Before Spider-Man, Sony and Marvel Couldn’t Come to an Agreement for Another Iconic Character Who Sincerely Deserves His Own Game

Marvel’s Spider-Man has ushered in the golden age of modern superhero video games and has set the bar high. The game developers of Insomniac Games knew working on a superhero project could be risky, especially with the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Amidst the looming shadow of the live-action films, the studio relied heavily on the source material and crafted an original story set in a new standalone universe giving the gaming community one of the greatest superhero stories ever told in a video game.

Before the Web-Slinger got his original video game franchise, one other street-level vigilante was meant to spearhead this division for the Marvel brand. Matt Murdock is a lawyer by day and vigilante by night which would have been a great video game experience.

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear Would Have Taken the Glory Away From Marvel’s Spider-Man

The gaming community is convinced a video game adaptation of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen from Insomniac Games would have worked, especially once the game developers applied the echolocation or hearing mode feature inspired by The Last of Us which essentially allows the players to feel like the Daredevil with the enhanced hearing abilities allowing them to scan and survey areas from potential threats and gain an edge against the enemy.

Game development is not for the faint of heart and the game developers of 5,000 Ft. Studios were working on an early prototype for the Man Without Fear. Marvel and Sony were collaborating on the project; however, creative differences and clashes led to the untimely demise of the game and it never saw the light of day. One side had a clear vision for an ambitious open-world project to introduce new game mechanics whereas the other saw the game as an opportunity to shed light on the character’s comic book roots.

Matt Murdock is not an enhanced individual like Spider-Man who received his gifts after being bitten by a radioactive spider or a mutant like various members of the X-Men. Murdock gained his heightened senses at the cost of his vision from doing a heroic act and his combat skills made him a formidable foe against evildoers of the night like muggers and thieves.

Some superheroes can be tricky to adapt into a video game, especially from a gameplay perspective like Superman who is invulnerable to any threat known to man except Kryptonite. Daredevil bleeds like any regular man and his only advantage is his heightened senses and determination to fight against evil and corruption. Marvel Games and Sony could have hit the ground running if both parties found a way to compromise and meet somewhere between a gameplay-focused game and narrative.

The Cancelled Daredevil Video Game Could Have Changed Everything

The recent surge in Daredevil’s popularity can be largely attributed to the various adaptations over time. The 2003 film starring Ben Affleck may have been disappointing, but it did give the character some favors for pushing him into the spotlight. The live-action Netflix series was universally praised and some fans would argue it was the greatest superhero series ever.

Sony and Marvel could have made a great Daredevil video game where gameplay and narrative could have been balanced perfectly. The leaked gameplay has resurfaced after two decades and a lot has changed since then, perhaps Insomniac Games could revive this project into something else.

In recent years, superhero video games have greatly surpassed the quality and popularity of older movie tie-in games. All it takes are talented game developers paired with great writers to honor the source material and give the gaming community something new.

Insomniac Games could expand the universe of Marvel’s Spider-Man by introducing other heroes outside the purview of the Web-Slinger like the upcoming Wolverine video game. The game developers cleverly embedded easter eggs and references to the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, other members of the Defenders like Danny Rand, also known as Iron Fist, and Daredevil himself. Perhaps Earth-1048 could adopt the same formula as the Marvel Cinematic Universe where everything is connected.

Would you like to see Daredevil: The Man Without Fear take place in the same universe as Marvel’s Spider-Man? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!