Lego David Posted July 28, 2019 (edited) I can't help but notice that LEGO has had a some sort of fatigue for the character of Batman as of lately. Ever since the LEGO Batman movie, I feel like Batman has been all over the place. Two Batman CMFs with another rumored one in 2020, a tone of Direct to DVD Batman movies with even more coming up, a ridiculously important role in the LEGO Movie 2 (seriously, am I the only one who found the fact that he had to marry Queen Watevra as kinda a weird chioce?) And of course, pretty much all the DC sets are about Batman, with all the other famous DC characters being there just to help him. And a whole 4+ Juniors subtheme dedicated to Batman only. I find it weird that they invest so ridiculously much in DC and this character especially when it's obvious that Marvel is far popular right now than DC ever was. What do you think of this? And why do you think LEGO is so obsessed with this specific character? Edited July 28, 2019 by Lego David Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert8 Posted July 28, 2019 (edited) Because money. Because he sells. If they changed the DC Superheroes branding to just Batman is because only Batman-centric sets sell well. Batman is the most popular superhero worldwide. Even more than Superman I'd say. He gets theatrical movies, toons of videogames, novels, a LEGO movie (and it did quite well), comic books (with some of the most iconic storylines), direct-to-video films, even his villains get solo movies (Joker, Catwoman and Harley Quinn next year), animated TV shows, live-action TV shows, his sidekicks are pretty popular and get solo-material as well (Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Batwoman). Heck, even the City he lives on got its own TV show and it lasted 5 seasons. Trust me, you'll never see something like that with any Marvel character. Edited July 28, 2019 by Robert8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted July 28, 2019 Batman has enormous global recognition. The Adam West fronted tv series, big budget films in theaters during the decades where other superhero films struggled to get the green light... Like Coke, Micky Mouse and the golden arches of McDonald's; people the world over know what it is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lego David Posted July 28, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Peppermint_M said: Batman has enormous global recognition. The Adam West fronted tv series, big budget films in theaters during the decades where other superhero films struggled to get the green light... Like Coke, Micky Mouse and the golden arches of McDonald's; people the world over know what it is. Yeah, but how would you explain the fact that all this fatigue for this character started very recently?... Like in 2012 or something, though it wasn't truly ignited until the LEGO Batman movie came out. Yes, we had the 2006-2008 LEGO Batman theme, but that barley even invested a lot in as far as I can tell, and it only lasted two years, which by Batman standards seems very strange. Edited July 28, 2019 by Lego David Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MAB Posted July 28, 2019 What do you mean by fatigue. The market for Batman is not in fatigue, probably the opposite. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Digger of Bricks Posted July 28, 2019 3 hours ago, Lego David said: What do you think of this? And why do you think LEGO is so obsessed with this specific character? Besides his ever-enduring popularity, Batman is the "boy-with-the-most-toys" amongst superheroes. He's just not as hard of a character to contrive vehicular builds for compared to everyone else. Having said that though, I'm still not thrilled with this year's change in branding for the DC SuperHeroes theme. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tafkatb Posted July 28, 2019 Because children are so obsessed with Batman. Next question. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tariq j Posted July 28, 2019 1 hour ago, Lego David said: Yeah, but how would you explain the fact that all this fatigue for this character started very recently?... Like in 2012 or something, though it wasn't truly ignited until the LEGO Batman movie came out. The Dark Knight Rises grossed over 1 billion dollars in 2012. I would hardly call that fatigue. As to your question, it’s the same reason why City pulls out Fire and Police sets every year or why there are lots of Spider-Man sets. They sell well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_spock Posted July 28, 2019 To make money like that song lyrics-- I got the bats, you got the bricks, let's make lots of money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted July 28, 2019 6 hours ago, Lego David said: fact that all this fatigue for this character started very recently?... Like in 2012 Uh, Citation needed? I've not heard from anywhere that there is any sort of fatigue over Batman. If there is/was, 2012 was seven years ago and now all the toy companies have a fresh batch of kids old enough to want toys based on Batman. