Team Talk | Which DLC hero should join Marvel's Avengers?

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During the latest Marvel's Avengers War Table livestream, Hawkeye was announced as the first post-launch DLC character. Spider-Man has since been confirmed as a PlayStation exclusive. With a long list of other superhumans to choose from, these are the heroes (and villains) we'd like to see added next.

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by Chris Brand

@SuperCrisco

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by Team PTC

@pass_controller

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Chris | Doctor Doom

Like all of the best super villains, Doctor Doom possesses superior intelligence, which is further augmented by a host of gadgets and a little sorcery. Though he's butted heads with many Marvel characters, on both sides of the hero/villain divide, he's more nuanced than he seems at first glance.

Doom (as his friends call him) has a moral code and genuinely cares about Latveria, wanting the best for the people he rules over. With The Avengers now outlaws, they'll be looking for assistance from anyone willing to fight and Victor (as his very close friends call him) ticks that single box.

His armour can rival Iron Man's iconic suit, allowing him to withstand a tremendous amount of damage, as well as giving as good as he gets, or take to the skies for reconnaissance. If that would be stepping on Stark's toes, Square could focus on his magical prowess and the ability to manipulate machines.

Doom's skill set is expansive enough to accommodate a range of play styles, which appears to be what the devs are aiming for, having multiple options when it comes to customising your loadouts. But more than that, and maybe the most important aspect, is that he just looks badass.

There's no need for myriad customisation options when you already look like this.

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Liam | Damage Control

Damage Control has been around for a long time, but I only discovered the stories a couple of years ago when someone handed me a collection of comics for Christmas.

Although I was initially sceptical, it turned out stories about a company formed just to clean up the chaos caused by rampaging heroes and villains could be surprisingly entertaining, and I think the concept could work just as well (albeit as a bit of a curveball) in the upcoming Marvel’s Avengers.

I don’t think it would be fair to pit a bunch of technicians and middle management up against the likes of AIM and its armies (though it could be sadistically fun!) so Damage Control missions would instead be used to break up the action, with players given the opportunity to unwind and de-clutter the ravaged streets.

Perhaps as an extra incentive to play clean up, players could uncover hidden items left behind by heroes and villains in the rubble of destroyed structures, or come across some of the more fantastical characters that crop up in Damage Control lore - such as sentient buildings that want to go travelling - and have to negotiate solutions to these types of bizarre problems.

The behind-the-scenes workers of the Marvel universe deserve more credit.

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Sam | Professor X

Professor X is the eponymous leader of the X-Men and a beacon of all things good in mutantkind. Charles Xavier insists that Homo sapiens and Homo superior can coexist, despite his species’ greater power and humanity’s many flaws. If that isn't a noble enough cause to earn the Oxford graduate a place on the heroic Marvel’s Avengers roster, I don’t know what is.

Xavier would fit narratively, serving as a leader to help reunite the team during the A-Day Aftermath that’s explored within the upcoming action game. He’s also the perfect counter to leading villain M.O.D.O.K., possessing his own great intellect and suite of mental powers that are used to opposite ends.

Professor X is most commonly depicted with a disability, and keeping him confined to a wheelchair would add diversity to both the in-game representations and mechanics. Having spent the last week wreaking havoc in Destroy All Humans! (2020), it can be a lot of fun to fling enemies around telekinetically and telepathically extract brains. There’d be far fewer cranial extractions, granted, but with a little expansion on the core concept a mentally-powered combatant with limited mobility could work.

He’d especially shine in co-op, serving in a befitting support role. A more direct comparison here would be to Bleeding Edge healer Zero Cool, who also occupies a chair, if this time entirely by choice.

Few heroes are better suited to taking on the mind-bending M.O.D.O.K.

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James | Gambit

Unloved in the cinematic world and a fairly consistent background player in video games over the years, the X-men’s other gruff-voiced loner, Gambit, could be a fun - if unlikely - powerset to throw into the Avengers’ mix.

Given the characters already on the team, Gambit could be a quieter presence, almost a Solid Snake-like presence to tackle a more covert type of mission, on the Black Widow end of the spectrum, compared to the bombastic action of The Hulk or Iron Man.

You might think it’s all about throwing a few playing cards around, but in fact, Gambit’s ability to turn potential energy into kinetic energy could be applied to almost anything. It could be difficult to balance without breaking the game, presenting a challenge for developer Crystal Dynamics, but could make for some really interesting gameplay.

How well he’d play when teaming up with the rest of the group could be interesting too, combining with other powers, and we know from the trailers alone there’s plenty of story time when the group aren’t diving into battle, which could bring an interesting twist to the story side of the game as well.

A fan-favourite hero for many from back in the 90s cartoon days, this could be Gambit’s chance to get some time in the spotlight.

It's been too long since Gambit had a chance to shine.

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Who would you like to see added to Marvel's Avengers?