DC Superheroes 2022 - Rumors & Discussion

[bricksbyjim]

There is even more than 5, kind of. You have the LEGO Batman movie one with goggles, then you also have bat-mite(the kind of).

It is crazy how in minifigure series they made the Bat-mite, 1939 Cowl, and type 2 with goggles. The most recent cowl molds were only in minifigure series...

And they can't do that for multiple sets(including a new Batman and two sets, one UCS, for Bale)???

[BrickBob Studpants]

14 minutes ago, bricksbyjim said:

The most recent cowl molds were only in minifigure series...

And they can't do that for multiple sets […] ???

CMF series have their own sepatare budget, which is why the designers are allowed to go wild with them

[Mandalorianknight]

5 hours ago, RedHoodPug said:

There’s 5 types now. Do keep up.

Actually, there are 7 cowl molds if you count special suits, and 11 if you count other members of the bat-family. 12 if you count bat-mite.

I am 12 parallel universes ahead of you.

[RedHoodPug]

1 hour ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Actually, there are 7 cowl molds if you count special suits, and 11 if you count other members of the bat-family. 12 if you count bat-mite.

I am 12 parallel universes ahead of you.

Type 1 from the original run, 2 from the relaunch, 3 for Spacebat, 4 for OG Bats, 5 for Keaton, 6 for TLBM 2.1 with goggles, Batgirl, TLBM Batgirl, TLBM Nightwing, Bat-Mite. Who am I missing? This could cause a Crisis...

 

[Mandalorianknight]

1 hour ago, RedHoodPug said:

Type 1 from the original run, 2 from the relaunch, 3 for Spacebat, 4 for OG Bats, 5 for Keaton, 6 for TLBM 2.1 with goggles, Batgirl, TLBM Batgirl, TLBM Nightwing, Bat-Mite. Who am I missing? This could cause a Crisis...

Rasta Batman and Batwoman

[PGBQW]

3 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Actually, there are 7 cowl molds if you count special suits, and 11 if you count other members of the bat-family. 12 if you count bat-mite.

I am 12 parallel universes ahead of you.

Actually there's only one if you ignore the rest. Check mate, liberal.

[RedHoodPug]

3 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Rasta Batman and Batwoman

Curses. I don’t own Rasta Batman but Batwoman is inexcusable. This is what happens when I’m not home. What about Ace’s cowl, are we counting that as a cowl or a decorated head?
 

2 hours ago, PGBQW said:

Actually there's only one if you ignore the rest. Check mate, liberal.

Eh, by that logic you say that there’s only one Lego brick if you ignore all the other ones. Bingpot.

[PGBQW]

3 hours ago, RedHoodPug said:

Eh, by that logic you say that there’s only one Lego brick if you ignore all the other ones. Bingpot.

I like the way you think

 

3 hours ago, RedHoodPug said:

What about Ace’s cowl, are we counting that as a cowl

Yes.

[Mandalorianknight]

5 hours ago, RedHoodPug said:

Curses. I don’t own Rasta Batman but Batwoman is inexcusable. This is what happens when I’m not home. What about Ace’s cowl, are we counting that as a cowl or a decorated head?

We'll say it's a cowl. We've got to add another one then, 13 is so unlucky that the Oakenshield company had to settle for a hobbit just to get 14 members.

7 hours ago, PGBQW said:

Actually there's only one if you ignore the rest.

You can't ignore Rasta Batman though.

[RedHoodPug]

8 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said:

We'll say it's a cowl. We've got to add another one then, 13 is so unlucky that the Oakenshield company had to settle for a hobbit just to get 14 members.

You can't ignore Rasta Batman though.

Until such a time as Lego creates a new cowl piece, I propose Bat-Merchant Batgirl’s hood as a stand in. 
 

You should never ignore Rasta Batman. 

[SoupOrFishOil]

Does Batwoman's count as a cowl? It doesn't cover her whole head, only her face. I think it's just a mask. 

[RedHoodPug]

6 hours ago, SoupOrFishOil said:

Does Batwoman's count as a cowl? It doesn't cover her whole head, only her face. I think it's just a mask. 

