Kingo

Say no to drugs, kids. An Eternal with the power to project cosmic energy projectiles from his hands, Kingo over the centuries became enamored with the idea of fame. Kingo Sunen debuted in Eternals #11, where he appeared in a whopping three panels of art across two pages - but at least he was adding a little ethnic diversity to the group, right? It's well known how much Jack Kirby hated right-wing bigots, so it's not hard to imagine Marvel getting a letter from a fan asking why this ancient race that was supposed to have influenced and interacted with all humanity over the millennia just happened to entirely look northern European, and Kirby accepting that criticism and introducing at least one who didn't. Kingo doesn't exactly line up with any real-world gods the way others do, but maybe he would have been fleshed out had the book not been cancelled at issue #19. In the movie, Kingo is being played by Kumail Nanjiani who used to be a normal-looking guy, but then beefed up like a 4H bull for his role in the movie. Whatever steroids Marvel gets its actors are some powerful stuff! Look, I don't care how many weights you lift, how many crunches you do, getting fit does not change the shape of your head-bones. Peter Quill had a far more toned body than Andy Dwyer, but the only difference above the shoulders was that his face got a little less round, not that his jawbone suddenly got twice as wide. This figure's sculpt captures the classic Kumail, the way we think of him looking. Comicbook Kingo dressed like a samurai - he lived in a settlement in the mountains above Hokkaido, and apparently cosplayed feudal Japan every day. The part about enjoying fame is an extrapolation from the books as well: he acted in samurai films, and was a big enough star that the Eternals' human friend recognized him on sight. Imagine how famous a Japanese actor would have to be for an American woman to recognize him in 1977! Kumail is Pakistani, so he's not playing a samurai. The cut of his purple outfit is reminiscent of a kurta shirt, and the grey accents are further highlighted by both silver and gold inlays. The figure includes alternate hands that have little blasts of energy being shot from the fingers - something all the comic Eternals can do, not just Kingo. Seems like the movie is making it more unique to him, probably since they can't fall back on the "he prefers to fight like a samurai" thing the books do. The figure includes the left arm of the Build-A-Figure, Gilgamesh. Kumail is a big nerd just like we are, so we're happy he gets to join the MCU (he was previously up for the role of Dopinder in Deadpool, but refused to play up his accent). And we're happy he gets to be a toy, too, and that it actually looks like him. -- 11/01/21

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