Marvel Superheroes 2024 - Rumors & Discussion

[poisonbricks]

1 hour ago, Legofan04 said:

Want to actually commit about this point as it's defiantly true but I think this pattern isn't entirely Lego's fault. I think lego focuses on these types of builds not only because they sale to the kids ( although that might not be as true with some of the sets now) but more importantly because there isn't much else to base the sets on.

Agree with this, there's definitely a drought of Marvel media actually targeted at kids once you escape the preschool sorta age. My own little siblings are about 8-10, and have zero interest in Marvel, as do most of their friends, there really isn't much for them to engage with. 

1 hour ago, Legofan04 said:

 It seems that Lego is trying to recapture this market by using the trends of what's popular in other themes and trends in media. The former leads to the generic sets while the later is probably what's driven Lego's venom craze.

[skipping ahead]

Nobody wins and probably won't until Disney changes up their tactics for attracting and targeting an audience. All this to say is that there is more going on than whats others have labled as Lego being lazy.

This is also super true, Disney does ultimately give a lot of input on what LEGO is actually making, and ultimately have the final say in approving products

... BUT ...

Where did the playsets go? Yes, the ~2016 era Marvel stuff was based on animated series, Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble, etc. but there really isn't much about them that requires that current adaptation source material. There were a bunch of location sets, with a bunch of characters, and it sure seemed to sell well. 

I have zero background in market research or working with kids in terms of facilitating play, so I'm not sure how true this actually is, but based on my limited experience, kids prefer environments for superhero characters to be played with in. My siblings are certainly more interested in stuff like the Bridge Battle that I have lying around than the Marvel sets on-shelves. If you're putting them in a mech or a car, it could be ANY mech or car - the superhero stops mattering. If we give Spider-Man a means to actually swing around and climb walls, there's a way more unique emotional response in that play pattern than there is if you just have them driving a glorified hotwheels around.

To me, the lack of specific Marvel media that kids are attached to nowadays feels like all the more reason to use these LEGO products as a way to show off what makes these characters fun and unique - showcase their powers a bit through play features! 

Speaking of, where did play features go in general? We barely see any that aren't some kind of projectile shooter nowadays in this theme - even the exploding wall is a little rare now.

Yes, preexisting attachment to the characters is a huge driving force for sales, but when the sets are getting progressively less unique and fun, they're self sabotaging a bit too imo. Original themes have succeeded by just being really cool toys - licenced ones should chase that too 

[Kaijumeister]

1 hour ago, poisonbricks said:

Original themes have succeeded by just being really cool toys - licenced ones should chase that too 

Excellently put. I agree with all of your points but just quoting this one in particular, there definitely was a time where the Superheroes theme put out sets that actually worked well as cool, well thought toys that people of all ages could enjoy. I always look to years like 2016 as the gold standard for what this theme can be - regardless of one’s personal interest in the Ultimate Spider-Man show, sets like the Web Warriors Bridge Battle / Doc Ock Mech / Ghost Rider Team Up were just great toys with an excellent assortment of heroes and villains that weren’t just Venom. Heck, even DC sets used to be phenomenal.

In comparison, the recent recurring trend of generic vehicles for characters that have never been known to use them just seems like the easiest and safest route. It doesn’t seem like that much of a step up from the 4+ Juniors sets.

Edited December 2, 2024 by Kaijumeister

[Lego Nostalgia]

3 hours ago, poisonbricks said:

Agree with this, there's definitely a drought of Marvel media actually targeted at kids once you escape the preschool sorta age. My own little siblings are about 8-10, and have zero interest in Marvel, as do most of their friends, there really isn't much for them to engage with. 

This is also super true, Disney does ultimately give a lot of input on what LEGO is actually making, and ultimately have the final say in approving products

... BUT ...

Where did the playsets go? Yes, the ~2016 era Marvel stuff was based on animated series, Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble, etc. but there really isn't much about them that requires that current adaptation source material. There were a bunch of location sets, with a bunch of characters, and it sure seemed to sell well. 

