Here's What Barbie's Avengers Would Look Like According To AI
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Some film industry analysts have observed that pop culture appears to be at a nexus point between two related but distinct epochs: the era of the superhero movie may be drawing to a close, while the age of the toy movie is only just beginning. That probably isn't strictly accurate, as there have been successful toy-based movies before "Barbie," and there will almost certainly be box office successes in the superhero genre's future. But a video on TikTok is showing how the two entertainment realms might look when combined with one another.
The video comes from the TikTok account @darkside.ai, and it purports to show the "AI Generated Avengers: Barbie Edition." Basically, it's the World's Mightiest Heroes (and two villains) of the Marvel Cinematic Universe if they were made into Barbie-branded toys by Mattel, as imagined by the cursed magic of artificial intelligence — the same magic that previously showed us what Tim Burton's "Avengers: Endgame" would look like.
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It's an interesting trip through a lesser-known corner of the multiverse, with all the major "Avengers" heroes and even Thanos himself, sporting a suspiciously Ken-like hairdo, getting some time in the spotlight.
Most of the characters seem like standard Marvel action figures
Truth be told, there doesn't seem to be too much Barbie DNA in these purportedly "Barbie Edition" versions of the Avengers. They seem more like standard Marvel action figures, albeit ones that appear to be based on the film versions of the characters rather than their comic book or animated counterparts.
There's a slightly glammed-up Black Widow, followed by the aforementioned Thanos, who on second glance has hair that doesn't just evoke Ken but seems downright presidential. The Dr. Strange doll has his hands outstretched, presumably ready to perform some arcane gestures, while the Groot figure sits down to enjoy a plate of what appears to be either fruit or some sort of pastry. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is up next, with an especially small amount of Barbie visual influence, followed by another Ken-like take, this one on Captain America (Chris Evans).
Iron Man, Black Panther, War Machine, and Loki come next, all with a dispiritingly low number of Barbie-esque visual signifiers. It would take a magnifying glass to find any pink at all in any of these images, and it's enough to make one question the utility of artificial intelligence software in creating the next generation of Barbie dolls and action figures.
None of these Avengers would seem quite at home in Barbie's Dreamhouse
AI-generated figures of Rocket Raccoon, Drax, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Hawkeye close out the video, as well as a version of Scarlet Witch, who stands alone among the featured characters in that she actually looks somewhat like a Barbie doll. All in all, it's hard to imagine any of these versions of the Avengers, even Wanda Maximoff, coexisting peacefully with regular Barbie inside her Dreamhouse. In fact, it's easier to picture them hurling each other through the walls and making a giant superpowered mess out of the place instead.
Ask most people, especially during the current wave of mania over the "Barbie" feature film, to imagine a crossover between the "Barbie" and "Avengers" franchises, and they'd probably picture Iron Man and the gang decked out in as much pink as possible. But this particular AI algorithm went in another direction — one that (with one exception) doesn't seem too enamored with the summer of 2023's signature color.