All LEGO 2022 Marvel Sets Ranked From First to Worst

1st December 2022

2022 is coming to close, so that must mean it's time to rank all the year's Marvel sets from worst to first, to find out what the best Marvels sets were. We've excluded all polybags from this list, which leaves 28 sets in total.

28. Hulkbuster (76210)

In last place, the worst Marvel set of 2022 is the gigantic and hugely expensive Hulkbuster. Coming in at 4,049 pieces, this is the largest superhero set ever, and is without doubt the most awful. There are very few positives to say when it comes to this set. It's poorly designed with large gaps littered throughout the build. This may have been excusable if there was a compromise allowing for great flexibility, but that's not the case, as the Hulkbuster is disappointingly rigid. It's also surprisingly fragile given its incredible mass.

The numerous light bricks are pointless as they emit a yellow light instead of white, which fails to achieve the desired effect. The whole building process is also laborious, fiddly, and stressful. Overall, a truly terrible set that LEGO would struggle to sell at half the price.

27. Spider-Man Webquarters Hangout (10784)

Second from the bottom is the Juniors Spider-Man Webquarters Hangout set. There were four 4+ sets released this year, and each have very limited appeal to adults and collectors.

What makes this the worst of the bunch is how overpriced it is, and I can't work out why. Yes, there are some large, unique pieces, but regular sets have this too and don't suffer the same fate. Five minifigures for a set at this price isn't bad but they are all child versions of the superheroes.

26. Spider-Man at Doc Ock's Lab (10783)

Spider-Man at Doc Ock's Lab is more reasonably priced, but still nearly double what it should be in my opinion. There is some more meaningful play potential with this set, but it's still bad from an adult perspective. And why Doc Ock has had to turn female is beyond me.

25. Spider-Man's Techno Trike (10781)

Spider-Man's Techno Trike is the most credible of the Spidey and His Amazing Friends sets, focusing on the age-old battle between Spiderman and the Green Goblin. At less than 60 pieces, this is always going to be a set lacking much substance, regardless of who it's aimed at.

24. Hulk vs. Rhino Truck Showdown (10782)

Hulk vs. Rhino Truck Showdown includes three acceptable minifigures and offers more playability than the Techno Trike. The part list is also fairly normal, but it's still a set any AFOL is unlikely to buy.

23. Venom Figure (76230), Spider-Man Figure (26226), & 76225 Miles Morales Figure (76225)

The three Spider-Man action figure type sets are next on the list. Many people may have placed these sets a little higher up, as there's nothing wrong with them. The proportions aren't bad, and they have good articulation.

However, the head pieces are awkwardly shaped, being too angular to look normal, and the styling has a childish feel. But the main gripe I have with these sets, is that they don't fit in with the rest of the LEGO universe. They're on a different scale to other sets, and because they don't contain any minifigures and don't make for good display pieces, they have little place in most adult collections.

20. Spider-Man & Green Goblin Mech Battle (76219)

Next up is the first of this year's four mechs. The 2022 instalments are shaped well and have great flexibility and articulation, with three ball joints for each arm and leg. Each mech is similar and represents an adaptation of a basic formula, but of the lot I think that Spider-Man and Green Goblin look the best, thanks to their colours and styling.

The low price point and 7+ age recommendation of these mechs mean they are targeted at children, and therefore put playability first. Hence, the appeal for any collector has always been the minifigures, and this has been used to separate them out on this list. The two included in this set really let it down as neither are unique. But if you don't have them already, this set is a cost-effective way of getting them.

19. Iron Man Mech Armor (76203)

This set was the second Iron Man mech-style set to be released this year, so we didn't really need another one. It would have been better if LEGO had given a mech to a superhero that didn't already have one.

This aside, the Iron Man Mech is a decent looking build, with nice colour combinations. The Iron Man minifigure also looks nice but given that we've had so many variants of Iron Man over the years, this one doesn't stand out enough to prevent it from being quite forgettable. However, it is unique, so there is at least some reason to buy this set.

18. Iron Man Figure (76206)

As mentioned above, this was the first of two Iron Man mechs in 2022. The display plaque, higher piece count and price tag indicates that this one is aimed at the older audience. The build does benefit from the additional parts, but the proportions still look odd and the weird helmet is a glaring mistake.

Another turnoff for me is the lack of any minifigures, albeit we don't really need any more of Iron Man, but it definitely reduces the appeal for many people.

17. Black Panther Mech Armor (76204)

The mech build for the Black Panther is standard affair, with no distinguishing features, but the colour scheme looks good.

