LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71026 DC Super Heroes: Getting back to the comics [Review]

LEGO’s latest wave of Collectible Minifigures theme is about to arrive, and this time it’s heading to the world of superheroes. Following September’s Series 19 lineup of classic characters, 71026 DC Super Heroes features a cast of famous (and not-so-famous) comic book characters from DC. The Collectible Minifigure, or CMF, line is no stranger to superheroes, having featured many superheroes and supervillains in The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie series, but this is the first time LEGO is pulling inspiration for blind pack superheroes directly from their original sources: comic books. Expected to release in near the end of December, they will retail for US $4.99 | CAN $4.99 | UK £3.49. The DC Super Heroes series consists of 16 characters, several of which are appearing in LEGO form for the first time. Be sure to also check out our DC Super Heroes Minifigures Feel Guide.

As usual, the CMFs come packed in a case of 60 figures. Thankfully LEGO provides three full sets of the 16 characters per case, which means there are no especially rare “chase” figures.

Here’s how many of each figure come in a case:

Character QTY per case Character QTY per case
Aquaman 5 Metamorpho 4
Joker 5 Mister Miracle 3
The Flash 5 Sinestro 3
Wonder Woman 4 Cyborg 3
Stargirl 4 Batman 3
Cheetah 4 Huntress 3
Superman 4 Bumblebee 3
Green Lantern 4 Bat-Mite 3

The packs are black, displaying prominent LEGO Minifigures and DC logos.

Each pack comes with a plain black minifigure stand. What’s new this time, however, is that each pack also comes with a black 1×2 jumper tile and a new clear bar-and-stud element, which together allow a minifigure to be displayed in a flying or jumping pose. The bar-and-stud element’s angle is precisely 45°, so it’s possible to put multiple together to achieve various standard angles, including eight together for a full octagon. Most, but not all, of the minifigure packs contain an extra one of these, so you’ll quickly have lots of these.

Now, before we dive into the figures themselves, a disclaimer: I am a LEGO aficionado, not a comic-book expert. My comic lore is weak, so apologies in advance for any lapses in knowledge on that front, and if I’ve overlooked an interesting piece of trivia, add it to the comments below.


Mister Miracle

Right off the bat, we’ve got a new character who’s never been in LEGO form before. Mister Miracle wears his classic outfit from the original 1970s comics, made here with red, yellow, and bright green. Miracle doesn’t feature any new elements, but he does have two capes (a classic-shaped cape for the back, and a smaller one inverted on top) as well as handcuffs and a light grey chain to showcase his Houdini-esque escape abilities. The printing is very detailed, extending down the sides of the legs and back of the torso, though the back of Miracle’s head is unprinted. Both the arms and legs are dual-injection molded.


Wonder Woman

Like most of the core DC characters, Wonder Woman has appeared in minifigure form many times previously, but fans will be excited that this is the first time she’s appeared in the original-style eagle armor and flowing skirt, which dates back to her first appearance in 1941. None of the LEGO elements here are new, but the prints are obviously unique, from the silver bracelets to the star-patterned skirt. Wonder Woman carries her golden Lasso of Truth, and her head is double-sided with an alternate angry expression.


Aquaman

Showing that this series is pulling from a variety of eras, Aquaman sports his 1990s aesthetic from the comic series by Peter David and Martin Egeland. Aquaman’s left hand is a harpoon, which is a new custom element that looks fairly authentic on the one hand (heh) but doesn’t give it any LEGO connections. This is a missed opportunity for sure, since if the hole between the harpoon points were just a little larger, it could hold a standard LEGO rod. Aquaman’s yellow hair and double-sided bearded face are pretty accurate, but also the same as those used for Aquaman in 2019’s 76116 Batman Batsub and the Underwater Clash. Aquaman also carries a yellowish-green fish, which is a new color for that element.


Stargirl

Another all-new entry to the LEGO minifigure canon, Stargirl is a relatively new entry to the DC universe also, having first appeared in 2003. Festooned with patriotic stars, she carries the powerful Cosmic Staff, which is made of a pearl gold bar 4L and a new element for the staff’s tip that’s trans-orange flecked with gold sparkles. The attachment end of the tip is a hollow stud, so you’ll be able to connect other elements to it apart from just the bar. Stargirl’s head is double-sided with an alternate expression showing a toothy grin and braces.


