You’re standing in the middle of a digital Manhattan, looking up at the Stark Tower, and you realize something. You have way too many options. I mean, honestly, the roster for the original 2013 Lego Marvel Superheroes is basically a love letter to the pre-MCU-monopoly era of Marvel. It’s chaotic. It’s messy. It’s got Fantastic Four characters and X-Men sitting right next to the Avengers, which feels like a fever dream now that Disney and Fox took a decade to play nice.
When people search for Lego Marvel Superheroes all characters, they usually want a checklist. But a checklist doesn't tell you that Howard the Duck is surprisingly fun to play as, or that Mr. Fantastic’s transformation animations are still some of the most creative things TT Games ever coded.
We’re talking about 155 playable characters here. Or 180 if you’re counting the DLC packs like the Asgard or Super Pack. That is a lot of plastic.
The Weird Logic of the Character Grid
The game doesn't just give you everyone at once. That would ruin the "one more level" dopamine hit. You start with the heavy hitters—Iron Man and Hulk—and then the game forces you to go on a scavenger hunt across a blocky New York City.
The character grid is a beast.
It’s structured in a way that prioritizes the story-critical heroes, but the real soul of the game is in the tokens. You’ve got the heavyweights like Thor and Captain America, but then you find yourself playing as H.E.R.B.I.E. or a random AIM Agent just because you need to fly or shoot a specific laser. It’s sort of ridiculous. Most players spend 20% of the game as the Avengers and 80% of the game as a weird rotation of villains like Doctor Octopus or Sandman just to unlock the Gold Bricks.
What's actually interesting is how the abilities are distributed. Unlike later Lego games where everyone feels a bit "samey," the 2013 roster has very specific utility. Magneto is essential. Why? Because the "Magnetic" ability is surprisingly rare compared to "Flight" or "Super Strength." You’ll spend half your time in Free Play mode switching to Magneto just to move a blue metallic crate. It’s a bit of a chore, but it makes the characters feel like they have actual jobs.
Why the X-Men and Fantastic Four Matter More Than You Think
If you look at the sequel, Lego Marvel Superheroes 2, there is a massive, glaring hole. No Wolverine. No Beast. No Jean Grey. No Human Torch. Because of licensing drama at the time of the second game’s development, the "all characters" list was stripped of its mutant soul.
That’s why the original Lego Marvel Superheroes all characters list is still the gold standard for fans.
Wolverine isn't just a combat character; his "Senses" ability and his claw switches are hardcoded into the level design. If you don't have Logan, you aren't getting that 100% completion. Cyclops is arguably the best "laser" character in the game because he doesn't have a startup animation like Iron Man’s palm repulsors. He just looks and melts. It’s efficient. It’s fast.
Then you have the Fantastic Four. Mr. Fantastic can turn into a teapot. A crane. A bolt cutter. It’s goofy, sure, but it captures the comic book essence better than almost any "serious" Marvel game from that era. When you realize that the roster includes the Silver Surfer—who is notoriously difficult to unlock because you have to finish all those tedious surf races—you start to see the depth. He’s basically the "endgame" character. Once you have the Surfer, you’ve peaked.
Breaking Down the Heavy Hitters and the Duds
Let's get real about the power scaling. Not all characters were created equal.
- Iron Man (Mark 42): This is your workhorse. Between the missiles, the heat beam, and the flight, you’ll spend 40 hours staring at his back.
- Spider-Man: Essential for the "Sense" prompts and the red handles. Also, his web-swinging in the NYC hub is surprisingly decent for a Lego game.
- The Big Figs: Hulk and Thing. They are great for smashing cracked walls, but they’re a nightmare to navigate through tight doorways. You’ll constantly be switching out of them just to fit through a hall.
- Galactus: Yes, he’s playable. Sort of. He’s part of the final missions, but for the average player, he’s more of a myth until the very, very end.
- Stan Lee: The ultimate unlock. To get him, you have to find him in every single "Stan Lee in Peril" location. It’s the hardest grind in the game. But once you have him? He has every power. He can turn into Stan-Hulk. He can shoot webs. He can fly. He is the "god mode" of Lego Marvel.
There are also the characters nobody uses unless they have to. Does anyone actually want to play as the Guardian? Or Curator? Probably not. They are the "filler" that pads the roster to hit that triple-digit number. But even they have a certain charm when you're trying to fill out that massive character selection screen.
The DLC Factor
If you're playing the "Collection" or the "Deluxe" versions on modern consoles like the Switch or PS5, you get the DLC characters by default. This adds some heavy hitters.
- Beta Ray Bill: Basically Thor, but cooler looking.
- Dark Phoenix: A powerhouse for clearing mobs.
- Winter Soldier: Great for the gun-toting character slots.
