Marvel Comics has been publishing superhero books for decades, and it didn’t take long for its characters to find their way into video games. The first was 1982’s Spider-Man for the Atari 2600. What followed was a slew of mostly crummy adaptations and cash-grab beat-’em-ups that aren’t worth mentioning. Fortunately, that’s not all there is, and Marvel has produced a few excellent games over the years. We’ve sifted through the pile and found the top ten, but we’re limiting the selections to only one from a given franchise. Also, yes, most are Spidey-focused, but you can’t blame Marvel — he’s the company’s biggest seller!
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10) X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Most cinephiles agree that X-Men Origins: Wolverine wasn’t the best movie to feature everyone’s favorite clawed Canadian mutant. While the film has its problems, the game released alongside it is surprisingly fantastic! This is rare, as most movie tie-in games are terrible. In this case, however, Raven Software and Activision took the assignment and gave it their all. It’s one of the best Wolverine-focused games to date, though Marvel’s Wolverine by Insomniac Games will likely unseat it when it’s finally released. Regardless, if you’ve never played X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it’s worth a look.
9) Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Capcom is arguably the king of fighting games, and the company has developed several with Marvel characters. The best from the franchise is Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, released in 2011 on all available platforms. Players form teams of three characters to fight opponents, and the game features several updates to the format. It boasts a sizable character roster and an overall well-designed online experience. As fighting games go, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is fun, features excellent controls, and lets you fight with your favorite Marvel Comics characters, which is something fans love.
8) Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a 2010 action-adventure game featuring everyone’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, but with a twist! The game actually features four Spider-Man characters: Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, and Spider-Man Noir. Gameplay involves switching between dimensions, requiring the player to learn each character’s moves as they work together to save the Marvel Multiverse. It features a myriad of mechanics, thanks to the multiple Spider-Men, and was a surprise hit when it was released. Renowned Spider-Man scribe Dan Slott worked on the game and later developed the Spider-Verse comics, which then inspired the animated Spider-Verse feature films.
7) Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals is the newest game on this list, and it’s also incredibly popular. Developed and released by NetEase Games in 2024 for every available device, Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play shooter featuring 44 characters from Marvel Comics’ library. It boasts cross-platform play, so if you fire it up on your PlayStation 4, you can battle with users on their Xbox Series X|S. The game features plenty of PVE, which makes it pretty chaotic, and there are over a dozen maps. Marvel Rivals features an overarching story about a timestream problem that creates new worlds, forcing everyone to fight each other to defeat two Doctor Dooms.
6) Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
When Marvel Studios announced it was developing The Guardians of the Galaxy into a feature film, many were skeptical, given the characters’ relative obscurity. Boy, were they wrong! Not only did the film do well, but it spawned two sequels and a holiday special. It also resulted in the development of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, a 2021 action-adventure game focusing on the characters. The game was developed in partnership with Square Enix, and the characters look dissimilar to their MCU counterparts. While it didn’t sell well, it features a fantastic story and great controls, so if you missed the game when it was released, it’s time to check it out.
5) Spider-Man 2 (2004)
In yet another rare example of a movie tie-in game being good instead of awful, 2004’s Spider-Man 2, released alongside the film, is an excellent addition to the Spidey library. It was released on everything that could play it, and while it appears dated today, it was an exceptional achievement at the time. The game’s storyline follows that of the feature film, and the actors all reprised their roles for their video game characters. The handheld ports weren’t as good as the console versions, which allowed for a great deal of exploration and web-swinging throughout New York City, providing endless entertainment.
4) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role-playing game with much of the same combat mechanics found in the preceding two X-Men Legends games. While they’re solid choices, and Ultimate Alliance had two sequels, the first game is widely considered to be the best of them all. It simplifies RPG elements in favor of experience-point-based ability upgrades and features an extensive character roster alongside an engrossing story. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was a massive hit upon release, keeping the format going for several years, though a considerable amount of time passed between its sequels.
3) LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
There are many great LEGO superhero games, several of which feature Marvel characters, but the best of the franchise is LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, released in 2013. The game was available on every console or platform at the time and features gameplay similar to DC Comics’ LEGO games. Players can alternate between a roster of characters, all with their own abilities, as they proceed through the game’s story. It involves Marvel’s heroes banding together to thwart the villainous schemes of Doctor Doom and Loki. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes received a sequel in 2017, which is also excellent, but the first remains Marvel’s best LEGO game.
2) Spider-Man (2000)
Spider-Man is a 2000 action-adventure game developed by Neversoft for Activision. It was released on most consoles of the era and isn’t related to any movies. In the game, Spider-Man needs to clear his name, thanks to a doppelgänger tarnishing his already crummy reputation. Through it all, Doctor Octopus and Carnage, along with the Sinister Six and a bunch more villains, get in the way. Spider-Man features narration by none other than Stan “The Man” Lee, and is a lot of fun to play. It’s dated by modern standards, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining.
1) Marvel’s Spider-Man
Of all the games involving Marvel Comics’ characters, the one that broke the mold was Insomniac Games’ 2018 massive hit, Marvel’s Spider-Man. It’s less a video game than it is a fully interactive cinematic experience that’s filled with more Easter eggs than anyone could find. It also features a great deal of lore, excellent controls, more costumes than anyone could wear, and a fully digitized version of Manhattan, which you can swing through for hours, getting lost in its beauty. Insomniac developed a sequel and a spin-off, both of which are excellent games. Still, the company hasn’t fully outdone its initial offering … yet.
What’s your favorite Marvel Comics game? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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