Deadpool gets his own video game, so why can’t these Marvel characters?

After being ruined by 20th Century Fox and Marvel in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I was unsure of what the future held for Deadpool. There was talks of Ryan Reynolds reprising his role in a Deadpool film, but talks of that eventually tapered off. Nevertheless, the wise-cracking, dual-wielding anti-hero is getting the spotlight in video game treatment. Deadpool will be nut-kicking his way on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with a game that's sure to contain plenty of laughs and decapitations — because the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. 

Deadpool video game gets me thinking, though; while Deadpool's comical nature and sword and gunplay combat lend itself well to the video game world, aren't there other Marvel characters being forgotten? Off the top of my head, I can think of five Marvel characters that are deserving of video games, and only a few that have been ruined by film. 

Who are those five Marvel characters I have in mind? Here they are:

Cyclops

cyclops

This might be the most bizarre idea on the list, but it's also the most unique and entertaining. Picture this: a first-person shooter Cyclops game. And get this… it's better with Kinect! That's right, the Kinect finally gets the game it deserves with you in the shoes as the leader of the X-Men. Raise your hand to your temple to fire optic blasts at your opponent. See everything in red, just like Scott Summers. Experience heartache first hand as Wolverine steals the heart of your girlfriend. Sit around Xavier's mansion when the X-Men forget to include you on a mission. And finally, watch a black screen when they kill you off in the beginning of the third movie.

cyclops kinect game

Joking aside, Cyclops didn't get a fair shake in the X-Men trilogy, so he's due for some love. Cyclops with Kinect is so crazy it just might work.

Magneto

magneto

Really think about this one and all of the possibilities of things you could do, and try to tell me that a Magneto game wouldn't be awesome. First, you would have the cool opportunity to play as the main villain that goes against the X-Men. It would have potential to be the most interactive environment ever seen in gaming. With the ability to control all forms of magnetism, essentially utilizing everything around him as a shield or weapon. This goes far beyond utilizing the environment in inFamous. Every manhole cover, car, bullet, whatever you can think of can be used to solve puzzles and wage war against those mutant-fearing humans. Remember in Force Unleashed when you use the Force to bring down that Star Destroyer? Picture that but on a much larger scale, all the time.

magneto

Let's not forget how great Magneto is at recruiting people to join his cause. As you gain power, there could be a game mechanic where undecided mutants could fight for you or against you, depending on how well you've persuaded them. I shouldn't have to justify this game any more than I have. I'm just embarrassed that this hasn't been attempted yet. Maybe with the power of next-gen consoles…

Falcon (Sam Wilson)

falcon

Sam Wilson will be joining The Avengers onscreen in The Avengers 2, with Anthony Mackie being casted as Falcon. Needless to say, any character in the next Avengers movie will see an instant increase in popularity. Translating over to video games, Falcon's kit of abilities and weapons makes him a prime candidate to receive a video game. 

Falcon's powers include the ability to communicate not only with his pet falcon Redwing, but with all birds. Through a telepathic link, he is able to receive mental images of what the birds see. When I think of how this could translate into video game mechanics, I get giddy. You can use this telepathic link to find quests or expand the map, much in the same way Assassin's Creed uses view points. 

Falcon's combat style comes to his training in gymnastics and hand-to-hand combat, which he received from Captain America. Falcon could combine acrobatic moves and combo-based attacks, much like those seen in other melee brawlers. I would expect it to be similar to the Captain America video game or most Spider-Man games. As far as weapons, Falcon isn't known to use any, but he does occasionally wear a glove on his left hand that contains a grappling hook. While I see this being use more as a way to navigate the environment, I guess it could be used in combat. 

Nightcrawler

nightcrawler

Think third-person Dishonored with a Nightcrawler skin… but better. His ability to teleport and travel via a direction-finding sense would make for some great world navigation. And imagine what it could be like in missions. Since he is at risk teleporting into areas that he can't see or has not seen in the past, you could use a map mechanic where it requires you to have seen the area you want to teleport to. It would definitely make for some interesting strategy in stealth missions. 

Combat would be fast-paced and exciting, as Nightcrawler is a flexible acrobat that skilled in hand-to-hand combat and fencing. As a matter of fact, Nightcrawler is known to dual-wield a pair of swords. A Nightcrawler game would also have depth to it, as he's a complex character. Morality, religion and allegiances would all be part of the game's story, but the game's strength would have to be navigation and combat. 

Howard The Duck

howard the duck

You might think this is a joke, and I can assure you that it absolutely is. I just figured if Deadpool got a shot at redemption, why not Howard the Duck? Before the awful 1986 movie produced by George Lucas — which should've been all the warning we needed that Star Wars wasn't safe in his hands — Howard the Duck was a Marvel character. Coming into his own in the 1970s, Howard was a master of Quack Fu and used a trident to gain mystical powers. Adding to Howard's credibility as a superhero, Howard has been seen with Spider-Man and She-Hulk before. Bringing down his credibility is his facing off against Ducktor Doom, Spider-Ham, Grey Panther and Captain Americana. 

A game for Howard could take place in Duckworld, where he's from, and Cleveland, Ohio. Lose Lebron, gain Howard the Duck, right? I guess it would be a brawler since he knows Quack Fu. Maybe Cleveland and Duckworld could be two open-world cities for you to quest in. Going off of the movie, there could be a component where you sexually harass as many human women as you can, or come off as creepy as possible. 

Let this be a lesson that sometimes a video game concept of a superhero can't make up for what a movie did to him. 

If you have any ideas for which Marvel character would make for a good video game and what it would be like, sound off in the comments below.

You can follow Senior Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, movies, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at [email protected]