REVIEW: Mattel Superman Batman Public Enemies Infinite Heroes 3-Pack

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A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the Superman Batman Public Enemies Infinite Heroes Six Pack of figures, and now I’m back with one of the two three-packs now available at Targets everywhere. By now you all should have seen the film, so I won’t go into the story except where it relates to the three characters here. Both three-packs include one of the title characters (Superman or Batman) along with two others. Whether you consider some of the other to be heroes or villains will depend on whether or not you've seen the movie (or read the comics). Today we'll be looking at the pack with Batman, Captain Atom, and Black Lightning.

The Public Enemies three-packs come in what are essentially miniature versions of the six pack’s packaging. It's based on the traditional Infinite Heroes angled rectangular window box, complete with special Public Enemies deco of nighttime brick wall background. Images of Superman and Batman flank the front window, and the name of the film is at the top with the character names beneath the figures. Notably, there’s a sticker on the window that says "Inspired by the Original Animated Movie."

The back of the box continues the graffiti-strewn wall with a description of the film’s plot on the left-hand side. The back panel is dominated by “Most Wanted” posters of the three included figures, complete with headshots and biographical and statistical information. At the very bottom are small images of the other Public Enemies Infinite Heroes sets.

In the course of the film, Lex Luthor becomes President of the United States and steers public opinion against Superman and Batman by framing the Man of Steel. Luthor then sends a legion of superheroes after the pair along with dozens of villains seeking the extreme bounty on their heads. Among those most dogged in pursuit is Captain Atom’s team of Luthor-aligned super beings. Atom, born Nathanial Adam, was once an army captain before himself being framed for a crime he did not commit. Forced to choose between prison or a dangerous experiment he took the latter and was literally blown up; he didn’t die, but was merged with an alien metal and shot into the future. Meanwhile, Black Lightning is one of the longest-running African American superheroes in the DC Universe. Born with the ability to generate and control electricity, he became the costumed Black Lightning. Fighting crime on his own and within the system, he actually took part in Luthor’s government as Secretary of Education.

All three of these figures are updates of existing characters in the Infinite Heroes world. All three were in the first run (Batman and Black Lightning single packed, Captain Atom in the Battle for Metropolis set), and so had the Infinite Heroes 1.0 body. Most of the new Infinite Heroes figures use the 3.0 body, which Batman and Captain Atom share.

They are articulated at the neck, shoulders (ball), elbows (ball), wrists, waist, hips (ball), thighs, knees (ball), and ankles (ball). However, Black Lightning utilizes the 2.0 body, previously seen on the Green Lantern: First Flight Hal Jordan, the Monitor, Psycho-Pirate, and Barry Allen.

That body is articulated at the neck, shoulders (ball), elbows (ball), forearms, waist, hips, knees (ball), and ankles (ball). Both bodies have increased articulation and poseability, showing the continued evolution and improvement of the line.

Batman is a straight repack of the figure in the Public Enemies Six Pack. With the new body and modern black and gray deco, this Batman is a great improvement over the original.

Leaner and more poseable, Batman wears his sculpted utility belt and has the appropriate forearm spines. His cape is much better than that on the original figure, and lays pretty flat while allowing the figure to balance well.

He’s the only one of these three with a McGuiness-inspired head sculpt, featuring a more rounded face that looks really good. Other than the overall black and gray, Batman has bright yellow on his utility belt, flesh toned face, and white eyes.

The first Captain Atom figure was relatively tough to get, as he was only sold as part of the Battle for Metropolis set. He was worth getting though, utilizing the larger male body and looking pretty cool with a bright silver paintjob. This new Captain Atom is a bit different.

The new 3.0 body is shorter with more realistic body proportions, and this works with Atom. There’s not much to make his sculpt unique as he’s just a guy in a skin-tight uniform. But, the body has nicely sculpted musculature, and of course his unique head sculpt is great.

Overall he’s a sort of shiny bluish silver, with matte blue boots, matte red gloves and chest logo, and white eyes surrounded by black orbits.

Black Lightning was first seen in the Infinite Heroes line as a single packed figure that used the larger male body and had a pretty basic deco in black and blue with yellow accents. The new version is quite different, with the smaller but more articulated 2.0 body and a different costume based on the animation/comic book.

The new Black Lightning is quite a bit smaller in bulk than his predecessor, but he still looks good. The costume is very snazzy, with a more sophisticated four color palette adding white to the mix. The lightning bolts on the figure’s chest and back even continue radiating down his arms!

Black Lightning also has an all-new head sculpt with a very distinctive face. He wears a white harlequin mask with yellow eyes, and has a full head of short-cropped hair (unlike the bald previous figure).

All of the Public Enemies toys are exclusive to Toys R Us, and shouldn’t be too hard to find. For those of you just getting into the Infinite Heroes line, these three-packs are a great way to get the newest and best versions of existing characters, and long time collectors will definitely want to add these to their collections. Recommended for fans of the DC Universe, Public Enemies, Infinite Heroes, and 3 ¾ inch superheroes in general.

For more images of this set, CLICK HERE!

Review and Photos by Scott Rubin