Marvel and DC fans don’t agree on much these days. However, one thing that everyone can attest to is that the Batman Arkham series revolutionised the superhero genre. While DC has had huge success with Batman, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rival studio. While there have been some great Marvel superhero games in the past, most of them based around Spider-Man, nothing has come close to matching Warner’s success with Arkam. Insomniac’s Spider-Man was a great start, but which other Marvel superheroes deserve their own games?
1. Doctor Strange
Before the release of Marvel’s Doctor Strange film, not many people out there were familiar with the Sorcerer Supreme. However, thanks to modern technology, the studio was finally able to translate Steve Ditko’s trippy visuals from the comic books to the big screen. But imagine this world was recreated for a game.
With his various magic abilities and access to weird and wonderful relics, such as the Eye of Agamotto and the Book of Vishanti, a Doctor Strange game would work best as an open world RPG, similar to Witcher III.
Doctor Strange could travel between the real world and the mirror dimension while facing off against some familiar and unfamiliar foes. The game could be both a visual and narrative treat.
2. Rocket & Groot
Marvel’s weapon-obsessed Racoon and living tree bark make one heck of a team. Focusing on the relationship between the fast-talking quick-witted Rocket and the “I am Groot” spouting Groot could make for a fun, and possibly hilarious, game.
With Rocket being an explosion-loving weapons expert and Groot being a durable lumbering piece of muscle, each could use their unique abilities to solve certain environmental puzzles.
Naturally, the writing for a Rocket and Groot game would have to be spot on as most of the dialogue would be driven by Rocket, with Groot only chirping in with “I am Groot” every once in a while.
3. Moon Knight
Many out there might ask, “Isn’t Moon Knight Marvel’s version of Batman?” While both are billionaire playboys and both employ an arsenal of technologically advanced tools and weapons to fight crime, this couldn’t be further from the truth. One of the main differences between the Dark Knight and Moon Knight is that the latter wouldn’t mind killing or beating his opponents to a bloody unrecognisable pulp.
Moon Knight, as written by Charlie Huston, has three distinct personalities vying for control of his mind. He also has an unhealthy obsession with Khonshu, an Egyptian god.
Exploring Moon Knight’s mental instability would not only ensure an interesting narrative but also be a visual treat.
4. Gambit
Back in the ’80s when the X-Men animated cartoon burst onto our TV screens, the one mutant that quickly became a fan-favourite was the pink armour wearing rogue, Gambit. As one of our favourite Marvel superheroes, Gambit surely deserves a game, or games, of his own.
Think about this for a second. An object of great importance is locked away in an impenetrable fortress and only a group of ragtag mutants lead by the charismatic Gambit stand any chance of retrieving it.
Raised by the Thieves Guild in New Orleans and having incredible acrobatic skills, along with the ability to charge non-organic material with kinetic energy, makes Gambit the perfect guy to lead a team of unlikely mutants on a mission.
With a mixture of action, branching conversations and espionage, the game could give players an experience rarely touched on by current releases.
5. Iron Fist
After the release of his terrible (and painful to watch) Netflix series, Iron Fist is ready for some redemption and maybe, just maybe, a game based on the hero is just what the doctor ordered. While there has been a sore lack of martial art based games (at least good martial art based games), one of my all-time favourites still remains BioWare’s Jade Empire, a game that focused as much attention on ancient myths and lore as it did on kicking butt and mastering various martial arts.
As the worlds greatest martial arts master, a game featuring Danny Rand could follow his transformation from rich kid to a living weapon.
It would most probably need to be a mixture of open-world brawler and RPG, allowing the game to focus on both Danny’s fighting prowess and his mastery of the ancient fighting styles. It would also need to delve into some of the ancient lore that has featured in the comics and see him facing off against The Hand, as well as some more obscure villains.
6. Iron Man
Iron Man might be the most well know superhero on the list, especially since the first film is credited with kicking off what has become MCU. As far as Marvel superheroes go, this is a character that most deserves his own game series – better than the awful ones currently available.
Instead of just having Tony don the armour and fly around shooting anything that flies and moves, a new Iron Man game could instead incorporate a more open-world experience, similar to the GTA series (minus all the senseless killing), and let players play both as a playboy and all-around smart ass, Tony Stark, and Iron Man.
Of course, there will be loads of shooting, fighting and flying around as Iron Man will need to prevent various forces from destroying the world. The game could even include the odd cameo from an Avenger or two.
