Underworld Merchandise: Film Collectibles Guide

Underworld merchandise for the film series centers on five films, and the collectibles that make sense to hunt for come from those films: Death Dealer costume pieces, Selene figures, licensed T-shirts and soundtrack albums. That being said, the name Underworld is shared with a band, so a plain search for Underworld merchandise mostly leads to band shirts and tour items rather than anything from the vampire and Lycan saga.

That overlap is why a search for an Underworld T-shirt so often returns the wrong thing. Adding Selene, Death Dealer or a film subtitle such as Evolution to the search is the quickest fix, and it should filter out most of the band results.

The films give a collector plenty to anchor on. Underworld (2003), directed by Len Wiseman, started the saga with Kate Beckinsale as the vampire Death Dealer Selene. Underworld: Evolution (2006) followed, also directed by Wiseman. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009), directed by Patrick Tatopoulos, is a prequel set centuries earlier, with Rhona Mitra as Sonja, Bill Nighy as Viktor and Michael Sheen as Lucian. Underworld: Awakening (2012) was directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein. Underworld: Blood Wars, directed by Anna Foerster, is reported by Box Office Mojo to have reached US theaters on January 6, 2017, after opening in Australia on December 1, 2016. Because the prequel sits first in story time, the underworld movies in order guide is the place to see how the five films fit together, and the underworld movies hub lists every one of them.

One caution applies to anything marked as new. No title or date for a sixth film has been reported (see underworld 6), so merchandise that claims to be tied to a new film deserves a second look. The same goes for footage billed as a sixth film preview, which is worth checking against the underworld 6 trailer coverage.

Underworld movie merchandise falls into five practical categories: costume pieces, figures, apparel, music and prints. Each one has its own checks.

A Death Dealer jacket is a replica or inspired costume piece based on the vampire soldiers who hunt Lycans, the role Selene holds in four of the five films. In my opinion, the sensible checks are the stated material, the sizing chart and whether the listing says it is licensed or simply inspired by the films. A jacket sold as a film replica should name the film it copies. Photos of the actual garment, rather than a render, are a good sign.

A 1/6th scale figure is one sixth of life size, so a figure of a person around six feet tall stands about 12 inches. It is the usual format for collectors who want articulated, detailed figures, and Selene is the obvious subject because Kate Beckinsale played her in Underworld (2003), Evolution, Awakening and Blood Wars. Other characters give a collection more range: Viktor (Bill Nighy) appears in the first three films, Lucian (Michael Sheen) in the first three, and Sonja in Rise of the Lycans only. Profiles of the characters behind the figures include selene underworld, viktor underworld, lucian underworld and sonja underworld. Other names to look for are michael corvin underworld, marcus underworld, david underworld and eve underworld. Check which film a listing is based on before you buy.

Official T-shirts for the films should, in my opinion, carry a film title, a character name or film artwork, and some indication from the seller that they are licensed. Band shirts and film shirts are not interchangeable, so read the product title closely: a plain "Underworld" shirt in black is often band merchandise. If you want film apparel, search by subtitle, such as underworld evolution or underworld blood wars, and compare the artwork with the film's own poster. Anyone looking for a band T-shirt should go to the band's own channels, since that is a different product line from the film collectibles.

Soundtrack albums are the most traceable collectible, because the music credits are public. Paul Haslinger scored Underworld (2003), Rise of the Lycans and Awakening, Marco Beltrami scored Evolution, and Michael Wandmacher scored Blood Wars. Track lists and credits by film sit under the underworld soundtrack coverage. A title shown as just "Underworld" in a music store may be the band, so check the artist line.

Posters and prints tie neatly to the five release years (2003, 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2017), and they are the easiest way to build a collection by film. A sensible first purchase is one piece from the film you like best, then characters from the others. To pick that film, read underworld movies ranked and underworld reviews, and if you are still deciding what to watch first, start with underworld movies in order.