The popularity that superhero games have seen in the past decade thanks to games likeBatman ArkhamandMarvel’s Spider-Manisn’t showing signs of letting up just yet, if upcoming games likeIron Man VRandMarvel’s Avengersare any indication. These days, plenty of top-tier developers are lending their skills to bringing superheroes into the interactive medium, andGod of Wardirector Cory Barlog knows which one he’d tackle if given the choice.
It started when IGN’s Jonathon Dornbush put out the following question on Twitter today: “What is your dream superhero game and which developer would you want to make it?” The question was met with hundreds of replies from users dreaming up their ideal superhero game, with highlights including anUncharted-style Naughty Dog game starringWolverine, aDevil May Cry-esque Teen Titans game from Capcom, and a Doctor Strange game from Remedy in the vein of its mind-bending shooterControl.
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Eventually, Barlog joined in with his own idea for a superhero game, and it’s one of the more unusual and interesting ideas so far. Instead of more superpowered characters like Batman or Spider-Man, Barlog would base his game onHawkeye, the hero from the Avengers known best for his superior archery skills and an arsenal of gimmick arrows.
Specifically, Barlog said his hypothetical Hawkeye game would be based on the 2012-2015 run of theHawkeyecomic by writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja. This run has gone down asone of Marvel’s best comic book storiesfor the way it balances both the fantastical and mundane aspects of Clint Barton’s life, especially in his relationship with his young protege Kate Bishop.
As out of left field as a game focused on a hero with no superpowers is, the notion of Barlog and Santa Monica Studio (he stated in a reply that he sees SMS as the developer) adapting this particular comic actually makes a lot of sense. Fraction and Aja’s run and 2018’sGod of Warboth deal with battle-hardened men and the kids learning from them, so it’s easy to see the parallels with Barlog’s work, and SMS being able to do something similar to what they did withGod of Warwith Marvel’s sharpshooter.
A Hawkeye game actually being made seems like a bit of a longshot, but given that asequel toGod of Waris all but inevitable, fans of Barlog and SMS’s battle-hardened men should be able to get their fix in the near future at the very least.
