Super Heroes 2014 Rumors & Discussion

[wesker]

One thing that you can't say however, is that Thor isn't a "strong enough name". He's an Avenger, you can't be bigger than that in the Marvel universe. He's definitely a bigger character than Deadpool and we got a Deadpool minifig. If you also find Thor an uninteresting superhero I would highly recommend checking out Walter Simonson's Thor or Thor: God of Thunder. You can't find a better series than Thor: God of Thunder right now.

Don't get me wrong, Thor is definitely a popular character. When I say he may not be a strong enough name I'm referring more to the brand itself rather than the character. An "Avengers" themed set with Thor is likely to sell better than a "Thor" themed set, if that makes sense.

[legofreak86]

True. Then again perhaps as there is no full confirmation what will appear in the final marvel "avengers sets" and as one of the them is highly leaning towards being a Captain America 2 set perhaps the other set will either be: An Avengers set with Malekith as the black hood could've been a placeholder for the new moulded piece shown off on the poster, Thor could be TDW design or the whole set could be completely different from the preliminary. It could be a TDW set after all. The way that would work is: Thor and and the hooded person are thor and Malekith, the big fig is Kurse who appears to be an agent of Malekith not sure how the last two figures would fit in really. To be honest though if the black hooded person is Malekith and Thor is TDW design then I'd be happy even if it was a made up Lego videogame based set. If it turns out it is then either way I'm pretty sure Thor will have a new design as Lego don't reuse marvel superhero designs other wise tony stark's head and armour wouldn't have been redesigned for the IM3 wave. I hope when we see real pictures of the finished sets that they will look better than the prelims sound.

[RelicRaider]

I would love to see a Cyclops with a visor acsessory instead of printed one. That would be perfect!

[RaincloudDustbin]

One thing that you can't say however, is that Thor isn't a "strong enough name". He's an Avenger, you can't be bigger than that in the Marvel universe. He's definitely a bigger character than Deadpool and we got a Deadpool minifig. If you also find Thor an uninteresting superhero I would highly recommend checking out Walter Simonson's Thor or Thor: God of Thunder. You can't find a better series than Thor: God of Thunder right now.

Practically everyone in the MARVELverse has been an avenger at some point or another. Thor is a boring mediocre character and would be very unappealing on a shelf if it was based o him.

[Ultron]

Thor is a boring mediocre character and would be very unappealing on a shelf if it was based o him.

Come again? Thor is one of the strongest superheroes and is FAR from boring. He is in no way at all mediocre. Batman is mediocre and we have sets based on him. Thor at least has powers. I would 100% buy a set based on him.

Edited October 24, 2013 by Luna Lovegood

[RelicRaider]

Batman is mediocre and we have sets based on him.

I know this is a matter of opinion, but I have to disagree there.

[Cammo]

God no Marvel vs DC bashing here. The internet forums are full of them... I happen to like both Marvel & DC heroes.

BTW is there a description of those Avengers & X-men sets?

[strangely]

Batman is mediocre and we have sets based on him.

There's a difference though. Batman stuff has always sold wildly well. Even when the movies suck they still makes hundreds of millions of dollars. Whether he's mediocre in your opinion or not he still makes a lot of money and so Lego will continue to have him anchor the line.

Practically everyone in the MARVELverse has been an avenger at some point or another. Thor is a boring mediocre character and would be very unappealing on a shelf if it was based o him.

I won't agree about him being boring or mediocre, I find him as interesting as any of the other Avengers.

I think what's problematic about Thor 2 sets is that it's mostly set in Asgard and features a lot of fantasy realm medieval type looking characters and set pieces. As a product it would probably look more like something out of the LOTR theme and thus wouldn't have fit abundantly well in a superheroes theme full of alien ships, military vehicles, mansions and modern buildings. Even the characters themselves look more like LOTR characters than superheroes (I swear it looks like Jane stole Arwen's dress).

