The Marvel Cinematic Universe is having a bit of a rough time at the minute. While Phase 4 certainly had its share of solid entries, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: No Way Home being real standouts, it also had its fair share of disappointments, with movies like The Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder failing to meet expectations. And with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania now out, it seems as though this disappointing trend might continue. That all being said though, the MCU is still an incredibly popular franchise, and it's odd that Marvel's video game department has never achieved such heights.
Marvel video games been around since the very dawn of gaming, with Spider-Man on the Atari 2600 appearing all the way back in 1982. For direct comparison, that means Marvel has had a presence in the gaming industry for over 40 years, which vastly outnumbers the MCU's 15-year lifespan. But despite all its standout titles, Marvel's video games have never managed to achieve the same level of success as the MCU, and there are a good few reasons why.
Why Marvel Video Games Just Don't Reach the Same Height as the MCU
Marvel has had its fair share of successes in the world of video games. Back in the day, the X-Men cabinet was a staple of any good arcade, offering state-of-the-art visuals and addictive 4-player co-op. In the world of console gaming, the Marvel Vs. Capcom series delivered one of the greatest crossovers in all of gaming. The PlayStation 2's Spider-Man 2 pushed the boundaries of what movie tie-ins could do, while recent titles like Guardians of the Galaxy and Midnight Suns show that there's still a wealth of potential for video games based on the Marvel license.
But despite all of those hits, Marvel's video game sales pale in comparison to the MCU. Even the lowest-grossing MCU movie, 2008's The Incredible Hulk, still grossed almost $300 million at the international box office. The one video game that comes close to the MCU's success is 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man. According to a 2022 Sony report, Marvel's Spider-Man has officially sold more than 33 million copies. Quick math will reveal that this essentially means that over the last five years, Marvel's Spider-Man has pulled in almost $2 billion in revenue, though that's only if each copy sold for $60, which is extremely unlikely.
In general, Marvel's video games just don't reach the same heights as the MCU, and there are a few core reasons behind this. The first key reason is that Marvel's video game branding just isn't nearly on the same level as the MCU. Over the last 15 years, the MCU has carefully constructed one of the most cohesive universes, and now multiverses, in all of cinematic history. Every movie and TV show that's part of the MCU feeds into one big overarching story and universe, and fans are encouraged to watch every piece of media to ensure that they understand everything going on in the bigger tent pole releases. Marvel's video games just don't have this. In the last few years, Marvel has released Ultimate Alliance 3, Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Midnight Suns, and the ill-fated Marvel's Avengers, and all of these games belong to their own continuities. There's no throughline between games, and that leads to audiences skipping over entries that don't immediately appeal to them.
Another key reason behind the difference between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel's video game department is that movies simply appeal to a broader audience. Gaming is one of the most popular pastimes now, and it's continuing to grow day by day, but it's still vastly overshadowed by the movie industry. Even the best-selling games in the world struggle to reach the same level of revenue as just one summer blockbuster, and that's a big reason why Marvel video games just can't match the success of the MCU.