The Marvel and LEGO partnership dates all the way back to 2012—the same year the first Avengers movie came out in theaters, capping a successful Phase One. It firmly established everything that would carry the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the next decade. The mix of dramatic action and quippy humor. The self-referential Easter Eggs. The introduction of solo characters, followed by the big team-up movie that brings together all the heroes to defeat the world threat. 

And through it all, LEGO has a constant stream of new content to adapt and shape into some truly impressive builds, including LEGO sets for adults and kids. And because those sets are often released before the movies that inspired them, an eagle-eyed builder can pick up some hints and spoilers on what's to come.

Here are the 10 Best Marvel LEGO sets currently available. To fit your budget, we ordered them from least to most expensive.

The latest MCU movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, inspired LEGO sets that are big on personality and quirk. This one has an oddly adorable Shadow Monster and three vividly colored minifigures of Thor, Lady Thor, and Gorr the God Butcher.

The most unheroic Marvel LEGO set is crammed with a surfeit of detail; it really nails the clutter, depression, and stagnancy in Thor's life after he fails to kill Thanos in time to stop the Snap. It makes for a great conversation piece–the perfect set for someone who's a Marvel fan, but who wants to build something a little less on-the-nose.

Inspired by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, this set features a massive, accurately rendered Chinese water dragon. It's so nice, it could stand on its own as a display—no Marvel connection required.

LEGO always has a few massive Marvel mechas in development and on shelves. The popular Hulkbuster set is retired, so the best one that's currently on sale is this one of Obidiah Stane's Iron Monger, which looks awkward and unwieldy in just the right amounts.

Another set inspired by Love and Thunder, the Goat Boat comes with both Tooth-barer and Tooth-grinder. The design of the boat is a great balance of traditional aesthetic and kitsch, and it opens up to reveal interior details and more opportunities for play.

Here's another build project that's high on the cute factor. This set is a winning depiction of Baby Groot, and it comes with a LEGO-made cassette tape and an information placard, ideal for display.

There's also a Venom head for sale, but it isn't nearly as cool or chaotic as this one. Carnage comes with stickers that give the impression of black-and-red symbiote extensions, and he has an underbite jaw filled with rows of sharp, black teeth. Check out our LEGO Carnage review from 2021 for our full thoughts on this one.

Two LEGO Marvel gauntlets are available for purchase. There's Thanos' gauntlet, which the Mad King used to destroy half of all life in the universe—and Stark's gauntlet, which Hulk used in Endgame to bring everybody back. Although the latter looks cool, we prefer the original version, for its ornate, golden ostentatiousness.

This is one of those sets where building is an act of discovery; it's bigger than you might think, and seeing it come together is half the fun. The ship comes on a poseable stand with six minifigures; Drax and Gamora are the only two missing Guardians. The inside includes a cockpit, a snack room, and a weapons storage area for all of Rocket's big guns.

Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum is a masterful modular building. It is beautiful from every angle on the outside, and the inside is even better, with three stories of incredible detail and movie references. It includes a library with portals, an oddities room on the top floor, and of course, the iconic grand staircase when you enter through the front door.

It's an adult set, which is notable. Compared to other themes, like Star Wars and Harry Potter, Marvel skews towards a younger audience, with smaller sets that emphasize the mini-figures and storytelling potential rather than the construction. The Marvel theme has only recently started to launch more technical, ambitious sets for its older audience. Overall, if you're either a parent of a precocious child or an adult who's looking to pick up LEGO as a hobby, Marvel is the most rudimentary access point from which to start your building journey.