And looking at the trailer a lot of the action seems to take place with big battle type scenes in sort of wide open locations, which would be difficult to really capture in a Lego set. And locations like the palace in Asgard would either be too immense or too detailed to really look good without it being a monstrously huge set (I'd like to see it as a D2C, but anything less would probably be a waste). And the scenes in London don't look that particularly interesting other than that black ship. I'm just not sure Thor 2 particularly lends itself to Lego at the scale the sets would end up being. I would rather they just throw in some of the characters in other sets and skip what would ultimately probably end up being underwhelming builds (After those awful looking IM3 sets I can only assume Thor 2 sets would be just as badly designed).

[TheLegoDr]

Thor does have large impressive structures, so I wouldn't see them as LEGO sets. However, they can always take a small section and make it into a set. Man of Steel only used a small portion of things that could have been larger. With that said, I'd love some new Thor characters in a set, but I doubt they'd do more than Thor and Malekith, which is fine, but I'd love more from that realm.

And yes, it may be more historic than modern like the other Super Heroes, but I really don't see it resembling anything LOTR personally.

[Moon_Knight]

Practically everyone in the MARVELverse has been an avenger at some point or another. Thor is a boring mediocre character and would be very unappealing on a shelf if it was based o him.

First of all, Thor is an Avenger that everyone knows about, especially kids. He's on the Avengers Assemble television series. Being a Marvel fan, of course almost every character has been an Avenger. Moon Knight was a Secret Avenger for heaven's sake. But my nephews don't know who he is. They love Thor though because he's a popular superhero. Of course LEGO is going to make sets that appeal for children because it's a toy. IMO LEGO rarely makes sets that appeal to the afol.

This might not be new news to you but LEGO isn't meant to sit on shelves. It's meant to be played with. My nephews would love a Thor LEGO set. They haven't seen the movie and they haven't seen The Dark Knight Rises either but they have the Bat vs Tumbler set and still love to play with it.

[strangely]

And yes, it may be more historic than modern like the other Super Heroes, but I really don't see it resembling anything LOTR personally.

Well certain aspects look more similar than others. Compare the Minifigure designs in the Thor 2 poster with some of the LOTR minifigures, they do share some pieces and have certain characteristics in common. And Some locations, especially ones in the trailer where various battles are taking place look very similar to battle scenes in LOTR. And when similar elements like that are approximated in Lego form they'd probably look too similar. Of course there are parts that aren't comparable at all.

And the other problem is that Superheroes is a vehicle based theme most of the time and Thor 2 doesn't really have much in that area from what I can see in the trailers.

[Moon_Knight]

@strangely

I completely agree. There are a lot of similarities but a lot of differences compared to lotr.

[Crissmonster]

I just watched the new Capt America 2 trailer

I REALLY want a absurdly large Lego Helicarrier. Now! Seriously, a helicarrier set based on this movie, with Nick Fury, a bunch of SHIELD agents, Winter Soldier, Black Widow and Falcon. This would almost make up for the lame supply of Marvel sets in 2013.

[Aanchir]

I think what's problematic about Thor 2 sets is that it's mostly set in Asgard and features a lot of fantasy realm medieval type looking characters and set pieces. As a product it would probably look more like something out of the LOTR theme and thus wouldn't have fit abundantly well in a superheroes theme full of alien ships, military vehicles, mansions and modern buildings. Even the characters themselves look more like LOTR characters than superheroes (I swear it looks like Jane stole Arwen's dress).

This is a very good point about something that is often overlooked: there's a benefit to having a toy brand be visually unified, even if the source material or promotional material portrays more diverse sorts of storytelling.

I've noticed this a lot in Ninjago: in its first year, Bright Red and Black buildings with white flags and rice-paper windows tended to dominate the theme, while in its second year, almost any architectural features in the sets would be Sand Yellow and Dark Stone Grey snake-themed prisons and shrines. This is not at all a full portrayal of the diverse locales the Ninjago show and other media portrayed in either year, but as far as toys are concerned it's probably a very good branding decision, because even people who don't follow or understand the story of the show will have a sense that the different sets go together and will be able to tell, in an instant, what "story year" they are attached to.

