What We Learned About ‘Captain America: Civil War’ From Its New Lego Sets

The 2016 Lego catalog is out, and with it come some surprise reveals for upcoming sets based in the Marvel universe. Just like the 2015 catalog revealing a bit about Avengers: Age of Ultron, Lego's latest teasers show a great deal of what to expect from the upcoming cinematic adventure, Captain America: Civil War. These sets are not to be confused with the other recently announced Marvel Super Hero sets, which included the first ever Captain Marvel and Thanos mini figures, though those are also due out in early 2016 and do make an appearance in the catalog.

While there have been countless Lego sets based on the Marvel movies (and countless others) that haven't panned out with an exact 1:1 representation to the movie, the Avengers: Age of Ultron sets were fairly spot on. That's what makes these new Civil War sets so interesting. Each shares at least a little bit in common with some of the teasers and trailers we've seen so far, though there are still some surprises that should make Marvel fans excited if they do work out.

With that in mind, consider that these toy sets might have some spoiler elements. If you do not want anything from Captain America: Civil War spoiled, avert your eyes starting... now.

Did you look away? This is your last chance, kids.

You've been warned.

First, we have two of the smaller sets, Crossbones' Hazard Heist and Black Panther Pursuit. Neither has a piece count available but given that the Black Panther Pursuit has two vehicles, it's easy to see that will likely be the mid-range set for Civil War, with Crossbones' Heist being the cheapest option. Black Widow appears here with her now signature cycle and her shorter haircut, which is curious given that she's got longer hair in the film. Falcon's also here showing off his new duds in the battle against Crossbones. It's a little hard to tell what that little thing flying next to Falcon is, but given that we know Crossbones is in the film, this sequence does make some sense. If we're borrowing from the Age of Ultron line for inspiration, it's possible the fight against Crossbones is what will open Civil War, much like the raid against HYDRA's base in AOU.

Now, Black Panther Pursuit is an interesting set because again, it's another Marvel Super Heroes kit with a jet and a motorcycle. These folks love their jets. Though there's been no indication a chase of this sort would happen in the upcoming film, we have seen Bucky riding off through some crowded streets on a motorcycle with some folks in pursuit. Will Civil War rip AOU off that completely with the jet/motorcycle chase? I doubt it. Black Panther getting his first figure and a vehicle to boot is a nice way to introduce him to the Lego universe though. I'm a bit disappointed Captain America's figure is the same one from the Age of Ultron sets. He's clearly got a new uniform in Civil War, and just leaving the figure the same is kind of a cheap out considering how many other things Lego reuses elsewhere.

Now, the Super Hero Airport Battle is the set that bears the most promise. Not only do we get the first Agent 13 figure, but we also get two Ant-Man figures. There's a microfigure of Ant-Man to show off his shrunken state, and there's an over-sized one to show him in his super-sized state. Given that this figure is clearly at least 2-3 times the size of a standard figure, that means we might very well see Ant-Man take a step towards his Giant Man persona in Civil War. That's a fairly big deal, given that he only just learned how to use his powers/suit correctly by the end of Ant-Man, and showcasing new powers like this would make him a much more formidable foe for the pro-registration crowd. Plus, that's a cool figure.

The big Avengers jet returns from the AOU Quinjet City Chase set, albeit with some slight modifications to the exterior. War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Captain America, Iron Man and Bucky round out the set, which makes for an impressive offering given how minimalist it actually is. The little luggage cart from the airport and the one security tower add some nice diorama stylings, but the stars here are truly Ant-Man and the quinjet.

Additionally, the Lego catalog shows off a new line called the Might Micros, which pits a hero and a villain against one another in small, easy-to-assemble vehicles. Though not tied directly to Civil War in any capacity, these little sets should make nice additions to your desk. You'll be able to get a Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin, Hulk vs. Ultron or Captain America vs. Red Skull set, each with its own set of fun accessories, too. Spidey gets a camera, Hulk's car gets Hulk Hands, and the Red Skull rocks the Cosmic Cube. Simple and efficient, and a nice way to grow the cast of Marvel characters in Lego form without having to break the bank on a big set.

No release dates for any of these sets have been announced as of yet, but we should learn more at Toy Fair in February.