With the poor reception of Captain America: Brave New World, we took a look back at some past LEGO Marvel waves tied to MCU movies.
In a rare moment where a LEGO wave managed to impress more than its inspiration movie, Captain America: Brave New World got us thinking back to the glory days of the MCU. The Infinity Saga was the heyday of the superhero franchise and, since 2012, almost every movie got at least one LEGO set to accompany it.
We've taken a trip down memory lane to remember each launch wave for every Infinity Saga MCU movie, comparing how the LEGO sets shape up to the films.
The Avengers
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 91% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 6/10
As the very first LEGO Marvel sets aside from mechs, this initial 2012 wave, made up of 6865 Captain America's Avenging Cycle, 6867 Loki's Cosmic Cube Escape, 6868 Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout, and 6869 Quinjet Aerial Battle, was just dipping its toe into the water. As such, there's clearly a lot of room to grow but reactions at the time were generally positive, with the minifigures being the central focus among fans.
There was some criticism of doubling up on minifigures – you get Loki in 6867 Loki's Cosmic Cube Escape, 6868 Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout, and 6869 Quinjet Aerial Battle, for example – and critiques of Hawkeye's smooth hair in particular but, as an early starting point, there's nothing too offensive about the wave.
"Hulk’s Helicarrier Breakout is a decent set and the minifigures are great," wrote the Brick Fan in a review ahead of release. "Like the other Super Heroes sets, they are the main draw of the set. I enjoyed building it and the modularity of the sections gives the set more playability."
While there's nothing too bad about the first LEGO Marvel wave, its accompanying movie earned itself an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. The wave was coming right at the start of LEGO Marvel, while The Avengers was the first time multiple MCU heroes were on screen together, giving the movie the edge.
The verdict: A tentative start to a new theme can't quite match up to the reception of the very first Avengers movie
Iron Man 3
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 79% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 4/10
The next wave was tied to 2013's Iron Man 3, made up of three sets that preceded the film's release: 76006 Iron Man: Extremis Sea Port Battle, 76007 Iron Man: Malibu Mansion Attack, and 76008 Iron Man vs. The Mandarin: Ultimate Showdown. Once again, the minifigures were the main appeal, with credit for having two different minifigures of the Mandarin to avoid duplicates across 76007 Iron Man: Malibu Mansion Attack and 76008 Iron Man vs. The Mandarin: Ultimate Showdown.
However, the sets are let down with a common problem for movie-based LEGO sets. Not wanting to spoil parts of the movie, the best scenes are not recreated and you're instead left with some of the least interesting moments.
"These sets are apparently based on what someone assumed the movie would be about based on Taco Bell glasses and a 15-second trailer," wrote FBTB in their review.
The movie itself is not one of the most beloved in the franchise but still earned 79% on Rotten Tomatoes – much higher than the 4/10 rating we've given to the bland wave.
The verdict: A lacklustre wave that fails to capture the most dramatic moments of an otherwise-average movie
Guardians of the Galaxy
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 7/10
With no dedicated release wave for Thor: The Dark World or Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we now come to the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. The movie has a trio of sets: 76019 Starblaster Showdown, 76020 Knowhere Escape Mission, and 76021 The Milano Spaceship Rescue. The wave steps it up a gear in terms of display potential, with each set having a more polished look than its predecessors.
In particular 76021 The Milano Spaceship Rescue stepped it up a gear in terms of complexity and detail, paving the way for more ships in the future. Inevitably, that came with a jump in price too, which drew some criticism, but this wave was the moment where LEGO Marvel began to really push the boundaries beyond smaller playsets.
"I was pretty impressed with this set," wrote Regular Bricks in a contemporary review. "It’s well put together and a fairly complicated build."
The verdict: An impressive wave to match an impressive movie
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 76% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 8/10
The LEGO Group went all in with a seven-set wave for the second Avengers movie, coming out a month before the film's release. That included the enormous nearly 3,000-piece 76042 The SHIELD Helicarrier, a detailed recreation of the iconic Helicarrier built to microscale. The rest of the sets were smaller playsets, but 76038 Attack on Avengers Tower was still a sizable build at over 500 pieces.
For the time it was released, 76042 The SHIELD Helicarrier was a game changer for the theme, being the first time that many adult fans might have been tempted to pick up a set beyond the minifigures.
"It looks spectacular on display and is certainly a conversation piece," wrote Brickset. "The minifigures are not hugely impressive but the nanofigures are superb."
The verdict: Age of Ultron is one of the worst-received Avengers movie, while the LEGO wave knocked it out of the park for the time, helping it get an edge.
Ant-Man
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 83% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 5/10
Much like some of the other solo film sets, it's hard to rate 76039 Ant-Man Final Battle highly simply because of the limited scope. The minifigures are fine but not overly detailed and, while the oversized insect is a fun inclusion and concept, it doesn't have the same dramatic flair as some of the other waves.
Community reviews at the time said it was great value for money – priced at £19.99 / $19.99 / €24.99 – but the small play set was never going to make a major splash.
The verdict: A creative idea that was beaten by a stellar first movie for Scott Lang
Captain America: Civil War
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 90% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 4/10
After proving how much depth a LEGO wave can offer, it's a shame to see a return to smaller playsets for what was one of the most popular movies at the time. Seeing Cap and Iron Man go head to head, splitting the Avengers down the middle, deserved some sets of more magnitude than we got with 76047 Black Panther Pursuit, 76050 Crossbones' Hazard Heist, and 76051 Super Hero Airport Battle.
"Giant-Man might be released again, and if he is, this set will tank," predicted Brick Picker at the time. "People are getting tired of Captain America and Iron Man minifigures and none of the rest are good enough to prop up this set. No one wanted a smaller Quinjet, and if they did, another one is probably just around the corner."
