On Sunday, we finally got to see a game that has been rumored for a long time and that was Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy from Square Enix’s, Eidos Montreal studio. It looked fun! There are still plenty of questions to have about the game as a whole, but what we saw from the game so far has created a lot of excitement. It’s also led to a pretty good question that needs to be answered. With Marvel’s Spider-Man being developed by Insomniac, Marvel’s Avengers coming from Crystal Dynamics, and now Guardians of the Galaxy, what Marvel heroes should get their own games next?
The Marvel universe is full of potential video game candidates. Plenty of them we know from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Marvel has been around since 1939, and that means we have 82 years’ worth of comics to choose from. Some of these characters are well known and popular, others are on the rise, and at least one is a character most people have probably never heard of. On top of this, there’s going to be an attempt to apply a genre of game to each character. It’s easy to just say that a character should get a game, but what kind of game we’d love to see them in adds a whole new layer of fun.
Black Panther
Yes, Black Panther just got added to the Marvel’s Avengers game as an expansion, but that isn’t enough for this legendary hero. Black Panther needs his own game so we can get more of him, Wakanda, and that entire universe in a video game story. He’s also a character that in an open-world environment, in particular, would be a blast to move around with. Let him climb the way Spider-Man does, but make him move around quicker in combat and dash around to get around environments quicker. More importantly, just unleash him into the sandbox and let people go explore. Add a great story on top of it and a Black Panther game would be a delight.
Iron Man
There are two reasons Iron Man is on here. One is that flying around in an open environment would be extremely cool and his different suits would create for a lot of different and fun combat scenarios. More importantly, it’s fixing a wrong that was done to Iron Man’s video game career so many years ago. The licensed movie tie-in game that came out in 2008 is one of the worst superhero games ever made and Iron Man does not deserve that title under his name. Fix it and cleanse his video game carer with an original and fun game. Also flying is cool. Who doesn’t like flying?
Hawkeye
Here’s where we can start getting into some different genres away from the traditional open-world sandbox games that superhero games are known for. Hawkeye’s most well-known trait is his ability to fire arrows off with precision accuracy and incredible speed. So why not allow him to star in his own shooter? Want to add more characters? Throw in Kate Bishop too for some more arrows flying through the air. This would be a game similar to most other shooters where you’re taking Hawkeye from point A and getting him to point B with obstacles in the way. Obviously, we’d want an interesting story as well, but this would be a fun genre change from what is expected of most superhero games.
Black Widow
The Black Widow movie is coming out so why not give her a game on top of that? The best part? This would follow similar footsteps as the movie and be about her work as a KGB Agent. Think Metal Gear Solid stealth action, but as Black Widow instead. Stealth action would fit her perfectly, but maybe keep the story a little more grounded in comparison to Metal Gear. With stealth games in short supply these days, a AAA Metal Gear inspired game might hit the right mood for a lot of people.
Loki
Loki is mainstream popular these days thanks to the MCU, and he has a TV show currently going on Disney+, but there’s so much more room to explore the character. For starters, his personal choices have always had a major impact on the world around him. A third-person action RPG with branching paths where the player can decide to either be a villain or a hero would be excellent for Loki’s character. It could also make for some interesting combat scenarios since he’s had so many different powers across the MCU and comics throughout the decades.
Shang-Chi
For a long time, Shang-Chi was one of the more obscure Marvel superheroes. Clearly inspired by Bruce Lee, Shang-Chi was created in the ’70s but never reached quite the level of fame as his counterpart Iron Fist did. Then, Marvel Studios announced a movie for him and now he’s finally starting to get some recognition. Of course, video games can ride that wave and create a game for him too. As a kung-fu master, it’s pretty clear what kind of game they need to make for Shang-Chi here. An action-brawler style beat’em up. Have some sick combos, put him in a 3D environment, and let him wail on waves of bad guys foolish enough to get in his way. Think the Yakuza or Judgment series but with less crime.
Squirrel Girl
Now for anyone that thinks there’s no reason to put Squirrel Girl on this list, you need to ask yourself this. Has anyone ever managed to defeat Thanos by themself? Yes, and it was Squirrel Girl who canonically did it. The MCU meanwhile needed every single superhero ever to take down that purple monster. Squirrel Girl has the strength of a squirrel, making her extremely powerful, and is extremely agile. So she’s perfect for a side scrolling platformer game. Maybe a Metroidvania? She’s a goofy character and would be perfect for something more down to earth and less serious. She may be obscure, but she’s fun and video games are all about having fun.