The Black Panther minifigure is not the most detailed, with a lack of leg or arm printing. However, the printing that's there looks good with its metallic finish. As a bonus we get two head pieces, one of the helmet and one of T'Chalia unmasked.

16. Nano Gauntlet (76223)

If we hadn't had the Infinity Gauntlet last year, this set would have been ranked higher. If you love the Avengers films, having both to display alongside one another is cool, but everyone else is going to see this set for what it is, which is a cop out. LEGO are basically capitalising on the work they did to design the Infinity Gauntlet and packaging it up in a less appealing colour scheme to sell again.

However, to put it lower down on this list would feel unfair, as it's hard to fault from a design perspective, but it certainly shouldn't be placed higher in our opinion.

15. Attack on New Asgard (76207)

The Battle on New Asgard consists of a brick-built Shadow Monster as seen in Thor: Love and Thunder. The monster is not an awful build, but it completely lacks the menace of its on-screen counterpart. In fact, it looks rather comical and sad.

The minifigures in this set are where it's at as Thor and Mighty Thor both look fantastic. The details on their torsos and legs are great and the helmet and hair mould for Mighty Thor is incredibly good. Gorr is the awkward third wheel and is rather undescriptive.

All three minifigures can also be found in The Goat Boat, so if you're just interested in minifigs, this set offers a cheaper way to acquire them. However, this does mean that the Shadow Monster build is just going to get discarded as it's not good enough to put on display. As a set, rather than a collection of minifigures, the Attack on New Asgard is a bit pointless, which is why it's not higher up our list.

14. Wolverine Mech Armor (76202)

This set will have been high on many collectors' list of must-buys as it marks only the third time LEGO have given us a full-sized Wolverine minifigure, and only the second time he's appeared with his distinctive cowl piece. Although I'm somewhat disappointed by the lack of leg printing, this is a decent looking example. For that reason alone, this set ranks above the other mechs. If we'd had a more detailed figure and a hair piece had been included, this set would have been a bit higher up this list.

13. Black Panther (76215)

The Black Panther is another huge Marvel set that left people scratching their head as to what LEGO were thinking. When this set was announced it threw us a big curveball, and not in a good way. It was the first time LEGO had released a large bust set in over 20 years, the last one being Darth Maul (10018). There's a good reason why this idea has laid dormant for two decades as the cost needed to achieve the required scale and effect is colossal. Only the most diehard Black Panther fans are likely to spend $349.99 / £299.99 / €349.99 to buy this one.

Price aside, it's a great replica of Black Panther that uses some interesting building techniques, which is why it sits in the middle of our list. So from a design perspective it's not easy to fault, but there are so many other Marvel subjects that could have made for a much better large-scale set.

12. Iron Man Armory (76216)

This year's Iron Man Armory acted as an extension to previous sets depicting Iron Man's workshop and room of armour, which is a good concept. However, the style and height of the armour slots in this set are different to the ones in the Iron Man Hall of Armor (76125) and Iron Man Armory (76167), so the combined result doesn't work that well.

The set itself also lacks cohesion and feels like the end product of an advent calendar as there are lots of little builds all over the place. On the plus side, there are some great sticker prints and the car is pretty neat. The minifigures are not wonderful, but good enough to be worth collecting. This set also suffers from being highly overpriced.

11. Thor's Hammer (76209)

Thor's Hammer is a very polished set that's a great likeness to the legendary hammer seen through the Marvel movies. It uses some interesting construction techniques to achieve an incredibly sturdy hammer that you can waft around all day long without fear of it coming apart.

However, for all its merits, it's a set you can quickly get bored of quickly. While not everyone will feel this way, I can't see the appeal of brick-built artifacts that are only ever going to sit on a shelf. Yes, if you're an adult this is the primary reason you're going to buy a LEGO set, but having no interactivity whatsoever is a bit boring.

The single Thor minifigure also doesn't feel detailed enough for a set that's uncomfortably expensive, so for those reasons I can't place it any higher on this list.

10. Shuri's Lab (76212)

It's hard to say much about Shuri's Lab, as it's the smallest regular Marvel set released this year. What's important is that you get two good minifigures for $10, which is hard to complain about. The accompanying build is pointless and offers very limited play, but we shouldn't expect much from such a cheap set.

9. Black Panther: War on the Water (76214)

The War on the Water set gave us something a bit different. I haven't seen a similarly shaped boat anywhere else and it looks pretty good. There's some cool plating on the side and the jet thrusters are well done. For such a tall build, you'd expect a fold-out panel somewhere to access the interior, but good luck finding one. There is a hatch on the deck to stow away a minifigure, but that's all the internal space there is.

