Six things we learnt from the LEGO Marvel Avengers: Infinity War sets

The official LEGO images for the Avengers: Infinity War sets have landed – and they tell us a surprising amount about what’s to come

In case you missed it, we finally have official images for the six LEGO sets based on the upcoming Marvel tentpole feature, Avengers: Infinity War. And like all good movie tie-in sets, there are plenty of conclusions we can draw from them about what the movie might entail. Remember, there’s a fine art to this level of guesswork, so don’t come for our heads if the actual film turns out wildly different from this list.

6. The Guardians of the Galaxy are major players

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No matter what you think of the MCU’s output over the past 10 years, not many would disagree that Guardians of the Galaxy was the absolute tops. It’s still widely – and rightly – regarded as one of Marvel’s best big-screen ventures, but four years and a sequel’s worth of material later, the ragtag team still hasn’t met up with the rest of our heroes. Infinity War will finally remedy that in May, and it looks like the Guardians will have plenty to do in the movie, if the LEGO sets are anything to go by.

Not only does the Milano make another appearance – we’re pretty sure it’s going to overtake the X-wing as the most-produced LEGO set soon – but Rocket, (teenage) Groot, Star-Lord and Gamora are all well-represented amongst this initial wave. Best of all, Guardians fans will only need to pick up two sets to get those four characters, so you don’t have to bother with all those other lame superheroes – not that we’re playing favourites.

5. Tony Stark isn’t piloting the Hulkbuster

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76104 The Hulkbuster Smash-Up contains four minifigures, precisely zero of which are Tony Stark. Unlike his stint in the giant suit in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, then, it’s probably fair to assume Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t get behind the wheel (helmet?) of the Hulkbuster in this movie. Falcon’s got his own wings, so that just leaves Bruce Banner – at least if the set is accurate to the events that play out on screen. And really, a little liberty from the LEGO Group apropos included characters isn’t exactly unprecedented.

But if we can take it at face value, it does beg the question of why Banner would need the Hulkbuster at all. Unless… he loses the ability to go big and green? Maybe he’s just forgotten to always be angry. We can lend him a copy of The Avengers DVD if he likes. No sweat.

4. LEGO New York and actual New York are two different things

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We assume, anyway – at least if the events of Doctor Strange and Spider-Man: Homecoming are to be believed. After all, we’re 99% certain Stephen Strange and Peter Parker don’t really live next door to each other in some kind of terrible, alliterative neighbourhood. Unless, that is, there’s been a bit of behind-the-scenes real estate action between then and Infinity War, in what would probably be the least exciting Marvel one-shot of all time.

Where the LEGO sets are concerned, though, it doesn’t really matter either way. Packing them both into a single set is just convenient, and also gives us what looks to be, on paper, the greatest Marvel Super Heroes set since 76057 Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle. We give it until March 2 before someone’s turned it into a 16 stud-wide modular building.

3. Thanos’ design changed somewhere along production

Take a look at the movie Thanos on the front of the box. Then take a look at the LEGO Thanos on the back. Then the front. Then the back. Front, back, front, back. It doesn’t matter how many times you flip it, those two images are never going to match. It’s an easy spot the difference – the real Josh Brolin’s bald bonce could reflect lighthouses, while the LEGO version is still rocking a helmet. The shoulder armour barely matches up either.

What conclusions can we draw from this? That the LEGO Group simply doesn’t care about accuracy? Never say never, but it’s far more likely that Thanos’ in-movie design was originally meant to include the golden headpiece he’s worn in every single MCU cameo thus far. And, at some point after the LEGO Group designed the corresponding figure, the choice was made to remove it, for reasons we’ll probably never know.

Maybe the Russo brothers decided a massive purple thumb was more intimidating than a shiny, gold helmet. Maybe Josh Brolin had a head visibility clause in his contract. Or maybe Thanos hasn’t paid his dry cleaning bill (you can’t wash a helmet, right?). Whatever the cause, did Disney/the LEGO Group really need to draw attention to it on each and every box?

2. Disney didn’t tell TLG about Thor’s eye

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Thor: Ragnarok spoilers abound – nobody told the LEGO Group that Thor was going to lose an eye. His minifigure here has two eyes on both sides of his head, which we guess makes him Thor-eyes. Presumably he’ll get an eyepatch in the next wave of sets, or the sets based on Thor 4, unless he dies in this one. You never know.

1. Half the movie is going to take place on barren wastelands

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Just look at that box art. That dull, dull box art.

UK: Avengers: Infinity War will be released on April 27, 2018. The sets based on the movie will launch on March 1. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes sets are available now from shop.LEGO.com.

USA: Avengers: Infinity War will be released on May 4, 2018. The sets based on the movie will launch on March 1. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes sets are available now from shop.LEGO.com.

Author Profile

Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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