Todd McFarlane used his New York Comic Con toys panel to mark the end of an era. McFarlane Toys’ DC Comics license is moving to Mattel at the start of 2027, he told the room, thanking fans for a run that began in 2020, according to The Beat’s panel recap.
“From the beginning of 2020 all the way up to now, you guys have been fantastic. You guys have made this a giant, giant success,” McFarlane said.
Last DC waves still coming
The panel still showed plenty of DC product headed to shelves before the handoff: Bruce Wayne and Batman figures, a collector’s Star Sapphire, Mary Shazam, Val-Zod Superman, a GameStop-exclusive Batman and Ra’s al Ghul homage to Batman #244, and screen-inspired takes on Michael Keaton’s Batman, Batman & Robin’s Batgirl and HBO’s Penguin. Absolute Batman, loaded with accessories, drew a loud reaction.
McFarlane also walked through pinless joints and the difference between articulated figures and statues, arguing that hiding articulation while keeping poseability is “the win-win.”
Spawn, Image and games
Beyond DC, the slate stays busy. Image Founders figures continue with Marc Silvestri’s Witchblade and Rob Liefeld’s Prophet as the last Founders release of 2026. A new Judge Dredd line is planned for the character’s 50th anniversary. Gaming licenses spanned God of War, Call of Duty’s Ghost, Fallout, Poppy Playtime and a Spawn Warlock figure tied to Diablo Immortal, ending the panel with a Spawn cosplayer on stage.
For comics readers, the Mattel shift matters because McFarlane Toys has been one of the most visible DC merch pipelines of the Absolute and movie-reboot era. Spawn’s own comics calendar remains active, including RCG’s recent note that Spawn heads to the North Pole in I Saw Spawn this November.
McFarlane framed the DC goodbye as gratitude, not a retreat: the company is still shipping DC figures into early 2027, then handing the cape rack to Mattel.