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lego David Posted July 28, 2019 (edited) 7 hours ago, tafkatb said: Because children are so obsessed with Batman I would hesitate to say that to be honest. I don't know about you, but in my experience, I don't see kids talking about Batman that much. Sure, every kid recognizes Batman, but I am not sure if they really are that obsessed with him. But hey, I could be wrong. 2 hours ago, Peppermint_M said: , Citation needed? I've not heard from anywhere that there is any sort of fatigue over Batman Isn't it obvious? How I said earlier, Batman is now all over the place in LEGO, and all the other DC Super Heroes tend to be just used as side characters. Why doesn't Superman get the amount of sets and attention as Batman does, for example? He isn't anything less popular than Batman is. Edited July 28, 2019 by Lego David Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lyichir Posted July 28, 2019 10 minutes ago, Lego David said: I would hesitate to say that to be honest. I don't know about you, but in my experience, I don't see kids talking about Batman that much. Sure, every kid recognizes Batman, but I am not sure if they really are that obsessed with him. But hey, I could be wrong. Isn't it obvious? How I said earlier, Batman is now all over the place in LEGO, and all the other DC Super Heroes tend to be just used as side characters. Why doesn't Superman get the amount of sets and attention as Batman does, for example? He isn't anything less popular than Batman is. Superman probably IS less popular. Even if he's just as recognizable as Batman, you can't say the same for his supporting characters and villains, unlike Batman's well known "rogues gallery" and supporting cast. On top of that, Superman is not as "toyetic" as the unpowered Batman—unlike Batman, Superman doesn't really have any need for a wide variety of vehicles and accessories, making the potential variety of products that he can be a meaningful part of that much more limited. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted July 28, 2019 Ah, I getcha, it is another one of your opinion rants that cause members to question whether you qualify on the age criteria to be a member of the forum. A Citation would be an actual solid source from an external and recognised commentator or news establishment. Possibly one backed up by second or even third sources. 15 minutes ago, Lyichir said: Superman is not as "toyetic" as the unpowered Batman Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Superman might be well known, but give him a motorcycle and it looks stupid. Put him in a car, people wonder why the guy who flies needs it. Maybe in the comics if you put in a lot of crazy situations or force a reason in (Kryptonite, a Red Sun, someone else Kryptonian facing off against him, Mxyzptlk working some 5th dimensional magic) you can require Superman to need some extra equipment like armour or mecha. But in the plain old normal space of The Toy Buying Public, Superman does not need these things. Add on that The Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman are not so popular in the same way as Batman, they are not going to be headliners in a set. Green Lantern has been my favourite character for years, but the movie has made any Green Lantern seem terrible; not to mention, people expected the character to be black as the Justice League cartoon had one of the other Lantern characters and became the introduction to Green Lantern for most. Plus, Wonder Woman is a girl and to the target demographic of 8 year old boys, a girl character is a harder sell, (whether that is good/right or not, it is true). So yeah, Batman and Friends is at least one way to get more Super characters, even if it means a million Bats. A prime example is the stupendous Batman the Brave and the Bold. Through the inclusion of batman we got B'wana Beast, Detective Chimp and Ambush Bug! Plus lots of others in the cartoon and tie-in comics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TeriXeri Posted July 28, 2019 (edited) Because Batman , like Star Wars, has a huge following from multiple aspects, either comics, video games, movies, cartoons and LEGO itself. Batman is around since 1939. Batman is a good character for LEGO, he has no "superpower" himself but makes great sets for bat jets, helicopters, batmobiles, bat-tanks and even spaceships, and I say that without even collecting any of it myself. Edited July 28, 2019 by TeriXeri Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tariq j Posted July 28, 2019 1 hour ago, Lego David said: Isn't it obvious? How I said earlier, Batman is now all over the place in LEGO, and all the other DC Super Heroes tend to be just used as side characters. Why doesn't Superman get the amount of sets and attention as Batman does, for example? He isn't anything less popular than Batman is. This article is a few years old but proves Batman does make more money in terms of merchandise. