5 Marvel Teams That Deserve Their Own Multiplayer Game

Whenever you imagine a game based on characters from Marvel Comics, many people will either envision a specific character or a team of heroes. From The Avengers to the Guardians of the Galaxy, the idea of teaming up with specific Marvel characters has been the basis of some great mulitplayer games. However, a title that focused solely on a specific team has the potential to be groundbreaking, pairing great super-powered figures in collaborative settings for players to overcome challenges together.

One of the biggest examples of a good Marvel multiplayer game with many heroes and villains teaming up is the Ultimate Alliance series. This four player beat-em-up or hack and slash game features many characters from across the Marvel universe, but not always faces who normally form named teams. Much like how the X-Men deal with mutant threats and the Guardians of the Galaxy deal with dangers in the cosmos, part of the fun from specific teams is seeing what obstacles they encounter uniquely compared to other groups.

5. The Champions

The Champions are a group of young superheroes in Marvel’s pantheon, formed after the second Civil War event shook up the status quo much like the previous event of the same name. This team was formed by Ms Marvel, Miles Morales Spider-Man, and Sam Alexander, also known as Nova. Joining them were a new Hulk, Amadeus Cho, Viv Vision, and the younger version of Cyclops displaced by time of the team’s creation.

Other characters like Gwenpool, Ironheart, Falcon, Patriot, and other “successor” characters are crucial to The Champions, making up a list of heroes with a lot to prove. A multiplayer experience with these characters could easily show them grow into a prominent team, with RPG elements being a possible way for gameplay to allow a character to grow stronger over time. Mechanics similar to Marvel’s Midnight Sons would perfectly fit a game with The Champions, whose dynamics and interactions could be much more grounded than the legendary mantles of heroes like Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America.

4. Thunderbolts

Originally, The Thunderbolts were a Marvel team comprised of villains posing as heroes, with Baron Zemo creating a team meant to replace the Avengers and Fantastic Four, who were thought dead at the time. Ever since, this team has been a haven for villains looking to team up, whether it’s for their own interests or to work for the government in some capacity. Any game involving the Thunderbolts could take inspiration from the MCU movie of the same time, but the team’s depth in the comics could create an even more impressive roster.

Depending on The Thunderbolts’ leadership, characters like Norman Osborn (aka the Green Goblin), the Red Hulk Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the Winter Soldier, or Mayor Wilson Fisk as the Kingpin could easily give players direction in a game as the often underrated Marvel team. The U.S. Agent, The Rhino, a version of Venom, Elektra, or team veterans like Songbird, Atlas, or MACH-IV could easily become playable characters with abilities tied to their skills and powers. Similar in ways to DC’s Suicide Squad, the Thunderbolts would represent figures from Marvel’s history that don’t often get the spotlight.

3. Inhumans

The main draw of a team like The Inhumans is the near Game of Thrones levels of politics their cast of characters creates. Black Bolt and Medusa are not just leaders, but rulers, with the powers of their fellow Inhumans creating sharp dynamics and interpersonal relationships that players could explore in a potential game. A party-based system like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Final Fantasy with heavy RPG systems might reflect a story straight out of an Inhumans comic.

The mature storytelling of Inhumans stands apart from the tone of the X-Men in significant ways too, with the royal family alone providing politics you wouldn’t see in Charles Xavier’s school for mutants. Perhaps an Inhumans multiplayer game could have players create a new face among the super-powered society, with their exposure to the Terrigen Mist capturing the interest of the big players in Inhumans society. The quests or paths created by players choosing who to trust would be just as exciting as action-packed sequences, although those too would have their place with super-powered gameplay.

2. The Fantastic Four

There have been games featuring Marvel’s first team — The Fantastic Four. Beat-em-ups and action-adventure titles have defined multiplayer experiences, but surprisingly, The Fantastic Four have never had a game dedicated to their incredibly long history in Marvel beyond a surface level. Movie tie-in games or arcade titles that take less than an hour to beat hardly do The Fantastic Four justice, as their cosmic and other sci-fi adventures could craft the perfect multiplayer experience.

Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, The Human Torch, and the Invisible Woman already have enough collaboration to make up an ideal four-player game, but extended members of the family could also be playable in any title made for this Marvel group. Anyone from Spider-Man to Franklin or Valeria Richards might broaden a Fantastic Four game into one with a diverse, yet connected, roster.

1. The Defenders

The Defenders are the “street-level” characters of Marvel, throwing away the cosmic or world-ending threats of the universe in favor for grounded stories about corruption that affect common people. This team is almost begging for a Streets of Rage-style of game, putting itself up with detailed beat-em-ups or other action titles to take down threats across Marvel’s underworld. The Punisher, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, or Iron Fist are just a few of the iconic names who players could control on this team in a multiplayer setting.

Taking down wave after wave of the The Hand’s ninjas, fending off the Kingpin’s hired thugs, or battling other threats as The Defenders is a simple premise that holds a lot of promise. Among Marvel’s wide variety of teams, The Defenders have the best blend of well-known characters and enemies to create a multiplayer game for friends to get together and enjoy.

What Marvel team do you think would make the perfect multiplayer game? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!