The other features deliver some satisfactory playability - there are two drones, some moveable shooters and a bunch of accessories. Whether this is enough to justify the $89.99 / £79.99 / €89.99 price is debatable, but if you're undecided about buying the Water on the Water, the minifigures should settle this. Four of the five are exclusive and all are worth having.

8. Guardians of the Galaxy Advent Calendar (76231)

The Guardians of the Galaxy Advent Calendar is one of the better advent calendar's LEGO have put out recently as it contains the minifigure versions of Rocket Racoon, Mantis, and Star-Lord that were in the much more expensive Guardians' Ship (76193) set. There's also a nice exclusive version of Groot and some fun festive builds.

7. The Goat Boat (76208)

The Goat Boat was one of the better sets this year as it gave us something a bit different. I'm a big fan of historical themed sets, and the Goat Boat takes some inspiration from the design of Viking longboats. The shape of the hull and the colours throughout look great, but the lack of detail and accessories on the deck mean this set doesn't look as good as it could. For that reason, I suspect many collectors won't be putting this set prominently on display, instead squeezing it in behind a couple of others. The use of stickers for the shields instead of printing is also a gripe of mine.

The minifigures look excellent, although only two are unique. If you're most concerned with having Thor and Mighty Thor, then buying the Attack on New Asgard is a better bet.

6. End Game Battle (40525)

The minifigure pack for this year was the End Game Battle, which gave us four minifigures and a brick built Miek. The selection is great and in terms of minifigures for your buck, this set is excellent value. Only Korg is exclusive to the pack, and it would have been nice to have updated Valkyrie, but buying this set is a no brainer.

5. Shuri's Sunbird (76211)

Shuri's Sunbird is a set I was very excited about when it was first announced. I think the design and colours look fantastic, and I especially love the iridescent translucent blue and purple parts used on the rear wings and front thrustors. There are a lot of moving parts that allow the Sunbird to be bent into all kinds of positions and it can be whooshed around easily in one hand. In that sense it's a great play set. There are four cracking minifigures too, which add up to reasonable value for money. For pure collectors, this set is likely to be lower down the pecking order, but I think it's one of the better Marvel sets of 2022.

4. King Namor's Throne Room (76213)

King Namor's Throne Room is a great looking set. The colours and shape of the throne are fantastic, as are the minifigures. There are also some nice playable features built into the throne and the submarine build looks cool. Add in the modest price tag and there's really nothing to dislike here.

3. I am Groot (76217)

Groot is one of the most lovable Marvel characters and this set captures his charming essence very well. The eyes especially give this build an endearing cuteness that grows on you. It's a set that wants to be displayed and its perfect for that. As a toy it could be better as some more mobility would have been nice, but a compromise between articulation and stability always needs to be made.

As a bonus, the cassette tape side build is exceptional and looks unquestionably like the real thing from a distance. Like many 2022 Marvel sets, it feels a smidge overpriced but it is what it is.

2. Gargantos Showdown (76205)

The Gargantos Showdown was a breath of fresh air to the Marvel theme, being completely different to any previous superhero sets. It's nicely detailed, has gorgeous colours, and makes for an interesting display model. The tentacles have great range of motion, which gives endless possibilities for posing the Gargantos and makes this such a dynamic set for playing with.

The minifigure selection is impressive, with all three being exclusive and having good likeness to their onscreen counterparts. It's also one of the best priced sets so there's really not much to fault!

1. Sanctum Sanctorum (76218)

For a while we knew another modular Marvel set was coming and expectations were high. The Sanctum Sanctorum delivers on those expectations with a beautiful build full of great references to the movies. Both the exterior and interior are awesomely detailed and there are lots of interesting and unusual parts. The building also fits so well with other buildings from the modular range.

The only major disappointment is the minifigure selection, as last year's Daily Bugle set the bar extremely high. Of the nine, all but Doctor Strange are unique, but some more diversity of characters would have been nice. Several also lack leg printing, which I would have expected from a premium set. The number of stickers is also a shame, but doesn't detract too much.

While it's not perfect, the Sanctum Sanctorum is by far and away the best Marvel set of 2022.

It has to be said, this year was particularly bad for LEGO Marvel, with only a handful of sets on this list really worth buying. The first sets of 2023 have been announced and it's already looking more positive. Let's keep our fingers crossed that LEGO will deliver some great Marvel sets next year, particularly at the higher price points.

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