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.entrepreneur.com/amphtml/272554 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vindicare Posted July 28, 2019 (edited) 13 hours ago, Robert8 said: Because money. Because he sells. If they changed the DC Superheroes branding to just Batman is because only Batman-centric sets sell well. Batman is the most popular superhero worldwide. Even more than Superman I'd say. He gets theatrical movies, toons of videogames, novels, a LEGO movie (and it did quite well), comic books (with some of the most iconic storylines), direct-to-video films, even his villains get solo movies (Joker, Catwoman and Harley Quinn next year), animated TV shows, live-action TV shows, his sidekicks are pretty popular and get solo-material as well (Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Batwoman). Heck, even the City he lives on got its own TV show and it lasted 5 seasons. Trust me, you'll never see something like that with any Marvel character. We can add his butler to the list of media properties as well. Batman even had his own cereal. Edited July 28, 2019 by Vindicare Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert8 Posted July 29, 2019 3 hours ago, Vindicare said: We can add his butler to the list of media properties as well. Batman even had his own cereal. And Gordon, who was Gotham's main character Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lego David Posted July 29, 2019 8 hours ago, Peppermint_M said: Ah, I getcha, it is another one of your opinion rants that cause members to question whether you qualify on the age criteria to be a member of the forum. A Citation would be an actual solid source from an external and recognised commentator or news establishment. Possibly one backed up by second or even third sources This has been discussed in this podcast right here, starting from roughly 22:00. I don't know if this would count as a "source" but it's the best I can offer you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert8 Posted July 29, 2019 The fact that LEGO re-branded the DC Superheroes sets as just "Batman" says exactly the opposite: It means Batman Movie line sold extremely well compared with the "DC Superheroes". They are putting a gigantic Batman minifigure in the box art now. It means Batman attracts customers instead of repelling them. There is no fatigue at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_spock Posted July 29, 2019 Maybe AFOL fatigue. In the book biz, we have new Batman titles every year for adult, young adult, and juvenile readers. I suppose if there isn't a worthwhile market for Batman somewhere in the world, publishers wouldn't be coming out with new Bat books every year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lego David Posted July 29, 2019 35 minutes ago, Robert8 said: There is no fatigue at all Well, I guess some people understand how LEGO's marketing works better than I do, so I guess I got my answer I was looking for. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MAB Posted July 29, 2019 8 hours ago, Lego David said: This has been discussed in this podcast right here, starting from roughly 22:00. I don't know if this would count as a "source" but it's the best I can offer you. There is a huge difference between a few AFOLs getting bored of LEGO Batman and sales of LEGO Batman. Kids love Batman. When they get older and get tired of him, younger kids take their place. Personally, I have enough Batman minifigures to last me a while. I'm bored of him. But me not buying LEGO Batman sets is not going to make the slightest difference to LEGO Batman sales, as kids that did not have sets that were released in 2012 or 2015 or 2017 will want sets released in 2019 and 2020. Kids that are playing with Duplo Batman now will want LEGO Batman in 2021 and beyond. But then I was bored by LEGO Superman in 2013. I bought 6862 and that gave me one Superman (and Lex Luthor and Wonder Woman). I got the Clark Kent minifigure in 2013. That was all the Superman figures and sets I ever needed. The minifigure is all you need. He flies about regular buildings, which are available in other themes. Of course, kids of today might want a Superman figure too, and they could have got one at any time since 2012, as he has been in multiple sets since then and always available on the shelves. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted July 30, 2019 Quite simply ... How many times has the batman character grown with the generations? So the now adults grew up with batman and want their kids to love the same batman they enjoyed ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
corasaur Posted July 31, 2019 DC Comics has an enormous number of batman-related comics running at any given time, his movies have been DC's most reliable box office successes, and the arkham games were the first good major superhero game in ages. there really is just that much of a market for batman crap. Fatigue doesn't just mean "flooding the market," it means "people getting so sick of the stuff that sales drop." Guess the merchandise is still making money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ks6349 Posted August 3, 2019 It sells, then they obessess Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
