McFarlane Toys has released several hundred Halo action figures over the last half-decade and the brand is as strong and popular as ever–if not more. But with all of the characters produced, are there any good characters left to make pre-Halo 4? I say “Absolutely”! The following is a listing of what I believe to be the Top 10 Unmade Halo action figures that McFarlane Toys needs to make…

10. Team Black

Given that I’ve lost count as to how many Spartans McFarlane Toys has produced over the years (though I’m sure we’re closing on 200), it seems insane to ask for any more. But that’s what I’m about to do here anyway. Team Black is composed of four Spartans designated Black-1, Black-2, Black-3, and Black-4. They’re the subject of a short story in the Halo Evolutions Anthology, and even have an entire comic book series about them (Marvel’s “Halo: Bloodlines”). I’ve excluded any characters from this list that visual reference isn’t available for, but Team Black’s comic book appearances make them a valid choice, and one of only two Spartan entries in this list.

9. Elite Honor Guard

It’s always shocking to me when MEGA Brands releases a rare Halo Mega Bloks figure that hasn’t been done by McFarlane Toys yet, and the Elite Honor Guard is one of those few. The Elite Honor Guards are assigned to protect the High Prophets, and as such are seen rarely in the video games. Even so, they’re among the strongest and most skilled of all Elites. Wearing crimson samurai-like armor and packing energy staves and energy swords, the Elite Honor Guardsmen are some of the most formidable and respected Sangheili. With their unique energy staves and highly-ornate armor, the Elite Honor Guard are definitely deserving of a spot in the McFarlane Toys Halo figures line.

8. The Arbiter (Thel ‘Vadam)

I wasn’t planning on including any remakes in this list, but the Arbiter figure we got in Halo 3 Series 2 from McFarlane Toys is vastly inferior to the work that McFarlane is capable of now. As good as that figure of Thel ‘Vadam was back in 2008, at this point it is far too small and simply lacking in detail compared to the Sangheili we’ve gotten in the Halo Reach line and the upcoming Halo 4 line. We got brand-new and larger-scaled Halo 1 and Halo 2 Master Chiefs recently, so there’s no reason that the only other playable character in the Halo Trilogy shouldn’t receive an all-new figure of his own. For his significance to the overall story in Halo and his role in the video games, the Arbiter earns the only spot on this list attributed to a character that has already been released in action figure form.

7. Flood (Tank Form)

I really and truly hate the Flood, but if ever there were a Flood Pure Form that I would want to buy as an action figure, it’s the Tank Form of the Flood. Appearing only in Halo 3, the Flood Tank Form looks reminiscent of Man-Thing from Marvel Comics. If you’re not carrying an Energy Sword, the Flood Tank Form is also utterly terrifying. Despite making several hundred Halo figures, up until now McFarlane Toys has only made two Flood: Human Combat Form and Stalker Form. Both of those figures were major duds at retail, but the Flood Tank Form is far cooler-looking and an all-around better choice to receive the action figure treatment.

6. Kelly-087

One of a handful of surviving Spartan-IIs, Kelly is the childhood friend of the Master Chief and one of the most prominent and popular Spartans from the Halo Expanded Universe. Kelly is best known for being incredibly fast, as it’s mentioned over and over in the novels that she is the fastest Spartan, even when outside of her MJOLNIR armor. If reference material existed for them, I would have certainly been tempted to include other Spartan-IIs from the novels like Kurt, Sam, Linda, and Will on this list, but I’ve been spared making that tough decision by their exclusion from any visual forms of media.  Luckily, Kelly appears in the animated episode “The Package”, and thus is eligible for this list. We have “The Package” Master Chief and Frederic-104 is on the way–it’s time to finish the set and make a lot of Expanded Universe Spartan fans happy, McFarlane Toys.

5. The Superintendent

There are only two Covenant species left unrepresented in the McFarlane Toys Halo Universe: the San’shyuum Prophets and the Huragok Engineers. After being introduced in Eric Nylund’s legendary “Halo” novels, we first saw them in-game in “Halo Wars”. But the first time that we’re really made to care for an Engineer is in “Halo: ODST”, where the driving force behind the action in the game is literally one of the Huragok. It’s doubtful that we’ll get more than one Engineer action figure released by McFarlane Toys, but if we only get one, it should definitely be The Superintendent.

4. The Gravemind

The supreme leader of the Flood, Gravemind is the controlling intelligence of all Flood throughout the galaxy. It knows everything and is virtually all-powerful. As long as any Flood organisms survive anywhere in the galaxy, the Gravemind’s memories and consciousness can never be truly destroyed. We don’t see a lot of the Gravemind in the games, but it is a total necessity for the Halo McFarlane Toys line, as it is essentially the overarching main villain of the Halo trilogy. Though many fans critcize the Gravemind for looking like a reject from “Little Shop of Horrors”, it is the compound-mind intelligence of the series’ greatest antagonists and a must-have addition to the Halo line. Due to its massive size, the Gravemind would have to be released as a sort of build-a-figure or oversized, deluxe rotocast toy.

3. Miranda Keyes

The daughter of Captain Jacob Keyes from “Halo: Combat Evolved”, Miranda Keyes is brave well beyond her years. In an effort to stall for time and prevent the Prophet of Truth from destroying humanity, the daring Miranda Keyes busts into the Ark and confronts the Covenant leader alone, where she is killed. Miranda Keyes was planned for a Minimates figure, but it was cancelled, leaving her one of the most vital Halo characters never made into a toy. Miranda Keyes was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, but a much bigger honor for her would be being immortalized in plastic for Halo action figures collectors everywhere.

2. Prophets of Mercy, Truth, and Regret

The other unrepresented Covenant race, the San’shyuum Prophets are the supreme leaders of the Covenant and a must-have to command the Covenant forces. We’ve seen the Prophets in the old Joyride line, as Heroclix Haloclix, and even in the Minimate form, but none of these lines can pack in the exquisite quality and detail that McFarlane Toys has. Once the mold has been developed for one Prophet, it can easily be modded into the remaining two San’shyuum. The Prophet of Truth seems like the obvious choice to start with, since he lives longest and has the largest influence on the Halo Trilogy, although I also like the Prophet of Regret quite a bit for his role in Halo Wars.

1. Dr. Catherine Halsey

Yeah, that’s right–Dr. Halsey. I may take some flak for choosing a non-combatant as the top choice on this list, but fans of the Halo Expanded Universe will agree that Spartan-II creator Dr. Catherine Halsey is an absolutely integral character within the Halo Universe. I’d prefer the model McFarlane Toys chooses to base a Dr. Halsey isn’t the va-va-voom hottie Dr. Halsey from the “Halo Legends” short “The Package”, but at this point I just want a Dr. Halsey figure to commit atrocities against children and in doing so save the world for my very own. Whether Dr. Halsey is a heroic character or a conscience-less monster is up to interpretation, but she’s a character that is perhaps more deserving of being released in action figure form than any other on this list.