I have zero background in market research or working with kids in terms of facilitating play, so I'm not sure how true this actually is, but based on my limited experience, kids prefer environments for superhero characters to be played with in. My siblings are certainly more interested in stuff like the Bridge Battle that I have lying around than the Marvel sets on-shelves. If you're putting them in a mech or a car, it could be ANY mech or car - the superhero stops mattering. If we give Spider-Man a means to actually swing around and climb walls, there's a way more unique emotional response in that play pattern than there is if you just have them driving a glorified hotwheels around.

To me, the lack of specific Marvel media that kids are attached to nowadays feels like all the more reason to use these LEGO products as a way to show off what makes these characters fun and unique - showcase their powers a bit through play features! 

Speaking of, where did play features go in general? We barely see any that aren't some kind of projectile shooter nowadays in this theme - even the exploding wall is a little rare now.

Yes, preexisting attachment to the characters is a huge driving force for sales, but when the sets are getting progressively less unique and fun, they're self sabotaging a bit too imo. Original themes have succeeded by just being really cool toys - licenced ones should chase that too 

I wish we got more location stuff tbh, 10 year old me would love playing with a Batmobile and Batcave and stopping the criminals in Arkham, has this new generation changed so much that sets like that aren't fun for them ? 

Location sets sell well with kids depending on the play features IMO, stuff like a car, lots of figures and play features like exploding walls and trap doors, a story is a big part of it too but that's just how I thought when I was a kid, these days it's all about Ipads and gaming sadly

But hey, I have no clue what's popular with people younger than me, I'm 20, I'm basically an Unc at this stage lol

Hopefully this Monster Truck,Mech phase will end soon, normal playsets were sets all ages could enjoy, that's what made older lego sets great, now it's so specific 

But it'll be a new gimmick soon enough, maybe Ninjago Spinners for Marvel or pull back go karts, maybe even space themed superhero ships

Edited December 2, 2024 by Lego Nostalgia

[NXS7]

I really don't get this Red Hulk figure, his angry face looks like the average General Thunderbolt Ross Red Hulk, but his alternate head has sunglasses and a moustache, which takes more inspiration from the Robert Maverick Red Hulk. There's only a small time that Ross as Rulk has kept his moustache, which was in a Captain America comic from a couple years ago

Unless it's meant to be Ross midway through transformation, which really shouldn't be on a red head, it should be on a flesh head like how Bruce had it

[HadesKing28]

6 minutes ago, NXS7 said:

I really don't get this Red Hulk figure, his angry face looks like the average General Thunderbolt Ross Red Hulk, but his alternate head has sunglasses and a moustache, which takes more inspiration from the Robert Maverick Red Hulk. There's only a small time that Ross as Rulk has kept his moustache, which was in a Captain America comic from a couple years ago

Unless it's meant to be Ross midway through transformation, which really shouldn't be on a red head, it should be on a flesh head like how Bruce had it

Yeah it really feels like one side of the head is Ross and the other is Maverick

[Legocentrico]

The 2025 leaks so far have been very early. A summer roster for ninjago has just leaked, do you think we'll have a roster this soon?
 

(Red hulk with mustache and glasses is awesome, a bigfig with this face would be the best)

[mrcngrck]

I really like the Iron Man figure from the sign set. Is it going to be in the new Hall of armor? I don't want to have to get it from bricklink. It would be so expensive.

[THELEGOBATMAN]

15 minutes ago, mrcngrck said:

I really like the Iron Man figure from the sign set. Is it going to be in the new Hall of armor?

Yes.

[lego_guyon02]

Really hope WWII Cap will be reused as well. Considering Steve wears that same suit at the end of TWS (with some minor changes but it's not different enough for a new torso) and the new "Civil War" Bucky is based on TWS they could give us a pretty great little $30 set or something with those 2 reused and then a new TWS Falcon, who only really needs a new torso print. Feels like a pretty easy set for LEGO to do that takes next to no effort and yet will still be quite popular if the general love for TWS as a movie is anything to go off. 

[Legofan04]

6 hours ago, poisonbricks said:

Where did the playsets go? Yes, the ~2016 era Marvel stuff was based on animated series, Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble, etc. but there really isn't much about them that requires that current adaptation source material. There were a bunch of location sets, with a bunch of characters, and it sure seemed to sell well. 

