LEGO Superheroes 2012 Rumours & Discussion

[Darth Lurtz]

Ultimately, I realize all of that - they're a business, and it's definitely a move that will make money. It's just a bit hypocritical in light of continual phrases like "the film {fill in the blank} contains content that is not appropriate for our core target audience of children ages 6-11." You could easily put "The Dark Knight Rises" in that blank, and that phrase is a direct quote from the decision that was handed down on The Winchester from "Shaun of the Dead". I took them at their word on that, and I'm surprised and disheartened to see that I was wrong to do so.

The examples you've listed don't really compare to Nolan's movies. Shaun of the Dead being rejected was obvious with the levels of gore in that movie and Firefly has prostitution in the show which is something Lego doesn't want to be involved with. Also the violence in The Dark Knight is more implied than shown not once in the movies do we see blood shown. Scenes like Harvey Dent's face being on fire is no different than Anakin losing all of his limbs and also being burnt alive.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Darth Lurtz

[deskp]

Shaun of the dead is rated "R" while nolans batman movie are rated "T".

Batman punches dudes in most/all of his incarnations. Shaun of the dead beats humanoids into bloody pulps and makes sex jokes.

(if I remember things right)

[refriedbeans]

So happy about all the Ultimate Spider Man figures and Aquaman! Can't wait for those! But why is Batman white? (Sorry all my knowledge of Batman comes from the Lego video games)

[Spider-Man]

Venom, Doom, and Nova are definitely the standout Marvel characters. Fury is slightly disappointing as I was hoping for the exact same printing that was on the Avengers movie poster, but he is still welcomed.

Scarecrow, Freeze, and the Bane and Batman from DKR are the standouts from DC for me. Scarecrow's new face is awesome! They got the sack cloth look just right!

Anybody else notice that the Beetle has a clear neck clip to attach his wings to! Also I think Nova is using the same face as Batman?

Edited July 13, 2012 by Spider-Man

[Hobbestimus]

Love all these. Don't need the White Batman variant but I'll deal with it to get new Freeze, Bane, Aquaman or whatever else it may come with. JJJ and Jim Gordon are so welcome, I hope we see more supporting cast like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olson, and Alfred Pennyworth.

My only nitpick is that I think Spider-Man is a little too blue. When the Doc Ock set hits this summer I think I may give him some red arms and see what it looks like.

[Drock]

But why is Batman white? (Sorry all my knowledge of Batman comes from the Lego video games)

It's probably supposed to be a cold-climate armor, or "Arctic Batman," as he's called in some of the Fisher Price figure lines. Maybe some sort of set with Mr. Freeze and Aquaman..

[Faefrost]

Dr Doom! And Nova!!!!! :cry_happy:

And I must be missing something, but who is the red dude with the wings? Is that the Ultimate version of the Beetle? (if so really would have preferred classic green and purple)

Over on the DC side, it looks like the guesses were correct and we are getting a new Arkham Asylum, complete with "civilianized" Dr Hailey Quinn. And OMG! An actual "Red Robin" fig. I never would have imagined that! I like the use of the Atlantis helmet piece for Mr. Freeze. A little disapointed that there's no classic look Batgirl.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Faefrost

[Spider-Man]

Bingo with Ultimate Beetle. Sorry for the small picture that is all they had that shows both Beetle and that he is part of the Ultimate universe.

[SoupOrFishOil]

I'm mostly satisfied, but I never will be until we get Batgirl.

Jumpsuit Joker Joker was my favorite minifigure from the first wave, but I'm kind of annoyed that we are getting him again. At least he has a prison uniform though.

Harleen Quinzel I didn't see this coming. A great surprise. Minifigures that were skipped in the Batman theme appearing gives me hope that we may see Batgirl.

Black Wing Batman I'm a little annoyed, since I bought a second Catwoman set and painted the wings black. Oh well.

White Batman This is from the Arkham City promotions right? A bit off an oddity, but cool none the less.

