Wendy's DC Heroes Set 1 exclusive review

Fast food premiums generally aren't as involved as they used to be. Remember in 2001 when McDonald's had a whole set of unique Bionicle villagers? You don't see stuff like that anymore. But this time last year at Wendy's, you could get one of six sets of DC Comics minifigures - think "M.U.S.C.L.E." or "Monster in My Pocket," that kind of thing. Buy a Kids' Meal (or just ask nicely at the counter), and you'd get a box containing three little plastic superheroes, and a sleeve of tiny cards explaining who they are.

Set 1 (the boxes are numbered on the bottom, so you know what you're getting ahead of time) is Superman-themed, starting with the Man of Steel himself. Superman is in that classic MUSCLE pose, with the arms raised up slightly and the legs apart. He's got a very broad chest, with his S shield raised off the surface slightly (since there's no paint), and his cape is designed to hug closely against his back. Whoever designed these even cared enough to make sure his little forelock of hair is curled on his brow.

Second in the set is Supergirl. The DC figures are just slightly larger than classic MUSCLE figs: those were just about 2" tall, while these are slightly below 2¼". A quarter inch isn't much in most cases, but at this scale, it makes a difference. Supergirl is just as tall as Superman, no gender-based size discrepancies, and has an equally powerful pose: one fist on her waist, the other raised next to her head. This is the standard Supergirl costume, with the skirt instead of any of the weird things they've tried to have her wear since the New 52.

All six sets included a villain, and for Set 1 it's Lex Luthor. He's wearing his power armor, because he's not a fool, and no kid wants to play with a toy of a guy wearing a business suit. If not for the spit-curl on Clark's forehead, Lex would end up being slightly taller than his arch-enemy, which is kind of funny. He has more of a bend to his knees, as well, and rather than lifting is arms up, he's got them more spread wide, like he's basking in his power instead of showing it off.

The Wendy's DC keshi toys came in four colors: red, blue, green, and purple. The mark on the bottom of the box that shows you which set it is also reveals what color is inside, so if you feel the need to get all 72 unique variations, it's an achievable goal. Obviously, we do wish they'd also done some in pink. It's a classic.