Let’s be real for a second. Most modern superhero games feel like they're trying way too hard. You’ve got ultra-realistic chin stubble, complex crafting trees, and microtransactions for the color blue. But then you look back at the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes roster, and you realize we peaked in 2013.
Seriously.
It’s been over a decade, and yet there’s something about that specific grid of circular character icons that feels more "Marvel" than most $100 million blockbusters. It wasn't just about the number of characters—though there were over 150 of them—it was the sheer, unadulterated weirdness of who Traveller's Tales actually let you play as.
The Absolute Chaos of 150+ Characters
When you first boot up the game, you expect the big hitters. You get Iron Man, Cap, Spidey, and Black Widow pretty early on. That’s the standard entry fee. But the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes roster is legendary because it didn't stop at the movie stars.
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It went deep.
Like, "Howard the Duck is a playable character with a rocket launcher" deep.
You’ve got the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, which, thanks to some boring corporate licensing drama at the time, actually makes this game feel more complete than its sequels. You can’t have a Marvel universe without Reed Richards or Wolverine, honestly. Seeing them standing next to a LEGO-fied Tony Stark just feels right.
The variety is honestly kind of staggering. You’re not just swapping skins; you’re swapping entirely different gameplay mechanics. One minute you’re a "Big Fig" like the Hulk, smashing through cracked LEGO walls, and the next you’re Ant-Man, shrinking down to navigate a maze inside a circuit board.
The Hidden Gems You Forgot About
Everyone remembers Deadpool. He’s the narrator of the bonus levels and basically the mascot of the "Red Brick" collectibles. But the roster has some truly bizarre deep cuts that most people totally overlook:
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- H.E.R.B.I.E.: The little robot from the Fantastic Four cartoon who replaced the Human Torch because people were worried kids would set themselves on fire. He’s in the game. He can fly. He's adorable.
- Aunt May: Yes, Peter Parker's elderly aunt. She doesn't have super strength, but she carries a handbag and, for some reason, is remarkably good at hand-to-hand combat against DoomBots.
- Stan Lee: This is the big one. To unlock him, you have to save him from "peril" in every single level and across the Manhattan hub. Once you do, he’s basically a god. He has Spider-Man’s webs, Cyclops’ laser eyes, and he can turn into "Stan-Hulk." It’s peak gaming.
Why the First Game’s Roster Beats the Sequels
If you’ve played LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 or LEGO Avengers, you know they’re fine. They’re good! But they feel... restricted.
The first game was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment where TT Games had the keys to the entire kingdom. They didn't have to worry about whether a character was currently in a movie or which studio owned the rights to what. Because of that, the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes roster includes the X-Men and the Fantastic Four in prominent roles.
Try finding Wolverine in a modern Marvel game. It’s getting easier now, but for a long time, he was basically persona non grata. In the first LEGO Marvel game, he’s a core part of the story, using his "Senses" to track scents and his claws to activate switches.
The hub world of Manhattan also makes the roster shine. Flying around the Helicarrier as Silver Surfer or racing through the streets as Ghost Rider (on a flaming motorcycle, obviously) provides a sense of scale that the segmented "Chronopolis" in the sequel never quite matched.
Character Classes That Actually Mattered
In many LEGO games, characters are just glorified keys. You need a "Strong Character" to pull a handle or a "Laser Character" to melt gold. While that’s still true here, the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes roster feels more specialized.
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Take Magneto. He doesn't just "do tech." He manipulates metallic LEGO objects with a purple telekinetic glow. Or Sandman, who can transform into a giant sand-hammer to smash specific pads. There’s a level of craft in the animations—like how Iron Man's various suits (Mark 1, Mark 6, Mark 42) all have slightly different landing animations or weapon systems—that shows the devs were actually fans of the source material.
The Struggle of the 100% Completionist
If you’re trying to unlock the full LEGO Marvel Super Heroes roster today, prepare for a grind. It’s a fun grind, but a grind nonetheless.
You’ve got to collect Gold Bricks to unlock specific side missions. You’ve got to find Character Tokens hidden in the nooks and crannies of the city. Some are simple—like beating a race—but others require you to solve environmental puzzles that use three or four different characters' abilities in sequence.
It forces you to actually learn the roster. You might think Squirrel Girl is a joke character until you realize she’s actually pretty great for clearing out mobs of enemies.
Actionable Tips for Filling Your Roster
If you're jumping back into the game in 2026, don't just wander aimlessly.
- Prioritize the "Stan Lee in Peril" missions. Unlocking Stan the Man is the single best thing you can do for your Free Play runs because he has almost every utility power in the game.
- Get a "Flyer" and a "Telekinetic" early. You'll need someone like Jean Grey or Loki to move purple objects. It saves a lot of headache in the Manhattan hub.
- Don't ignore the Deadpool missions. These are narrated by the Merc with a Mouth and are usually where the weirdest character tokens (and the Red Bricks) are hidden.
- Use the Map Stations. It sounds obvious, but the fog of war in LEGO New York is annoying. Hit the SHIELD stations to reveal character token locations so you aren't flying blind.
Honestly, the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes roster is a time capsule. It’s a reminder of a time when superhero games were just about having a massive toy box and throwing everyone into it. No battle passes, no "live service" roadmap—just you, a friend on the couch, and about 150 plastic versions of your favorite heroes.
It might be "for kids," but the depth of the roster is a love letter to 80 years of comics that most "adult" games could learn a thing or two from.
To get the most out of your collection, start by focusing on the Manhattan hub races; they unlock some of the fastest flyers in the game, which makes the remaining token hunt significantly less tedious.