Welcome back to We Want Comics, our column discussing various intellectual properties — whether they’re movies, TV shows, novels, video games, or whatever else — that we’d like to see get adapted into comic books. In the wake of Spider-Man 2’s release, we’re expanding the scope of our topic to discuss the future of Marvel Games today. At the time of writing, PlayStation Spider-Man developer Insomniac is also working on a Wolverine game, while EA are developing Iron Man and Black Panther titles, and Skydance are crafting a World War II Captain America & Black Panther adventure.
With those in mind, we wanted to discuss other characters who deserve a solo game. As that implies, we’ll be saving time by not discussing potential titles for the Fantastic Four or X-Men, whose future is very dependent on the Wolverine game, or future games for the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. (The less said about the now delisted Avengers game the better, although Eidos-Montréal’s GOTG game totally deserves a sequel, and I will absolutely hold out a fool’s hope it’ll happen at Embracer Group.)
Ant-Man and the Wasp:
Don’t let Quantumania cause you to forget Ant-Man and the Wasp’s size-changing abilities make them two of the most unique superheroes around. It’d be a huge challenge for a developer to design a game where people and objects are constantly changing scale around the player characters, but it’d be absolutely worth it for a thrill of switching back-and-forth between sizes during a brawl, or to stomp around as Giant-Man. With Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne as the MCU’s Ant-Man and Wasp, there’s also an opportunity to center Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne here, or even have Nadia be the protagonist. Plus: Ultron anyone?
Captain Marvel:
Of all of Marvel’s headliners, Carol Danvers is the one who should’ve been in Crystal Dynamics’ Avengers as a secret character at launch, so allowing players to finally let loose with Carol’s spectacular powers should be a priority for Marvel. Imagine a cross between Starfield and a biotic playthrough of Mass Effect, with epic battles where you use Carol’s cosmic abilities and her prowess flying air/spacecraft equally, as her decisions shape the future of the galaxy. There’s a lot of comics backstory inaccessible to the MCU that could be used too, like Carol’s background in journalism, and the existence of her half-sister Lauri-Ell.
Daredevil:
A Daredevil game is such a no-brainer, especially after the Batman Arkham games, whose detective vision made you feel like you were seeing the world through his eyes, and Insomniac’s Spider-Man. His relatively small turf of Hell’s Kitchen could be compensated for with an equal emphasis on Matt Murdock’s job as a lawyer, where your decisions affect the outcomes of side missions. A developer could also borrow from the run where he relocated to San Francisco with Black Widow, speaking of whom; a Daredevil game should at least make Elektra playable at some point – her deadlier approach to combat, and relatively obscure psychic powers, could be the final ingredient this project needs.
Doctor Strange:
Stephen Strange is another no-brainer, there are so many trippy levels in the Spider-Man games that you can’t help but fantasize about the prospect of a game with Steve Ditko’s other signature Marvel creation. Something ignored by the MCU that a game could use to make it feel less like a movie tie-in is how Strange doesn’t age in the comics, and that his canonical birth year is 1930. While a game would see us venture into much weirder realms and worlds than a 1960s version of Bleecker Street, it would lend it a distinct vibe, and a swift way of answering where any absent Marvel heroes are. (Namely, they’ve not been born yet.)
Ghost Rider and Thor:
We’re discussing these two together thanks to one series: God of War. Sony Santa Monica’s epic saga is a great argument for and against a game set in Marvel’s take on the Nine Realms (and beyond) in the near future, since the comparisons are inevitable. Perhaps a buddy adventure with Hercules could solve the issue? Maybe. What about Ghost Rider, you ask? Think about Kratos’s Blades of Chaos; think about them very carefully. Now imagine Kratos wielding them while riding a motorcycle; pretty cool right?
Continued belowHulk:
Vivendi’s 2005 smash-em-up Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction was well-regarded by fans, but a rerelease remains sadly unlikely. Regardless, between ‘Planet Hulk,’ the Red Hulk saga, and “Immortal Hulk,” the Hulk mythos has expanded so much since then, that the Green Goliath deserves a new solo game even more than he already does. Perhaps the biggest stumbling block for a studio right now is how they would approach Bruce Banner: the 2003 movie game took the stealth gameplay route, and honestly, that might still be a good way to wring tension from his fear of losing control.
Iron Fist/Shang-Chi:
Whether a developer goes with Shang-Chi, a White/Asian Danny Rand, or both of them, there’s undoubtedly a lot of potential for a martial arts-centric Marvel game. The team behind Sleeping Dogs (whose studio United Front sadly closed in 2016) would absolutely nail such a project; on top of the excellent combat, they had a genuine love, respect, and admiration for Chinese culture. You could also easily give characters like Luke Cage, Misty Knight, or White Tiger their due here; imagine how fun it would be if you could play as Shang-Chi’s youngest sister, Esme/Sister Dagger, too.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur:
Were you expecting someone else? (A game about Marc, Steven and Jake would admittedly be fun though.) Moon Girl is an adorable recent addition to the MU, and the new Disney Channel series was absolutely fantastic, so a tie-in would be a great opportunity for a more kid-friendly game. Also: she has a big red pet dinosaur. Who wouldn’t want to ride, or be Devil Dinosaur? You could even have playable flashbacks on Dinosaur World with Moon Boy.
Nick Fury:
Ignoring how his comics counterpart is technically someone else, Nick Fury is a very different character on paper and in the MCU, and not only when it comes to his ethnicity: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fury was essentially an American M and James Bond rolled into one, an immortal World War II veteran with his own Blofeld (Baron Strucker), and a long, complex relationship with Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. You could do worse for a retro spy adventure than to try to emulate the version of Fury from Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, or James Robinson and ACO’s 2017 comic, which successfully melded the Samuel L. Jackson take with the stylish sensibility of the ’60s comics.
LEGO Marvel Super-Heroes 3:
I know, it’s not a solo game, but bear with me. After the release of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, a lot of fans have been clamoring for a similar take on the Infinity Saga. However, it’s always better to see a developer do their own take on the source material, than to retell someone else’s, and it’s no different with how LEGO game developer Traveller’s Tales could create their own version of Thanos’s quest, with the Avengers, Guardians, X-Men, and Fantastic Four all center stage. 2017’s sequel felt off thanks to Ike Perlmutter’s refusal to let the latter two groups be used, as well as the absence of the original cast after the 2016 game voice actor strike, and a trilogy capper would be a great way to make up for that.
Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments true believers; we’re certain some of you want new Blade, Punisher and Deadpool games too! (And maybe a Squirrel Girl visual novel?) Stay tuned for the DC equivalent of this column in the near future as well. Excelsior!
