16 of the Gayest Action Figures

With New York Comic Con in town this week, it got us thinking: action figures. Now that there are more gay actors who have come out and who have starred in sci-fi, fantasy, and blockbuster franchises, what would a collection of their action figures be like. OK, yes, yes, we know not all of these fit the specs of a true "action figure": some are dolls, some are maquettes, some are just one-offs and wishful thinking. But it's fun to dream, right? So enjoy our random lineup of the action figures based on characters played by actors who we know are openly gay.

Zachary Quinto, Sylar: Heroes

Many of us were first introduced to actor Zachary Quinto and those thick, sexy eyebrows, when he was cast in the sci-fi series Heroes as the ultimate bad guy who thinks he's doing good. The fact that this action figure includes some of the more unusual accessories of the series only adds to its artistic possibilities.

Ian McKellen, Magneto: XMen

Who's the most powerful homosexual of them all? Well the fact that Sir Ian McKellen has played both Magneto in the X-Men film franchise and a powerful wizard in the LOTR films (we'll get to that soon enough) seems to mean this guy can do good, can do bad, can do whatever the hell he pleases.

Alan Cumming, Nightcrawler: XMen 2

The talented Scottish actor has brought pleasure to Broadway audiences (soon to return in his MC role in yet another revival of Cabaret) and his starring role on The Good Wife. But seeing Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler in X2 is when he made Hollywood stop and pay attention.

Ian McKellen, Gandalf the Grey: The Hobbit

Before his transformation to the White Wizard in the Lord of the Rings, he was Gandalf the Grey. And although The Hobbit was a bit boring after the epic LOTR excitement, look at this great greybeard Ian McKellen likeness. Of course you will have hours of fun reciting: "You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!" Or maybe you can pick up some others and have as much fun as the CBE seems to be having below.

George Takei, Lt. Sulu: Star Trek (TV series)

You can pick and choose which Sulu you want, but we think this classic Playmates of the Star Trek Lieutenant is adorable. And then you can put all the fun things that George Takei is known to say these days.

Zachary Quinto, Spock: Star Trek (movie)

This Quinto Spock should be the prized possession in your queer action figure collection. Just look at the detail! By the way, one unexpected and happy consequence of playing Spock has been Quinto's relationship with Leonard Nimoy, who had a cameo in the 2009 film. As he explained to us in our 2012 cover story: "I have such deep admiration and love for him," Quinto says. "He's an incredible man, and I'm so grateful that not only did I have this amazing creative experience, but that I developed this relationship with Leonard and his wife, Susan -- we go to dinner, we hang out, we go to the theater, we spend time together." So why not get a Nimoy Spock and have the two hanging out in some sort of Vulcan paradise?

John Barrowman, Cpt. Jack Harkness: Torchwood

This is the double whammy: Not only is John Barrowman gay in real life, he also played sci-fi's only immortal omnisexual space-time traveler in this Dr. Who spinoff. Could you want anything more?

Darren Young, Darren Young: WWE

Action figures don't only belong to the world of sci-fi and fantasy. And now that WWE wrester Darren Young came out, becoming the first openly gay professional wrestler, we get to add this odd toy to the list. Maybe the details are a little cheap-looking (and the No Days Off blazing across his butt is a bit strange), just don't make too many knee pad jokes and we'll be fine.

Russell Tovey, George Sands: Being Human (UK)

Back in 2009, Russell Tovey requested Being Human action figures. He was joking, but then Andi Mears the Being Human 2 costume assistant, handcrafted two dolls for him: one a wolf doll, the other a George Sands doll. These are one-of-a-kind and we assume remain in Tovey's personal collection.

Now that the actor will star in HBO's Looking, we hope we can get dolls of that entire adorable cast of gay men playing gay men (even though there are no supernatural powers that we have heard about).

Watch his video request below:

Neil Patrick Harris, Barney Stinson: How I Met Your Mother

While you don't get much with a Bobblehead--sorry, no moving parts, other than that oversized noggin--you do get to have a Neil Patrick Harris on your shelf. And that's pretty great, right?

Jim Parsons, Sheldon: The Big Bang Theory

Jim Parsons as Sheldon as Spock. Kinda genius right?

Red Hot Rupaul doll

While the fans may know RuPaul as the matriarch of her super popular RuPaul's Drag Race, she rose to fame in the '90s as the "Supermodel of the World," and this is doll captures that perfectly.

Waylon Smither, The Simpsons

OK, let's change gears. This is not a gay actor (or even voiced by a gay man), but the fact that Waylon Smithers has been on the air for decades and finally came out seems to mean you need a little Simpsons action in your collection.

The Gay Empire

And let's not forget that New York-based artist Sucklord created these art pieces, titled "The Gay Empire." Although they aren't legit action figures and are technically pieces of sculpture, they are resin-cast, and look legit. And ould you really have a gay action figure collection without this bit of kitsch?

Gay Bob & Dyke Doll

Now, for a bit of historical perspective, we thought it might be worth mentioning this little "doll" marketed as the "World's First Gay Doll for Everyone." Sold for $14.95, he was reportedly a cross between Robert Redford and Paul Newman, although he's clearly just Action Man with hair dye (as is pointed out at Vice's story of "The Dumbest Action Figures of All Time"). He was also touted as having "private parts." Then in 2008 we got Dyke Dolls, which were equally stereotypical. We're not recommending that these are desirable for a true collection, but it's worth knowing how bad things can get in the collectible universe.