Traveller's Tales' LEGO Marvel Super Heroes series is arguably one of the most exciting superhero video game franchises around right now, and fans cannot wait to see what the studio does next. While LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 3 has not been announced yet, the success of the first two makes a third one pretty likely. If it ever does see the light of day, then Traveller's Tales needs to take the series away from New York City.
New York City seems to be the focal point of the Marvel universe, and most Marvel video games seem to take place within its streets. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes' hub world was a LEGO-fied New York, Marvel's Spider-Man followed Spider-Man as he swung through Manhattan, and Marvel's Avengers saw the titular team fight robots across the city. The Marvel Cinematic Universe also uses New York as a recurring setting, and that means that LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 3 needs to branch out.
LEGO Seems to Really Like New York City
Every LEGO Marvel game has taken place in New York City. The first game gave players free rein of the entire city and let them cause all sorts of LEGO chaos across its streets in an original superhero tale. LEGO Marvel's Avengers copied the same open-world, but it gave it an MCU skin. It also featured a couple other smaller open-world areas inspired by some of the films, but the focal point was still New York City.
Traveller's Tales went the extra mile with LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2's open-world, but it was still heavily focused on NYC. The game saw Kang the Conqueror mesh 17 different Marvel locations into his new world of Chronopolis. While some of the sections came from places like Wakanda, Asgard, Sakaar, and Xandar, a lot of this world was still focused on New York City. There were three different versions of Manhattan in Chronopolis, and a couple of the other regions felt heavily inspired by New York.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 3 Needs to Leave the Big Apple Behind
New York City is to Marvel what Gotham City is to DC, and that will likely not change anytime soon. Many of the most popular heroes call New York their home, and the Avengers have even set up shop in their own skyscraper. It has been the focal point of numerous Marvel projects over the years, but that does not mean it needs to be in every Marvel project. If Traveller's Tales wants LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 3 to really stand out, then it needs to take the franchise to somewhere else entirely.
There are many different Marvel locales that could be great settings for another LEGO adventure. Players could explore an open-world Wakanda, adventure around San Francisco, take a trip to Asgard, or spend the entire time in Latveria. Traveller's Tales could also replicate what it did with LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham and give Marvel fans an entire galaxy of planets to explore, or similarly, an entire multiverse to traverse. There is so much potential for new exciting open-worlds, and the story would benefit immensely from a change in scenery.
Setting each LEGO Marvel title in a version of New York City means that the story has to be heavily focused on that part of the world. Even Chronopolis had New York City play a major role, but a new locale would allow the studio to flex its creative muscles. A new setting means new stories waiting to be told and characters waiting to tell them. If LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 3 ever gets made, then leaving the confines of Manhattan may be the best thing for it.