These are the DC exclusives LEGO gave out at comic conventions, most of them at San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con. They started in 2011 with Green Lantern, Batman and Superman, and after that LEGO mostly chose characters that had not been made as minifigures yet, such as Shazam, Bizarro, Green Arrow, Arsenal, the Atom, Vixen and Black Lightning. 2014 brought the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, a strange version of Batman from the comics.
2011 LEGO Sets
2011 introduced Ninjago, which quickly became one of LEGO’s most successful original themes and the foundation of a long-running multimedia franchise. Other launches included Pirates of the Caribbean, coinciding with Disney’s On Stranger Tides, the sci-fi Alien Conquest, and Master Builder Academy, a design-focused building program. LEGO also experimented with digital-physical integration through Life of George, an early augmented reality experience. Collectible Minifigures Series 3–5 strengthened LEGO’s growing collector market, while internal employee-exclusive sets like Moulding Machines became prized rarities. Several themes concluded this year, including Harry Potter, Ben 10, Power Miners, Toy Story, Prince of Persia, Space Police III, and BrickMaster.