LEGO's Avengers: Endgame Final Battle Is A Clever But Incomplete Tribute To Marvel's Movie
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When "Avengers: Endgame" arrived in theaters, there was plenty of praise from Marvel Cinematic Universe fans around the world, but there was one celebrated moment that wasn't quite the home run it should have been. In the film's final battle, all of the (surviving) female characters from across the history of the MCU suddenly come together to help Captain Marvel accompany the Infinity Gauntlet and all the Infinity Stones into the Quantum Realm portal that has just been activated in the wrecked van Scott Lang has been driving around after being stuck in the atomic world for five years.
Aside from the fact that Captain Marvel immediately proves after this moment that she doesn't really need anyone else's help to deal with Thanos, this felt like a contrived feminist tribute to acknowledge Marvel's mishandling of female characters over the years. As former /Film editor Hoai-Tran Bui described the scene back in 2019, "Just look how many female characters there are, and how awesome they look! No matter that none of these characters have crossed paths before, or that they seemed to have heard some kind of "woman radar" that gathered them all together. It was a satisfying fan-service moment that was built up from ... nothing."
That brings us to LEGO's building brick recreation of this very moment in "Avengers: Endgame," which also feels like it comes with its own shortcomings. However, at the same time, the economical diorama build of this scene, complete with a roster of female superhero minifigures, offers up some cool Easter eggs and thoughtful engineering. In some ways, it makes for a very cool display piece, but it could have been even better if it was a little more complete.
Let's take a closer look at this "Avengers: Endgame" LEGO set below.
Marvel Easter eggs
This "Avengers: Endgame" final battle isn't your average playset, but it's not exclusively a display piece either. It's actually a cool hybrid. While the display of Avengers headquarters debris and wreckage sits on top of a display foundation that creates a 360-degree action scene, that base can actually be folded out to create a more spread out scene to sit on a shelf. It's a clever bit of LEGO engineering that makes the set a little more versatile than you'd otherwise think.
Ethan Anderton
As you build the foundation and some of the headquarters' destruction on top of it, there are several Easter eggs sneakily placed throughout. Thor's hammer sits in a little alcove, Captain America's shield is slightly covered by rubble, and the green Infinity Stone (the Time Stone) is situated in the middle of the mess too. This is where the set's first misstep arrives, because I would have liked to have a tiny Infinity Gauntlet hidden somewhere in the set, especially since this playset focuses on the moment when Captain Marvel is trying to keep the golden glove and Infinity Stones away from Thanos.
Ethan Anderton
Another fun Easter egg waiting to be found is the smashed van that Scott Lang has been driving around. On the dashboard, there's a little mouse scurrying across the controls of the Quantum Realm portal in the van. This is the mouse who basically saved the world by bringing Scott Lang back after being gone for five years. Though it doesn't make logistical sense, considering the timeline of this moment when compared to the reference that happens earlier in the movie, it's a nice touch.
The minifigures
One of the best things about this particular LEGO set is the minifigures. Included in this playset is the larger minifigure version of Thanos. Though his body doesn't need to be assembled, you do have to attach his arms and head. What you do get to build for Thanos, though, is his double-bladed weapon. This is again where I mention that it doesn't make a lot of sense to focus on this moment from the movie without including the Infinity Gauntlet somewhere.
As for the superheroes, we've got Shuri and Okoye from Wakanda, the former wielding a pair of energy blasters and the other holding a vibranium spear. From Asgard, there's Valkyrie with a cape and sword, and she can be affixed atop her flying white horse. Then we have Wanda Maximoff, with a pair of transparent red discs representing her magical abilities. And finally, Captain Marvel soars in from space and comes with a pair of transparent orange, flaming hand-pieces to give her fists a powerful punch. Oh, and there's also a tiny little micro-scale figure of the Wasp.
One of the cooler aspects about this set is that there are a variety of places and ways to position these minifigures. Two transparent rods that attach to different spots in the foundation allow you to position some of the characters as if they're flying or levitating, and there are several other open studs to place those characters who don't possess superman abilities. The size of Thanos makes it a bit of a challenge to put him anywhere other than the center of the display, but considering where you'd position the rest of the characters, that makes sense.
A bigger build
Though the assortment of minifigures makes for a solid display of a key moment in the final battle from "Avengers: Endgame," the focus on only the female characters makes it feel rather incomplete. Previously, LEGO released another final battle set inspired by "Endgame," albeit one that was designed as more friendly for kids to recreate the sequence for playtime rather than a shelf display. While this set does also allow for kids to play with it, the foundation and display does make it a little less functional in that way.
Ethan Anderton
At the same time, the other playset did include some other minifigures that would have been nice to have here, such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Panther, and a Centauri warrior for them to battle. Honestly, it might have been better to have a large battlefield playset that recreated the moment when all of the Avengers assemble to battle Thanos and his army. That would have upped the minifigure assortment to allow for a more complete diorama, and while it undoubtedly would have cost more, it would have also allowed for a few more set pieces. Even this particular moment could have benefited from the inclusion of Spider-Man, especially since he could be swinging from Valkyrie's flying horse while holding the Infinity Gauntlet, just as he does in the movie.
Ethan Anderton
Of course, this new "Avengers: Endgame"set still succeeds in offering a better recreation of the final battle. The debris is crafted in an especially creative way. A combination of wedges, stickers, and other building brick debris does a fine job of looking like a destroyed Avengers headquarters. The smashed van, in particular, is a cool addition, even if it would have been preferable to have the full van like the other set.
Ethan Anderton
Having one of the portals at the top for Valkyrie's entrance is pretty cool too, though it makes me think of how much cooler a larger set with more portals would have been. There's also a funny little detail where you can see a toilet seat leftover from the wrecked bathroom with a pipe that has a water piece attached to it.
Good for young collectors
All-in-all, the latest "Avengers: Endgame" Final Battle LEGO set is a decent collectible option, but it still feels somewhat incomplete. Perhaps master builders out there who are inclined to customize their own display could combine other sets for something more impressive. At the very least, this is a cool set for a young collector who wants to show their love for both LEGO and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, they can always add minifigures from other Avengers sets into the mix to create a bigger battle.
The "Avengers: Endgame" Final Battle LEGO set is available for purchase right now for $99.99 at The LEGO Shop and Amazon.