5 Comic Book Superheroes Who Deserve Their Own Video Game But Have Still Never Gotten One
Superheroes have proven to be a massive source of inspiration for video game developers. Studios have been putting out great games based on hit comics for decades, and they’ve only gotten better at making them. After all, Marvel’s Spider-Man took the world by storm, and the upcoming Marvel’s Wolverine looks primed to do the same. However, there are still plenty of popular heroes that deserve their own game. The five characters below might’ve had a bit part in a game before, but have never been the star of the show. Here are five superheroes who should get their own games.
5) Nightcrawler
As mentioned, it’s not like Nightcrawler has never appeared in a video game before. After all, the X-Men almost always show up as a group (unless you’re Wolverine). Nightcrawler has often been part of the party, notably showing up in X-Men Legends, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and even Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. However, most of those appearances can’t quite capture the fun it would be to play as Nightcrawler because they aren’t completely focused on his powers.
Imagine a stealth action game featuring Nightcrawler bouncing around the world with his teleporting power. In the hands of a seasoned developer, we could see Nightcrawler play a little like Dishonored, using his abilities to “Bamf” around open areas to set up attacks. When things go wrong, Nightcrawler could use his acrobatic and fencing skills to more than hold his own in melee combat. It’s almost too easy to see a Nightcrawler game becoming a massive hit.
4) Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange is another character who has obviously been in several video games, most recently as one of the playable heroes in the underrated Marvel’s Midnight Suns. However, he’s never had a starring role of his own. That’s a shame because he really is perfect for it. Not only does he have a fun set of powers that opens him up to a diverse list of gameplay options, but his use of magic means developers can take his story almost anywhere.
At this point, I don’t think Remedy would be interested in leaving its own universe, but a game like Control that stars Doctor Strange would go incredibly hard. It’s hard to say who could equal Remedy’s mastery of action games set in a weird world, but if somebody does it, they would make so much money. Of course, it would take a lot of money to make it happen, but I think it would be worth it. Just imagine floating around some wild, fantastical world, using magic to fight off hordes of enemies. It’d be great.
3) The Spirit
Okay, let’s get a little weird with it. I could keep listing Marvel and DC heroes that would work well, but that might get boring. Instead, let’s consider The Spirit. Created by cartoonist Will Eisner as a masked crimefighter who used to be a private investigator named Denny Colt. However, Colt was put into suspended animation before coming back to fight criminals outside of the law.
Technically, The Spirit doesn’t have any real superpowers. I’m still going to include him here because I think his gimmick could work well in the right genre. For The Spirit, I’m going with a LA Noire-like set-up. You’re playing as The Spirit as he goes around, trying to solve crimes. The series also has a huge cast of characters to draw from, so it’s not like we’d run out of mysteries for The Spirit to solve. Is this an excuse to get a new LA Noire? Yes, but I do think The Spirit is the perfect candidate for a spiritual sequel to that Rockstar classic.
2) Bloodshot
Putting the bad Vin Diesel film from 2020 aside, it’s high time we got a game based on Bloodshot and the wider Valiant Universe. There was a game being developed in the late ’90s for PlayStation and PC, but it was cancelled late in its development. Other than that, Bloodshot’s only video game appearance is a secret unlockable character in Shadow Man, the N64 and Dreamcast action-adventure game.
That’s too bad because Bloodshot would make a great video game character. The guy is pumped full of nanites that give him enhanced physical abilities. He’s almost like Valiant’s answer to Wolverine, except he also has limited shapeshifting abilities and his brain is filled with a database of every weapon that’s ever existed. Oh, and this guy can mentally talk to computers. I don’t know how you incorporate that all into one video game, but the possibilities seem nearly endless. Give the IP to anybody with money and a vision, and you could kickstart a run of great Valiant video games.
1) Savage Dragon
Now, we jump to the Image Universe. Like Bloodshot, there are a few characters a developer could pick from for this spot, but I’m going with Savage Dragon. That’s mostly because he has a great look that should translate well to a video game. Plus, I just like the idea of a classic beat ’em up where Savage Dragon is wasting baddies in the streets of Chicago. It’s simple, but it works.
Also like Bloodshot, Savage Dragon has near-limitless potential. He has superhuman strength and speed, and an accelerated healing factor. Again, it’s a little too much like Wolverine, but if you handle it correctly, you could make something that feels totally different from the upcoming game from Insomniac. And if you go with my idea of making it a beat ’em up, you could easily include popular Image characters like Invincible, Spawn, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as secret characters. Seeing all of them fighting together would be a blast.
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