With the release of Captain Marvel in theaters last week and the upcoming Avengers: Endgame, there’s seemingly no better time than now to jump back in on the action in TT Games‘ LEGO Marvel series. That said, we recently spoke with TT Games senior producer Matt Ellison about creating original content in the Marvel Universe and why now is the perfect time to dive into the LEGO Marvel Collection.
Videos by ComicBook.com
CAPTAIN MARVEL’S IMPACT ON THE LEGO MARVEL GAMES
Now that Captain Marvel has been released in theaters, some fans are being exposed to the hero for the very first time. The impending arrival of Carol Danvers in the MCU actually prompted TT Games to create a Captain Marvel DLC pack for LEGO Marvel’s Avengers, as it would shine a bit more light on the character.
“Whilst we were aware of the Captain Marvel film coming, we weren’t aware of the details of it whilst we were developing the story of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, so they exist separately,” he says. “That said, as we knew the film was coming, we did do a Captain Marvel DLC pack for LEGO Marvel Avengers, as it was an opportunity for us to showcase her more prominently as we knew she was only going to become more and more popular after the game came out. The release of this LEGO Marvel Collection is a great opportunity for people to play this content!”
ON ANY HEROES LEFT BEHIND IN THE LEGO MARVEL COLLECTION
The LEGO Marvel series contains a plethora of heroes and villains, but even that is only a fraction of the total amount of characters in the Marvel Universe. When asked if there were any characters left out that they wish they could have added, Ellison mentions:
“With Marvel having over 7,000 characters there are always going to be more that we could use. We like being able to have a mix of characters in the game. Naturally the prominent and already popular characters are great to feature, but we also really like using more obscure characters as they can be a lot of fun. And it might be the first time people are introduced to characters and they can explore their abilities and learn more about the Marvel Universe through the games.”
ON THE POSSIBILITY OF AVENGERS: ENDGAME DLC
Avengers: Endgame is set to arrive next month, and while there is already an Infinity War DLC pack for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, many have wondered if Endgame would receive the same treatment.
“We don’t have any plans for Endgame DLC at the moment. We did the Infinity War DLC pack ahead of that movie’s release which we really enjoyed making. LEGO Thanos has so many different abilities!”
GOING HANDS ON WITH ACTUAL LEGO TOYS
When you’re making video games that are based on LEGO figures, it is surely difficult not to actually pick up some LEGO toys and see what sort of shenanigans you can get into.
As it turns out, the team at TT Games did exactly this during the development of LEGO Marvel Avengers and one particular Hulk-based scene. “There was an instance where we did do this quite a lot during the development of LEGO Marvel Avengers…The Hulk vs Hulkbuster scene. We played this out with the LEGO toys, to try and work out how we were going to recreate that scene in the best way possible. I still have the Hulkbuster and the Hulk on my desk!”
ON CREATING ORIGINAL MARVEL CONTENT
The Marvel Universe is a incredibly large and deep well of content that might be intimidating for some to tackle. That said, TT Games utilized the massive range of material to ensure they could provide the best original experience they could.
“The vast array of source material is a positive as it means we can pick the things that we like and tell the stories we want to tell,” says the producer. “We work very closely with Marvel, and in the case of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, we worked with Kurt Busiek who wrote Marvel comics that featured Kang, who was the main bad guy in the game. This helped create a new and original story, but keep it true to other content within the Marvel Universe.”
WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE SUPER HEROES?
With the way LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 ended, things were definitely left open for more to come. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll see more, but it also doesn’t mean we won’t.
When asked what is next for the super heroes, Ellison adds “We will have to wait and see! As with LEGO Marvel Super Heroes with the Guardians of the Galaxy turning up at the end, we do like to leave the stories room to continue and it’s fun to keep people guessing!”
LEGO MARVEL RPG?
While there is nothing of the sort in the works to the best of our knowledge, it’s always fun to think of a full-fledged LEGO RPG, especially if it revolves around a Marvel character. After all, we’re supposed to have fun with video games, right?
When asked which Marvel hero they would pick to be the protagonist of such a project, Ellison came back with what might be the best answer:
“Whilst he’s not really a hero, I think I’d pick The Collector! Collecting things is a large part of LEGO games and RPG’s so who could be better!?”
The LEGO Marvel Collection contains LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, and LEGO Marvel’s Avengers. All DLC packs for each title are included with the collection, which is available now on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
What do you think about this? Are you excited to dive back into the LEGO Marvel Universe with the new collection? What are you hoping to see next from TT Games? Sound off in the comment section below!
