Review: LEGO is giving Marvel the facelift we didn’t know it needed in 2026

LEGO Marvel’s January 2026 sets are wildly varied, covering movie history, iconic locations and more to great success – but they’re not all perfect.

It’s not just 76344 Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors’ Edition which is sure to impress early next year. The rest of LEGO Marvel’s January 2026 wave features some heavy-hitting sets, one of which has been a long time coming for Marvel enthusiasts. We’ve now gone hands-on with six of the LEGO Marvel January 2026 sets, including the new LEGO Spider-Man 3 diorama.

One of LEGO Marvel’s smaller 2026 sets is also by far its most desirable. 76334 Epic Battle: Spider-Man vs. Sandman has 201 pieces and three minifigures for £19.99 / $24.99 / €24.99, and it’s hard to think of how this model could be improved.

The build is certainly big and detailed enough for the asking price, making up a customisable scene from the third Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie with a spot for all three characters.

There’s no getting around the fact that the stars of 76334 Epic Battle: Spider-Man vs. Sandman are, without a doubt, the three minifigures. Venom is the most appealing, bringing us one step closer to a black-suit Spider-Man minifigure. Though the legs are unprinted, the face and torso designs are practically perfect. This minifigure has been a long time coming for fans, and it’s fortunate that it doesn’t disappoint.

Sandman’s minifigure is exclusive as well, featuring some suitably generic sand and earth-based design that will make these parts applicable across multiple characters. Spider-Man is nothing new, but can only otherwise be found in the retiring 76261 Spider-Man Final Battle, making this minifigure a great addition to an already amazing selection. Whatever your wishlist for 2026 looks like right now, make sure you add 76334 Epic Battle: Spider-Man vs. Sandman.

LEGO Marvel 76335 Spider-Man vs. Ghost Rider Motorcycle is a stand-out in next year’s superhero set selection, whether you already have a Ghost Rider minifigure or not. The 72-piece set boasts great value for a licensed model and has a wholly exclusive element to boot.

Ghost Rider’s new minifigure in 76335 Spider-Man vs. Ghost Rider Motorcycle is also exclusive, though the character often appears in inexpensive builds. He makes use of not only a fiery head attachment, but also a flaming pair of hand accessories, which will be endlessly useful for various minifigures. At the time of writing, the hand accessories are exclusive to the £8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 76335 Spider-Man vs. Ghost Rider Motorcycle.

Spider-Man’s minifigure is good with the arm printing in such an affordable set, but this specific Spider-Man is common across LEGO Marvel now. Aside from the minifigures, 76335 Spider-Man vs. Ghost Rider Motorcycle features the character’s bike made up of transparent orange parts, a printed piece and an overall basic but functional design. Considering this set’s low cost of £8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99, 76335 Spider-Man vs. Ghost Rider Motorcycle is an easy one to pick up on January 1, 2026.

76336 Spider-Man Car vs. Venomized Wolverine lacks value compared to its price, including just two minifigures and 134 pieces for £17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99. The brunt of those elements goes into a car for Spider-Man, taking cues from his MCU Iron Spider outfit. On the one hand, the functionality is well-integrated and hidden, but on the other, there’s nothing particularly impressive in this vehicle to explain the price tag.

That means 76336 Spider-Man Car vs. Venomized Wolverine is the latest LEGO Marvel character car relying more on its minifigures, of which there is only one exclusive. Spider-Man’s minifigure is the same common variant from 76335 Spider-Man vs. Ghost Rider Motorcycle, but Wolverine is exclusive and venomized.

It’s a good interpretation of a venomized Wolverine, using the symbiote to create a cutout of a spider logo and featuring a solid double-sided head print. Unfortunately, Wolverine isn’t enough to justify the cost of 76336 Spider-Man Car vs. Venomized Wolverine, and this is instead a LEGO Marvel 2026 set to search for on sale or skip entirely next year.

It hasn’t taken the LEGO Group long to return to Groot models, once again taking inspiration from the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but straying from the norm by depicting Groot in his Ravager jumpsuit. What might seem to be an odd decision is actually genius, making this Groot figure far more stable than any other before it. That, in turn, makes 76341 Ravager Jumpsuit Groot more playable without any worry of his limbs buckling under the head’s heavy weight.

The jumpsuit is functional, though whether it’s particularly fashionable will depend on your preference. The build is great, making use of a fun giant zipper printed part that we can’t wait to see fans use in other builds. The addition of this jumpsuit, unfortunately and inevitably, means that this Groot figure doesn’t pair as seamlessly with LEGO Botanicals models as previous versions.