Sinestro

Thaal Sinestro is our first super villain for the series, and while this isn’t the first time he’s appeared in LEGO form, he’s not exactly common, having appeared just once before in 2015’s 76025 Green Lantern vs. Sinestro with his newer yellow Sinestro Corps costume. Here he appears in his original black-and-blue outfit. Although Sinestro’s face is very similar to the previous version’s, it is unique and features an alternate expression with glowing eyes. Sinestro carries a yellow lantern and a ring. The awkward LEGO solution to a minifigure ring is a 1×1 round plate with handle, topped with a printed 1×1 round tile. As clumsy as it is, though, I can’t think of a better solution short of some new custom element that would still be ludicrously oversized. The lantern, however, is a disappointment. While it looks the part well, it’s a single molded element. In particular, it feels like the lantern’s top should have been a stud with a 1×1 tile rather than a molded part of the lantern, and the handle should be movable like bucket handles.


Cheetah

The series second villain is up next, with super-villain and Wonder Woman nemesis Cheetah. Based on the original costume from the early Wonder Woman comics, Cheetah is covered head-to-toe in camouflage spots. Her helmet with small rounded ears is a new element, though it’s sure to see use again in other animal costumes. Cheetah’s hot a soft rubber tail that’s also printed with spots, and she carries a green money bag that’s perfect for stereotypical bank heists everywhere. Cheetah’s head is double-sided with an alternate expression of ferocious anger.


Superman

As one of the world’s most iconic superheroes, Superman has more than a dozen minifigure variations already in circulation. This version is Superman’s newest outfit featured in the Rebirth comic series from 2016, which effectively rebooted the entire DC saga. Superman’s new, slick costume is adorned with a soft red cape that’s a non-starched, thicker material than most capes. His double-sided face is also new, with a small smile on one side and a burning laser-eyed look on the other. He carries a new 2×2 tile newspaper print proclaiming his amazing feats.


Green Lantern

Although not a common character in minifigure form, Green Lantern has appeared at least five times previously, this is the first time we’re getting 2012’s Simon Baz as Green Lantern. Appropriately for Baz’s middle-eastern heritage, the few bits of Green Lantern’s skin that show through are medium nougat. Baz carries a bright green version of the same lantern element as Sinestro, as well as the same ring set up, just with a trans-bright-green 1×1 round tile for the ring. The back of Green Lantern’s torso and head are printed with subtle costume lines.


Cyborg

One of the DC universe’s better known cybernetically enhanced superheroes, this version of Cyborg hails from the cover of 1982’s Tales of the New Teen Titans #1, which shows him dramatically breaking a purple chain. Unfortunately, unlike Mister Miracle’s chain, this one is the shorter 5 link chain which isn’t long enough to wrap around the minifigure. However, ours did come with a second purple chain, even though it isn’t pictured in any of the official set images. Cyborg has appeared in minifigure form a few times before, but this version’s half-machine hairpiece is a new mold showing his classic style with a chin piece that only covers half of the face. Beneath the helmet, Cyborg still maintains the half-man, half-machine look thanks to a silver minifigure head printed with skin tones and some mechanical details. There’s other detailed printing all around, including down the sides of both arms and legs.


Batman

As LEGO’s most common superhero, chances are good you’ve already got a few (dozen?) Batman minifigures. In fact, I did a very rough count and found at least 83 unique minifigures versions of Batman (not counting Bruce Wayne), and I’m sure I’ve missed a few. So the real question then is why do you need another? Well, the obvious answer is that there’s no way that LEGO could produce a DC Super Heroes line and not include the Dark Knight. But also, this Batman is a first for LEGO, because it’s the first Batman. That’s right, this is Batman from Detective Comics #27, published in May, 1939. Batman’s cowl is a new element with elongated ears, and he bears that original comic’s distinctive imagery of purple gloves and an ear-less bat logo on his chest. The classic suit just might be cool enough to entice you to buy your 84th Batman minifigure.

Like some previous Batman minifigures, the head is black and printed with flesh tones and a face, with goggles above the eyes that fill in the cowl’s eye holes. However, the goggles have a nicer design here that doesn’t look so out of place when the cowl is removed, and I think this head will actually be quite useful for other minifigures. Batman’s cape is the softer, more stretchy non-starched fabric, and he carries a blue batarang and a climbing rope.


