematic Universe plans this early is exciting. Typically these sorts of tie-in figures are kept under wraps until the last possible moment. That nine have been revealed already certainly doesn't bode well for anyone hoping to grab a complete set, especially considering the characters that aren't included so far, and that Iron Man likely changes armor at least seven times in this film. So that's another dozen figures right there. Probably.

The 2016 Lego catalog is out, and with it come some surprise reveals for upcoming sets based in the Marvel universe. Just like the 2015 catalog revealing a bit about Avengers: Age of Ultron, Lego's latest teasers show a great deal of what to expect from the upcoming cinematic adventure, Captain America: Civil War. These sets are not to be confused with the other recently announced Marvel Super Hero sets, which included the first ever Captain Marvel and Thanos mini figures, though those are also due out in early 2016 and do make an appearance in the catalog. While there have been countless Lego sets based on the Marvel movies (and countless others) that haven't panned out with an exact 1:1 representation to the movie, the Avengers: Age of Ultron sets were fairly spot on. That's what makes these new Civil War sets so interesting. Each shares at least a little bit in common with some of the teasers and trailers we've seen so far, though there are still some surprises that should make Marvel fans excited if they do work out.

For years, Mattel's Hot Wheels line has been bringing the very best comic book and superhero vehicles to life. We've gotten dozens of different Batmobiles over the years, and characters like the Avengers and Spider-Man have gotten their own vehicles with cool designs and paint jobs for almost as long as Hot Wheels has been in existence. At this year's San Diego Comic Con, that trend will continue with an exclusive Secret Wars-themed three-pack. Featuring Captain America (Sam Wilson), Superior Iron Man, and Spider-Man (Miles Morales), the Hot Wheels Marvel Secret Wars Character Car 3-Pack will give each of these characters their own new model of sophisticated auto-weirdness. They'll also all come in a window box display, showing the cars in action as if they were the heroes themselves. For reasons.

Those devils at CineFix are at it again, this time taking their retro-inspired gaming talents to the greatest Marvel movie ever made in the history of the universe, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. We're big fans of CineFix's 8-bit remakes of classic films, and though Winter Soldier isn't quite as classic as Scarface or Titanic (yet), it's definitely one of the most memorable Marvel movies since the heroes started making the leap from the panel to the screen. Seeing many of the big moments from the feature film revisited here in a style reminiscent of Mega Man only served to remind us just how amazing Winter Soldier was, and still is today.

Who is the greatest Avenger of all time? You probably have your personal favorites. You probably also have a pretty good idea who the popular favorites might be. We wanted to know for sure, so to mark the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron we conducted a giant-size poll to give you the chance to choose between more than 100 Avengers members, and rank them from least to best. Now the results are in. And we think there are a few surprises.

I'm not excited for Sam Wilson as Captain America, and I'm not excited for a female Thor. Now, I don't think these are totally wrongheaded things to do. I admire the impulse behind these changes, and I believe they come from a good place. In the abstract sense, I love the idea of Marvel featuring, in big, bold style, the adventures of a black man and a woman against the hordes of iniquity. I believe at least part of the motivation behind these changes is genuine in its altruism, and that it is not entirely invalidated by profit-seeking impulses. I want to believe in this initiative. I want to be excited. I do not want to be the curmudgeon in the corner, needlessly nitpicking everyone else's good time to pieces. But it feels like a gimmick, and functions like a gimmick, and that’s because it is a gimmick. I give it perhaps two years — two years that only the most hard-core aficionados will end up able to recall, alongside their recollections of the foil covers era and that one time Doc Ock was Spider-Man.

Mighty Avengers is getting a new #1 and a new title this November. At the Avengers NOW panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, Marvel announced that the series will relaunch as Captain America & The Mighty Avengers -- with former Falcon Sam Wilson taking point as the new Captain America. That means a second title series for Wilson's Cap, and a second chance for readers to discover the book. Al Ewing continues as writer, with former Captain America artist Luke Ross taking over as regular series artist. ComicsAlliance spoke to Ewing to find out why the book is relaunching, how he plans to handle Sam's promotion, and what it means to write the only Avengers book with a predominantly non-white team.

On Tuesday morning Whoopi Goldberg and the hosts of The View announced that Marvel will relaunch Thor this October with a 'worthy' woman brandishing the hammer. Marvel followed that announcement with two more high profile switcheroos on Wednesday night as Entertainment Weekly revealed a new-ish and possibly superior Iron Man, and Marvel Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada joined comedian Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report to announce that a new guy will take up Captain America's shield. That in itself isn't much of a surprise -- original Cap Steve Rogers has passed on his mantle a few times, before eventually yanking it back. After spending some time in Dimension Z and fighting the Iron Nail and whatnot, he's now too old to Avenge from the front lines. The big reveal is that the new Captain America will be Sam Wilson, the African-American superhero currently known as Falcon.