10 Superhero Video Games We’d Like to See

With the addition of the new Spider-Man title to the stable of great video games, he and Batman continue to stand alone as the two most successful superheroes in the virtual world. We’re well past the days when a blockbuster film called for an accompanying game/cash-grab, but we’re well established in the era of great video game storytelling. So how long until we get to see more superhero games with great gameplay and stories?

Here’s a list of ten superhero game ideas that we’d love to see get made. The only qualifications: no Batman, no Spider-Man, and no “company wide” titles like Injustice or Marvel’s Ultimate Alliance. The proposed games focus mainly on single properties.

1) X-Men

Everyone’s favorite mutants have starred in some wonderful games in the past, but recently they have fallen flat, so it is time to go back to basics.

In this origins-style game, you’d choose to start as either Professor X or Magneto. From there, you’d recruit mutants to defend (X-Men) or oppress (the Brotherhood) humanity. Your potential team members? The original X-Men of course (Cyclops, Beast, Angel, Iceman, and Jean Grey) and a menagerie of other characters from the classic 60’s days of the X-Men: Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Mimic, Blob, Toad, Mastermind, the Vanisher, Unus the Untouchable, Juggernaut, Banshee, the Changling (Morph), Mesmero, Havok, Polaris, and Sauron.

Imagine the possibilities. Will you make it a family affair and pair Cyclops and Havok with Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch? Go with the brawn of Beast, Juggernaut, Blob and Unus? Or maybe you’d prefer the ranged attacks of Iceman, Banshee, Polaris and Mimic?

Even cooler would be potential sequels where you could recruit Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Proteus, and more.

2) Hit Monkey

Sure, the developers of the Deadpool game trolled audiences by saying they were working on a game starring this little known supporting character, but it would be even better as fact instead of fiction.

Hit Monkey is a Japanese macaque who is one of the world’s deadliest mercenaries. Who wouldn’t want to play a game as that? No dialogue from the main character, but plenty of memorable interactions as he makes his way through international worlds of vice and crime.

3) Swamp Thing

How many games do you know of where you can play as the Avatar of the Green, a character connected to all plant life on Earth? So much to work with here. Zombies (the Rot), monsters, trippy and beautiful scenery, powers that would be easily upgradable and some great storylines to choose from. Throw in an open world bayou and backwater towns and you’d have something that really stands out.

4) Booster Gold

Time travel is a common trope in video games, and it can be quite memorable if used correctly. Booster Gold is from the future. He’s famously known as a glory hog who uses his knowledge of the future to be in the right place at the right time, so he can save lives and make money while doing it. You know how you can choose sponsors in sports games these days? Incorporate that here. Get sponsors, make money, become famous, save the timeline.

5) Black Panther

Possibly the best candidate for an open world on this list. Travel throughout Wakanda and Africa as the Black Panther, while upgrading your tech, developing new weapons, and fighting off threats such as Klaw, Killmonger, Man-Ape, and more. Some suit customization and vehicles to cruise around in would make for cool add-ons, as well as costume variants, which are super popular in Batman and Spider-Man games. In Black Panther’s case, of course there’s the MCU costumes, as well as Doomwar, Urban Jungle, Man Without Fear, and the original costume from the comics.

6) Thanos

Why not play as a villain? This game could feature one of a number of stories. Sure there’s Infinity War, but what about the recent Thanos Wins story? Or just take control of the Mad Titan as he conquers world after world, taking down foes such as the Silver Surfer, Adam Warlock, Galactus, the Kree, and the Skrull. Choose who to destroy and who to save in your quest to win the heart of Death herself.

7) Hellboy

The first video game featuring him wasn’t good. Time to try again. With the success of Uncharted and the Tomb Raider reboot, adventure games set in open worlds are on the rise in quality and popularity. Focusing on the investigative aspect of Hellboy and giving him some creepy or legendary locales to romp in could merge the superhero genre with pulp fiction and the result could be legendary.

8) The Punisher

You could go two different routes here. One would be setting the game in New York and having Frank Castle targeting the mob, with the Kingpin, the Russian, or Jigsaw as the main villain. Side quests would be plentiful and you could offer assistance to the denizens of the Big Apple as you choose. In the same vein as Sleeping Dogs, you could make choices that raise your standing with the police, or with the underworld.

The second choice would be setting the game in Vietnam, as part of a black ops mission. Too similar to Call of Duty? Maybe. But in either game the weapon upgrading and acquisition could be super fun.

9) Gambit

Set outside the world of the X-Men, a Gambit game would be set in the southern U.S, perhaps in the Bayou or New Orleans. The Ragin’ Cajun would be back in his element as a master thief. Pilfer from the rich and give to the poor, take down illegal gambling dens, and rescue your fellow thieves from jail. Use the iconic bow staff for close combat or range attack with the classic charged playing cards and work your way to the top of the Thieves Guild or eliminate a new criminal presence in town. Either way works.

10) Green Hornet

Seth Rogen’s recent film didn’t do much to make people respect the character, but if we get back to his roots the options are intriguing. Britt Reid is a newspaper mogul by day, and the Green Hornet by night. To the public, the Hornet is a criminal, but he’s secretly taking down crime from within. With access to all sorts of fun tech (including the Black Beauty, his classic car), a game where you can play as journalist Britt and vigilante Hornet could be quite entertaining.