Huntress

Another new entry to the LEGO superhero pantheon, this version of Huntress is Helena Wayne, the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, with a costume hailing from the New 52 series starting in 2012. She’s equipped with a standard LEGO crossbow in pearl dark grey, a common color for it, and has a one-hole cape made of soft fabric like Batman and Superman’s capes. Her hair is the mid-length wavy hairpiece that’s been used on a variety of figures before such as Hermoine and Wonder Woman, but appears here in black for the first time. She also has a purple utility belt, which is not a new color for it. Huntress’ masked face is printed on both sides, with alternate smiling and angry expressions. The sides of the legs are not printed, though the upper arms each have purple pauldrons printed on. The torso back is printed with costume lines.


Metamorpho

Master of the elements Metamorpho has been around since the 1960s, but this first minifigure version appears to be from DC’s New Earth period that spanned the late 80s through 2011. With each limb a different element, Metamorpho can reshape himself at will, giving himself an extra boost such as a huge fist. Metamorpho’s left ice leg is a clear element, while his right is dark tan mud. The hips are black with the blue belt printed on. The torso is orange to match Metamorpho’s right arm, while left arm, power fist, and left side front/back torso printing are magenta. LEGO has made truly impressive strides in recent years with double and even triple injection molding different plastic colors in new elements to achieve complex colorization. Consequently, the big orange stripe down the left side of the torso feels out of place and seems like a ripe candidate for LEGO to try double-injection molding the classic torso. Additionally, while Metamorpho’s head is white, the “white” printing on the orange torso around the neckline ends up a light flesh color and doesn’t really match the head. It’s a cool minifigure that feels like a bit of a let-down given the quality of the rest.


The Joker

As Batman’s most iconic nemesis, we’ve seen plenty of LEGO versions of the Joker before, but this is the first one we’ve had based on Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns comic series from 1986. White a white suit and purple shirt, the Joker’s lime green hair (a new color for that piece) stands out more than ever. The Joker carries his signature playing card, which is a new print for the white 1×2 tile, and also has a stick of cotton candy modeled after a panel in book 3 where the Joker runs a “free” cotton candy stand at an amusement park. The bright pink cotton candy employs the same beehive element as last year’s 10261 Roller Coaster, but lacks the Technic half pin that lets the pink head inside sit right side up. Consequently, the head sits upside down and shows the large hole in the bottom. The only explanation for this design downgrade is penny-pinching, which is a shame.


Bumblebee

This Teen Titans character first appeared in the 1970s, but makes her first appearance in minifigure form here. Wielding high-tech electrical discharge weapons in each hand as bee stings, Bumblebee’s got two yellow lightning elements, which is a new color for that element (and also only the second time it’s appeared as a single color element). Bumblebee’s distinctive double top-knot hairpiece is new, and she’s got a double-sided head showing alternate expressions of a smirk and a grimace. On her back she’s equipped with wings thanks to the fairy wings in trans-clear printed with black lines. Bumblebee’s black legs are unprinted.


The Flash

Like Batman, The Flash is one of the oldest DC superheroes, and this LEGO version is from the golden age as the original incarnation, sporting a doughboy helmet with wings and a very simple costume. The helmet is fantastic, but not quite as accurate as it should be, being a lot wider and flatter than the real doughboy helmets that the Flash’s headgear was based on. The wings are dual-injection molded with the helmet, and are not removable (much to the chagrin of military builders everywhere).  To show Flash’s super speed, he’s got a double-stud neck bracket with two trans-neon green lightning bolts, which is a new color for them. The legs are printed with Mercury’s wings on the ankles. Because the back of Flash’s head is exposed below the helmet, he has only a single expression.


Bat-Mite

Batman may be a common LEGO minifigure, but the tiny magical imp imitator Bat-Mite has never before been produced by LEGO. This Bat-Mite figure is based on his original introduction in 1959, with a knock-off Batman costume with a bent ear and a scribbled Batman logo patched on. He has a soft blue cape in the same style as Batman’s, but shorter, and a toothy grin beneath the mask, which is, of course, a new piece. He carries a great piece of memorabilia in the form of a 2×3 tile printed with Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics #27. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the original Batman also included in this series.


