No, DC Allies isn't a real thing, but it absolutely should be

It doesn't take long for video game memes to take off. A part of the internet since its inception, gaming-inspired memes are everywhere. Skyrims “arrow to the knee” and, more recently, “hey you, you're finally awake,” have taken on lives of their own. Cory in the house for the Nintendo DS has been climbing the Metacritic charts, players are offering their lives as Kratos at practically every turn, and internet users have been pressing F to pay their respects for years now. It is therefore only natural that a parody of the hit hero shooter Marvel Rivals would hang on though DC Allies has become much more than a quick joke you can find in a comment section on YouTube.

It didn't take long for DC fans to share their hopes for one Marvel Rivals clone based on their preferred comic book brand, with James Gunn's recognition of the idea's potential only adding fuel to the fire. Almost as fast Marvel Rivals was revealed, users joked that it was only a matter of time before DC Allies happened. And while these jokes were simple at first, they've since spawned a full-on role-playing community DC Allies is real and Marvel Rivals is nothing more than a fictional video game. With over 42,000 members in DC Allies subreddit at the time of writing, the jokes are unlikely to stop anytime soon. But at the same time it is hugely entertaining to watch DC Allies in action, the harsh reality behind the joke is that a hero shooter based on the company would be phenomenal.

While DC Allies subreddit was created all the way back in January 2025, it has grown in popularity recently after being enlightened by Marvel Rivals streamers like Bogur.

DC's rumored hero shooter must avoid a mistake in marvel rivals

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DC's rumored Hero Shooter must avoid a Marvel Rivals mistake

Speaking of DC's new live service title being a superhero shooter, care must be taken not to make the same mistakes as Marvel Rivals.

What Exactly Happens in the DC Allies Subreddit?

As a parody of Marvel Rivalsthe following types of posts are common within DC Allies subreddit:

Discussion of false balance sheets in parity with Marvel Rivals' developer updates, with players outraged by fake buffs and nerfs.
Posts about popular or pay to lose skins, with Parallax Green Lantern in the former category and the bulky Absolute Batman look in the latter group. (The Parallax Green Lantern model is just an obvious revision of Mr. Fantastic's Maker skin, which adds to the humor).
Regular jokes about the “fan game” Marvel Rivalswith official art treated as player-made concepts.
Parodies of ongoing discussions in Marvel Rivals subreddit, such as debates about the quality of (fake) friendly and hostile voice lines for DC Allies the list.
“New Heroes” mockups, where players come up with surprisingly deep kits that imagine how their favorite DC character would work in a hero shooter. Fake skin concepts are also shared, like tie suits for James Gunn's Superman.

What does DC Allies so amusing is that all of the subreddit's users fully embrace the concept and have remarkably deep discussions about a game that doesn't exist. There is false “play” of DC Allies that places a Batman mod on Moon Knight and sees him throw batarans instead of Crescent Darts, a nonexistent Twitch page has been created that places DC Allies' viewership far above the game's biggest hero shooters, and even viral parodies Marvel Rivals memes — for example, gag about no-kill Spider-Man matchups being correct because of the hero's no kill rule and apply it to Spider-Man. The subreddit's members are as delusional as they are smart, and seeing the occasional post about salty Lex Luthor heads between threads about games that actually exist proves to be a consistent source of humor for many.

Still as fun as DC Allies is (and make no mistake, it's hilarious to see thousands of people pretending a non-existent game is their favorite pastime), there's a layer of frustration behind every joke. While Marvel fans have been spoiled with a variety of games — turn-based role-playing games, linear and open-ended action games, card games, and the hero shooter that inspired DC Allies gag, DC fans have endured quite a drought. Gotham Knights did not contact the audience, the promising ones Wonder Woman the game was suspended, Injustice 3 remains a dream, and the supposed Arkham revival is years away. When DC movies finally get back on track, it would be great to see its gaming output follow suit, and a hero shooter would be a great way to get the ball rolling.

A real DC Hero Shooter is full of potential

DC has had success with multiplayer games in the past, such as DC Universe Online and the cult classic Gotham City Scammersso a hero shooter would feel like a logical progression for the brand. Sure, the genre is a little busy, but a DC hero shooter makes too much sense not to try considering it's a company that's all about heroes and villains. Maybe it could be a first-person shooter so it stands out Marvel Rivals little, as the two will of course be compared to each other at every turn. As for crossover skins, there's plenty of potential for WB's other properties to show up with Game of Thrones, The Lord of the RingsAEW and more collaborations on the table. As for a potential list, outside of the must-have characters like The Trinity, there are some fun options available, such as:

Fate of the Doctor (Support)
Clayface (Tank)
Adam Strange (injury)
Constantine (Support)
Shazam (Tank)
Plastic Man (damage)
Booster Gold (Support)
Lobo (Tank)
Hunter (damage)
Poison Ivy (Support)
Atrocitus (tank)
Blue Beetle (damage)
Beast Boy (Three roles as Marvel Rivals'Deadpool)

One thing that Marvel Rivals has done well is sneak in niche heroes like Angela and Elsa Bloodstone alongside high-profile additions like Deadpool, and any of the above names would fit the list of neat, lesser-known additions. Sure, The Bat Family would inevitably be on the list (a gun-toting Red Hood Tank and a tech-based Batgirl healer are basically guaranteed for a game like this), but the DC roster is full of interesting characters to adapt. Martian Manhunter, The Flash, multiple types of Lanterns – a DC hero shooter is sure to have a deep and varied roster of characters. With DC also having more unique settings to pick up for maps, such as Gotham, Metropolis, Themiscyra, Apokolips and Oa, such a game feels like a success. Hopefully it will be done, but until then players can watch DC Allies jokesters in action to get a potential glimpse into the future.