While Marvel's Spider-Man and the Batman: Arkham games did not invent the concept, they set the new standard for how open-world games featuring superheroes should be made. As a result, fans are now being blessed with more games in the future, such as Marvel's Blade and the Wonder Woman game by Monolith Productions.
Ranking The 10 Best Open-World Superhero Games
Superhero games have grown in an open-world setting, and these 10 titles are a testament to how strong these heroes are in this genre.
Superhero games have no reason to stop there. Both Marvel and DC feature a multitude of heroes and even villains that could be translated into a new open-world game. With advancements in technology and game development, even the comic book characters that have had games in the past deserve a second chance.
10 Thor
God Of War Laid The Ground Work
- Real Name: Thor Odinson
- First Video Game Appearance: Marvel Ultimate Alliance - PS2, Xbox, GC, PC
With his ability to fly and nine mystical realms to explore, Thor seems ideal for a big-budget action game. If anything, God Of War: Ragnarok proved that a Thor game is possible with its take on Norse mythology. On top of that, Marvel's Avengers may have been a flop, but character gameplay was far from the issue, with Thor being one of the most fun to control.
Add in villains such as Loki, Amora, Executioner, and maybe even Gorr The God Butcher, and Thor has so much potential to be its own epic franchise in the gaming world. Mixing Nordic fantasy and science fiction could also make for eye-popping visuals.
9 The Flash
Super Speed Games Are Not Impossible
- Real Name: Barry Allen, Wally West, Jay Garrick
- First Video Game Appearance: The Flash (1992) - GameBoy
Whether it's Barry Allen, Wally West, or Jay Garrick, The Flash deserves a chance to shine in gaming as one of DC's greatest speedsters. If Max Payne or even Superhot can simulate what it feels like to move at incredible speeds, then a game about The Flash is possible, especially in a massive open world like Central City.
The Flash would even feature his own built-in fast-travel system, allowing him to zip from one side of the city to another in a second. On top of it all, the Flash has some of DC's greatest villains that deserve the spotlight, from Captain Cold to the Reverse Flash.
8 The Punisher
Punisher Is Ripe For An FPS
- Real Name: Frank Castle
- First Video Game Appearance: The Punisher (1990) - NES
Take a gun-toting vigilante like Frank Castle and give him brutal first-person shooter gameplay akin to Doom or Bulletstorm and an open-world environment like the Borderlands franchise. The result would probably be a ridiculous power fantasy game, but that's what would make it so fun.
The Punisher may be a dark and tragic character and the story could explore his flawed existence and that he's not that different from those that he kills. However, gamers would also have a chance to enjoy pure first-person carnage candy as they run and gun through a city or wasteland or whatever open-world environment they would choose for the scourge of the underworld.
7 Green Lantern
In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night
- Real Name: Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Alan Scott, Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz
- First Video Game Appearance: Justice League: Injustice For All - GBA
When recruited into the Corps, a Green Lantern is in charge of protecting every single planet in a sector. So, this could lead to Green Lantern being able to explore a plethora of planets in a sector, whether it's Hal Jordan and John Stewart of Sector 2914 or, for a twist, have the player become a brand new customized Lantern and given the freedom to patrol a new sector à la No Man's Sky.
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The real test for game developers would be how to handle the willpower constructs that Green Lanterns can build using their Power Rings. In the comics, the only limit that a Green Lantern has is their imagination, so maybe there could be a way to allow players to create their own constructs for attacks and special moves.
6 Daredevil
Spider-Man Combat Meets Ace Attorney
- Real Name: Matt Murdock
- First Video Game Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man: Web of Fire - Sega 32X
After being directly referenced in Marvel's Spider-Man games by Insomniac studios, many were expecting Daredevil to get a spin-off in that universe, but instead, it was Wolverine. Daredevil still has a chance since his acrobatic style of fighting and traversal could borrow a lot from the Spider-Man games while still having a unique twist to it.