Aquaman I really didn't see this coming, I'd think we'd get Flash or Green Lantern first, but I'm not complaining. I think he's my favorite of the batch, rivaled only by Harleen.

TDKR Bane I don't care for the movie design, but what such great detailing.

TDKR Batman Not much of an improvement over the 2008 one, it certainly doesn't compare to the exclusive one, and what is up with those legs? I'll still be happy to add it to my collection though.

TDKR Gordon I'd prefer a comic version, but I'm just happy to get Gordon.

Mr. Freeze Pretty good, but I hope he has a double-sided face with goggles. I'm just so used to him having them that he looks weird without them. It doesn't help that his eyes are zombified like Two-Face's either.

Robin I'd rather have Batgirl instead of what is just a couple easy changes from last year's Robin to make an Arkham City one.

The Penguin He's okay. I really hate that face though, I think the problem is the eye showing through the monocle. I think I prefer his older version.

The Scarecrow Not bad, but I think he could use a cape. Maybe I'll change my mind when I see him in person.

Beetle I've never heard of him before, but he seems interesting enough.

Dr. Doom I'm a little disappointed, he was one of the few Marvel characters I was hoping for. The green hood is useful though. I'll probably just wait for a comic version.

J. Jonah Jameson A simple, yet good figure.

Nick Fury Another good one. I don't know what else to say.

Nova I'm not familiar with the character, but the design is strange. That helmet especially.

Venom Ooh...

[vynsane]

but they are using the "mature" designs/vehicles, but setting it to the general batman universe.

"batman" is as much a kids thing as an adult thing.

"shaun of the dead" is a franchise only ever meant for more mature audiences.

Batman has an anchor in content for children is the key.

All true, but if you take the Nolan films for what they are solely based on their merits, they are strictly for adults, easily on par with SotD or Firefly in light of mature themes. There is a wealth of source material to draw from in the Batman mythos that would easily fit into the '6-11' demographic. To pick that small portion of the whole pie, while it makes sense from a business standpoint, goes against what they've said about similarly themed properties in the past. They've skirted the issue before by producing the Tumbler set which wasn't expressly rooted in the Nolan Batverse, with a more cartoony Joker figure/vehicle. This Bane figure, as great as he is, is definitely rooted in TDKR. What happens when kids ask their parents if they can see the movie the set is based on?

I think they reject projects more due to the cost of license. It could be the cost of the license will exceed expected purchase. Say the "Shaun of the Dead" license is 3 mil.... The Winchester set would retail for 199.00. There are 10,000 likes with the project so saying if all 10,000 of those people bought it for the 199.00 price they would only return 1,990,000. That kinda comes up short in the profit range. You also have to deduct cost of production as well.

That's sort of my point, too. I had the sneaking suspicion that the rejections came more from a monetary standpoint than from an ethical standpoint. My contention is that rejecting mature themed properties because of a moral obligation to the '6-11' demographic but then producing sets based on other properties that don't fall into that demographic is disingenuous, not that they should produce the sets they rejected, more that they should temper the ones themed after TDKR in the same way they have in the past, by cartoonizing The Joker.

The examples you've listed don't really compare to Nolan's movies. Shaun of the Dead being rejected was obvious with the levels of gore in that movie and Firefly has prostitution in the show which is something Lego doesn't want to be involved with. Also the violence in The Dark Knight is more implied than shown not once in the movies do we see blood shown. Scenes like Harvey Dent's face being on fire is no different than Anakin losing all of his limbs and also being burnt alive.

Comparing SotD and Firefly to the Nolan films, then to Indiana Jones, Star Wars and LotR, I would definitely place the Nolan films in with SotD and Firefly more readily than with the others. Arbitrary distinctions? Perhaps, but we're all splitting hairs here. At the end of the day, the question is: Do the Nolan Batfilms fall into the previously stated '6-11' demographic? My answer is "most decidedly not".

I would go so far as to say I would let my daughter watch Firefly/Serenity before the Nolan Batfilms, and I'd let her watch the Nolan Batfilms before SotD. The main sticking point for me is that the Nolan films are all-serious, all the time... there's no lightheartedness at all, whereas Firefly/Serenity has a healthy balanced diet of fun to serious. That goes a long way toward diluting the maturity level.

