Video games are full of amazing characters. Whether they are charismatic heroes and anti-heroes, interesting blank slates that allow for an in-depth exploration of a fantastical world, or more subversive attempts at telling stories, the industry has produced a ton of stars and starlets. It's similar to what the movie industry has done in the past few decades, building up a set of instantly recognizable (and often typecast) actors that market themselves. It's no wonder Super Smash Bros., as a sort of “best hits” for the industry, is such a success.
All those characters are ripe for crossovers, and there's plenty of ground that hasn't been covered yet. A celebration of the biggest stars in action games would come off as something similar to The Expendables film franchise, in which a bunch of old action stars came together to form a team. Just the action game genre alone is more than capable of producing a roster of famous heroes who could carry such a title. There are many characters who would be eligible to join The Expendables of video games, but they can probably be narrowed down to a few must-haves.
Laura Croft
Laura Croft heads off this ensemble as a representative of both the Tomb Raider franchise and the many leading ladies of action games. Laura would provide a great baseline for combat scenes, being an athletic heroine who can perform many acrobatic tricks and keep her guns trained on enemies at the same time. For an authentic Expendables feel it would be better if the classic, cheesier Laura Croft got a place on the roster, but the newer version would work just as well. That goes double if Uncharted's Nathan Drake isn't present, as the rebooted Laura can be seen as a more dour version of him.
Solid Snake
Moving away from the "baseline action protagonist" role, next is Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series. Snake is a clear choice for an Expendables game, practically being an Expendable himself as a Jean-Claude Van Damme lookalike. Snake serves as a vehicle for all-important scouting and stealth sequences, and would have plenty of goofy moments along the way. Snake could also bring a few members of his rogues’ gallery along with him. Liquid Snake, someone with the same skillset as Snake himself, would make for a great boss fight no matter who the player is.
Aloy
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Aloy, from the Horizon series, is from games that are very different from the rest in terms of settings. Space marines like Master Chief and the Doom Slayer seem like not great options for a first entry of this potential series, as both of their circumstances are too different from the other heroes and their general abilities are much stronger. Aloy is closer to the other video game Expendables in power, specializing in arrows, traps, and disabling larger enemies. This would be a great in fights against vehicles, including a potential Metal Gear-sized threat. Justifying her presence would be a bit awkward, but there’s nothing like a time traveler with a warning to kickstart any B-movie plot.
Marlow Briggs
Next up is Marlow Briggs, the titular protagonist of Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death. This is the team's current indie representative, a lesser-known character who would still make his small subset of fans excited. He also pulls his weight as both the melee weapon specialist and the only magic user in the team. God of War’s Kratos could easily fill the same spot, but indie games could use the representation, and the setting of Marlow’s game already feels like one from an Expendables movie.
Jill Valentine
Following Marlow is Resident Evil’s own Jill Valentine, who might not have any experience with magic, but has plenty of experience with monsters. While Jill does fit a similar niche to Laura as an action survivalist, Jill would be able to bring her series’ massive armory to bear when battling the forces of evil. Her presence would also give an excuse for zombies to show up, and no mook serves the role of cannon fodder better than a horde of shambling undead.
Kazuma Kiryu
Rounding out a good first Expendables-like game would be Kazuma Kiryu from the Yakuza series. Kiryu is a seasoned action game protagonist who specializes in unarmed close-quarters combat. This gives the cast its missing martial arts master, and anyone who has played the Yakuza games knows Kiryu's fight choreography will be full of fun moments and action. Kiryu also brings a loose tie to the Japanese criminal underworld, which could certainly be involved in whatever ridiculous plot is propping up this Expendables game.
Duke Nukem
It wouldn't be an Expendables send-up without someone being past their prime and in unfamiliar times, and no one would channel that as well as Duke Nukem. Duke has had a rough history, but can still spice up this hypothetical game as the resident comic relief - the butt of most of the jokes. On the bright side, sequels can fix anything, so if Serious Sam, Lo Wang, and Postal Dude can get great new games, this could be Duke's big break with a touch more self-awareness.
The Future Of the Expendables-Like Games
A The Expendables-styled Smash Bros. series for action protagonists ideally wouldn’t stop at one game. There shouldn’t just be DLC, but a full-blown sequel to include many of the iconic heroes not mentioned here - and probably travel to space in the process. Halo and Doom need their spots filled, and if stars like Nathan Drake, Kratos, and Devil May Cry's Dante can join in on the fun, they should. How this uber-game would even play is anyone’s guess, but hopefully some visionary in the industry could make it a reality.