Marvel’s Avengers may have been canceled by now, but Crystal Dynamics had a lot of plans to keep the game going, with DLC characters dropping every few months.
Heroes like Hawkeye and Kate Bishop eventually made their way into the game, but one canceled DLC would have seen superhero attorney Jen Walters, a.k.a. She-Hulk, join the ranks of the Avengers.
She-Hulk in Marvel’s Avengers
Crystal Dynamics concept artist Brandon Russel recently shared some She-Hulk concept art on ArtStation, and Marvel Rivals’ Miller Ross gives some more context on what the character could have been. Here’s Ross’ post:
It’s unclear how far into the development process Shulkie got, but she does come with an original superhero suit for the game. She also had several skin concepts, including her classic comic suit and a business suit with glasses and a slicked-back ponytail.
Though the game couldn’t get to She-Hulk when it came to DLC, they did get to release a total of six DLC characters, namely Kate Bishop, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Spider-Man, The Mighty Thor (Jane Foster), and Winter Soldier.
Why Did Avengers Fail?
With Square Enix publishing the title and a solid IP, many fans expected Avengers to be a huge hit when it came out. Unfortunately, the game received terrible reviews. While the gameplay was solid, fans said that missions started to feel repetitive after a while.
Interest in the game has dwindled since its release, and no amount of DLC characters will entice anyone to pick it up. By September 2023, three years after the game launched, the servers for Marvel's Avengers were eventually shut down.
The game's reception was so bad that it even affected the other Crystal Dynamics Marvel game, Guardians of the Galaxy, which was very well-reviewed but bombed at launch.
Passing the Torch
Though Avengers may not have been the big hit Square Enix expected, it probably did pave the way for a game like Marvel Rivals. While Avengers still followed the trend of realistic aesthetics, Rivals simplified things by stylizing the look of the game—embracing a more anime look that actually made the characters pop out more.
Admittedly, Rivals doesn’t have the narrative ambition that Avengers had, but there are games like that underway, like Amy Hennig’s Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. You won’t be able to play the whole Avengers roster, but players will be able to take control of Captain America and Black Panther.
With Marvel Rivals already copying a lot of Overwatch’s homework, maybe they can work on some kind of narrative missions down the line. OW2 actually failed to deliver on that promise, so maybe NetEase would be willing to pick up the slack.
The only big Marvel game is Marvel Rivals, which is now available for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is slated for release this holiday season.