BONUS!

Great Moments in Comic Book History

Issue #121 – Cover Art by John Romita

It would need a different name, but how cool would it be if you could actually play through some of the most iconic moments in the history of comics, perhaps as the hero or the villain? It would be made up of different scenarios and not a full campaign, but think of the possibilities! Here are some potential selections.

• Death of Superman (Play as Superman or Doomsday)
• Kraven’s Last Hunt (Play as Spider-Man or Kraven the Hunter)
• The Death of Gwen Stacy (Play as Spider-Man or Green Goblin)
• The Dark Knight Returns (Play as Batman or Superman)
• Incredible Hulk #180 (Play as Wolverine or Hulk)
• The Origin of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Play as the Turtles or Shredder)
• Knightfall (Play as Batman or Bane)
• Fantastic Four #25-26 (Play as Hulk or the Thing)
• The Galactus Trilogy (Play as Silver Surfer, the Fantastic Four, or Galactus)
• Extremis (Play as Iron Man or Mallen)

Do you have any ideas for fun superhero video games? Let us know in the comments!

RIP Len Wein

The comic book world lost a giant this week. Len Wein worked on comics that starred a significant chunk of both Marvel and DC’s stable of characters, and introduced, wrote, drew, and edited some legendary runs, including the X-Men of the mid-70s, Swamp Thing, Watchmen, Teen Titans, Fantastic Four, and The Incredible Hulk.

He wasn’t confined to the comic page either. He worked on four episodes of “Batman: the Animated Series” as well as helping author scripts for Iron Man, Avengers, Spider-Man (including my favorite episode “The Alien Costume: Part One”), and Godzilla TV shows.

As a tribute to Len, and to show just how influential he was in the comic book world (Joss Whedon said via Twitter that Wein “co-kickstarted the modern comic book era”), here are Wein’s top ten greatest (co-)creations.

10) Libra – DC Comics (with Dick Dillin) 

This little known villain garners a spot here for two reasons. First, he founded the first Injustice Gang, and second, he is the author of the havoc brought about in the Final Crisis, where he appears to grant every super-villain their greatest wish.

9) Red Star – DC Comics (with Marv Wolfman)

Red Star, aka Starfire, was the first Russian superhero in DC Comics. He hasn’t been used a great deal throughout the years, but has appeared in the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Sinestro Corps War and Flashpoint, as well as in the animated Teen Titans TV series. Red Star often comes into conflict with other heroes due to his political views, although he has come through in the clutch to help the Teen Titans when they have been in need.

8) Mockingbird – Marvel Comics (with Neal Adams)

Bobbi Morse started out as a simple S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, sent to retrieve Ka-Zar from the Savage Land to help locate the mysteriously missing scientist Ted Sallis. Her mission leads to confrontation with A.I.M, the Man-Thing, and several would be conquerors. Today she’s one of the most famous S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, having appeared in her own series, alongside Hawkeye, and on the MCU’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

7) The Human Target – DC Comics (with Carmine Infantino)

Wein’s Human Target was the second comic book character to bear the name, but clearly the best known. The character has been the lead in two television series and has appeared on Arrow.

6) Lucius Fox – DC Comics (with John Calnan)

Where would Bruce Wayne be without all his tech? Surprisingly, it took decades for someone to come up with a character like Lucius, someone to obtain/create/handle the Batman tech for Wayne’s war on crime. Morgan Freeman famously plays the character in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

5) Colossus – Marvel Comics (with Dave Cockrum)

The X-Men were floundering in reprints and special guest appearances in the mid-70s. Wein and company single-handedly revitalized the series by introducing a new team of mutants with a bit of international flavor in Giant-Size X-Men. Colossus was one of those mutants. Hailing from Russia, he’s evacuated his role on the team more than once, even joining Magneto’s Acolytes on Asteroid M, but he’s always back with the good guys. His best film version can be seen in Deadpool.

4) Nightcrawler – Marvel Comics (with Dave Cockrum)

Basically a tie with Colossus here. Nightcrawler is German by birth and has been at the center of many of the X-Men’s greatest battles since he appeared in Wein’s new X-Men team. He’s been revealed to be Mystique’s son, and has even been a part of the mutant team across the pond, Excalibur.

3) Swamp Thing – DC/Vertigo Comics 

Alan Moore may be known as the iconic writer of this character, but it was Len’s to start with. Swamp Thing has become more visible in recent years, joining Justice League Dark and starring in two of his own critically acclaimed series. The Moore run will always been seen as the best though.

2) Storm – Marvel Comics (with Dave Cockrum)

Yet another member of the new X-Men team. Storm was the first major black female super-hero and would become one of the X-Men’s greatest leaders and participate in some of the most iconic events in the Marvel Universe. Too bad about that toad-getting-hit-by-lightning line in the film.

1) Wolverine – Marvel Comics (with John Romita, Sr.)

Wein had co-created Wolverine as a Hulk nemesis before his X-Men debut. He brought Logan on board the mutant train in Giant Size X-Men and the ol’ canucklehead hasn’t looked back. He’s safely one of the top five comic book characters of all time. After all, he’s the best he is at what he does.