Ninjago is a sort of a funny example in that its heroes and their vehicles do NOT have a unified color scheme, unlike some LEGO factions like Alpha Team, Agents, Power Miners, or the various Castle and Space themes. But even so, it does make it pretty clear which vehicles go together in that the ninja heroes' vehicles always use gold as a prominent part of the color scheme, while their enemies' vehicles never do (and the enemy vehicles of course have very obvious color schemes and structural motifs to identify their particular faction).

The Super Heroes theme also has had this trait to a great extent... for instance, the Avengers sets used the same colors and motifs for all the alien vehicles and S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles. With this in mind, is it any surprise Batman can be such a reliable foundation of a successful toy line? After all, his fleet of vehicles and gadgets has always had very unified colors and motifs. And this is the kind of thing toymakers dream of. Nothing makes a kid want to complete a collection quite as much as the feeling that the toys they have and the toys they don't have are designed to go together. With many other superheroes, Batman's flagrant level of branding would seem utterly ludicrous (which hasn't stopped a lot of toymakers). But with Batman, it's practically mandatory. It's what makes the character and his vehicles distinctive and shows that yes, this is a Batman™ product.

A lot of people wonder why the Super Heroes theme does not have a lot of location-based sets... and this is in part because a lot of the locations in superhero franchises (even Batman!) lack this sense of distinctiveness. The Daily Planet and the Fortress of Solitude are of course a staple of the Superman brand. But a person without prior knowledge of the franchise would not understand, at a glance, the significance of these locations. The Fortress of Solitude might seem like an evil ice lair, and the Daily Planet like a mundane office building. I doubt even the Daily Bugle would have appeared in the Super Heroes theme if it didn't have the giant screen of J. Jonah Jameson screaming what character the location was significant to.

[Tom Jurassic]

Do we know anyone who could design a Helicarrier on Cussoo? Would so vote for that!

[Repeter]

Practically everyone in the MARVELverse has been an avenger at some point or another. Thor is a boring mediocre character and would be very unappealing on a shelf if it was based o him.

Well, opinions, even when stated as fact, are in fact, just opinions. Thor is not a boring, mediocre character. Also, while the Avengers roster has changed a lot over the years, bringing in many, 'B' and 'C' rate characters, Thor isn't one of them. He is an original member and exponentially more popular than 99% of the various team members the Avengers have enjoyed throughout the years.

And the other problem is that Superheroes is a vehicle based theme most of the time and Thor 2 doesn't really have much in that area from what I can see in the trailers.

Imo, the problem here isn't that Thor2 doesn't have a lot of vehicles (do we know this for sure?), it's that for whatever reason, Marvel and TLG keep including too many vehicles in their superhero sets, at the expense of the 'locale'. It makes me wonder if these people ever played with superhero figures as a kid or if they have watched kids today play with LEGO superheros. I used to make bases and have my guys battle in them. Sure, I had some vehicles, but they usually just parked or crashed into the base. It's the same with kids today. Whenever my nieces and nephews come over, they want to play with my LEGO. They build bases and battle/play in them. Duh. Some things will never change, but TLG and Marvel seem oblivious to this notion.

At least DC seems to get it a bit better (not much, though...). Having a Batcave, Arkham and the Joker's Funhouse was brilliant. They are, by far, the most popular sets for my nieces and nephews. Daily Bugle, a tiny chunk of Tony's mansion and a smidgen of the Helicarrier just doesn't cut it, imo.

[legofreak86]

Well, opinions, even when stated as fact, are in fact, just opinions. Thor is not a boring, mediocre character. Also, while the Avengers roster has changed a lot over the years, bringing in many, 'B' and 'C' rate characters, Thor isn't one of them. He is an original member and exponentially more popular than 99% of the various team members the Avengers have enjoyed throughout the years.

