Man of Steel figures reveal a better look at Michael Shannon’s Zod and Henry Cavill as Superman

Very soon you’re going to start seeing action figures from upcoming summer releases lining the shelves of your local Wal-Mart, etc.  For better or for worse, it’s happening.  Cheap, shiny plastic figures with a redundant “action” function and accessories that have nothing to do with the film they represent will be everywhere.  Case in point: MAN OF STEEL.  It should come as no surprise that the market will be saturated with everything Superman very soon and that was compounded at a recent toy show in France, where a variety of images were leaked, showing off some of the expected and ridiculous toys coming down the pipe.

For the sake of your sanity, I’ve left out the flying vehicles and motorcycles that we’re not likely to see in the film (if we do, then we might have a problem) and instead focused on the figure of Zod, played by Michael Shannon in the film.  Thus far we’ve seen only a few glimpses of the actor as the infamous villain.  The figure has Zod decked out in all-black and sporting a Zod “emblem” on his chest, which is representative of his Kryptonian origins. 

The same symbol is represented on the mini-figure of both Zod and Superman, who both seemed to be decked out in armored versions of their suits.  Does this mean they’ll wear armored suits in the film or is it yet another variation on the multitude of figures we’ll see?  I obviously can’t say, but I wouldn’t be surprised if those actually make it into the film. 

Lastly, we have a look at the MAN OF STEEL statue of Henry Cavill as Superman and it’s looking super sharp.  The statue shows a lot of the detail in Superman’s costume, which may be highlighted by the context we’re seeing it in (a statue).  It’s a sharp-looking statue, made by Gentle Giant.  It’s solicited for release in May 2013.

Zack Snyder‘s MAN OF STEEL, seemingly the most-anticipated film of the year, is slated to hit theaters on June 14, 2013.