– Review and Photos by Scott Rubin
While we still have to wait until next month to see the awesome-looking Thor: Ragnarok in theatres, WizKids has got us salivating for a HeroClix gravity feed based on the film that’s coming to stores very soon. And if you want to get a special advance look at not one but TWO chases from the Marvel HeroClix Thor: Ragnarok set, Fenris Wolf and Hela! As always with movie HeroClix coming out before the film there may be minor spoilers, so consider yourself warned; of course both characters have been seen in trailers already so their inclusion shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.
For those of you who saw the big, bad wolf in the post-SDCC trailer and thought “that’s cool” without knowing the creature’s backstory, what you got a glimpse of was the Fenris Wolf. Fenris (or “Fenrir”) was a son of Loki and the ancestor of mighty wolves in Norse mythology. He was also prophesized to play an important role in Ragnarok, killing Odin! The Fenris Wolf joins the Thor: Ragnarok movie HeroClix lineup as a vicious canine, standing atop a rocky base and snarling at his enemies. The wolf’s pelt is various shades of gray and he has piercing blue eyes. Notably, an unlike a previous HeroClix version of this character from the comics, Fenris is a normal-sized wolf… but wait till you read what he does in the game…
Fenris Wolf is 75 points of melee devastation for your team, outfitted with Indomitable and a trait called “Swallow You Whole.” Every time he KO’s an opponent he gets a Growth token; with just one it becomes a Giant, with two it becomes a Colossal, and at three it gets +1 to all combat values! Right away you can see Fenris’ role on the battlefield: killing enemies as quickly as possible, probably starting with your enemy’s support figures. To get that done the wolf starts with Charge, Blades/Claws/Fangs, Exploit Weakness, and a special power giving him Super Senses and Toughness. He keeps Exploit for his whole dial, but halfway down he trades the other powers for Sidestep, regular Toughness, and a second special power granting Blades/Claws/Fangs and increasing the final damage by +1 for each Growth token he has! As far as a pack to run in, Fenris prefers characters who share his Asgardian or Animal keywords.
While the wolf has only been teased in promotional materials, not so Hela played by Cate Blanchett. Inspired by the Norse goddess Hel, Hela has appeared in Marvel Comics since the 60s and frequently causes trouble for Thor. As the Goddess of the Dead she rules over the lands of Hel and Niflheim, but just what she’s up to in Thor: Ragnarok we’ll all have to wait and see. There have been several Hela figures based on her comic appearances in HeroClix before, and this new chase figure captures the film character in a classically-inspired look complete with the green and black dress, long cape, and elaborate horned headdress befitting a death goddess. She even has a great pose, striding forward confidently with her arms out as though to beckon anyone to oppose her.
Hela is 100 points with an 8 range, Indomitable, and the mighty “I Have Brought the Army of the Dead to the Gates of Asgard” trait (sounds like a cool line from a movie!). Put simply, she begins the game with a Rise token and gets another every time a non-bystander character is KO’d; then Hela can be given a free action to “turn in” a Rise token in exchange for a Fallen Warrior bystander as outlined on her card. So, she’s guaranteed to be able to summon at least one Charging tie-up piece to help her, and possibly many more. Hela starts the game with Sidestep and Invincible on her dial for two clicks, then mid-dial uses a combination of Sidestep, Penetrating/Psychic Blast, and Mastermind to reposition, blast her enemies, and shrug off damage to her minions or Fallen Warrior bystanders. Late dial Hela can still blast her opponents or get away with two final clicks of Phasing/Teleport, Pulse Wave with a spiking attack value, and Regeneration! Appropriately the goddess has the Asgardian, Deity, and Ruler keywords.
That does it for our latest HeroClix advance look, checking out two chases from the upcoming Marvel Thor: Ragnarok movie gravity feed. To see even more figures from this set make sure to visit our unboxing (HERE) and go to HeroClix.com for previews and more. Good luck with your pulls!
– Review and Photos by Scott Rubin
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