The verdict: A climactic movie needs a LEGO Marvel wave with more pizazz
Doctor Strange
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 5/10
The LEGO Group tended to only launch one set for the first solo movies of new superheroes but 76060 Doctor Strange's Sanctum does it better than some of the earlier ones. There's a more substantial build and impressive detail on the three minifigures. While it would have been nice to round it out with villain Kaecilius or even Dormammu, this is a respectable set – even if it can't quite match up to the movie's 90% rating.
"The big downside to the set is that most of it is just filler around that," wrote FBTB at the time. "The window is cool, but sort of just slapped on. We get a few pegs to move characters around, but they’re more trouble than they are worth."
The verdict: Once again the minifigures shine but it can't live up to the movie
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 85% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 6/10
A solid trio of sets accompanied Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, including a cheaper brick-built version of the Milano in 76081 The Milano vs. The Abilisk. The minifigures are all-around detailed across the wave and there's some great authenticity thanks to an uptick in printed pieces.
The LEGO Group appears to have gone for accessibility in this wave and achieved it – even if that means it skimps on some details, which drew some criticism at the time.
"The Milano is very plain," wrote a Brickset reviewer. "I hate to continue to compare this set with the earlier model but the older one had much more room to pose up minifigures inside which this one lacks. This ship has a lot of potential and a long way to go until it will be as good as its predecessor."
The verdict: An average wave that can't quite compare to the first Guardians one
Spider-Man Homecoming
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 2/10
Suffering once again from being a first solo movie, Spider-Man Homecoming's two sets veer into forgettable playset territory. The buildable wings for the Vulture are an upgrade from the molds and add some fun to the build process but otherwise the sets feel interchangeable with other movies. There's little to define them as Spider-Man sets, although the hinged roof of the van is a fun play feature in 76083 Beware the Vulture.
"I really like this set," wrote one Brickset reviewer. "I was worried that I wasn't going to get the value out of this set that I desired, but I was surprised at how much better this set is in person."
The verdict: A popular movie outclasses the tame playsets that accompanied it
Thor Ragnarok
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 5/10
The epic scale of Ragnarok is not quite conveyed in the small LEGO Marvel sets we got – but they make a good effort. In particular, the minifigures 76084 The Ultimate Battle for Asgard are impressive, with creative part usage for Hela's soldiers and a clever brick-built plinth to recreate Hela's dark power.
The buildable wolf looks a little goofy but adds to the playability of the set. All in all, a respectable effort for a movie that's undoubtedly tricky to design around.
The verdict: A measured wave that has glimmers of brilliance
Black Panther
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 6/10
A rare introduction movie wave that manages to impress, the brick-built vehicle appears a lot in the movie, making this a versatile set to recreate scenes from the movie. Several minifigures make their debut and the attempts at recreating the animalistic masks make for some unique inclusions.
"76100 Royal Talon Fighter is a great set at a fairly reasonable price point," we wrote in our review at the time. "It’s a solid build that’s fun to play with, and comes with a diverse cast of minifigures that are desirable both intact, and as parts for the character bucket."
The verdict: A small but clever set that captures a lot of what's loved best about the movie
Avengers: Infinity War
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 85% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 6/10
The beginning of the end of the Infinity Saga, Avengers: Infinity War covered a lot of ground and the accompanying LEGO Marvel wave of five sets does an admirable job of representing the key scenes. We go from planet to planet, from Earth in 76013 Corvus Glaive Thresher Attack to new planets in 76102 Thor's Weapon Quest and 76107 Thanos: Ultimate Battle.
The sets don't go into huge amounts of detail but they're also not too expensive. With good value, unique features like Iron Man's new armour elements in 76107 Thanos: Ultimate Battle, it's an impressive all-rounder of a wave, considering there's no large-scale display set.
The verdict: A mighty movie perhaps could have done with a larger display set but these play-focused ones have a lot to love
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 87% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 1/10
There's not a lot to say about 76109 Quantum Realm Explorers. LEGO Marvel consistently tended to offer strong minifigures and this set is no exception. The vehicle is certainly unique but it doesn't have a ton of long-lasting appeal. The movie itself is essentially filling in plot ahead of Endgame and this set feels like a mandatory offering to Marvel fans, rather than an attempt to do anything new.
The verdict: A filler set for a filler movie
Captain Marvel
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 79% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 5/10
One of the worst-received LEGO Marvel movies gets a respectable set in 76127 Captain Marvel and The Skrull Attack. The Skrull minifigure admittedly looks quite goofy – more Green Goblin than Skrull – but there are plenty of play features packed into a sturdy if unremarkable ship.
"This set contains three brand new minifigures which are appealing and the miniature Quinjet looks wonderful in official images as well, reflecting its appearance during 1995 when Captain Marvel takes place," wrote Brickset.
The verdict: A far more impressive initial set than some other solo movies got
Avengers: Endgame
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94% LEGO Marvel wave rating: 7/10
While the LEGO Marvel wave may have been hamstringed due to the fact that the studio probably took some strict steps to avoid spoilers or leaks about the highly anticipated movie, the LEGO Group still managed to deliver some impressive sets. The big-fig Thanos and Hulks are some of the best we'd seen at the time and each set delivers both in terms of aesthetics and play features, balancing well between two potential audiences.
However, the hype around the movie may have led to the LEGO Group pricing these sets too high, putting off many fans at the time.
"The real selling point for me is the great character selection," wrote True North Bricks about 76131 Avengers Compound Battle. "However, the set is expensive for what you get. Finding it 40% off made me pull the trigger on a set I might otherwise have let pass me by.
The verdict: An expensive but versatile wave that manages to capture some of the key moments of a highly-anticipated movie
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