LEGO DC

DC in LEGO lives in Marvel's shadow in volume, but with a very clearly defined core of its own: Batman. Most of the DC lineup orbits Gotham — Batmobiles from every era, Batcaves, villains — and that is also where its collector interest lies: the versions of the classic Batmobile and the display sets for adults are the ones remembered years later.

The rest of the DC universe appears in bursts (a film, an animated series) and leaves without a fuss, leaving curious gaps: characters that only existed in one specific batch. Buying rule: if it is a Batmobile or a Batcave you like, treat it as a flagship — no likely second chance. If it is a minor film set, buying it retired at a premium rarely pays off.

The theme's second, quieter pillar is the minifigures: DC holds some of the most sought-after figures in all of LEGO (specific versions of heroes and villains that existed in a single set), and a good part of the theme's resale value rides on them, not on the builds. For the buyer this has two readings: if you like a DC set and it comes with an exclusive figure, its retirement weighs more than its size suggests; and if what you want is the figure, work out whether the complete retired set comes out better than the loose figure on the parts market — with the popular ones, surprisingly often the answer is yes. The theme snapshot also tells you which Gotham piece is leading the exit right now — the figure you need to decide whether your top-pick Batmobile goes first on the list.