Marvel has had their fair share of successes and failures when it comes to bringing their most popular comic characters to pixelated life on your home gaming systems over the years. The stars of Marvel’s movies have dominated their video game offerings for the most part, though games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 have flipped the script by putting the spotlight on the comic characters with surprisingly faithful nods to stories and events from the company’s long history. Here are five characters or teams who deserve games of their very own.
#1 DEADPOOL
As fun as it’s been to play Deadpool throughout both Ultimate Alliance games, we need more. Between the character’s teleporting abilities, acrobatic fighting style, arsenal of weapons and hilarious one-liners, the Merc With A Mouth would be perfect in a solo action game. Forget all the X-Men Origins: Wolverine nonsense–though an unlockable costume might be a nice bonus–and mine the Joe Kelly and Daniel Way runs on Deadpool along with Fabian Nicieza’s Cable/Deadpool for all the characters, humor and situations you might need, and give the game an Ed McGuinness style and you’ll turn Widdle Wade Wilson into a video game superstar, the likes of which haven’t been seen since that Italian plumber fell down a green tube.
#2 NICK FURY AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Marvel Universe’s number one super spy would be a perfect addition to the world of espionage-themed franchises like Metal Gear Solid and the James Bond games. To set it apart from every other “guy with a gun skulking around a warehouse, killing people” games, base the design on the Jim Steranko-drawn stories from the late 60s with all the wild colors, complex gadgets, sexy ladies and dastardly villains and you’ll have a game that mixes the thrills of the games you’re familiar with, with a color explosion and intricate style you’re not. And, as yet another nod to those amazing Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. issues, the “getting used to the controls” portion of the game should mimic Jimmy Woo’s peril-packed induction test in issue #2. Play as the eye patch-wearing man himself or any number of other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents like Woo, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones or The Contessa and see if you’ve got what it takes to save the world.
#3 THE RUNAWAYS
Non-comic fans might not be familiar with this group of teenagers who discover that their parents are supervillains and go on the run, but I guarantee that a game based on the comic would have something for any and all gamers. See, not only are their parents supervillains, but they each have their own specialty. One couple specializes in magic, another in technology, another in genetic engineering. So, when the Runaways, well, run away, they raid their parents’ HQs for weaopns resulting in a giant, leaping transport vehicle, a magical staff, a dinosaur and more. Base the game on creator Brian K. Vaughan’s run on the book and you’ll have enough action and drama to keep anyone interested in this complex tale of growing up and heroism. Plus, if the game is anything like the comic, you can give it to someone who doesn’t usually play games and suck them right in.
#4 DR. STRANGE
The now-former Sorcerer Supreme (Brother-cum-Doctor Voodoo holds the title in the comics now) Stephen Strange would be the perfect fit for a fantasy/horror adventure mixing RPG and action elements together in a mystical pot of goodness. Fight evil monsters and other-dimensional creatures to build up skill points that allow you to upgrade your spells and acquire more mystical artifacts like the Eye of Agamotto or the Book of the Vishanti. To mix the gameplay up, Strange’s manservant and martial arts master Wong and his sometimes-girlfriend Clea will join your party to offer their help. For the game’s design, take a look at Steve Ditko’s original art, but kick it into this century with the complete computing power of the next gen systems and you might start another cult-like following around the good doctor like Stan Lee and Ditko did back in the 60s when the hippies caught onto the psychedelic book.
#5 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
The current Guardians of the Galaxy might be bouncing through time and licking their wounds after a big huge space crossover, but the idea of a team consisting of characters called Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord, Bug, Gamora (the most dangerous woman in the universe), Cosmo the psychic Russian dog and Groot king of the tree people, just seems too perfect to pass up. A quirky team to say the least, the Guardians take on the biggest problems in the universe–from the aforementioned big huge space crossover to rips in reality–and always come out on top, even when their plans fall apart. You can base their game exploits on the comics or just let creators Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning dream up a brand new one, either way you’ll have a solid story to go along with these visually dynamic characters. Pick your favorite Guardian and head off to save the galaxy by yourself or online with friends.