Marvel Missed the Train to Milk Robert Downey Jr’s Craze Just Like DC Did With Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Mania

Marvel and DC, there has never been a bigger battle for popularity in the comic book and entertainment industry. Both entities have been a staple of pop culture for decades and have seen a rise in recent years due to several blockbuster movies and shows in the form of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).

One area that both companies have failed to capitalize on is how they use the star power of the incredible and now iconic actors they use in the movies and shows. Robert Downey Jr. is the face of Marvel’s Iron Man after his iconic performance as the character across a decade of film. Similarly, Gal Gadot did incredibly as Wonder Woman but neither company made use of this star power.

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man is a duo that we should’ve gotten in a game

Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark is easily the most well-known, most celebrated, and one of the best parts of the MCU. And despite his departure from the role and the franchise in 2019, the decade-long period of his portrayal will remain iconic for a very long time. And yet despite this, Marvel didn’t capitalize on his sheer star power.

Four horsemen of games getting announced and then never hearing anything else after that pic.twitter.com/rbDt1TuSjB

— 🪐ᗩຮቲ𝜞⚉ 💫 (@AsTr0_NuT03) January 20, 2025

Marvel’s attempts to bring Iron Man to video games have been slow and uncertain. While there have been a few games here and there, none of them have been big blockbuster AAA titles, a scale of project that Downey Jr. is very deserving of. There was finally an announcement in 2022 of a “Marvel’s Iron Man” game which would be made by EA in partnership with Motive Studio.

But there has been little progress on that front. The game remains in early development years and while the studio has reaffirmed its commitment to the project, there’s no hope for it to come soon. Motive Studio is also currently working on the next Battlefield game so the focus is certainly split for now. So if the game ends up coming out years from now, let’s say in 2027 or 28, it will have been almost a decade since Downey Jr’s portrayal. That seems kinda late.

Both Marvel and DC are guilty of this

This isn’t restricted to just the MCU though. DC has done the exact same thing. Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman hasn’t been nearly as long as Downey Jr’s Iron Man. But her debut in the 2017 movie was an iconic one and she fits the character very well. And once again, Monolith announced a Wonder Woman game back in 2021, but it has had little progress since.

Like the Iron Man game, the Wonder Woman project also risks being released at a period when the cinematic influence of the actress and character has dwindled. And then there’s the fact that Warner Bros. isn’t in the best spot right now in the gaming industry after the absolute flop of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League in 2024.

The drawn-out development cycles of these games show a big problem with the gaming industry in general. Studios are guilty of announcing titles too early these days. We get game reveals with no trailer years before they’re ready and it only leads to fans getting tired of anticipating.