Since Wolverine proves that Insomniac is unafraid to adapt darker characters, a Daredevil game could earn an M-rating with the likes of Kingpin, Bullseye, and Typhoid Mary as threats. As a bonus, the Daredevil game could feature courtroom drama that could require Detroit: Become Human-level decision-making.
5 Teen Titans
DC's Next Generation Of Heroes
- Real Names: Dick Grayson (Robin), Koriand'r (Starfire), Vic Stone (Cyborg), Roy Harper, (Speedy), Rachel Roth (Raven), Wally West (Kid Flash), Donna Troy (Wonder Girl), Jackson Hyde (Aqualad), Garfield Lynns (Beast Boy)
- First Video Game Appearance: Teen Titans (2005) - GBA
Instead of settling for one character, DC could take what Gotham Knights attempted to do with multiple characters and expand upon it with the Teen Titans. There are many generations of Titans to pick from, but arguably the most famous would be Dick Grayson as the first Robin or Nightwing, Cyborg, Starfire, Speedy, Raven, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Aqualad, and Beast Boy.
With the right gameplay, Teen Titans has the potential to be a very repayable title where players can see how different an entire playthrough as Cyborg is compared to a playthrough as Starfire. To make things better, Teen Titans has so many characters, that it would allow co-op to be even better than in Gotham Knights.
4 Captain Marvel
Marvelous Galactic Adventures Await
- Real Name: Carol Danvers
- First Video Game Appearance: Marvel Ultimate Alliance - PS2, Xbox, GC, PC
The strongest woman in the galaxy was almost playable in Marvel's Avengers before the game was discontinued. So, she deserves a second chance but on her own, flying through space and saving planets big and small from the scum of the universe with a pet alien cat at her side.
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A Captain Marvel game could easily be Marvel's version of Mass Effect, where players control what Carol Danvers says, with player choices that matter as she builds trust across different civilizations and factions. Add villains like Hala The Accuser, multiple planets to explore, and impactful combat that mixes melee and energy attacks; Marvel could have their next giant game franchise.
3 Aquaman
Ocean Open Worlds Could Break New Superhero Ground
- Real Name: Arthur Curry
- First Video Game Appearance: Aquaman: War Of The Water Worlds - PC
The world of Aquaman is so vast and technology has come so far that ocean-based games are now common, as shown in Subnautica or even The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Since Aquaman proved to be a successful character in movie form and was a show-stealer in the Injustice games, it seems ideal to give him a solo adventure.
From undersea cities to perilous islands, Aquaman can fight against many monsters and villains, including Black Manta, Ocean Master, and King Shark. Perhaps, DC could take a page from the open-world Soulslike games such as Elden Ring and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and bring it to an aquatic adventure.
2 Venom
Spider-Man 2 Paved The Way For A Spin-Off
- Real Name: Eddie Brock, Harry Osborn, Mac Gargan, etc.
- First Video Game Appearance: Spider-Man Vs. The Kingpin - Sega Genesis
After getting just a small taste of what Venom was capable of in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, fans are excited by the possibility of a Venom game with that same level of storytelling. From conjuring massive symbiote weapons to devouring humans alive, Venom is the ultimate anti-hero for an open-world video game.
The Prototype games began as a sequel to Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows with Venom as the main character, but that project was scrapped and reinvented into Prototype. In a way, it proves that a Venom story in an open-world setting can work in the right hands, especially since Marvel's Spider-Man 2 does tease the potential for Venom to have a spin-off.
1 Superman
Decades Overdue For A Proper Game
- Real Name: Clark Kent/Kal-El
- First Video Game Appearance: Superman (1979) - Atari 2600
Superman is the godfather of superheroes who started the sensation of comic books and their adaptations that still exist to this day. While he has had games in the past, there hasn't been a standalone Superman game in almost twenty years when he deserves the chance to shine, just like the Batman: Arkham games.
Sadly, Superman has spent more time as a villain in video games between Injustice and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. The Man Of Steel has waited long enough to receive a game where players can explore Metropolis, Warworld, or even Apokolips. If God Of War can allow gamers to control a literal god, then Superman should not be a problem.
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