There's a ton of buzz around the new Spider-Man video game. Developed by Insomniac, the team responsible for Ratchet & Clank, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Spyro the Dragon, this brand-new take on the Spider-Man mythos is a PlayStation 4 exclusive, and is well on its way towards being one of the biggest games of the year.
Elsewhere in the realm of Marvel licensing, publisher Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics (Tomb Raider, Legacy of Kain) are still hard at work on an as-yet-untitled game based on The Avengers. While details on the title are being kept infuriatingly secretive, the word on the street suggests it will contain multiplayer and social elements, possibly aiming to compete with the likes of Destiny and The Division. Finally, Eidos Montreal (Deus Ex) is strongly rumored to be working on a big-budget game based on Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel's premier gang of ragtag misfits and outcasts who kick butt and save the world, often in spite of themselves.
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These games mark a big change for Marvel. Despite certain outliers like the PS1 and PS2 Spider-Man games (published by Activision), as well as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and crossovers like the LEGO Marvel titles and Marvel Vs Capcom, the comics giant has leaned more towards free-to-play or mobile games like Marvel Puzzle Quest, Marvel: Future Fight, Marvel Strike Force, and the recently shuttered Marvel Heroes.
It's obvious that, in some way, Spider-Man for PS4 is a response to the groundbreaking success of the Batman Arkham series. While mobile and F2P offerings are relatively safer bets for Marvel, they don't redefine the possibilities of their brand the way a Triple-A title like Arkham Asylum effectively rebooted the Batman mythology for the video game audience. With Spider-Man, Marvel is looking to make waves in that space. By the looks of things, they're succeeding in their effort.
With all that in mind, who else deserves this type of AAA treatment, and which development teams should be tasked with bringing these heroes to life? Which Marvel Characters Should Get Their Own Games Next?
MCU Heroes
Marvel has always been widely recognized and celebrated, but its shared universe of superhero movies, dubbed the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is responsible for the brand's global saturation. Heroes like Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, and Agent Coulson are all household names with endless legions of adoring fans.
Back in Phase 1 of the MCU, the first several films actually did receive video game tie-ins, courtesy of Marvel's licensing deal with SEGA. Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger all received games. They all failed to garner positive critical reception and are considered non-canon to the MCU. The 2012 Avengers film did not receive a game; a unique-looking first-person multiplayer co-op brawler was in development at THQ, but was sadly canceled before completion.
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Several Phase 2 movies received tie-in mobile games developed by Gameloft, but since then, the MCU's representation in gaming has been almost completely non-existent. Of course, Spider-Man on PS4 is not set in the MCU, which opens the door for other MCU characters to get their own game, free from the creative shackles of their established cinematic counterparts.
Imagine a Captain America game set in an open-world warzone, in which Cap must lead an army of valiant soldiers in battle against the evil forces of Hydra or other Nazis. What about an Iron Man title which explores Tony Stark's battles in the realm of both corporate espionage and the complex and troublesome privatization of world peace. A Black Widow game could combine the meticulously planned assassination missions of Hitman with the balletic movement of Mirror's Edge and the hand-to-hand fury of Sleeping Dogs or Yakuza. The most recent God of War game is already pretty close to capturing the sheer strength (not to mention the Norse setting) of Thor, the God of Thunder, and Hawkeye is ripe for a first-person stealth shooter like Far Cry 5.
The heroes of the MCU each possess distinct fighting styles, applicable to a wide variety of games. Scarlet Witch's telekinetic powers could make for a great gameplay hook, throwing enemies at each other with high-tech ragdoll physics making for unmatched visual spectacle. A co-op-focused Guardians of the Galaxy game could easily be the next big thing, with five players each taking control of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot, creating an asymmetrical experience in which the team must work together to survive. The possibilities are truly endless.
Page 2 of 2: Netflix, TV, and non-MCU Characters
Marvel Netflix/TV
Separate from the success of Marvel's suite of cinematic heroes are those characters who do battle on the small screen, from Netflix and Hulu to ABC and Freeform, to say nothing of what Disney might have planned for their upcoming streaming service. Those characters deserve their shot at gaming stardom. With his acrobatic fighting style and brutal brand of streetwise justice, Daredevil is ready for his own Batman Arkham-styled action game, and Jessica Jones would be a perfect fit for an action/adventure which could combine her skills as a private investigator with her talent at punching people really hard. Iron Fist seems tailor-made for a straightforward beat-em-up; an Iron Fist/Luke Cage fighting game could be just the thing to fill the void left by Streets of Rage and other classic arcade fighters from the '80s and '90s.
One of the greatest Marvel-based games was 2005's The Punisher. Although loosely based on the 2004 film starring Thomas Jane (who reprises his role for the game), the game took nearly all of its cues from the universally acclaimed MAX series by Garth Ennis. The game was insanely violent, with context-specific environmental kills and ample opportunities to literally torture enemies for information and then coldly murder them afterwards. Despite this, the game also embraced its Marvel roots, featuring crossover appearances from Matt Murdock, Tony Stark, Nick Fury, and Black Widow. Sadly, the sequel teased in the ending (which would have featured Kingpin as the main villain) never came to fruition, though there's no time like the present for a gaming company to develop a Jon Bernthal-inspired take on Marvel's most merciless vigilante.