The hair is part of the cowl, Kate has a crew cut.

[BlueberryWaffles]

Brickset just posted a short interview with Mark Stafford about the current state of the Lego DC theme. Mark says that the main reason that DC sets have declined recently is DC's increased focus on adult content in the past few years. He says there is hope for the future now that DC Films is restructuring its film slate.

Finally, when asked about the lack of anniversary sets, he says that the date snuck up on the design teams during the pandemic, plus there was debate over whether the anniversary starts from 2012 or 2006 for the original Batman theme (or 2002 in Marvel's case, going off of the Studios Spider-Man sets).

[Robert8]

Yeah, DC League of Super-Pets was so adult 

 

[BrickBob Studpants]

Just now, Robert8 said:

Yeah, DC League of Super-Pets was so adult 

Not sure how they’d do minifig sets based on a movie that features animal sidekicks front and center

[Mandalorianknight]

1 hour ago, BlueberryWaffles said:

Brickset just posted a short interview with Mark Stafford about the current state of the Lego DC theme. Mark says that the main reason that DC sets have declined recently is DC's increased focus on adult content in the past few years. He says there is hope for the future now that DC Films is restructuring its film slate.

Finally, when asked about the lack of anniversary sets, he says that the date snuck up on the design teams during the pandemic, plus there was debate over whether the anniversary starts from 2012 or 2006 for the original Batman theme (or 2002 in Marvel's case, going off of the Studios Spider-Man sets).

Ugh, this is realistic enough bureaucracy that I'm willing to believe it's true, but still super annoying. Like @Robert8 says, it's not like everything DC's been putting out has been for adults.

I can also see the conversation about the anniversary date now:

"Hey guys, we should do an anniversary wave for the 10th year of the DC license".

"Well, wouldn't it be the 16th year? It started in '06."

"Are we counting the gap years? Because then it's only the 13th year."

"2022 is basically a gap year if we're not doing anniversary sets"

"Well, Technically there were the convention exclusives in 2005 and 2011, so it's really the 18th year"

"Yeah, but if we count the gap years, it's the 15th year."

"Wait, the theme can't drive yet? That means we shouldn't make Batmobiles until 2023!"

"Well, if we can't make batmobiles, I don't think there's anything else from DC comics we can do. We'll put out a 4+ set or something so it's not a gap year."

"But if it's not a batmobile, what can we do?"

"A batcycle or something, I don't care."

"Can people under 16 drive motorcycles?"

"Probably in some country somewhere. Look, I'm 15 minutes late for my lunch break, can we wrap this up?"

[Anonknee Muss]

If "the date snuck up on them", doesn't that just mean they forgot?

If true, it's very tragic.

[Captain Nemo]

Ugh, whatever happened to, “if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all” ? More and more over the years I’ve tried not to vent (publicly at least!) my many frustrations over the goings ons at Lego Superheroes, because I really don’t want to blast the (assumed) many people who work on these sets, but like why? Like why would you say any of that?! In this interview, in the last one. Who does this help? 

What benefit is there to announce that you didn’t bother to consider anything for the 10th anniversary (which I feel is overblown, a celebration of it to me IS unnecessary, but that’s my minority opinion), but then also say that you were in fact aware of it (it’s 2012, like come on, we all know that) of the desire for something to celebrate it? Let alone acknowledge it. And that you and/or your team did not bother to discuss this any further. Did the team discuss anything, at all, over Covid? I know designers built from home, I know they were also prioritized access to office, but does Zoom not exist, are there not discussions between team members happening? Does the team not consult on each other’s work—they did not for the Black Panther bust, and that was used as an excuse for the set’s poor reception. Did they consult on the Hulkbuster? 

I’ve just been so flabbergasted by all these recent statements. Again, we all know DC does not sell well. Were Lego Marvel and DC allocated as two separately budgeted themes, it is evidently clear that Lego DC itself would have been axed years ago. I don’t see how the lack of films dictates poor set choices, choices for sets not based on pre-existing sets. If you’re trying to sell DC, why emphasize so much 1966 Batman? Where’s the market for that? Why release the exact same Harley Quinn set every year? Why so many god damn Penguin duck boats? If you’re not going to make DC sets based off films, then make something creative—if you don’t want to be creative don’t make anything at all. 

