Summary
The 2000s were a great decade for superheroes. It all started when Activision released the firstX-Men Legendsgame in 2004. This was a dungeon-crawler type game that allowed players tochoose four mutants to join their teamas they battled a variety of enemies, bosses, and solved puzzles. The game was so successful that it spawned a sequel and Activision also released a similar game in 2005 calledMarvel Ultimate Alliancethat featured characters from all over the Marvel universe. DC Comicscharacters even got a spotlight in their own version of this game from Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment titledJustice League: Heroesin 2006.
It seemed that this type of superhero game was a thing of the past until Activision released MarvelUltimate Alliance 3for the Nintendo Switch in 2019. Now that developers are engaging in this type of video game again, it has made players wonder what other superhero teams would be perfect for this style of play across both Marvel and DC.
5Alpha Flight
The X-Men’s Canadian Counterpart
Since this style of game started with the X-Men, it only makes sense for the franchise toreturn to the mutantsin some way. However, X-Men Legends 3 will be a little obsolete at this point, as most of the characters from that team are already playable inMarvel Ultimate Alliance 3.That doesn’t mean that the universe is without mutants to use.
Mutants can come from anywhere in the world, and that is best represented by the Canadian version of X-Men, Alpha Flight. The team might not be as well known as the X-Men, but they have had some famous members, like Deadpool and Wolverine. In fact, the team was originally conceived of in a story exploring Wolverine’s backstory. As such, an Alpha Flight team game could be part of this story, or the team could have to step into a scenario while the X-Men are off fighting a bigger threat. Either way, it could be a great way to introduce new fans to characters like Sasquatch and Snowbird.
4The Authority
DC’s Next Big Thing
Back when James Gunn announced the upcoming slate ofDCUmovies, he seemed to shock a lot of people when he revealed that The Authority would be a big part of the next saga. They are even getting their own movies. The reason for the confusion was that even some of the most hardcore comic fans were unfamiliar with this team. The Authority was a team originally created to be a comic series under theWildstormimprint, but the team was folded into the mainDCuniverse in 1999.
The team is meant to pose a parallel to the publishers' much more popular Justice League, only these heroes use much more excessive force to fight crime.While many of the characters in The Authority are relatively unknown,giving them a team-based game would be a great way to platform the heroes before their movie debut. Alternatively, a video game adaptation could cash in on the success of their first movie.
3Midnight Sons
A Darker Team To Explore
Marvel’sMidnight Sonsare a collection of darker or more violent superheroes in their universe. The team has appeared inMarvel’s Ultimate Alliance 3before as DLC but only added four members of the team to the game. The team is often populated by many characters who fight more supernatural threats, so it could provide Activision with a way to experiment with a more violent version of the formula.
The Midnight Sons are often led by Doctor Strange and feature big names like Wolverine and The Punisher in its roster, so players will have some familiar faces drawing toward the game. However, the game could also use this method to include some more obscureMarvelcharacters, like Devil Dinosaur and Man-Thing.
2Thunderbolts
Marvel’s Team Of Villains and Anti-Heroes
The Thunderbolts is a fairly new concept in theMarveluniverse. The comic publisher had so many superhero teams already that it did not see the need to bring in a team of villains until 1997. TheThunderbolts are a government experimentthat seeks to reform former anti-heroes by giving them a purpose in a new SWAT team for the country. While many of the characters from this team have appeared in other video games before, it is rare that gamers get to play as them.
Notable members of The Thunderbolts team include Red Hulk, Ghost, Juggernaut, and Taskmaster. Some heroes like Hawkeye and Deadpool have also appeared to help shepherd the team toward their goal. With Marvel putting out aThunderboltsmovie in theMCU, it would benefit them to advertise the team in a video game first.
1The Suicide Squad
DC’s Second Flagship Team
As of writing, The Suicide Squad is a team ofDCsupervillains that is almost as popular among audiences as The Justice League. The team has received two movies so far, and will be the focus of Rocksteady’s next game,Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. However, it looks like this game will only let playerscontrol four players: Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and King Shark.
Although all of these characters are great, The Suicide Squad is a team that has featured dozens of members in over half a decade’s worth of comics. Of course, aMarvel Ultimate Alliancetype of game would help new fans learn more about the lesser-known members, and could bring more villains to the forefront so thatDCisn’t stuck having to repeatedly use the same members over and again.