Non-MCU Heroes
Despite the multitude of Marvel characters who have been represented in film and TV, there are still a ton of heroes who are relatively lesser known than the likes of Spider-Man or The Incredible Hulk, and many of them would make for great video game heroes. It's only a matter of time before Namor the Submariner makes his cinematic debut, but what if a big-budget video game comes out first, boosting his profile in an effort to maximize his box-office potential?
Another character who has yet to make his formal appearance in the MCU is Adam Warlock. Despite being teased in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, then teased again in Vol. 2 (making the first tease non-canon), Adam Warlock has yet to appear in the MCU, and may or may not even be part of James Gunn's script for Vol. 3. Despite his vocal fandom within the comic book community, mainstream audiences don't really know who Adam Warlock is or why he's so popular among certain circles. To that end, a video game could be the perfect opportunity to educate audiences before he inevitably makes his big-screen debut.
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The Fantastic Four used to be revered as "Marvel's First Family," but their popularity has waned significantly in recent years, reaching its absolute nadir when Josh Trank's Fant4stic became one of the biggest box office bombs of the decade. If and when the Disney/Fox deal goes through, Marvel will surely want to reboot those iconic characters, but there's much work to do in revitalizing their appeal in the eyes of many fans. A four-player video game could be just the ticket.
One of Marvel's most "unfilmable" characters is Slapstick, a living cartoon; think Jim Carrey in The Mask, but with the zaniness dialed up to maximum. The character may or may not fit in the slightly more grounded framework of the MCU, or even Insomniac's Spider-Man, but he'd certainly make for one heck of a unique video game hero.
Shared Universe?
There have been numerous rumors that Spider-Man for PS4 could be the start of a Marvel Games Universe, or an MGU, for those who appreciate a good initialism. While the idea of an MCU-styled universe starring all of Marvel's heroes seems appealing (hence the rumors), it's probably little more than wishful thinking. Insomniac was given a tremendous gift which is rare in the realm of licensed games, and even rarer in the realm of Marvel Comics adaptations: creative freedom. They created their own version of Peter Parker, their own spin on his impressive gallery of rogues, and built a New York City which is tailor-made for the type of web-slinging gameplay unique to the friendly-neighborhood wall crawler. If other Marvel games are forced to conform to this version of the city and its aesthetic, that severely limits the creative freedom available to other studios hoping to make a game based on the dark and gritty world of The Punisher, Daredevil, or any other New York-based characters.
There's also certainly a degree of legal hurdles standing in the way of a fully-invested MGU, especially if Spider-Man is supposed to be the jumping-off point. For one thing, it's a PS4 exclusive, and Insomniac has stated that the game will never make its way to other consoles or PC. Meanwhile, although little is known about the Avengers game in the works at Square Enix, it is expected to be a multi-platform experience. Can Spider-Man even appear in that game, and if so, can it legally be Insomniac's version of the character?
Marvel would be shooting themselves in the foot if they allowed an MGU to begin with a title only available on PlayStation 4. They would be shooting their other foot if they denied other studios the chance to create their own version of these iconic characters. Shared universes are tricky enough on film (to which the Dark Universe, DCEU, and The Amazing Spider-Man franchises can attest), and seem even more difficult in the video game space. Forcing every studio to conform to the stylings of Insomniac's Spider-Man would be a mistake.
Instead, Marvel should allow every studio total creative freedom to make their own Marvel universe, much like their cinematic strategy before the onset of the MCU. Blade, Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Fantastic Four were all set in New York City, but were all extremely diverse in their depiction of their setting. The dark and gritty nightclubs of Blade and the noir tones of Daredevil contrasted with the timeless caricature of Spider-Man and the tourist-friendly glitz of Fantastic Four, but they all utilized NYC. One could argue that the Marvel Netflix shows, all set in NYC, contrast with the city seen Doctor Strange, The Avengers, and Spider-Man: Homecoming, but even so, that dissonance is much easier to achieve in movies and TV than it is in open-world video games, where the player is free to explore every corner of the environment.
It's important to remember that Marvel isn't developing or publishing these games themselves. There's no internal team at Marvel which makes big-budget video games. Insomniac is an independent developer, and Sony is publishing the game (hence its PS4 exclusivity). Like with their pre-MCU films, Marvel is licensing the right to make games to various studios; they're not unifying those studios – and their creative output – under the Marvel banner.
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With Spider-Man on PS4, Marvel is making a statement: they're not content with printing money with free-to-play and mobile tiles. They're moving into the big leagues, where the risks are many, but the rewards are massive, particularly in maintaining vitality in aging brands. Spider-Man was already an amazingly popular character, but his star has somehow risen even higher thanks to the impressive work done by Insomniac on their video game. If it's successful, Spider-Man will see an adoration he has not enjoyed since Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man film redefined the super hero genre back in 2002. Naturally, Marvel wants to replicate their success with any number of their endless supply of mighty heroes. If all goes according to plan, the next few years could truly herald the beginning of a Golden Age in super hero games. That's definitely something to look forward to.
More: Since PlayStation Has Spider-Man, Iron Man Would Make A Great Xbox Exclusive
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