I think why I’m so frustrated is because—we as fans are use to DC, as a brand, being poorly managed—both by itself and its multiple recent parent companies. But that’s entirely a separate issue from design over at Lego. It is in no way prudent to publicly announce the apparent faults of the design team, that they don’t talk things through, they don’t compare notes or designs, that they DO hear the desires of the fans and yet dismiss them.  

All those things can be true, and they also don’t need to be acknowledged publicly. It is what it is, but optically, this just looks horrible.

[Anonknee Muss]

1 hour ago, Captain Nemo said:

All those things can be true, and they also don’t need to be acknowledged publicly. It is what it is, but optically, this just looks horrible.

The LEGO SW Design Team were looked at in an unfavourable light (shall we say) for a while before things started to shift when LSW had a stint on LEGO Con. I am not saying LEGO Con is the answer, I am just saying this can still be turned around but there needs to be big change because there's quite evidently things going wrong.

[Gorilla94]

They could easily make an evergreen modular building line based on super heroes. Add an exclusive villain in each set and it will sell like sliced bread. They could have given us after the minifig Version of the 1966 batmobil and the Tumbler an Arkham knight Batmobil. They already have the perfect helmet for the Arkham knight thanks to firefly. 

If they really do not want to basically print money, they should give us at least  a D2C Wayne Manor instead of something like that pathetic Black Panther bust or ridiculous Hulkbuster one year, and a big Akham Asylum combined with a cmf series featuring characters fitting into it... then they can end the theme if they have really no interest and creativity left.

[RedHoodPug]

Why does everything have to be film-centric? That’s a weak excuse with as much credibility as we just plain forgot how old the theme is. They didn’t have to put out a set, even a retrospective advert would have at least shown that someone was paying attention. I don’t know. Perhaps with the shift in the balance of power Lego might actually present us with a half decent set in the coming years. They haven’t much of an excuse now, based on Mark Stafford’s own words on the subject. “It was COVID’s fault” only carries a certain amount of weight for a certain amount of time. I mean even the flipping Clone Wars got an anniversary. 

[Robert8]

This whole thing makes it sound like the budget for DC is like 0,99€

If it not worthy of their time, why not re-release old sets? Like the 2006 wave? Kids from back then, are now adults who can spend their money on some nostalgia-induced purchases

[ToaDraco]

The interview made some sense to me. Really DC is mostly to blame here. Not only have they primarily been focusing on adult fans for the past several years, the brand has been tarnished by mediocre to awful movies for most of the DCEU. While sets based on the comics and cartoons theoretically still could have been made, the blunders with the DCEU negatively affected the brand as a whole. While a few recent films have been big improvements like Suicide Squad, the brand as a whole has a lot of work to do to turn things around and all the restructuring and chaos behind the scenes hasn't helped. Could the have made sets for Black Adam? Absolutely. Could they have made sets that were pseudo-inspired by Suicide Squad like the did for the first film? Most definitely. Based on the interview it seems while they may still have confidence in the brand overall and in the potential for new DC LEGO products, they also essentially admitted that they aren't very confident in anything that isn't Batman. 

Edited November 14, 2022 by ToaDraco

[Nylock]

Theres a photo of Keaton Batman minifig on Insta that’s obviously fake, just a mirrored ucs Batman fig. 

[Mandalorianknight]

3 hours ago, RedHoodPug said:

I mean even the flipping Clone Wars got an anniversary. 

And not even the famous one, but the much more obscure (yet no less cool) miniseries!

Your overall point is a good thing to remember, not just in the specific scenario (People, including me, focusing more on the "hah, gotcha, there were kid friendly DC movies this year" rather than the fact that they can make DC sets without movies), but in the wider world as well. It's not just that their argument is inaccurate, but the premise doesn't even make sense. Of course lego can make sets not based on the movies, I'd guess they make up the majority of DC/Batman sets!

Edited November 14, 2022 by Mandalorianknight