Summary
In its first ten years, theMCUsaw success that had not been experienced by any other movie franchise in history. It seemed that almost every film thatMarvelreleased as part of its ongoing cinematic universe was expected to reach $1 billion at the box office. Although the franchise has seen these numbers drop off in recent years, the newer movies in theMCUare still making the company a lot of money.
There was a time when such a successful string of movies would be met with video game adaptations as part of the marketing. In fact, the first five movies in Phase One all received a video game. However, this trend stopped afterCaptain America: The First Avenger, which is unfortunate as many MCU entries would suit having avideo game adaptation.
8Guardians of the Galaxy
One of the advantages thatGuardians of the Galaxygave Marvel was that it allowed the company to experiment with a group of characters without it compromising the rest of the franchise. If the firstGuardians of the Galaxywas a flop, then it would not affect the rest ofthe MCU going forward. Why then did the company not continue this experimentation by giving fans a video game?
If Marvel did not want to start including video games as they may mess with the continuity of the franchise, then they could have easily given The Guardians an inconsequential space-exploration game to test the waters. If this had been a success, it could have opened the doors to more video game adaptations in the franchise.
7Ant-Man
If any character in the MCU needed a marketing push,it’sAnt-Man. When the movie was released in 2015, there weren’t many people in the non-comic book-reading community who knew whoAnt-Manwas. As such, a video game focusing on the title character could have gone a long way to boosting the character’s profile before the movie released.
What’s more,Ant-Man’spowers of size manipulationhave largely gone unexplored in video games. Imagine a puzzle game where players have to change size to get through the level or a combat system that requires them to swap sizes to deal with different types of enemies. Sadly, it was not meant to be.
6Spider-Man: Homecoming
By the timeTom Hollandwas readyto take on the role of Spider-Man, there had already been dozens of games that let players take control of the web swinger. The difference that fans would have experienced if they got to play a version ofSpider-Man: Homecomingis playing asSpider-Manin a world populated by other heroes.
Now, other superheroes have appeared in otherSpider-Mangames, but none of these took place in the MCU. It would be great to swing through New York City withThe AvengersTower from the movies in the background or with the heli carrier hovering in the sky.
5Thor: Ragnarok
After fans were disappointed withThor’ssecond outing in 2013, Marvel decided to hand the franchiseover to Taika Waititi.What followed was a vibrant and hilarious adventure featuring the Hulk and newcomer Valkyrie inThor: Ragnarok.
Even thoughThorhad already received a game adaptation in 2011, theGod of Warclone would have been a lot more fun on Battleworld or Waititi’s version of Asgard. The game could have also explored some new ways to showcaseThe Hulkin a video game.
4Black Panther
Black Pantherwas a bit of a surprise success for Marvel upon release. People expected it to do well but not to be the biggest MCU movie to release without the word ‘Avengers’ in the title. Such a surprise success indicates why Marvel did not adaptBlack Pantherinto a game straight away, but players are still waiting for the opportunity to explore Wakanda.
The movie also lends itself nicely to a video game adaptation. Forget exploring the open world ofWakandafor a second; the espionage sections in the film could also have madeBlack Pantheragreat stealth game.
3Captain Marvel
As the firstCaptain Marvelwas the last MCU film to be released beforeAvengers: Endgame, the hype behind this movie was huge. The movie was also another example ofMarvelexploring an untouched corner of its established universe. As such, the possibilities for exploration oradapting theCaptain Marvelmovie into a video game are endless.
The movie largely takes place on the Kree homeworld of Hala. This means that a game could follow the exact beats of theCaptain Marvelmovie or explore some of the character’s missions before her trip to Earth. Either way, it seems like a no-brainer to get people more hyped forAvengers: Endgamein this way.
2Black Widow
It took a while forBlack Widowto get her own movie, but it was worth the wait. As thefirst MCU movie to release sinceEndgame, it would have made sense for the studio to bolster the film with a tie-in game. It also makes sense when looking at how grounded the movie is.
There is no need for developers to worry about spectacle or complicated set pieces when adaptingBlack Widowinto a video game. The focus could rely mainly on stealth, combat, or driving sections similar toGTA.
1Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang Chiis an odd character to base a video game on. He was unknown to even some of the most hardcore comic fans at the time of his movie’s release, and his movie didn’t even featureany of the MCU’s big hitters. However, there was so much action inShang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsthat was the perfect fit for a video game.
The developers could have created an adaptation of the film with some Arkham-style combat or taken inspiration from the underground combat ring in the film to create an MCU fighting game. Just imagine pitting Thor up against Iron Monger in a video game ring.
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