Summary
Although it flew under the radar a little bit, 2021’sMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxyis a well-written, impressively realized title inspired by the likes ofMass Effect. It’s unclear if there will be anotherGuardians of the Galaxygame like it, but it’s a clear sign of just how much potential there is in superhero games—a welcome realization after a string of flops likeSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice LeagueandMarvel’s Avengers.
Naturally, much of the groundwork forMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy’s success was laid by James Gunn, who injected the MCU with some much-needed flavor with hisGuardians of the Galaxyfilm series. Gunn’s style is on full display in theGuardiansfilms, helping to establish this cast of characters as lovable, interesting, and worth getting invested in, unlike many other ensemble superhero films that struggle to create strong representations of iconic characters. With Gunn jumping ship to DC, his work ought to inspire more great games in the vein ofGuardians of the Galaxy.
With Gunn jumping ship to DC, his work ought to inspire more great games in the vein ofGuardians of the Galaxy.
How James Gunn’s Involvement with DC Comics Could Yield Better Video Game Adaptations
Gunn Spun Gold with Guardians of the Galaxy, and He Could Do It Again
After theJokersequel, the most highly-anticipated upcoming DC film is no doubtJames Gunn’sSupermanreboot. This will likely be a wildly different product compared to Gunn’s other superhero projects, targeting earnestness and heroism more than misfit culture and odd-couple pairings, but there’s reason to believe that it will turn out well: Gunn excels at sincere, purposeful character writing, so his approach to Superman could be an appropriately wholesome, memorable on-screen rendition and possibly spark an eventualSupermangame.
An exceedinglywell-written Superman would be vital to a goodSupermangame, as it could lean more into narrative than gameplay, which would be hard to design given the overpowered nature of the character.
Looking further down the road, it’s not too hard to imagine how a Gunn-helmedGreen LanternorWonder Womanmovie could inspire good video games based around these iconic characters. This isn’t to say that Gunn’s films should necessarily be adapted to the gaming medium one-to-one, only that they could develop a good framework for comic book characters that never got definitive on-screen representation. This is what helpedMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxybe among the best Marvel gamesto date. While not directly based on Gunn’s work, it’s hard to argue against his contribution to its success.
James Gunn’s DC Portfolio Might Already Provide a Blueprint for a Good Team-Up Game
Rocksteady’s live-serviceSuicide Squadgame didn’t perform well. It was in development for a long time and, although it’s not without its strengths, withGunn softly rebootingSuicide Squadin 2021to great results, perhaps it could inspire a new, more polished game with the ragtag team of villains.
IfSuicide Squadhistory has already repeated itself once, maybe it could do so again with James Gunn’s more creatively successful film serving as the soil from whicha betterSuicide Squadgamecan sprout. Leaning into ridiculous characters like Ratcatcher 2 or Polka Dot Man, which provided the zest that the first film lacked, could be a boon for a newSuicide Squadgame, taking notes from the world of film in the same way thatMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxydid.
