Ever since its inception in 2009, the Batman: Arkham series has been considered one of the greatest comic book video game series of all time. Rocksteady told one of the most thrilling Batman stories, so far over the course of three large-scale action-adventure games, and it is gearing up to continue the tale through Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. Each game was a critical and commercial success, even WB Games Montreal's entry into the franchise with Batman: Arkham Origins received less favorable reviews. It is one of the most successful comic book video game franchises around, and has shown no signs of stopping.
While DC has had a lot of success through the Batman: Arkham games, Marvel has not had the same level of success. Besides Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel has not had a strong recent track record in the gaming industry. Marvel's Avengers was less than stellar, Marvel's Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order was a flawed but fun title, and there have been many mobile games that have been nowhere near the quality of other superhero games. Marvel needs a strong character to lead the charge and give it an Arkham style series of its own, and Daredevil may be the best candidate for that.
The Arkham Series Was a Great Comic Book Series
The Arkham series began in 2009 with Batman: Arkham Asylum, and it brought players to the infamous Arkham Asylum for a thrilling Batman-centric title. The game put players in control of Batman and all his gadgets, and its one of the few games that truly made the player feel like they were Batman. Along with the fun combat system that had players beat down their foes, the game had a great DC story. Players had to fight back against Joker and his goons as he took control of the Asylum, and Batman was forced to stop him while combating some of the biggest DC villains.
The first title was such a success that Batman: Arkham City came out soon after and continued this dark Batman-centric tale. It expanded upon the first by making it an open-world title set in a small part of Gotham City that had been cordoned off as Arkham City, a new super-prison. Players had to cruise through the skies as their favorite vigilante as they fought the menacing Huge Strange and Joker. It expanded the world of Arkham immensely, and is considered by many as the best that the franchise has to offer.
Rocksteady took a break for the next Arkham title, and WB Games Montreal was able to create its own prequel set in the same universe. Batman: Arkham Origins brought the series back to the earlier days of this version of Batman. This title was the lowest rated of the franchise, but it still received decent reviews. It did not do much to expand upon the world, and it used the same open-world as its predecessor with updates that reflected the pre-Arkham City Gotham. It was still a decent time for Batman fans, and it gave players a deeper look into the world before Arkham Asylum.
In 2015, Rocksteady returned with Batman: Arkham Knight which saw some of the biggest innovations to the franchise. Players were given free rein of Gotham City, and they were even able to drive the Batmobile through the streets. This time around, players fought Scarecrow and the mysterious Arkham Knight as they tried to destroy Batman once and for all. It served as a finale of sorts for this chapter of the Batman story, but it is not the last time players will get to explore this universe, as Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will continue the tale.
Marvel Needs an Arkham of Its Own
Over its four entries, the Arkham series truly made players feel like they were Batman. The story was gripping, the world was enthralling, and the combat was some of the best combat that superhero games have to offer. Marvel has had success through Insomniac Games' Marvel's Spider-Man series, but it could also benefit from an Arkham-style franchise of its own. Marvel's Spider-Man shares many similarities with the combat and the open-world mechanics of Arkham, but the title is nowhere near as dark or spine-tingling as the Arkham games were.
The Arkham franchise is one of the most successful superhero video game franchises out there, and Rocksteady seems committed to expanding upon it even more. The tone and world fit perfectly for Batman, whereas a character like Spider-Man would not necessarily fit. However, Marvel has many superheroes that could be perfect for a darker series of games, so a studio just has to be given the chance to play around with them. Marvel's Wolverine may be able to capture that essence, but Daredevil may be an even better option to capture the look and feel of the Arkham franchise.
Daredevil is the Perfect Candidate
Daredevil is very much like Marvel's version of Batman, except for the lack of gadgets and the fact that Bruce is rich. Matt Murdock is a blind lawyer in the streets of Hell's Kitchen who just wants to do the right thing. While he is not able to see, his other senses have become stronger, and he can sense almost anything around him. He was trained by a blind stranger named Stick in martial arts, and he vowed to go after the criminals in Hell's Kitchen both as Daredevil and as a respected lawyer. What ensues is a pretty dark story of a man struggling with his internal demons while becoming the devil of Hell's Kitchen.
Matt Murdock's story could fit perfectly in an Arkham game of his own. The title could focus on the inner and outer battles that he struggles with as he tries to stop the criminals of New York. Like Batman, Daredevil does not have superpowers, and instead he has to rely on his martial arts skills to get things done. The combat could be very similar to that of Arkham, and the story could be just as dark. With his recent popularity thanks to Netflix's Daredevil show and the hero's appearances in MCU projects, now would be the best time to give him a game of his own.
The Batman: Arkham series helped show the industry how to make a great superhero game, and that success should be replicated by Marvel. While games like Marvel's Spider-Man are beloved, a dark and gritty game following Daredevil may be exactly what Marvel fans want. Giving gamers a martial arts-focused title following the Devil of Hell's Kitchen could lead to one of the best Marvel games around, as long as it has the story to back it up.
The Batman: Arkham series is available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.