Super Heroes Marvel

Battle at the Ancient Village

A dragon that actually moves like a dragon, hiding inside a Marvel box most people walked past.

Brick Rated Score

4.1/5

Set 76177 · 2021

Pieces406

Minifigs4

Year2021

Set number76177

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The verdict

The moment the Great Protector's spine started curling in my hands, I stopped thinking of this as a superhero set at all.

It's a creature build wearing a Marvel license, and that's exactly why it works. Four minifigures come along for the ride, but the dragon is the whole reason to buy this one. If you or your kid are drawn to display pieces you can actually pose rather than tuck away on a shelf, this earns its spot.

Best for: Marvel Phase 4 completists and anyone who likes buildable creatures more than vehicles

The full review

What it is

I went into this one expecting another forgettable Marvel tie-in and came out genuinely charmed. Battle at the Ancient Village skips the usual quinjet-and-battle-platform formula and hands you the Great Protector instead, a mythical dragon from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that twists and coils through a jointed spine. Stretched out it's over 11 inches long, and getting it into a dynamic mid-flight pose on the included water-effect base is the kind of small joy that made me grin at my own kitchen table.

The catch

I'll be honest about where it falls short too. At 406 pieces for its original $39.99 price, a good chunk of that count goes toward repetitive segments that build the dragon's length rather than intricate detail work, so it doesn't feel as dense as other sets in that price bracket. The minifigures drew real criticism after release for giving Shang-Chi, Xialing, and Wenwu standard light skin tones instead of tones that matched the film's Asian cast, which is a fair complaint and worth knowing before you buy. And while the water base looks great in photos, it's more of a styling prop than something that will survive being knocked around a shelf.

Who it's for

If you love the movie, collect Marvel minifigures, or just have a soft spot for creature builds that actually move, this is worth tracking down now that it's retired. If you're buying purely for play value per dollar or expect a dense, detailed build, I'd point you toward one of the vehicle sets instead.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building this one feels less like assembling a spaceship and more like constructing a puppet. The dragon's body goes together in repeating ball-jointed segments, and watching the shape emerge segment by segment is oddly meditative, right up until you realize you're doing the same connection a dozen times in a row. The head and legs get more attention, with layered plates giving the face real character instead of the flat, blocky look older LEGO dragons often had.

The two exclusive minifigures are the quiet win here. Xialing and the Death Dealer aren't available in any other set, which matters if you're chasing a complete Shang-Chi lineup, and BrickEconomy has tracked Xialing as the single most valuable piece in the box on the secondary market. The water-effect elements that pool around the base and spill from the dragon's mouth are a nice touch of specialty parts you won't find in many other Marvel sets, even if the base itself is more decoration than sturdy stand.

Fun facts

01The set was released April 26, 2021 alongside the Shang-Chi film's marketing push and officially retired in December 2022, giving it a shelf life of about a year and nine months.
02The Great Protector dragon measures over 8 inches tall and 11 inches long once fully extended and posed.
03Two of the four minifigures, Xialing and the Death Dealer, are exclusive to this set and haven't appeared anywhere else.
04Secondary market value has actually dropped since retirement, down close to 30 percent from its peak, making it a more affordable retired set than most.