With 16 figures drawing inspiration solely from their comic book iterations rather than film and television, this series is what die-hard comic book fans have been waiting for. Nearly all of the characters’ outfits have been carefully selected to show either their iconic first appearance or a distinct, new version different from other LEGO versions. Comic history buffs will be delighted to get their hands on the golden era versions of Batman and The Flash, as well as that fantastic Detective Comics #27 tile. My one complaint is that the balance of power seems lopsided, with 13 heroes and 3 villains. I’d have liked to see more iconic supervillains who haven’t appeared much (or at all) in LEGO form, such as Bizzaro, Brainiac, or Ra’s al Ghul.

For those who are looking primarily at these as LEGO elements, there aren’t as many new, useful elements here as there in many other CMF series, with the notable exception of the bar-and-stud connectors included with every figure. Most of the series relies predominantly on unique printing, but the printing is very high quality. I’ve also noticed none of the quality discrepancies that marked the CMF series for many years, as all of the elements appear to be the usual high quality we expect from LEGO-branded parts.

Let’s talk about the price, though: $4.99 is a new price for CMF packs, with the previous recent series having run for $3.99. When Collectible Minifigures Series 1 released in 2010 they carried a pricetag of $1.99. A decade later and that MSRP has now ballooned by 250 percent. In that time, inflation has only increased by about $0.36, meaning that if LEGO had adjusted the US price to only account for inflation, we could expect them to be priced at $2.36 per figure. Perhaps it’s true that the original cost of $1.99 was optimistic for LEGO (after all, they did vastly underestimate demand for the early series of CMFs) and it’s certainly true that some of the cost goes into licensing, but remember that Disney, the Simpsons, and other licensed packs sold for $3.99 or less. Ultimately there’s no way to account for this appalling spike in price except that they know fans will pay it. It will now cost upwards of $80 to collect a full set.

If you’re a DC fan, then you’re definitely going to want to pick up this entire series, as it will be a quick and easy way to add some really cool comics history to your minifigure collection. I can only imagine that Marvel fans are already salivating at the thought of a similar series for them. Personally, I’ve still got dreams of a Star Wars series, as unlikely as that is. Nevertheless, although I’m not particularly a DC fan, I’ve found these minifigures to be exceptionally interesting and awesome.

However, it is difficult to recommend buying them at full retail price. If you can find them on sale, they’re well worth your time. (And CMFs do often go on sale: right now The LEGO Movie 2 series is 50$ off in the US ($1.99) and Canada ($1.99 CAD).

Be sure to check out our DC Super Heroes Minifigures Feel Guide to help you get the minifigures you want.

71026 DC Super Heroes Collectible Minifigures will be available Jan. 1 from the LEGO Shop Online US $4.99 | CAN $4.99 | UK £3.49, as well as third-party sellers on Amazon and eBay.


The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.


When this article was originally published, LEGO had not confirmed the retail price. The article has been updated to reflect LEGO’s official pricing.

9 comments on “LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71026 DC Super Heroes: Getting back to the comics [Review]

  1. Håkan

    As for Cyborg, if you have two shorter purple chains, you could emulate the “breaking” from the original cover as a play feature…

  2. Joseph Fox

    it’s not a doughboy helmet, I’m pretty sure it’s based on the Grecian helmet of the god Mercury. but you are dead on that it is a pity that the wings don’t come off. I’d love for them to get around to a Marvel set

  3. Chris Adams

    I think that your knowledge of comics history is very good. I had no idea that Sinestro even had a first name. However, in the comics, I think that the original Flash’s winged helmet was based on the one worn by the mythical Mercury/Hermes, rather than any actual military helmet. However, The military origin is used in the Flash TV series.

  4. Benjamin von Sück

    The “goggles” underneath Batman’s cowl as well as Bat-Mite’s solution are so much more elegant than the traditional white stripe for eyes that I wonder why it hasn’t been done before now.

  5. Chris Adams

    We haven’t seen any of the DC sets for 2020 yet, so is it possible that these are “extra” figures for a “Back to the Comics/History of the DC Universe” range? Sinestro, Simon Baz and Jay Garrick suggest the possibility of classic Hal Jordan and Alan Scott minifigures, and I hope we don’t have to wait at least a year for DC series 2 before we see them. Or are we going to get 3 mechs and a mixture of generic sets, as with Lego Marvel?

  6. Wade Atmore

    You could say that this series’ Batman offering should be called “The Bat-Man” as he was originally named. :)

Comments are closed.