LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
The first Marvel Comics hero to appear in the form of a minifigure was Spider-Man, whose red-and-blue likeness was used in multiple toy sets that launched in 2002. These coincided with director Sam Raimi's big-screen blockbuster, setting the stage for future LEGO Marvel sets, such as those based on The Avengers (2012) and other entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
In 2011, The LEGO Group launched LEGO Super Heroes, a theme that focuses on franchises in the superhero genre, including The Incredibles, DC Comics, and — of course — Marvel Comics. Special emphasis is placed on the film interpretations of these properties, but the brand does sometimes look to the comics for inspiration, a good example being the multitude of toys that star a minifigure Miles Morales, whom die-hard fans will recognise as one of Spidey’s successors.
The first wave of products in this line focused on DC Comics, but a further nine Marvel LEGO sets coincided with the theatrical debut of The Avengers. Today, Super Heroes comprises more than 400 sets, some of which are miniature recreations of character heads (or helmets).
LEGO Marvel Characters
If you’re a fan of the Marvel Universe (either the movies or the source material), you will be aware that there are hundreds of characters. In the world of LEGO, Spider-Man is the friendliest face in the neighbourhood, having his own dedicated theme. However, there are plenty of others who have their chance to shine, and they don’t all choose the side of good: Venom, Iron Man, the Hulk, Carnage, Captain America, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, Black Panther, the Eternals, Black Widow, Loki, Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, Wolverine, Hawkeye, the X-Men, the Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, Shang-Chi, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and the Punisher — to name a few.
Though a majority of these characters assume the shape of minifigures, the brand isn’t averse to putting a creative spin on their usual proportions. Take their line of Mech Armour figures, for example. Pondering the question of how our favourite superpowered beings would appear were they not flesh and blood but mechanised robots, the creatives at The LEGO Group have provided their existing minifigures with suits (not unlike one of Tony Stark’s own) into which they can be inserted, and each of these fits the motif of the character in question, with Wolverine’s armour boasting claws and Black Panther’s sporting a sleek vibranium-like colour palette.
Helmets, Towers & Ships
LEGO Marvel sets are as diverse as they are super heroic, taking the form of huge set pieces (like the climactic final battle in Avengers: Endgame, the climactic instalment in The Infinity Saga, or the Wall Crawler’s clash with Doctor Strange in the Sanctum Workshop, which fans enjoyed in No Way Home), identifiable buildings (like Avengers Tower and the Daily Bugle building), portraits of both heroes and villains (like the Venom head and Iron Man helmet), incredible weapons (like the Hulkbuster, Thor’s hammer, and the Infinity Gauntlet), and advanced forms of transportation (like the Guardians of the Galaxy’s ship and the Avengers Helicarrier).
Because of this immense level of variation, there are tons of options for both play and display. Kids can recreate their favourite moments in the MCU or use their imagination to bring to life new ‘what if’ scenarios, such as an unusual encounter between Captain America and the Eternals. Alternatively — and this might be of greater relevance to adult collectors — these LEGO Marvel sets are suited for display purposes, filled with colour and vibrancy.
