After being announced at this year's Disney and Marvel Games Showcase, Skydance New Media's Marvel Project already shows a lot of promise with its World War Two setting, and it could open the door to characters from Marvel's golden age that fans have yet to see. Details are sparse for the time being, but based on the trailer and artwork so far characters like Black Panther and Captain America will play lead roles with Hydra being the implied antagonist. Beyond this, fans are speculating what to expect from the game and how it might chalk up to other Marvel games currently available or in development.
However, the setting not only provides Skydance the breathing room to get creative, but it also offers ample potential to tap into Marvel's history. Since the game takes place during WW2, it's more than likely that characters such as Bucky Barnes will make an appearance. However, Skydance should seize the opportunity to dig deeper for classic Marvel characters to compliment its protagonists and elevate stories that otherwise might not have been seen.
Agent Axis
Agent Axis is a supervillain who seems to be the literal embodiment of the Axis Powers of WW2, making them an ideal addition to Skydance's project. Though they've had various interpretations across the comics, the gimmick of Agent Axis is that they are the amalgamation of three men: one German, one Italian, and one Japanese. While this gave them super strength, endurance, and reflexes, it has also left their mind fractured. With a loose origin story and a clear-cut connection to WW2, Agent Axis could be an ideal blank slate for a possible boss or secondary antagonist.
Black Widow
Though Black Widow is an exceptionally popular and easily recognized character, the likes of the MCU or Marvel's Avengers haven't engaged with some of her most interesting stories. While fans may have wanted to see the Black Widow love story with the Winter Soldier, her biggest storyline was arguably that she served as a Hydra double agent. Though Black Widow cleared up Natasha's origin in the MCU, Skydance could instead take a new direction with the character and return to the classic comics. With Hydra involved, Black Widow could throw a curveball for players as both hero and villain.
Citizen V
Among these prospective characters, Citizen V could prove the most influential, especially for the MCU. Citizen V is an identity used by several people across the comics but originated during WW2 in Nazi-occupied France as a leader of the V-Battalion. In a similar ethos to Batman, Citizen V is not superhuman but instead is a symbol for the resistance to rally behind. Given that Paris is expected to be among the locations set to appear in the game, Citizen V could be the perfect fit as an ally to one of Skydance's four Marvel heroes.
However, Citizen V has additional ties to Baron Zemo, who not only killed the first Citizen V but took on the mantle as leader of the Thunderbolts. With the Thunderbolts film planned for 2024 and Zemo's inclusion still unconfirmed, the game could test the waters for Zemo's return as Citizen V in the MCU, especially after The Falcon and The Winter Soldier demonstrated Zemo's popularity. Though the origin story may need to be tweaked, Citizen V could make their big screen break if they were proven worthwhile by Skydance.
Golden Girl
While Captain America has well-known companions such as Bucky and Peggy Carter, one of Steve Roger's other allies has yet to make an appearance in the MCU. Golden Girl was the identity taken by Elizabeth "Betsy" Ross, an FBI agent who aided Captain America during and after WW2. Though powerless, she is a skilled combatant with a bulletproof cape. At a time when the superhero genre is striving to become more diverse and distance itself from problematic tropes like the damsel in distress, reworking Golden Girl's origins and having her fight alongside Captain America could be a great benefit.
Iron Cross
Iron Cross is arguably a WW2 parallel to the modern Iron Man, as both are suits of armor that can enhance strength and durability with flight capability. Like Citizen V, the Iron Cross armor has been donned by multiple characters but originated from WW2. First worn by Helmut Gruler, he vowed to use the suit to fight the Nazis while simultaneously protecting Germany. Similar to Black Widow, Helmut represents a moral gray area of a German citizen rejecting Nazi ideology but fearful of Allied invasion. Skydance could include Iron Cross to complement its narrative focus and demonstrate the moral challenges of WW2.
Thin Man
Until the highly-anticipated Fantastic Four releases in 2024, Marvel fans are short on stretching superheroes. Skydance could introduce Thin Man to fill the gap, as he's another hero from Marvel's Golden Age who is capable of plasticity. Given Thin Man's relative anonymity to mainstream audiences and the low probability he'll feature elsewhere in Marvel's games, film, or TV shows, Skydance should take advantage of this and get creative with him. He could offer a different range of powers and fighting styles beyond what players will likely see with Black Panther, Captain America, Gabe Jones, and Nanali.
Union Jack
Not to be confused with Captain Britain, Union Jack could feature in Skydance's project as another WW2 hero open to interpretation, provided Olivia Colman's rumored role in Secret Invasion isn't a gender-swap of the character. Much like Citizen V and Iron Cross, several have served as Union Jack, but most notably was Brian Falsworth. Son to the first Union Jack, Brian had been imprisoned in Germany where he took a derivation of the super-soldier serum Steve Rogers received. As a result, he has most if not all of Captain America's powers, including his strength, speed, and durability.
Brian was confirmed Marvel's first chronologically gay hero in the early 2000s, joining the likes of Northstar who was the first openly gay character in Marvel's real-world history in 1992. Since the Nazi regime targeted minorities based on race, religion, disability, and sexuality throughout the Holocaust, Union Jack could join Skydance's cast against such discrimination and inhumanity. Whether Skydance would tackle such challenging storylines is currently unknown, but as Amy Hennig has an influential legacy of games and given the title's narrative focus, it is a storyline with potential.
Skydance New Media's Marvel Project is currently in development.