After a brief drought of Marvel video games in the early 2010s, the beloved comic publisher is back to business, delivering several stellar gaming experiences in the last few years. Marvel fans have been treated to the likes of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, Marvel's Spider-Man, and the more recent Guardians of the Galaxy. And though there have been some Avengers-sized stumbles along the way, the future for Marvel video games is pretty bright, especially with unique titles like Marvel's Midnight Suns on the horizon.
Developed by Firaxis, the studio behind the acclaimed Civilization and XCOM franchises, Marvel's Midnight Suns is set to be a turn-based tactics game set in a darker Marvel universe. While characters like Iron Man, Captain Marvel, and Doctor Strange are all making an appearance, some more obscure heroes have made the cut, and even some long-time Marvel fans might not know a few of the faces. With Marvel's Midnight Suns just receiving another delay, fans now have plenty of time to check out the comics that Firaxis has used for inspiration.
The Rise of the Midnight Sons
Marvel has had plenty of team-up books over the years, from the Avengers, to the X-Men, all the way up to the Illuminati, but one of the most unique groups is the Midnight Sons. With their origin dating back to the early 1990s, the Midnight Sons are essentially Marvel's supernatural squad, much like DC's Justice League Dark. The team, usually composed of Marvel's more otherworldly heroes like Doctor Strange, Blade, and Ghost Rider, are often tasked with handling the world's more magical threats.
The team made their first big debut in 1992, in the crossover event titled Rise of the Midnight Sons. In a 2021 interview with IGN, Firaxis developer Jake Solomon stated that this Rise of the Midnight Sons comic run was the biggest inspiration for the upcoming Midnight Suns game, and even takes some plot points directly from the run.
The Rise of the Midnight Sons comic run sees an ancient necromancer, Lilith, the Mother of Demons, return from Atlantean imprisonment. Along with her children, called Lilin, Lilith intends to open a dimensional rift that would allow demons to conquer the Earth. Knowing that Lilith posed a significant threat, Doctor Strange brought together nine heroes, each with their own unique skillsets that, when combined, could defeat Lilith and her Lilin brood. Tasked with either defeating the Lilin or protecting the Darkhold, the newly formed Midnight Sons work together to put a stop to Lilith's demonic plans.
With Lilith being the main antagonist of the upcoming Marvel's Midnight Suns, and one of her daughters being the main playable character, it seems as though Firaxis is using Rise of the Midnight Sons as a backbone for its own storytelling. However, as can be seen in the slight name change, this version of the Midnight Suns is going to be a little different to its comic counterpart, featuring a different roster and some diverging plot elements.
Inferno
One of the more obscure members in Firaxis' Midnight Suns line-up is Magik, a mutant sorceress, and sister of Colossus. In the same IGN interview, Jake Solomon also cited the 1989 X-Men comic Inferno as being one of the main sources of inspiration for the game. In this run, two demons attempt to invade the Earth, and plan on using Magik's ability to open portals between Earth and Limbo as a means to launch their attack. With their plan succeeding, the demons invade Manhattan, leaving the Avengers, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man to fend off the demonic hordes.
Though the crossover story features a wealth of Marvel characters, Magik is at the very heart of the story, and her sibling relationship with Colossus acts as a solid emotional core to the action. Being a late 1980s comic run, there's of course a bunch of clone stuff and overly confusing throughlines, but it serves as a good introduction of Magik and what she's capable of.
Runaways
The final comic run mentioned by Solomon in the IGN interview is 2003's Runaways, created by Adrian Alphona, and Brian K. Vaughan, the man behind the outstanding Saga comic series. Runaways follows a group of six teenagers who discover that their wealthy parents are actually the leaders of a mysterious criminal cult, who each have their own powers. The kids soon learn that they've inherited their parents' powers, and after stealing some weapons, they all leave their homes and band together to defeat their parents.
As well as being one of the most unique Marvel teams out there, with the dysfunctional family dynamic taking center stage, Runaways offers a great introduction to Nico Minoru, a powerful witch that's joining the team in Marvel's Midnight Suns. Clad in Gothic clothing, Nico wields a powerful magical staff, which can do just about any spell she can think of.
Blade: Undead Again
Though he was once one of the most beloved Marvel characters, Blade hasn't been in the spotlight for quite some time, and even die-hard Marvel fans might want a refresher on the character before he appears in Marvel's Midnight Suns. While Blade has had many comic runs over the years, first appearing in 1998, the 2006 self-titled run is considered by many to be the character's greatest. The best jumping on point is the book titled Blade: Undead Again, which collects the first six issues of the run and gives newcomers a gloriously gory first encounter with the vampire slayer.
All-New Ghost Rider
Another character that's seemingly an integral part of Marvel's Midnight Suns is Ghost Rider, but while most fans will be fairly familiar with the Johnny Blaze iteration of the character, not too many will know of the more recent Robbie Reyes incarnation. A high-schooler who street races at night to earn enough money for him and his brother to leave their gang-riddled town, Robbie Reyes becomes the Ghost Rider after being gunned down by Mr. Hyde's mercenaries. Robbie agrees to permanently bond with the Ghost Rider spirit, agreeing to satiate the ghost's murderous lust, but only if those with evil souls are killed. The All-New Ghost Rider run is the perfect place for newcomers to start.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.