I have zero background in market research or working with kids in terms of facilitating play, so I'm not sure how true this actually is, but based on my limited experience, kids prefer environments for superhero characters to be played with in

I think that kids on some level still prefer  environments for their characters to play in but unfortunately the products being sold aren't designed to encourage that and society on the whole is moving away from that idea. As  @Lego Nostalgia referenced above, technology is a huge issue.  Kids' attention spans are being consumed by flashy enticing digital games and media that is purposely designed to overstimulate or be short ( as is the case with social media trends like TIKTok).Trends such as these have lead to toy companies decreasing the number of toys designed for imaginative and long lasting play; what's happened with boardgames is a good example.  Not only are kids loosing options for imaginative play, evidence suggest that they are having a harder time with being imaginative (of course  this is general and doesn't apply to all kids across the globe). In this context the disappearance  of  playsets or of sets with a lot of  play features makes sense.  The ability to stay focused and to imagine are crucial for engaging with these type of sets or having fun with them.

The other large problem ( besides the ones I've already mentioned) is the gendered bias of toys and toy marketing. Many societies have pushed the notion that boys are active ad easily distracted while girls are quieter and more focused.  I find this line of thinking to be a bunch of BS but it's the logic that toy companies have geared it's products to and thus their marketing creating a feedback loop. The toys created from this tend to be action based for boys and more imaginative/ nurturing  for girls. Lego sadly has fallen into/ abides by this pattern. A prime example is comparing  City and Friends. Both are based on everyday life but thats where the similarity ends. City is populated by vehicles and seems to be centered around police, firefighting, rescue, and adventure. Friends focuses on the characters' home lives and activities where they interact with each other.

Superheroes have also largely been pushed to boys and although thats slowly changing in both the comics and film to be more inclusive, the products designed  are still heavily biased. Brining the conversation back to Marvel, look at the sets being offered.  The cars, mechs, and projectile shooters all lend themselves toward fighting and action. I would argue that this biased line of thinking has contributed to the decline of this theme as Lego has seemed to come to two main conclusions from it. The first is that its target audience won't want location based playsets ( eventhough that's not necessairly the opinion a kid may have). SInce these types of sets tend to have play features, they also require more imaginative play, hense the lack of focus on them. Even the Spiderverse set places some of its focus on the police car which can chase the villain rather than the building. Second is that if the target audience only care about direct action then the exact hero doesn't matter. Might as well just  put Spiderman or Iron Man in it as the target audience knows them and won't really care about the rest.   

8 hours ago, poisonbricks said:

Original themes have succeeded by just being really cool toys - licenced ones should chase that too 

With all that said above, I wish this as well. It would bring some life back into this theme.

[Legocentrico]

1 hour ago, mrcngrck said:

I really like the Iron Man figure from the sign set. Is it going to be in the new Hall of armor? I don't want to have to get it from bricklink. It would be so expensive.

I still don't trust that image. The absence of mark 42 is too, too suspicious

 

(if they make a set for winter soldier without stealth suit I'll get angry ;-P )

[Lego Nostalgia]

4 minutes ago, Legocentrico said:

I still don't trust that image. The absence of mark 42 is too, too suspicious

 

(if they make a set for winter soldier without stealth suit I'll get angry ;-P )

It was rumored but maybe the leaker was blind or perhaps the image is still not the final set, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's just the Age Of Ultron suit

[Legocentrico]

27 minuti fa, Lego Nostalgia ha detto:

Si diceva, ma forse il leaker era cieco o forse l'immagine non è ancora il set finale, ma non sarei sorpreso se fosse solo la tuta Age Of Ultron

“Maybe the image is not the final set yet” I’m probably wrong, but that’s exactly what I think.

 

Minisuperheroestoday has published the presentation of the logo. The expulsion of the minifigures is funny, but I understand that it may not be liked, the set instead looks very cool in person

[Legocentrico]

In the new video Ashnflash talks about some “connection” between the new modular building and Marvel. Can someone explain to me what he is referring to?

[Lego Nostalgia]

1 hour ago, Legocentrico said:

In the new video Ashnflash talks about some “connection” between the new modular building and Marvel. Can someone explain to me what he is referring to?

