Marvel Comics #1 published in 1939, featuring the Human Torch in his first iteration by Carl Burgos. While Marvel Comics would remain a popular publisher over the remainder of the century, it became a juggernaut thanks to the success of 2008’s Iron Man — spawning the Marvel Cinematic Universe that currently encompasses 23 movies. While Marvel movies and video games were produced before 2008, current titles like Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man and Crystal Dynamics’ Marvel’s Avengers no doubt owe their existence to the MCU.
Yet the MCU is not restricted to cinematic productions. There are a number of television shows in the expanded universe, including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC and the upcoming WandaVision on Disney+. However, many fans felt The Defenders on Netflix was underwhelming compared to its initial promise. Standalone shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones were huge hits for the streaming service, but their collaboration in 2017 had poor ratings and contributed to each series dying off.
The fact that Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist (alongside The Punisher) each succeeded to varying degrees suggests The Defenders as a brand could survive in other mediums like video games. Marvel’s Avengers features superheroes like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America that have become popular culture icons thanks to the MCU, and a theoretical Defenders game could take characters from Netflix’s Marvel shows and give them a second chance with readjusted personalities based on different circumstances.
Like the Avengers, the Defenders as an organization existed in Marvel Comics canon for decades. The name first appeared in Marvel Feature #1 from 1971, with a group consisting of Doctor Strange, Hulk, and Namor. These characters would cycle in-and-out with heroes from all corners of the Marvel universe, including the four that would be selected to form Netflix’s representation. Crystal Dynamics’ video game may predominately feature MCU mainstays like Iron Man and Black Widow, but it also has heroes like Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel.
A Defenders video game could carry itself in a similar way. By focusing the stakes of the Marvel universe down to one city area (presumably around Hell’s Kitchen in New York), the game could have a succinct open-world construction like Insomniac’s Spider-Man while featuring a selection of street-level characters beyond those like Jessica Jones who are familiar to television audiences.
This idea has a number of benefits beyond opening another opportunity to figure out how multiple unique characters intermingle. While it’s hard to argue with the power fantasy of controlling someone like Thor to demolish enemies with near-mystical abilities, Rocksteady Studios’ Batman Arkham series show that audiences will readily connect with less God-like heroes such as Daredevil.
The less flashy powers of a group like the Defenders offers interesting gameplay opportunities. The four principal characters in Netflix’s The Defenders are relatively similar brawlers with different specialities. For example, Daredevil is stealthy and adept at dodging attacks because of his enhanced senses, whereas Iron Fist relies on martial arts to defend himself before delivering singular, fatal blows. Taking on the branching skill tree system of Marvel’s Avengers could allow the Defenders cast to start at a similar difficulty level for players, but become more unique over time.
Anyone on the fence about the idea of street-level superheroes with similar means of combat creating a cohesive unit only need look at another major title: Warner Bros. Montreal’s Gotham Knights. Though it’s hard to judge how successful this game is given it releases in 2021, the premise essentially has four specialized versions of Batman take to the streets of Gotham. The developers even say Gotham Knights will be familiar to Arkham series fans. If that works, why couldn’t an action RPG based on The Defenders?
Marvel’s Avengers is available for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.
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