Marvel Might Enter a Popular Genre Following an MCU Project

Over the years, Marvel has delved into a vast array of gaming genres and styles. Whether it’s open-world action-adventures, strategy games steeped in the occult, co-op live-service experiences, or even virtual reality adventures, Marvel’s diverse gaming portfolio has something to offer everyone.

However, reflecting on Marvel’s gaming history over the last couple of decades reveals a predominant trend: most of their offerings are third-person action games with a Teen ESRB rating or below. While these games do explore some serious themes and deliver plenty of dramatic moments, they largely keep things light and suitable for a broader audience, as befits Marvel’s family-friendly reputation. But, perhaps it’s time for Marvel to occasionally explore darker, more mature narratives and gameplay. Imagine a horror-themed game—one genre Marvel hasn’t fully embraced—that could be just what fans are craving by next year.

Back in 2005, the “Crossover” story arc in Ultimate Fantastic Four took readers on a wild ride. Reed Richards encounters an alternate universe and ends up in a world where beloved Marvel heroes and villains are reimagined as zombies. This storyline effectively set the stage for the Marvel Zombies series that kicked off shortly thereafter. Initially released from December 2005 to April 2007, Marvel Zombies became a gripping five-issue limited series, penned by Robert Kirkman of Walking Dead fame and brought to life by Sean Phillips’ illustrations. Set on the alternate Earth-2149, a mysterious virus transforms iconic characters into brain-craving zombies, yet their intellect and superhuman abilities remain intact. The real horror lies in the chilling actions these supers take to satisfy their hunger.

Since its debut, the Marvel Zombies franchise has spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs, turning it into a full-fledged series of its own. The latest installment, Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay, began this past September and is expected to conclude in December.

Looking to the future, the upcoming Marvel Zombies series on Disney+—first hinted at in Marvel’s 2021 What If…? series—could serve as the perfect launching pad for a corresponding game. The episode, What If…Zombies?, reimagined the Marvel Zombies narrative by introducing the zombie virus through Janet van Dyne’s misadventure in the Quantum Realm. Bruce Banner’s return to warn Earth of Thanos leads to notoriety as he’s greeted by a throng of the undead, including zombified versions of Doctor Strange and Iron Man. The ensuing chaos follows the efforts of survivors like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Wasp to develop a cure. In 2025, Marvel Zombies, an extended four-episode narrative of this story arc, is set to hit the screens.

This ripe source material offers Marvel a golden chance to build a mature-themed game, unlike anything they’ve created so far. Picture a Left 4 Dead-style cooperative experience, where players team up as a crew of heroes or villains to tackle waves of zombies in iconic Marvel settings. Each level could feature epic battles against zombified versions of cherished figures like Captain America or Spider-Man—presenting thrilling encounters with characters you typically wouldn’t face in combat. Embracing the darker aspects of the Marvel Zombies theme could introduce a level of gore seldom seen in previous Marvel games, offering a fresh and exciting avenue of storytelling within the gaming landscape.