It’s no secret that the superhero genre has been on something of a hot streak. Essentially, ever since the very firstX-MenandSpider-Manmovies of the late 90s and early 2000s, fans of comic book characters just can’t seem to get enough. While superhero movies and comics have been on the rise ever since, videos games have taken a while to catch up in terms of critically and commercially successful adaptations. One of the most recently successful superhero games on modern consoles isMarvel’s Spider-Manon the PS4 and, while the franchise seems to just keep getting better with the addition ofMiles Morales,Spider-Man’s formula would work extremely well with another hero at the helm: Invincible.
InvincibleandSpider-Manshare a lot of qualities that would make them similar games. However, something that could set the two apartifInvinciblewere to ever get a gameis that it could be rated M instead ofSpider-Man’s T-rating. While theInvinciblecomics aren’t always as graphic as the recently released Amazon Prime series, the game could take inspiration from both and make for a tonally mature narrative-driven superhero game that still has the heart ofSpider-ManPS4, never before seen in the medium.
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Mark Grayson and Peter Parker
Before its true darker tone is shown, the beginning ofInvincibleis pretty comparable to the many Spider-Man origin stories that have been depicted over the years.Mark Grayson is a typical American teenagerwho struggles with balancing his life and his newly acquired superpowers in a very similar manner to Peter Parker. As a result, both characters end up feeling very similar but are placed in drastically different situations making them equally interesting to follow in their adventures both on the screen and on the page. They both seem to share the same wit making them relatable and likable protagonists who are perfect for being the leads in a superhero video game as exampled bySpider-Manon the PS4.
Because of the more serious overarching story ofInvincible, however, fans ofthe Peter Parker characterwould be able to see him in a new light through Mark in an M-rated video game. While the Spider-Man depicted in Insomniac’s franchise is a little bit older and more experienced than other depictions, Invincible is still learning the ropes of being a superhero and as a result, doesn’t always get things right. This leads to devastating outcomes in both the show and the comics that can really only be told with an M-rating in a game.
Committing to Invincible’s Darker Tone
IfInvinciblewere to get a game, it would need to follow some of the more mature aspects of the overarching story. The main conflict for Invincible is his complicated relationship with his father, Omni-Man. In a twist revealed at the end of the first season of the show and in issue 11 of the comics,Omni-Man isn’t the justice-serving hero that he makes himself out to be- instead, he’s a genocidal maniac set on conquering Earth for his people, the Viltumites. While a game wouldn’t need to follow the beats of the comic or the Amazon series, there are certain aspects toInvincible’s story that are important for Mark Grayson’s character, and Omni-Man being the murderous villain that he is is one of them.
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There are plenty of other moremature elements of theInvinciblestorythat an M-rated game could follow that wouldn’t be allowed in a T-ratedSpider-Mangame. From Mark’s complicated relationship with his mother as a result of her drinking issues to the horrific acts of violence committed on civilians by otherworldly conquerors, there are a lot of different ways that anInvinciblegame could tell a mature superhero story that simply wouldn’t be possible with a more restrictive age rating. This isn’t to say that all ofInvincibleis a dark, mature story, quite the opposite, but when it does need to go there, it shouldn’t have to pull any punches.
By telling the more mature side ofInvinciblein a video game, it could pave the way for more adult-appropriate superhero stories and characters in the medium. In a similar way to howR-rated superhero films likeLoganandDeadpoolwere able to prove that mature superhero movies can be commercial and critical successes,Invinciblecould do that for games. While there have been M-rated superhero games before likeBatman: Arkham Knight, there wasn’t a sudden surge in mature superhero games following its release in a way that would really prove to skeptical studios that the concept works.
The Evergrowing World of Superheroes
TheSpider-ManPS4 formulawould likely be best for anInvinciblegame over all the other recent superhero game formulas. Because Spider-Man isn’t associated with any sort of superhero team in the game, he’s free to go wherever he likes and stop his villains however he see’s fit. Similarly, while Invincible associates and works with a handful of superhero teams in the comics and shows, he’s rarely tied down to one specific group, meaning that players could explore an open world sandbox just like inSpider-Man, unshackled from other superhero teams. Like inSpider-Man, however, Invincible could still meet up with other heroes and fight the colorful cast of villains included in the source material, but their fights could include more graphic violence.
TheInvinciblegame wouldn’t need to be all blood and gore all the time, but it could take a more realistic approach to the widely different power levels of all of the superheroes and villains thanSpider-Man’s more cartoony style of violence. WhileSpider-Mandefinitely explores the question of “what happens when a superhero loses?,” it never quite addresses its answer with any sort of realism. BoththeInvinciblecomics and showtake unflinching looks at what happens when superheroes fail, so it could explore those themes with much more detail. At the end of the day,Invincibledoesn’t need to be dark and graphic to be a powerful story. Still, by allowing the game to be free from the confines of a Teen-rating, it would be able to tell a story closer to that of the original source material.
Marvel’s Spider-Manis available now on PS4 and PS5.
