The Eternals' Sersi
By Hervé St-Louis
Sersi is the most published and most well-known Eternal, having been an Avenger for several years. Introduced in The Eternals #3 (1976) created by Jack Kirby, but retroactively assigned a first appearance as the character Circe in Strange Tales #109 (1963). Sersi has the power to transmute matter, and in both comics and film, has always been close to humanity.
This is the first Sersi action figure if one does not count the just released S.H. Figuarts / Bandai version and the Lego toys. From the pictures and reviews that I have watched, I would argue that the S.H. Figuarts Sersi looks more like actress Gemma Chan and her suit is more detailed. However, for most fans, the Hasbro Sersi will be a good enough stand-in. Let's find out more.
The face of the Sersi action figure does not look like Gemma Chan's. Superficially, it looks similar but unlike Richard Madden's Ikaris, Barry Keoghan's Druig, or Ma Dong-seok's Gilgamesh, the resemblance is weak. Chan is one of the most beautiful women in the world, but this figure does not capture that. One aspect of the figure which I do like is that the two beauty marks on the chin and above the lips are on the figure. The costume does fit and so do the body proportions.
Sersi's arms seem a bit too long for her body. I don't like the back of her hair being pushed on the right as if blown by wind. Her feet are very tiny compared with the rest of the body. What I do like about Sersi, is her shape with beautiful hips. Her face looks sad and fails to capture her natural beauty. The one element that Sersi has, common with other Eternals is the etched design patter over her entire suit. The bottom of her tunic is like a dress but with a cut on the left side, allowing her leg to bend.
Her costume is in the metallic green with silver paint applied throughout. The silver paint can rub off. It is also not applied fully on all the seams etched over her costume. Hasbro used 3D digital paint on Sersis's face, giving her slight rosy cheeks. There are not as many details as with the Ikaris figure who seems to have more because of he lacked a build-a-figure accessory.
Sersi is not shortest female Eternal nor the tallest. Ajak is about the same size but with a longer neck and an imposing head piece. Sersis fits quite well with Ikaris and other male Eternals. The Eternals, like other Marvel cinematic figures, fit better with one another rather than with oddly proportioned comic book-based Marvel Legends. However, Sersi looks great next to figures from other lines such as G.I Joe Classified.
Even though her feet are tiny, I found that Sersi is more stable than Makkari and Ajak. Ajak cannot stand on her own, and Makkari is prone to fall in the middle of the night and take down as many figures with her as she can. Sersi's balance is quite good.
Like other Eternals action figures, Sersi benefits from hidden ball joints. Like most female Marvel Legends action figures, Sersi has only one articulation at the elbow, that also pivots. Star Wars Black Series have the same of articulations. Sersi's head is on top of a ball joint and while her neck is a separate piece, it is not articulated. It cannot rotate or bend, like G.I Joe Classified action figures.
Sersi has diaphragm articulation that can bend forward and backward a bit but doing so exposes a bump on her back and gap in her torso. It can rock sideways too. Like other Eternals, Sersi has no rotating waist joint. She has shoulder swivel that can also bend up to about 100 degrees. Her hands can bend inward at the palm.
She has hip articulations, but they are limited by her dress. Without the dress, she could raise her legs forward and backward. Each thigh has a swivel articulation which can help with stability. Of course, Sersi has double-knee articulations, and ankles that can bend up and down, as well as rock.
The plastic used for her neck is not matte like her face and hands. It creates a bit of unnecessary contrast. Her hair is dark brown, almost black, made of soft plastic glued on. The bottom of Sersi's tunic is in softer rubbery like plastic. The rest of the figure is made of PVC.
Sersi comes with two sets of hands. One set has pointed index and middle fingers and another set which is a fist and a relaxed right hand. The fist appears to be reused with Ajak. The pointing figures, much like Kingo, represent Sersi using her powers to transmute matter by touching it. Sersi also comes with Gilgamesh's left leg to form the build-a-figure.
Like all Eternals who are part of the build-a-figure and Ikaris, Sersi is featured on the back of the box and selected among her peers. There is realistic painted artwork representing her, next to a short multilingual biography. The front of the box features an open plastic window with the figure in the middle of the package and Eternals' branding.
Like most Eternals, Sersi costs about $22.99 USD and between $32-$35.99 CAD. Prices will vary depending on the store. Hasbro had these figures in storage for a year before releasing them, as the movie was pushed back several times because of the pandemic limiting viewings in movie theatres. The good thing for fans is that these figures are peg warmers because of the film's failure. They are plentiful in most places. Although I really like the Eternals, the figures, including Sersi, they may soon join the discount bins.
It is very easy to get this figure. Hasbro seemed to have produced way too much Eternals action figures which have been sitting in pegs since the end of September. The figures are not moving a hardcore fans and collectors like me, picked them up as they were released. I should have waited a bit for their price to come down.
As Christmas has now passed, stores will try to get rid of these toys and mark them down. It's too bad as they are well designed and beautiful. However, both Marvel and Hasbro misjudged their potential appeal. Fans of the Eternals may not be action figure collectors. Many fans wanted to have comic book accurate Eternals too. I doubt these would be popular. If you want a Sersi, she can be found everywhere and soon for much less than a toy of her quality should retail for.
The Eternals' Druig
Eternals Movie Review
The Eternals' Kro
The Eternals' Ikaris
The Eternals' Makkari
The Eternals' Sprite
The Eternals' Kingo
Are the Eternals too Woke?
Eternals #9