With both franchises having existed for well over 80 years, it's only natural that both Marveland DC have extensive rosters of beloved characters. The Justice League, the Avengers, the Teen Titans, and the Guardians of the Galaxy are all just some of the most well-known comic book superhero teams on the planet, with each one containing a slew of loved characters. It makes sense that these characters are the ones that both Marvel and DC's video games have really focused on up till now. However, there are plenty of other iconic characters for Marvel and DC to adapt outside of the usual franchise staples.
Multiverses have become the latest trend in blockbuster cinema, with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse bringing the subject into the mainstream, Spider-Man: No Way Home showing the power it can have over an audience, and The Flash acting as a warning for how it shouldn't be done. But while this subject matter is fairly new for the world of superhero movies, it's been a long-established tradition in comics, and a good few multiverse characters from both Marvel and DC have become some of the most cherished versions of those icons. It's these characters that deserve their own video game adaptation.
Marvel and DC Video Games Should Adopt a Futuristic Setting
There are already countless excellent comic arcs for future Marvel and DC video games to adapt, and despite superhero games being around for a few decades now, it feels as though they're only just getting started. Marvel is currently gearing up to a whole plethora of new superhero video games. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine and currently well on the way, Skydance is producing a WW2-era Captain America and Black Panther game, EA Motive is hard at work on an Iron Man game, and EA's new Cliffhanger Games studio has just announced a Black Panther title.
Then on the DC side of things, James Gunn is currently in the midst of restarting the entire DC entertainment universe, encompassing not just the live-action movies, but any TV shows and video games as well. According to Gunn, this new DC universe will focus on franchise synergy even more so than ever before, with live-action characters appearing in video games and vice versa. Fans are potentially on the precipice of a brand new golden age for Marvel and DC video games, and there are two heroes that'll likely lead the charge.
Spider-Man and Batman are the two most popular superheroes on the entire planet, and as such it's no wonder why they've already had the most video games of their respective franchises. But while Insomniac's Spider-Man games are great, and Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham trilogy is beloved, fans can't keep playing those games forever. A great way to give fans something familiar but fresh and new is by delivering a multiverse story. Batman and Spider-Man have plenty of multiverse stories to choose from, but their best options might be those set in the future.
For Marvel, potentially the best avenue for the next Spider-Man game would be one following Spider-Man 2099, the wall-crawler of Earth-928, set in the futuristic Nueva York. Appearing in the comics all the way back in 1992, Spider-Man 2099 has recently shot to fame thanks to his appearance in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. A Spider-Man 2099-focused game would give players the same type of gameplay they love from Insomniac's series, but with a fresh new backdrop and plenty of new characters.
For DC, a Batman Beyond game should definitely be the next project on the slate. Made specifically for the 1999 animated series, Batman Beyond sees an older Bruce Wayne mentor a new Batman in a futuristic Gotham City. Though Batman Beyond doesn't have quite the same recognition as Spider-Man 2099 right now, he's still a beloved character, and he's a great pick for a refreshing but familiar type of Batman game.