After a slight delay earlier this year,Marvel’s Avengersis quickly nearing its September release date. Crystal Dynamics has been opening up more and more about the game, with a beta test getting set for early next month. Even though the game will onlylaunch with 6 playable characters, the studio has already promised that more heroes are on the way and fans will be able to add them to the roster completely free.
While Crystal Dynamics has kept its post-launch character plans pretty close to its vest, fans are already well aware ofAnt-Man joining the gamethanks to a quick tease last year at E3. Not much is yet known about the post-launch addition but some fans are expecting to get a few more details on some of the studio’s plans when the second War Table event arrives later this month.
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However, there’s still a massive stable of heroes to pick from for future updates. Here are 5 that should be added toMarvel’s Avengersafter it launches.
Hawkeye
Another character that has beenbrought up heavily since Crystal Dynamicsannounced its free character updates plan is the deadly archer Hawkeye. This is likely due to the fact that in the big screen MCU movies, Hawkeye is an active member of the Avengers squad fighting alongside major members like Iron Man and Thor who are already playable in the game. After the game’s debut at E3, many fans quickly noticed that Hawkeye was missing from the main team.
Hawkeye also fits a role not currently utilized well in the game. While most of the heroes can get up close and personal, Hawkeye excels at range with his bow and trick shot arrows. Perhaps he could fit a glass cannon style role, hitting hard from range but not capable of brawling his way out of a situation. He could also have some sort of support arrows to help the team, providing a buff as well. Naturally, Hawkeye also has some pretty interesting alternative outfits as well as I’m sure many fans would love to see his Ronin gear make an appearance.
Black Panther
Another highly likely addition to the roster is Black Panther. Not only has T’Challa become amajor character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but his popularity has also skyrocketed as well after a successful solo movie. Black Panther would absolutely fit the game extremely well as he’s more of a quick and agile melee fighter. The character has superhuman abilities such as speed, stamina, strength, reflexes, durability, and healing, which may need to be toned down slightly in order for him not to be too overpowered.
However, the team could lean into his other abilities being a skilled hunter, inventor, and strategist. While the character is known for his suit and its claws, being the Chieftain of Wakanda gives T’Challa access to special equipment like an energy dagger and much more. If the studio wants to get really dead, they could incorporate his King of the Dead abilities from the comics, where he could take command of the dead and create weapons through spiritual force.
Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
Originally a World War II soldier alongside Steve Rogers, Bucky whas experienced a difficult past after undergoing a transformation into the Winter Soldier by the Russians. While a villain for a period of time, Winter Soldier has since had his memories restored and has since become part of the good guys again. With strong ties to Captain America, a big role in the recent MCU movies, andanother series slated for release on Disney+, Winter Soldier makes a compelling case to join theMarvel’s Avengersroster.
Based on his skills and abilities, Winter Soldier would likely be a mix between a brawler as well as the guns and technology of someone like Black Widow. His bionic arm would also open up some interesting possibilities for the player as it comes with a number of abilities like electro-style attacks, defensive shielding, and a cyber blade. Since he also spent time as Captain America after Steve’s death in the Civil War saga, Winter Soldier has access to a number of interesting costumes including a unique take on Cap’s outfit.
Sam Wilson/Falcon
In the first War Table stream, Crystal Dynamics proved thatflying characters like Iron Mandefinitely have room to navigate during missions. As such, it makes it a lot easier to fit other flying heroes into this world like Sam Wilson and his jet powered glider wings. In addition, Falcon could have some pretty interesting outfits players could pick up, such as an alternative Captain America skin when he took over the role for a period of time from Steve Rogers.
Being skilled in hand to hand combat would let Falcon fit in very well to the current roster. Unlike his movie counterpart, the comics version of Falcon has a few more tricks which could translate well to gameplay. The biggest one being his actual falcon Redwing which he shares a telepathic bond with. Technically Falcon could be the game’s first pet class, perhaps letting player issue commands to the bird or just have it be its own AI to help out.
Dr. Stephen Strange
For something a little different, Crystal Dynamics could opt for a character a little more mystical than anyone currently on the roster. The Sorcerer Supreme would certainly bring a different element to the brawler heavy lineup thanks to his various artifacts and books. While too many to list here, the ones that fans may be most familiar with thanks to the MCU movies are The Eye of Agamotto and Cloak of Levitation.
The Eye can enhance Strange’s psychic abilities and can weaken mystical beings, something which may not fit withthe A.I.M. inspired enemies. However, it also housed the Time Stone, one of the six Infinity Gems that allowed him to manipulate time, which could be a fun power to give fans. While also letting Strange float in the air, the Cloak of Levitation is also able to be controlled by Strange’s mind, making it almost like a third set of hands.
If the game proves to be popular enough, Crystal Dynamics could easily continue developing new heroes for a considerable amount of time considering how many characters they could pull from Marvel. One sticking point could be Spider-Man who is currently enjoying a lot of success in his own series with Insomniac and Sony. With a new game set for release later this year withMiles Morales as the protagonist, it’s unknown how much Sony would want to share the character, especially with rival platforms like Microsoft.
Marvel’s Avengersreleases September 4 on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X to follow.
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