Groot is paired with the explosive device crafted in the sequel, using the Anulax batteries. The build is serviceable and functional, but it’s not nearly as iconic or displayable as the cassette tape from the first Groot buildable figure. At least it provides Groot with a place to sit after a long day of being himself. Overall, this model is fine for £54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99, and is useful for those yet to experience a LEGO Groot figure.

LEGO Marvel’s recent collection of buildings which are modular, as opposed to the bigger modular buildings, continues with 76342 Spider-Man vs. Mysterio: The Daily Bugle next year, following in the footsteps of 76178 Daily Bugle with some mighty big shoes to fill. Surprisingly, this smaller take on the newspaper office is up to this lofty task by taking the familiar foundation of the retired modular building, removing anything non-essential and changing its architecture.

76342 Spider-Man vs. Mysterio: The Daily Bugle opts for a more stylised exterior design as opposed to the all-grey walls of 76178 Daily Bugle, helping it to stand apart from the modular building and the other LEGO Marvel buildings released recently. It has a packed interior too, still featuring Jonah’s office, the bullpen, a spare room and a lobby. Of course, these rooms have several Easter eggs to enjoy, including references to the other LEGO Marvel buildings.

The building features numerous attachment points for the set’s minifigures and transparent stands, increasing the display and play value significantly. Aside from the Daily Bugle, a familiar newsstand and street corner are included, with a useful mailbox to place somewhere in your city display.

Rhino’s mech is also well-designed with a suitably bulky look, and it’s worth mentioning that the LEGO Marvel graphic design team have done an exceptional job with the stickers, integrating a play feature on the advert and including some small but significant touches across the board.

Then we have the seven minifigures. While Miles, Ghost Spider and Spider-Man are nothing new, J. Jonah Jameson has a great minifigure, featuring the best part of his 76178 Daily Bugle appearance – the webbed mouth face print. Rhino’s minifigure makes good use of the Spidey and His Amazing Friends head attachment, but the real star of the show is Mysterio. The minifigure features a fantastic new head print, referencing an aspect of his MCU design while sufficiently setting it apart from every other LEGO Mysterio ever released.

Venomized Captain America is another good addition, pairing nicely with the numerous other venomized minifigures (including Wolverine from this same wave), and with a high level of detail for LEGO Marvel.

At £99.99 / $99.99 / €109.99, this is still as expensive as the other LEGO Marvel buildings released recently, relative to the contents. However, it’s an affordable alternative to the retired 76178 Daily Bugle that is able to stand out and successfully make its own profile in LEGO Marvel. It’s a great addition to the other Marvel buildings, if one you might want to wait for a slight sale on.

Rounding out the LEGO Marvel January 2026 wave is the other new Epic Battle build, 76343 Epic Battle: Hulkbuster vs. The Hulk. It’s the larger of the two new Epic Battle sets, and similarly opts for a vertical display. There’s one important detail that helps this Avengers: Age of Ultron build stand apart from 76334 Epic Battle: Spider-Man vs. Sandman, though.

While the combined display with Hulk and the Hulkbuster is good, the fact that both figures can be removed from the base and used separately is a fantastic feature. They’re consequently a bit loose on the base, but not enough to fall with any small movement. It’s worth the minuscule amount of fragility as the Hulkbuster figure is especially detailed compared to its previous iteration, but almost just as poseable.

Hulk has some nice printing on the legs and combines well with the Hulkbuster figure to add to the movie scene display. Due to the nature of this battle, 76343 Epic Battle: Hulkbuster vs. The Hulk only has one Iron Man minifigure, but it’s a good addition to the many Iron Man variants in the portfolio.

This new Iron Man minifigure comes complete with both arm and leg printing, as well as the great new head for Tony Stark. For those who can’t afford or don’t desire 76344 Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors’ Edition, this set is a fantastic alternative and worth the asking price for collectors.

The full LEGO Marvel January 2026 wave demonstrates that the LEGO Marvel design team are making the most of the opportunities this licence grants. That includes 76344 Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors’ Edition, 76338 Mech Battle: Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock and 76337 Miles Morales Mech vs. Spider-Man 2099. Through the likes of new prints for existing characters, a fresh series of dioramas and a refreshed take on a familiar model, LEGO Marvel’s 2026 slate so far offers the theme the facelift we didn’t know it needed.

It doesn’t quite reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t need to – and the design team’s efforts ensure that there’s something here for every kind of enthusiast to enjoy, at every possible budget.

These LEGO sets were provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes.

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