Over the last decade, there have been several great Marvel games, but no one has been able to top Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man series. Both numbered games and the Miles Morales spin-off have become breakout hits for the studio. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that fans have high expectations for Marvel’s Wolverine. Insomniac’s upcoming foray into the X-Men side of Marvel is undoubtedly looking great in early trailers, but it’s not the only exciting Marvel game on the horizon. Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra might end up being the better game, and will almost certainly be worth playing for Marvel fans.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Here are three reasons Marvel 1943 might be even better than Marvel’s Wolverine.
3) The Team Behind It
In November 2019, it was announced that Skydance Media had brought in Amy Hennig to start a new video game development company called Skydance New Media. Many will know Hennig as one of the driving forces behind the Uncharted series, though she’s also one of the names behind the Legacy of Kain series.
Sure, Hennig’s most recent project, Forspoken, failed to live up to her resume, but it’s important to remember that she only wrote the story concept for that game. With Marvel 1943, she’s back in the producer/writer chair, which means she’s getting back to her most successful roles.
Of course, she’s just part of a team, but Skydance has consistently produced blockbuster products. The Uncharted series is essentially a summer blockbuster in video game form, so Hennig’s talents should mesh well with the studio. If nothing else, Marvel 1943 should impress fans with over-the-top action and storytelling.
2) The Heroes
Wolverine is a fan-favorite superhero and a great way to prepare fans for future Insomniac X-Men games. However, Marvel 1943 has its own great lineup, mixing a few stars with lesser-known heroes who are getting a chance to shine in the upcoming adventure.
Captain America and Black Panther are the two standouts. There is one important distinction to keep in mind, though. This is still Steve Rogers under the Captain America gear, but it’s not the Black Panther character many are used to.
T’Challa is the modern Black Panther, and the character most are familiar with from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel 1943 is set during World War 2, long before T’Challa was even born. Instead, this version of Black Panther is his grandfather, Azzuri.
We don’t know much about Marvel 1943‘s story, but it’d be fun to see the developers explore the relationship between Azzuri’s sons. T’Chaka eventually took up the Black Panther mantle before passing it on to his son T’Challa. Azzuri’s other son, N’Jobu, turned on the family to join the War Dogs. The birth dates might not line up perfectly, but Skydance could always play around with them to give us a hint of the brothers’ relationship.
Outside of the two main heroes, fans will get to play as Gabe Jones, one of the Howling Commandos, and Nanali, who is the leader of the Wakandan Spy Network. That foursome should give fans plenty of diverse mission types as they fight back against Hydra.
1) The Setting
The biggest selling point for Marvel 1943 is its setting. Most Marvel games are set in the modern day, making them feel like they exist in the same universe. That’s helpful for world-building, especially with Insomniac’s series, but it also makes it a little bland.
Marvel 1943 takes players back to World War 2, giving them a brand-new setting to explore. It’d be even more fun to see a studio adapt something like Marvel 1602 or 1872 and take superheroes even further back into the past, but this should feel like a fresh take on a crowded IP.
It also lets Skydance have some fun with Steve Rogers’ and Hydra’s origin. We’ve seen this on the big screen, but a video game version of that story lets the creators dig in even deeper, giving players the chance to experience an underserved era of the Marvel universe.
If Skydance’s plan to deliver a story-driven experience works well, this might not be the last Marvel game from the team. Hopefully, future entries will also dive into stories that haven’t been explored as much in video games. Imagine a game set in the Marvel Noir timeline or one that adapts the House of M series. The possibilities seem nearly endless if Marvel 1943 knocks it out of the park.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Paramount+ -
Image courtesy of Seeker Games -
A closeup of a PlayStation 5 with a controller on top.
