McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Shazam review (2026)
Shazam gets another McFarlane DC Multiverse figure before the license gets handed back over to Mattel. I appreciated that as the previous release (available at Amazon) skewed decidedly modern. Like The Flash, Shazam/Captain Marvel has a timeless classic costume that cannot be improved upon besides some very minor tweaks.
This classic version of Shazam also fits in much easier with my Justice League International collection so “Captain Whitebread” can be the powerhouse of the team even if it’s for far too short a time. But you can also add him to the “modern” JSA shelf based on the Johns/Robinson/Goyer run as well.
Let’s see if lighting only needed to strike once to deliver a great classic Shazam figure.
Packaging: Shazam gets the standard Multiverse packaging with the largely black color scheme with white and blue accents. The side lists this as the Power of Shazam version even if the back packaging does not feature Jerry Ordway’s art from the series.
That has always been a very weird aspect about this line. The figure can look correct for the specific time period, but the package art can be all over the place.
Likeness: Shazam has such a great costume with a design that helped him stand out above so many “me too” Superman clones. The figure is about 92% spot-on.
The only gripe with the likeness is the hair. It’s done in a modern style where it’s brushed back as opposed to being lower and a tad tousled to help distinguish him from Superman. Fittingly, he uses the same mold as the classic Silver Age Superman, which was the perfect mold choice for him.
His boot cuffs could be a tad longer, but there are plenty of pictures with them at this length so that’s more of a preference than a problem. Everything else is terrific. McFarlane Toys gave him soft goods wired cape, which is perfect as it makes it easier to capture his cape’s unique look with its flared collar, slanted cord and smaller length that just goes below his waist.
Shazam’s gauntlets are properly done, and his belt perfectly breaks up the body suit illusion. His head sculpt is great with a thoughtful, determined expression and his eyes are sculpted mostly closed like he appeared in his classic comics.
Scale: Shazam is typically shown to be around 6’2″ placing him eye to eye with Batman or 6’3″ at eye level with Superman. He stands appropriately taller than the rest of his JLI teammates.
Paint: McFarlane figures usually don’t have messy paint jobs and Shazam is fairly easy provided the yellows are strong enough not to prevent the red from bleeding through.
Thankfully, the yellow in his lightning bolt is about as clean as I could reasonably expect. There’s just some speckles of red peeking through. He also has some traces of blue in his hair to simulate the classic style of coloring hair in comic books. The work on his eyes is nicely done where it has that initial appearance of being closed, but they’re oh so slightly open.
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Articulation: Shazam uses the same solid articulation with 22 points of articulation. He can strike plenty of heroic stances and can handle any Shazam-worthy poses to battle Black Adam. We really needed more of his enemies not the least of which was Mr. Mind.
He can hit solid flying poses, has very good range for punches and lifting heavy objects. The Superman mold is very well-engineered for a powerhouse like Shazam.
Shazam has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- butterfly shoulders
- elbow
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- waist
- hip
- thigh
- knee
- ankle
- toe
Accessories: Shazam didn’t have a lot of obvious accessory options. He gets a set of flying hands, which is all I’d expect. I wouldn’t have minded an alternate head sculpt with that classic hairstyle though.
As usual, he comes with the usual trading card and black circular stand.
Worth it? The Multiverse figures run $24.97, which is still a better price point than your average Marvel Legend, Star Wars or Transformers figure.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Shazam gets the classic figure he deserved and fits in wonderfully wherever you choose to display him. Fortunately, he’s not the only member of the Marvel Family coming this final year.
Where to get it? Shazam is available at GameStop and Walmart, the latter of which is where I grabbed mine. For the most comprehensive backlog of DC Multiverse figures, check out Amazon.
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