Imo, the problem here isn't that Thor2 doesn't have a lot of vehicles (do we know this for sure?), it's that for whatever reason, Marvel and TLG keep including too many vehicles in their superhero sets, at the expense of the 'locale'. It makes me wonder if these people ever played with superhero figures as a kid or if they have watched kids today play with LEGO superheros. I used to make bases and have my guys battle in them. Sure, I had some vehicles, but they usually just parked or crashed into the base. It's the same with kids today. Whenever my nieces and nephews come over, they want to play with my LEGO. They build bases and battle/play in them. Duh. Some things will never change, but TLG and Marvel seem oblivious to this notion.

At least DC seems to get it a bit better (not much, though...). Having a Batcave, Arkham and the Joker's Funhouse was brilliant. They are, by far, the most popular sets for my nieces and nephews. Daily Bugle, a tiny chunk of Tony's mansion and a smidgen of the Helicarrier just doesn't cut it, imo.

According to a new clip today of Loki and Thor stealing some sort of space craft. I'd say thor the dark world not having set potential or vehicles in the movie is no longer a relevant argument!

[korpen4444]

Guys stop before a Mod gets mad again.

[legofreak86]

Guys stop before a Mod gets mad again.

I don't see how this discussion is

Do we know anyone who could design a Helicarrier on Cussoo? Would so vote for that!

Yeah a helicarrier set would be amazing. Hopefully we may see one in the future maybe as an exclusive for avengers 2. That is if they decide to make larger marvel sets which would be very cool. There is certainly some potential there.

[CorneliusMurdock]

Guys stop before a Mod gets mad again.

As long as the discussion remains civil, there's no problem. People can have opinions.

[DJ Bricks]

God no Marvel vs DC bashing here. The internet forums are full of them... I happen to like both Marvel & DC heroes.

BTW is there a description of those Avengers & X-men sets?

Yeah, kris said 76018 had some type of lab and included Hulk, Thor, some winged guy(Falcon) a brick built figure with an overlarged head(MODOK) and a hodded guy( I think Red Skull) this seems to be based on the Avengers Assrmble pilot episode where MODOK and Skull attack the Avengers Mansion and kidnaped Cap. They trace them back to a HYDRA. Bases in Antarctica. And Skull wears an Iron Man suit

76017 is said to have Cap and a bike and a green figure(prototype Witer Soldier) and. A truck probably. wS Black Widow

Funny enough the. Guy who gave use the set names for the Spidey sets apparently. Didnt see the avengers sets

[lightningtiger]

I'm really wondering after seeing the trailer for CA2 if Lego would produce large sets.....sorry very huge sets....man, that Shield carrier (looks a little Clones War-ish) or just particular scenes from the film similar in style to those for MoS and IM3 ?

[Tom Jurassic]

I'm really wondering after seeing the trailer for CA2 if Lego would produce large sets.....sorry very huge sets....man, that Shield carrier (looks a little Clones War-ish) or just particular scenes from the film similar in style to those for MoS and IM3 ?

Agreed my friend, I would love a Helicarrier! I mean, a Trench-Coat Fury, Maria Hill, and Coulson might be pushing it, but a man can dream! XD

[Dr.Cogg]

I would like to see some big ships, from something other than StarWars, like a Helicarrier(part of it is a spaceship on USM), the Chetari dropship or the Thor 2 ship.

[Piranha]

I wonder if we will get Falcon in his film appearance rather than the cartoon one. Or if he is the third minifig in the smaller Avengers one.

As to why no Thor 2 sets, I bet it was something along the lines of, "We can only make x amount of sets for each license per year. We have a lot of properties to work with, so which of these best lends themselves as LEGO products that the target consumers will want to purchase?" Without a doubt, Spider-man, Avengers and X-men were top of the list. Guardians of The Galaxy, will probably be a large spaceship set (which fits with the above requirements) and the first over $100 Marvel set I believe.

I would have loved to have seen a Rainbow Bridge set though. I wonder if LEGO couldn't find any suitable set material from the film, plus the release time of the film is not in line with normal set waves.