As for Anakin vs. Harvey Dent on fire, the RotS scene has that "Sci-Fi violence" factor, whereas TDK is much more 'real-world'. I also already stated that I find RotS to be inappropriate for my daughter, and it really just barely skirts that '6-11' demographic, doesn't it, being rated PG-13. Also, Firefly was before the time of TV ratings, but Serenity was PG-13 here in the states, which is the same as the Nolan Batfilms.

Regardless of minute distinctions made between these films, I think we can all agree that none of the following: 'Serenity', 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Batman Begins', 'The Dark Knight', 'The Dark Knight Rises'; are acceptable for the '6-11' demographic, which was really my point all along.

[djmangunz]

I think it would be a good bet to say that we'll probably get the "Bat"/Batwing (with the TDKR version of the Batman minifig) and the Camo Tumbler (w/ the Bane and Gordon figs) considering these two are the primary new vehicles of the movie (and knowing how vehicle-based almost all Batman sets are). A small set featuring Catwoman in the Batpod is also in the realm of possibility. The confirmation of TDKR sets is really a pleasant surprise, and hopefully they would be released at the same time as the movie comes out (which is a few days away!) It wouldn't make sense if the TDKR sets are released very much later right?

That would be the dream scenario, although I suspect that they will release these sets around December along with the rest of the superhero line. Another situation is that they could just release one set with a big vehicle (perhaps the Bat?)and include Batman, Bane, and Gordon (who looks epic with that SWAT vest).

Oh, and welcome back K. Good to see you brother!

I think they are splitting the wave for both Marvel and DC for the january wave, so that they can do the same later for Man of Steel and Iron Man 3 sets.

Good observation! I like the idea of releasing Marvel and DC sets at the same time so we don't have to wait until summer to get Nick Fury.

[CF Mitch]

For those who can't be bothered to go to flickr:

[snip!]

Enjoy!

Thanks!

Oh, my God! Those are so epic. All of them

Can't wait to find out what sets they will appear in...

Regards,

Mitch

[Zergos]

I'm disappointed. I want more Justice League characters for dc, and more freaking X-men for marvel. I dont want some lame characters from Ultimate Spiderman.

[GuntherThePenguin]

Guess what! The DKR sets are coming out whether you like it or not! Lego did sets based off of the final HP, which was pretty dark, RotS in Star Wars, which has very dark scenes... Can we please stop debating on whether or not these are appropriate? If you don't like it, don't buy them!

Anyway, I'm sure we will see some X-Men someday soon, as it was in the official press release. And I hope we get some other DCvillains (not just Batman's foes) but Cheetah, Black Manta, Grodd, Brainiac, Grundy, Killer Frost, Toyman, Evil Star.....

[Darth Lurtz]

Guess what! The DKR sets are coming out whether you like it or not! Lego did sets based off of the final HP, which was pretty dark, RotS in Star Wars, which has very dark scenes... Can we please stop debating on whether or not these are appropriate? If you don't like it, don't buy them!

Anyway, I'm sure we will see some X-Men someday soon, as it was in the official press release. And I hope we get some other DCvillains (not just Batman's foes) but Cheetah, Black Manta, Grodd, Brainiac, Grundy, Killer Frost, Toyman, Evil Star.....

We will get General Zod in Man of Steel later this year. By the way you reminded me, do you think Lego would be allowed to repaint the HULK as Grundy? Both look very similar.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Darth Lurtz

[vynsane]

Guess what! The DKR sets are coming out whether you like it or not! Lego did sets based off of the final HP, which was pretty dark, RotS in Star Wars, which has very dark scenes... Can we please stop debating on whether or not these are appropriate? If you don't like it, don't buy them!

