Comic books are booming at the moment with a selection of awesome films and some great games already leaving an impact on the industry. The Darkness and the Arkham series are just some of the highly acclaimed adaptations in the industry, and to be honest, we need more comic adaptations for video games. We have so many great characters just waiting for their chance to be in a game, and with the right people behind them, we won’t be disappointed. So here’s a short list of Comic book characters who need their own Game adaptation.
Deathstroke
Okay, so Slade Wilson is an ultimate super villain rather than a hero. But Deathstroke is a fascinating character with a tragic and gripping backstory that gamers would love to dive into. He’s a master assassin who’s in high demand, and his skills would lend themselves well to a Hitman style game adaptation.
The setup would be Slade Wilson taking on a number of different assignments in various and infamous locations within the DC universe. These assignments could include assassinating powerful figures, stealing top secrets from the Wayne Enterprise HQ, and even facing off against more sinister forces for hard-earned cash. But the focus would be towards Slade Wilson tackling a number of high profile assassinations that require a mixture of brain and brawn to complete. Ideally the Hitman team IO Interactive would be brilliant for taking on the task to develop one of Comic’s most renowned villains into his own video game.
Aphrodite IX
This lesser known series from Top Cow would be perfect for a game adaptation. Top Cow brought us the highly acclaimed Darkness series, which got two games back in 2007 and 2012. Aphrodite IX is a complex story of an android built for assassinations, and after each hit, her memory is wiped clean to protect her employer and herself. This unique shortcoming could be used as a fundamental gameplay dynamic, and developers could create interesting mechanics with this concept alone.
Many developers could create a simple, run and gun FPS, but I believe with real talent, Aphrodite IX could get her own game that has a rich sense of storytelling and interesting dynamics with the memory loss aspect of the character.
John Constantine
Now, I remember there was an adaptation a few years back, but it was more related to the Keanu Reeves film rather than the books. The original Hellblazer series was fantastic with compelling lore, a dark sense of storytelling, and fascinating characters that grabbed your attention. For John Constantine, we can go in any number of directions, as he’s known to be a trickster, a smooth talker, and a badass who can fight his way out of hell.
It would be most ideal to have a Telltale adaptation that’s heavily story driven, with any of the older or newer series providing perfect material for the narrative. You could even create an adaptation that’s more like P.T. or Resident Evil 7, a FPS that focuses on survival horror, cat and mouse-style gameplay where John can call on various demons to aid him in his journey. These would be the best routes for John Constantine and something I think should happen.
Lady Death
An icon of the bad girl era in the 90’s, and a staple of the powerful, sexy female lead who could kick anyone’s ass! Lady Death’s series offered a beautiful Gothic art style, great storytelling, and a strong iconic lead that I’m sure any gamer would love to play as. Imagine Lady Death hacking and slashing through legions of minions in a Castlevania/Metroidvania-style game that relishes on the gothic undertones and the captivating world she’s in. Or perhaps something more akin to that of The Witcher series would be fitting for the iconic lead. There is enough substance with Lady Death and the lore to create a dynamic and interesting narrative-driven RPG or adventure game.
Spawn
I know Spawn has had a reputation when it comes to gaming, but to be honest, it’s not his fault. There have been some good ideas for his gaming ventures, yet they have been flawed by inexperienced developers who have taken on more than they should have.
Spawn is a raw and emotional character that deserves a game that dives into the darkness of his character and allow players to do horrible things in both hell and on earth. He’s a vigilante of sorts, or he’s just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The comics and animated series offer plenty of content for a video game, and one possibility for Spawn is to have a FPS adaptation that allows players to go out and rip apart the scum of the city and venture to Hell to prove that he deserves to be the leader. There’s a great game waiting for Spawn, and all it takes is a good developer to make it happen.
Parting Thoughts
Even though some of these characters past game adaptations (cough…spawn…cough) didn’t quite work out, it doesn’t mean a future game couldn’t be successful. There’s got to be a perfect game or movie for every comic book character, all it takes is the right director, a good well-thought out story, and a strong studio like Marvel or Warner Bros. backing it. Time will tell if any of these suggestions get their own *good* games, I for one can’t wait to see what the future holds for my favorite, albeit sometimes forgotten, comic book characters. If you liked this article, and I hope you did, check out my related article on the top 5 directors who could make a comic book movie adaptation.
Let me know what you think and which comic book characters you’d like to see in video games. Comment below!