A Travel magazine found in the Sanctum and X-mansion, it's the same company on a magazine in the Modular GWP, he's making nothing seem like a big easter egg

[Legocentrico]

7 minutes ago, Lego Nostalgia said:

A Travel magazine found in the Sanctum and X-mansion, it's the same company on a magazine in the Modular GWP, he's making nothing seem like a big easter egg

ah, I understand, thanks friend

[upliftingbricks]

Daily Bugle now set to retire end of 2026 instead of 2025.

Edited December 4, 2024 by upliftingbricks

[Mandalorianknight]

1 hour ago, upliftingbricks said:

Daily Bugle now set to retire end of 2026 instead of 2025.

JJJ stays winning. I think this really does bode well for Oscorp soon- sure, it'll be longer before the bugle retires, but it's clearly doing exceptionally well.

[calebcold3]

I wonder when we're gonna hear about next year's D2C. 

I doubt it's a modular building given that DC is getting one with Arkham next year (apparently) and other reasons stated in this thread. The next Marvel modular I feel like will be in 2026, either being Avengers Mansion or Oscorp. 

[upliftingbricks]

4 hours ago, calebcold3 said:

I wonder when we're gonna hear about next year's D2C. 

I doubt it's a modular building given that DC is getting one with Arkham next year (apparently) and other reasons stated in this thread. The next Marvel modular I feel like will be in 2026, either being Avengers Mansion or Oscorp. 

I cant see Arkham being a modular. A building on a baseplate, yes (like botanical gardens) but a modular has a street in front of it and connection points which is biggest complaint for X-Mansion being so small. Arkham would also be tiny with a street and wouldn't make sense connected to other buildings in a DC Modular line. Not that Arkham being a modular excludes a Marvel one but Arkham technically not being a modular also makes Marvel one more likely. Also subject of the building being a prison is so different to anything we are predicting for a Marvel modular that there is little crossover except it being Superheroes (unless the Marvel one was The Raft - which would be a good way to get villains!).

My predictions for Marvel modulars are:

1) Kingpin Tower (from spider-verse) with Collider and multi coloured glitching parts

2) Oscorp (to market it alongside Bugle now its extended retirement)

3) Baxter Building (to go alongside the film and the 1 set were getting up until 2HY and is where the big fig Thing is hiding)

3) Avengers mansion (to go alongside X-Mansion even though its not in universe thats never stopped Lego - also maybe a reason for it not to be as having two mansions on shelf wouldn't be good from selling POV)

4) No Modular at all

[mrcngrck]

I don't think we would get the Oscorp. It hasn't been shown in any Disney's movie or tv series. 

 Baxter Building after the movie release would be my guess. This year only DC Arkham.

Edited December 4, 2024 by mrcngrck

[JeanGreyForever]

8 hours ago, calebcold3 said:

I wonder when we're gonna hear about next year's D2C. 

I doubt it's a modular building given that DC is getting one with Arkham next year (apparently) and other reasons stated in this thread. The next Marvel modular I feel like will be in 2026, either being Avengers Mansion or Oscorp. 

I don't see it being Avengers Mansion because it directly competes with both the Avengers Tower and the X-Mansion. 

[Agent Kallus]

10 hours ago, calebcold3 said:

I wonder when we're gonna hear about next year's D2C. 

My guesses would be Helicarrier update, Knowhere, Asgard, hulk's fist, buildable Flerken, big spider-buggy, buildable Ultron statue, Venomised something or other (Horse?), update bigger infinity gauntlet, marvel version of set 76391, daredevil helmet, Loki and Thor helmets, famous comic covers as an art sets or something like that?

[calebcold3]

According to Lego Minecraft Goat’s Instagram story from a day ago, it’s a strong rumor but I thought it would be worth sharing:

There won’t be ANY solo Buildable Construction Figures (like Green Goblin, Sam Cap, Wolverine, etc) for Marvel next year. 
 

Edited December 4, 2024 by calebcold3

[Legofan04]

31 minutes ago, calebcold3 said:

According to Lego Minecraft Goat’s Instagram story from a day ago, it’s a strong rumor but I thought it would be worth sharing:

There won’t be ANY solo Buildable Construction Figures (like Green Goblin, Sam Cap, Wolverine, etc) for Marvel next year. 
 

I hope this rumor is true. I hate that Lego has been trying to create action figures.