The LEGO Marvel Super Heroes theme is based on the characters created by Marvel Comics. Originally Marvel was a subtheme of the LEGO Super Heroes theme but was later separated into its own theme. Over time, sets in the Marvel Super Heroes theme includes most characters and situations released to the marvel Universe from films to the comics to TV series. The first wave of Marvel sets was released in 2012 and consisted of sets based on The Avengers and the X-Men comic books as well as the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series.