Following the success of WandaVision on Disney Plus is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a story set after Avengers: Endgame exploring the two titular characters. Right now, only one episode has aired, so fans still have a ton of content coming their way. It’s clear already, though, that this TV show is the perfect candidate for a video game adaptation. PLEASE NOTE: This article does NOT contain any SPOILERS for the first episode; however, if fans have avoided trailers and the synopsis, it may be best to turn back now.
Marvel video game adaptations have practically disappeared over the years; though the early MCU movies had games accompanying them, they never found any real success in comparison to their movie counterparts. Instead and perhaps rightfully so, Marvel video games are distinct from the shows, such as Square Enix’s Marvel’s Avengers. That said, if there was one adaptation Marvel would make, there’s plenty of reasons for it to be The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. After all, with the recent Xbox Ad featuring Anthony Mackie (who plays Falcon), it seems like it’s already tied closer to video games than other Marvel properties.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: Good Cop, Bad Cop Gameplay and Abilities
What’s clear from the trailers, ads, and the very title is the two characters are teaming up, which practically begs for a game with an ally AI alongside them for the entire fight. There’s even chances for a hypothetical game to demonstrate the characters separately; side-quests and personal quests could help flesh out each character’s background as they team up later on or throughout the game. Swapping back and forth in a standard beat ’em up wouldn’t be impossible, but it would be more interesting if they were like Marvel’s Avengers characters, who each have their own unique gameplay options.
It would be interesting to be able to fly around as the Falcon, deploy Red Wing tactically, and use a mixture of flying combat and simple weapons. At the same time, a co-op partner or AI could take over the other, but if playing as The Winter Soldier, there’s equal opportunities for strong gunplay, tank-ish approaches to melee, and more. The characters are similar enough where the gameplay could simple compliment each other, but not so different that it would be game-breaking. Plus, with standard video game additions like cosmetics, it could feel like players were creating their own version of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s Enemies and Combat
Of course, no game is complete without proper enemies and a story to tell. A Falcon and The Winter Soldier game has every opportunity to bring in simple fodder enemies, military, terrorists, and the like—a game could even branch out and include enemies like Hydra without there being any real canon worry. Still, without treading into spoiler territory, the first episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier sets up perfect fodder enemies (who, in game, could be differentiated by various enemy types), major enemies, and rivals.
At the same time, it’s been no secret in the marketing that Zemo plays a big role in the game. Obviously, it’s uncertain what happens in the show surrounding him, but with a hopefully strong story due to a main villain like Zemo, strong gameplay possibilities with Falcon and Winter Soldier’s characters, and a basic set-up for a buddy cop co-op game, an adaptation of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier seems like it would be promising. That doesn’t mean Marvel would ever pursue it, of course, as there’s ton of properties that deserve game, but it’s an interesting prospect nonetheless.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is streaming now with weekly releases on Disney Plus.