I never said I didn't like them, nor did I say I wouldn't buy them - I am mainly pointing out that TLG is being a bit disingenuous when they spout the "6-11 demographic". Your examples above are just furthering that point. It's almost as if TLG is trying to cater to the AFoL market without publicly acknowledging how influential that market is. I don't even see how popular a TDKR Bane figure would be with kids - he's not all that dynamic looking in comparison to other supervillains.

[Darth Lurtz]

I don't even see how popular a TDKR Bane figure would be with kids - he's not all that dynamic looking in comparison to other supervillains.

I think its one of those things where you have to see him in the movie to appreciate him. Before the Dark Knight was released, no one was sure of Heath Ledger as the Joker and that soon changed after the movie.

[Piranha]

DKR set(s)? Aquaman? Nick Fury? Awesome stuff revealed today, some of it was surprising. Even I was getting close to burying a DKR set. Just goes to show, nothing is confirmed until it is confirmed.

I however am a little disappointed in all the repeat villains/hooded robin and a distinct lack of GL/Flash. But I remain hopeful, as with last year TLG won't reveal every fig from every set and the SE sets are still out there.

[TheLegoDr]

Jaw dropped/Mind blown when looking at these new figures. I was expecting some just from reading what people want, but these go above and beyond my expectations.

Anything Batman related will be purchased by me and the fact they are coming out with TDKR figures/set(s) I am more than excited. Recently I almost bought Bane and Ivy from Batcave set, but then decided to wait and see if they were going to just re-use the same Bane in a TDKR set. Then they said no TDKR sets, but I still didn't order one to be safe. And now they are releasing a brand new version of Bane, so I may still want to get the older one, but it isn't as necessary since I prefer TDKR version anyway. And since Ivy is coming out in a set next year, I don't have to bricklink that either. Thank you TLG! The rest of the DC line-up is very welcomed. I didn't have any of the older versions, so I can't wait to get the new Mr. Freeze, Penguin, and Scarecrow . I much prefer these to the old. But I guess to each their own. And I'm not even a fan of Aquaman, but he looks awesome.

The Marvel figures will be purchased for sure. I haven't heard of some of them, but I can't wait to add them to my collection. Venom :wub:. I'm glad the SDCC wasn't Venom, but I almost still want to get the variant. Even though I'm not a huge Spiderman fan.

Methinks 2013 will be even more expensive than this year. How is that possible?? LOTR/Hobbit, Superheroes, Star Wars, CMF, Modular, Winter Village, potential Polar Express...e-gads.

[Hobbestimus]

I am mainly pointing out that TLG is being a bit disingenuous when they spout the "6-11 demographic". Your examples above are just furthering that point. It's almost as if TLG is trying to cater to the AFoL market without publicly acknowledging how influential that market is.

What would be the motive in being disingenuous and secretive about their main demographic?

[GuntherThePenguin]

We will get General Zod in Man of Steel later this year. By the way you reminded me, do you think Lego would be allowed to repaint the HULK as Grundy? Both look very similar.

Personally I'd be OK with that!

[ScaryScarecrow]

ARKHAM STYLE MR. FREEZE AND ROBIN.

TDKR BATMAN AND BANE.

My anticipation ratings are off the charts!

What is air?

On a less overdramatic note, LEGO sure knows what I am spending my money on. Nice to see that Venom is just a prerelease.

I hope TDKR Bane and Batman are the DC exclusives at NYCC. I need them. I need them more than I need air. Air is not the priority.

[Darth Hagrid]

Just goes to show, nothing is confirmed until it is confirmed.

You know, you have a very good point!

[TheLegoDr]

I hope TDKR Bane and Batman are the DC exclusives at NYCC. I need them. I need them more than I need air. Air is not the priority.

Why would you hope that? If they did that, you would more than likely only get ONE of the two figures, whereas they release them in sets then you and everyone else that wants them will get them. It'd be better if they released them in a set with the Bat or the tumbler (in my opinion) because I would want more than just the figure(s).

We'll see what they do.

[Sam892]

The best bit about this news is that looking deeper into it is that its not the whole line up. which is great imagine what other great figs with have lined up for next year.