LEGO Spider-Man: Brand New Day benefits from fewer secrets

There's a big difference between the LEGO Spider-Man: Brand New Day sets and those for No Way Home, benefiting from fewer secrets.

Three LEGO models for Spider-Man: Brand New Day were revealed earlier this week, featuring several new minifigures of characters from the upcoming film. This includes Scorpion in 76350 Spider-Man vs. Hulk Epic Clash and Tombstone in 76349 Spider-Man Prison Transport Chase.

While most of these characters have been revealed in the film's first trailer, Tombstone was not previously confirmed for the film, but the LEGO Group has been allowed to confirm this through the new set. This shows just how far of a cry this trio of models is from the original wave for No Way Home.

When we say original 'wave', what we mean is a single set. Before the release of No Way Home, the LEGO Group only had one set on shelves (technically two, but the second was labelled as being based on another film specifically).

76185 Spider-Man at the Sanctum Workshop was released in October 2021 and covers a moment from the film that never happened. While some basic characters and a room featured in the film are included, this particular moment is fictional, including the villain.

The reason for the invention of a new scene and enemy not in No Way Home came down to wanting to avoid some major movie spoilers. This was remedied with sets based on the film after its release, revealing that many of the story beats were being deliberately hidden to avoid spoilers.

Designer Mark Stafford spoke on this topic a few years ago to MiniSuperHeroesToday, providing further insight into what went behind this decision.

"It was really similar to Endgame, where they gave us almost nothing because this has so many secrets in it, they don't even want a whisper of it to leak out," Mark explained. "Until the day I went to the movie, opening day, of course, I didn't know there was going to be more than one Spider-Man. I knew there had been set leaks that showed that it looks like there is, but the actors were still denying it, and I was believing the actors, foolishly. They're actors, they were acting.

"We didn't know that there was more than one. We also knew that we weren't allowed to do any of Spider-Man's regular roster of villains. Everyone we suggested, we were told no. So, if he needs an antagonist, something to fight against, it's Doctor Strange's basement, so make something up, something that's sort of part insect and part tentacles. And I'm a bit of a Cthulhu fan, so I just made a vague Lovecraftian-like monster and put it there."

When the designer requested more information, Marvel Studios was able to provide, but it was only within reason. They were deliberate in making sure the LEGO set would not leak anything crucial to the film's narrative.

"I asked if there was any more information or concept art," Mark continued. "They were building the set at the time, and they actually sent me 60 photos from the set. They walked around and took pictures of the set, but nothing through the door; it was all Doctor Strange's basement.

"Because we got little information, that was all there was. They had a secret, and they wanted to keep it, and I'm kind of glad they did because I loved that movie."

While it ultimately impacted the appeal of the original No Way Home model, the 2023 sets were much more enticing when the spoilers were out there for the world to see. The strategy for Brand: New Day seems to be keeping this in mind, keeping much less content hidden in the initial trailer.

From Spider-Man's evolution to the return of Bruce Banner to some long-awaited villains, Brand New Day's first trailer has more than enough content to create a full wave of LEGO sets. That's without spoiling anything Sony and Marvel Studios don't want the fans to see yet, too.

That's not to say that everything about Brand New Day has been revealed by the LEGO sets. There are almost certainly more secrets to be seen beyond the trailer. The lack of Punisher and Sadie Sink's character is noticeable, but these can always be incorporated into later models based on the films once spoilers aren't a problem. That said, Punisher's violent lifestyle in the MCU presents other issues despite his comic-based appearance in the retired 76178 Daily Bugle.

Yet the number of characters unveiled within the trailer has granted the LEGO designers more freedom than they had with No Way Home. While we don't know whether Tombstone is in the film or not, he's certainly not as made-up as the tentacle monster from 76185 Spider-Man at the Sanctum Workshop.

The new wave of LEGO Spider-Man sets will be released with their new minifigures on June 1. Pre-orders for all three models are open now.

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