Marvel’s Avengers is fast becoming one of next year’s most anticipated releases. The action-adventure title, which will let players take control of the entire superhero ensemble both solo and in multiplayer (story missions are single-player only) was officially announced at this year’s E3 but the post-reveal discussion hasn’t exactly revolved around what developer Crystal Dynamics had perhaps hoped.
In the absence of any debut gameplay footage to pore over, audiences were left with little more than the topics of character and world design to discuss, the former of which quickly became a contentious issue, especially among those familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For many, the superstar team and the actors that play each role are synonymous with each other. It’s not at all surprising, then, that fans who have grown attached to those cinematic performances have found this latest interpretation incredibly jarring.
Ultimately, the difference in likeness makes sense. Crystal Dynamics’ intention has always been to provide its own take on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the origins of which hail from comic books and not the popular MCU versions. Voice actors Troy Baker and Nolan North echoed a similar sentiment during a panel at Manchester Comic-Con. As per Push Square, Baker, who voices Bruce Banner/Hulk in the game, discussed the backlash and how, from his perspective, it makes little sense.
We’ll always be on someone’s sh*t list, right? So when they launched the latest trailer and put it out there, the immediate backlash from fans was, ‘It doesn’t look like Chris Evans! It doesn’t look like Robert Downey Jr!’ Well, you know who it does look like? It looks exactly like Iron Man. It looks exactly like Captain America. It looks exactly like Bruce Banner.
For me, the second they showed me what Bruce looked like, I was like, ‘Oh, you stole from the Ultimates.’ It looks 100 per cent like the guy from Ultimates. And I’m like, ‘That’s my Bruce Banner. That’s the guy that literally ate New York and cannot reconcile the guilt.
Nolan North, who lends his voice to Tony Stark/Iron Man in the game, had similar thoughts to share. “I think we’re doing real justice to the true nature of the characters and to the real fans of the comic books,” he said.
Will Baker and North’s comments be enough to change opinions? Who knows, but it least reminds diehard fans of the MCU that it’s just one of many interpretations, with Marvel’s Avengers being the latest. At the end of the day, there’s room for both franchises to co-exist and, judged on leaked gameplay so far, it’ll be an absolute blast to play.
