LEGO Marvel 76309 Spider-Man vs. Venom Muscle Car review
The villainous LEGO Marvel car for January 2025 disappoints with generic minifigures and a muscle car the likes of which we’ve seen before.
LEGO Marvel 76309 Spider-Man vs. Venom Muscle Car is one of two Marvel cars coming to the theme next year, falling behind when compared to the larger 76310 Iron Man Car & Black Panther vs. Red Hulk. Muscle cars are familiar territory for the LEGO portfolio and 76309 Spider-Man vs. Venom Muscle Car struggles to bring anything new to the table, despite the monstrous nature of Venom and the symbiotic possibilities.
Release: January 1, 2025 Price: £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99 Pieces: 254 Minifigures: 3 LEGO: Order now
Fast & Venomous
The main build in 76309 Spider-Man vs. Venom Muscle Car is a muscle car that has been taken over by Venom’s symbiote. That said, you might not guess it’s had much more than a custom paint job from its design. Despite the possibilities that Venom’s characteristics allow for, the black and white car is nothing more, sticking to the typical shape of a muscle car with a similar appearance to 76912 Fast & Furious 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.
The only notable venomised part of the car is a pair of tendrils protruding from the back, which will be either out of sight or in the way while you’re interacting with the car. On the one hand, at least the car will fit into a non-superhero display – but on the other, this vehicle could have been much more ‘Venom’ even at this price point. For comparison, 2025’s 76310 Iron Man Car & Black Panther vs. Red Hulk has nearly 300 elements for the same cost, packing in another vehicle as well.
Questionable synergy
Whereas 76310 Iron Man Car & Black Panther vs. Red Hulk ties loosely into the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World with an exclusive Red Hulk minifigure, the exclusive character for 76309 Spider-Man vs. Venom Muscle Car is Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter), who most recently appeared in Madame Web, which falls into the same category as Morbius as far as box office success goes.
While it’s great to receive another unusual character in LEGO Marvel in an affordable set, it’s an odd bit of synergy compared to 76310 Iron Man Car & Black Panther vs. Red Hulk. That said, 76244 Miles Morales vs. Morbius employed a similar tactic but in a car that provided a more unique experience than this standard muscle car model.
Opting for a character in a black-and-white outfit for a Venom-centric set fails to add more colour to an otherwise monochromatic set. Many spider-hero variants would have worked just as well here and while Julia Carpenter isn’t necessarily a bad choice, they’re not the best pick for 76309 Spider-Man vs. Venom Muscle Car specifically.
A not-so-safe bet
Compared to the additional build in 76310 Iron Man Car & Black Panther vs. Red Hulk, 76309 Spider-Man vs. Venom Muscle Car‘s small safe isn’t quite as exciting as a Black Panther Jet. It offers some possibilities for play but given that the gold can already be stored in the back of Venom’s car, something bigger to add to the scene would have worked better.
LEGO Marvel 76309 Spider-Man vs. Venom Muscle Car suffers from being in the same wave as a much more impressive Marvel vehicle and even without the comparison, it brings little new to the theme. What it does offer exclusively – Spider-Woman – may not be enough to impress enthusiasts and this set isn’t one to prioritise in 2025.
Our honest opinion: Too little for too much in an underwhelming LEGO Marvel package thanks to a car that never realises its true potential, despite the exclusive Spider-Woman minifigure.
This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.
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I’m absolutely beaming at the chance to get a Spider-Woman figure that isn’t Gwen Stacy, who’s getting three – *three* – new incarnations on January 1st alone. As the in-story template for the black suit, I feel that Julia is entirely appropriate for this set, and the figure looks great. Just the right amount of detail. The only thing I might have wished for is dual moulded arms to evoke her long gloves, but a Bricklink order will sort that right out.
The car is fine. It’s nearly four years since the Ghost Rider set. At least it isn’t a monster truck. It may be that we’ll see Spider-Woman on the front of a Lego magazine later in the year, although I don’t know if they’d include the dual moulded legs, would they?
I couldn’t care less about bad movies; for this lifelong Spider-Man fan, of the *fourteen* Spider-Verse figures debuting on January 1st, plus the Creator 3-in-1 Surprising Spider, it’s Spider-Woman and Trapster scuttling to the top of my most wanted list. And I cannot wait to see what else 2025 brings.
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