Marvel have experimented with a plethora of different genres and game types over the years. From open-world action-adventure, to turn-based strategy games with an occult twist, to cooperative live-service games, and even a handful of VR titles, Marvel has put out a variety of video game experiences for a wide variety of audiences.
But looking back at the past decade or two of Marvel's video game output, the vast majority of experiences tend to be third-person action games with a Teen ESRB rating or lower. While these games may tackle some heavier themes and may have plenty of dramatic moments, they try to remain lighthearted overall. While this is obviously a natural fit for Marvel's brand, it might be nice if Marvel occasionally experimented with some darker, more mature themes and features. For example, there is one type of horror game that could be a perfect fit for Marvel this time next year.
Family
Marvel Rivals successfully avoids one of Marvel's Avengers biggest mistakes
Marvel's Avengers made a lot of mistakes in its relatively short lifespan, and Marvel Rivals looks like it's already avoiding one of the biggest.
Marvel Zombies could pave the way for a new type of Marvel video game
Marvel Zombies Comic offers great inspiration
Back in November 2005, a run of Ultimate Fantastic Four series titled “Crossover” reached its climax. In this run, Reed Richards is contacted by an alternate universe version of himself, and he goes over to that universe. This universe ends up being home to zombified versions of various Marvel heroes and villains, serving as a backdoor pilot for Marvel Zombies run that would begin just a month later.
Released between December 2005 and April 2007, Marvel Zombies was originally a five-issue limited series written by Robert Kirman (of Walking Dead fame) and illustrated by Sean Phillips. This series follows the alternate Earth-2149 that is being teased Ultimate Fantastic Fourwhere a virus has turned Earth's mightiest heroes and villains into flesh-eating zombies. But unlike most zombie fiction, Marvel Zombies' carnivores retain most of their cognitive abilities and superpowers. The horror comes from what these heroes and villains would do to satisfy their hunger.
Since the 2005–2007 miniseries, Marvel Zombies has released a slew of sequels and spinoffs, essentially becoming an entire Marvel comic series in its own right. The last post in the series was Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decaya four-issue run that began in September and is due to end in December.
The upcoming Marvel Zombies Disney+ series could set the stage for a game
In 2021, Marvel released What if…? animated show on Disney+. One of the episodes in the anthology program, What if…Zombies?took direct inspiration from Marvel Zombies comics, but in this continuity the Avengers don't get a virus from an alien but from Janet van Dyne, who got something in the Quantum Realm.
When Bruce Banner is sent back to Earth to warn the world of Thanos' imminent arrival, he is ambushed by a horde of zombies, including Doctor Strange and Iron Man. The rest of the episode follows survivors like Wasp, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Panther and Vision as they try to find a cure for the zombie virus. A four-part sequel to this storyline will be released in October 2025 under the banner Marvel Zombies.
What a Marvel Zombies video game could look like
The coming one Marvel Zombies series gives Marvel the rare opportunity to make a more mature game and experiment with a genre it's never really dabbled in before. A Left 4 Dead-style zombie games could work really well for one Marvel Zombies adaptation, which lets players embark on co-op zombie-slaying missions as a band of iconic heroes or villains across a range of well-known Marvel locations.
With just a few levels, players can get the chance to face a zombified version of a beloved Marvel character. And much like the show and the series, it would be adapted, a central appeal of one Marvel Zombies Video games would let players fight against heroes they would never normally face, like Captain America or Spider-Man. The Marvel Zombies theme would also allow for a bit more gore than Marvel games are usually used to.
Marvel
Marvel is a brand associated with a wide range of popular superhero comics, movies, television shows and merchandise. The company owns the rights to popular characters such as The Avengers, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Deadpool and many more.