- Falcon: His flight mechanics feel slightly different than the caped flyers, which is a nice touch.
Unlocking the Roster: The Grind is Real
You don't just "get" Lego Marvel Superheroes all characters. You earn them through a mix of story progression, hub-world missions, and those frustratingly specific gold brick challenges.
The game is divided into 15 main levels. Completing these gets you the core Avengers and a few villains. But the bulk of the 155 characters are hidden in the Manhattan hub. You’ll be doing races—which, honestly, the flight controls can make a bit clunky—and helping citizens with mundane tasks.
One of the most famous "stuck" points for players is unlocking Black Panther. You have to find his cat. It’s a multi-part quest that takes you all over the map. It’s these small, character-specific stories that make the roster feel like more than just a list of names. It feels like a living version of the Marvel Universe.
The Technical Side of Character Swapping
There is a nuance to the "Character Grid" that often gets overlooked. On older hardware (like the PS3 or Xbox 360), swapping characters had a slight lag. On modern hardware, it’s instantaneous. This changes how the game feels. You can combo abilities. You can jump off a building as Captain America, mid-air swap to Iron Man to fly, then swap to Hulk to ground-pound.
The "All Characters" aspect isn't just about collecting; it’s about the synergy. Using the "Team-Up" moves—like having Captain America reflect Iron Man’s beam off his shield—was a precursor to the more complex mechanics we see in modern superhero games. It’s simple, but it works.
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Misconceptions About the Character List
A lot of people think that because the game is "Lego," all characters play the same. That's just wrong.
Take the "Telekinesis" characters. Jean Grey and Invisible Woman. They handle differently than the "Tech" characters like Black Widow or Maria Hill. If you’re trying to speedrun or even just play efficiently, knowing who has the fastest animation for certain tasks is key.
Another misconception is that the "Custom Characters" are useless. Actually, creating a custom character with a specific combination of flight, stealth, and gold-melt is the smartest way to tackle the Free Play levels. You can essentially build a "Swiss Army Knife" hero that prevents you from having to swap characters every thirty seconds.
The Roster Breakdown (At a Glance)
Instead of a boring list, think of the characters in functional tiers:
The Flight/Beam Tier: Iron Man, Human Torch, Cyclops, Doctor Doom. These are your primary explorers. They get you from point A to point B and solve 50% of the puzzles.
The Muscle Tier: Hulk, Thing, Abomination, Colossus. Use them for the green handles and the cracked floors.
The Utility Tier: Mr. Fantastic (vents/grates), Magneto (blue metal), Jean Grey (mind control/pink Lego blocks), and Iceman (putting out fires/freezing water).
The "For Fun" Tier: Deadpool, Howard the Duck, Squirrel Girl. They don't offer much in the way of unique mechanics, but their combat animations are hilarious. Deadpool, in particular, requires you to find all the "Red Bricks," making him one of the most time-consuming unlocks in the game.
Making the Most of Your Roster
To truly finish the game, you need to stop thinking about your favorite characters and start thinking about the "Ability Map."
The game is a giant lock-and-key puzzle. Every character is a key. If you’re missing a "Sandman" type character, you’re locked out of specific areas in the hub. If you haven't unlocked a character with "Digging" (like Wolverine or Black Panther), those dirt mounds are just going to stay there, mocking you.
Actionable Steps for Completionists
If you want to actually see Lego Marvel Superheroes all characters on your screen, follow this path:
- Ignore the Hub at First: Just blast through the 15 story missions. You can't unlock 80% of the hub stuff anyway until you have the abilities granted by story characters.
- Get a Flyer Early: As soon as you can, grab a character who can fly freely in the hub. It makes getting around Manhattan ten times faster.
- Prioritize Magneto and Galactus: Magneto is found in the "Astounding Mankind" level. You need him for so many hub puzzles.
- The Ghost Rider Race: This is notoriously annoying for some, but unlocking Ghost Rider gives you a fast land vehicle/character combo that is great for street-level exploration.
- Use the Cheat Codes (If You Must): Look, I’m a purist, but if you’re desperate for Spider-Woman or the Beetle and don't want to hunt for tokens, the cheat codes are right there in the "Extras" menu. It won't disable your trophies or achievements.
- Find the Red Bricks First: Before you go on a character hunt, find the "Character Token Detector" Red Brick. It puts a white arrow on your mini-map pointing to nearby tokens. It turns a ten-hour search into a two-hour breeze.
The beauty of this game isn't just in the 100% notification. It’s in the fact that, even in 2026, it remains the only place where you can have Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Mr. Fantastic fighting side-by-side in a high-quality environment. It’s a snapshot of a broader Marvel universe that we’re only just now starting to see again in the movies.
Go find Stan Lee. He’s waiting for you to save him. Again.