Marvel's Avengers (video Game)
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''Marvel's Avengers'' is a 2020
action-adventure game An action-adventure game is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action ...
developed by
Crystal Dynamics Crystal Dynamics, Inc. is an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California. The studio is best known for its games in the ''Tomb Raider'', '' Legacy of Kain'', and '' Gex'' series. Madeline Canepa, Judy Lange, and Dave Morse ...
and originally published by
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...
. Based on the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
superhero team the
Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...
, the plot follows
Inhuman Inhuman may refer to: Comics *Inhumans, a fictional race in Marvel Comics ** ''Inhuman'' (comics), a comic book series focusing on Inhumans ** ''Inhumans'' (TV series), a television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Music *InHuman ...
teenager
Kamala Khan Kamala Khan is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie, Kamala is Marvel's first ...
, who gains superpowers during A-Day, a celebratory day for the Avengers, which ends in tragedy following a terrorist attack. Blamed for the disaster, the Avengers disband and allow science corporation A.I.M. to take their place. Five years later, when A.I.M. threatens to eliminate all Inhuman individuals, Kamala embarks on a quest to reassemble the Avengers to combat this new enemy. ''Marvel's Avengers'' is played from a
third-person perspective Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to storytelling, convey a narrative, story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to del ...
and has both
single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the gameplay. Video games in general can feature several game modes, including single-player modes designed to be played by a single player in add ...
and
multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
modes; it features an online co-op mode, allowing players to assemble a team of heroes of their own. The initial roster consisted of Khan / Ms. Marvel, Tony Stark / Iron Man, Steve Rogers / Captain America, Bruce Banner / Hulk,
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
, and Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, with more characters being added in free post-launch updates, which also added story expansions and new regions to be explored. Each hero possesses a variety of costume customization features, as well as the capacity to upgrade their powers and abilities using a
skill tree Since the origin of video games in the early 1970s, the video game industry, the players, and surrounding culture have spawned a wide range of technical and slang terms. 0–9 A ...
. ''Marvel's Avengers'' was released for
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
, Stadia,
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, and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
on 4 September 2020. It was also released for
PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
and
Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...
on 18 March 2021 (with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players able to upgrade for free). The game received mixed reviews upon release, with critics praising its story and combat, but criticizing its
repetition Repetition may refer to: *Repetition (rhetorical device), repeating a word within a short space of words *Repetition (bodybuilding), a single cycle of lifting and lowering a weight in strength training *Working title for the 1985 slasher film '' ...
, lack of substantial content, and technical issues. Despite strong initial sales, ''Marvel's Avengers'' was a commercial disappointment, selling 3 million copies. Support from Crystal Dynamics for the game ended in September 2023, with it being delisted from digital storefronts the same month.


Gameplay

''Marvel's Avengers'' is a third-person, action-adventure game. It features an original story with single-player and
co-operative gameplay A cooperative video game, often abbreviated as co-op, is a video game that allows players to work together as teammates, usually against one or more non-player character opponents ( PvE). Co-op games can be played locally using one or multiple in ...
. The game features a combat system chaining attacks, dodges, abilities, skills and elements during a combat phase. The game can be played offline through single-player or online with up to four people during certain aspects of the game. The game features customization options including abilities and costumes, which can be upgraded using a
skill tree Since the origin of video games in the early 1970s, the video game industry, the players, and surrounding culture have spawned a wide range of technical and slang terms. 0–9 A ...
. Costumes have been sourced from "all corners of the Marvel universe" and can be earned in-game or bought separately as downloadable content. Players are able to receive free updates containing new regions and characters.


Synopsis


Characters

''Marvel's Avengers'' features a roster of characters from the
Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Superhero teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardia ...
. The initial roster of playable heroes consists of: * Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow (
Laura Bailey Laura Bailey (born May 28, 1981) is an American voice actress. She made her voice acting debut as Trunks (Dragon Ball), Kid Trunks in the Funimation dub of ''Dragon Ball Z'' and has since voiced List of Gunslinger Girl characters#First Generati ...
), * Steve Rogers / Captain America (Jeff Schine) * Tony Stark / Iron Man (
Nolan North Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles. After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...
) * Bruce Banner / Hulk (
Troy Baker Troy Edward Baker (born April 1, 1976) is an American voice actor and musician. He is known for his numerous roles in video games, including Yuri Lowell in ''Tales of Vesperia'' (2008), Joel Miller in ''The Last of Us'' franchise, Booker DeWi ...
/
Darin De Paul Darin De Paul is an American voice actor known for his video game performances as Dr. Samuel Hayden / Seraphim in ''Doom'' and ''Doom Eternal'', Reinhardt in '' Overwatch and Overwatch 2'', Ardyn Izunia in ''Final Fantasy XV'', Revenant in Ape ...
) * Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel (Sandra Saad). *
Thor Odinson Thor Odinson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, based on the god from Old Norse religion and Norse mythology, mythology, Thor (Þórr). Created by artist Jack Kirby, writer Stan Lee, and scripter Larry ...
(
Travis Willingham Travis Willingham is an American voice actor known for his character portrayals in video games and English anime Dubbing, dubs. His notable roles include Roy Mustang in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' franchise, Cleo in ''Glass Fleet'', Ginko in ''L ...
) Following the game's initial release, more superheroes were made available via free
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
: * Kate Bishop / Hawkeye II (
Ashly Burch Ashly Burch (born June 19, 1990) is an American actress, writer, director, and singer. She is known for her roles as Aloy in the ''Horizon (video game series), Horizon'' series, Chloe Price in the ''Life Is Strange (video game), Life Is Strange ...
), added in December 2020 * Clint Barton / Hawkeye ( Giacomo Gianniotti), added in March 2021 * T'Challa / Black Panther (
Christopher Judge Christopher Judge is an American actor. He is best known for playing Teal'c in the Canadian- American military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1'' (1997-2007). He is also the second actor to portray Kratos in the ''God of War'' ...
), added in August 2021 * Peter Parker / Spider-Man (
Sean Chiplock Sean Edward Chiplock (born June 21, 1990) is an American voice actor who is known for voicing English versions of Japanese video games and anime. Based in Los Angeles, California, Chiplock is known as the voice of Aiden Flynn from Camp Buddy, R ...
), added in November 2021 for the PlayStation 4 & 5 versions, * Jane Foster / The Mighty Thor (
Zehra Fazal Zehra Fazal is an American voice actress, known for voicing Nadia Rizavi in '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'' and Halo and Bluebird in '' Young Justice: Outsiders''. Career Prior to her voice acting career, Fazal, who is of Pakistani descent, was ...
), added in June 2022 * Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (
Scott Porter Matthew Scott Porter (born July 14, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jason Street in the NBC television drama '' Friday Night Lights'', as George Tucker in The CW comedy-drama series '' Hart of Dixie'' and as Mayor ...
), added in November 2022 Opposing the Avengers is the corporation
Advanced Idea Mechanics A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is a fictional criminal organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it First appearance, first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #146 (July 1966). A.I ...
(A.I.M.). Within the game's narrative, superheroes have been outlawed while A.I.M. takes the Avengers' place in society as a peacekeeping force, promising to find a cure for what is dubbed the "
Inhuman Inhuman may refer to: Comics *Inhumans, a fictional race in Marvel Comics ** ''Inhuman'' (comics), a comic book series focusing on Inhumans ** ''Inhumans'' (TV series), a television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Music *InHuman ...
Disease". A.I.M. is headed by
Monica Rappaccini Monica Rappaccini is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fred Van Lente and Leonard Kirk, the character first appeared in ''Amazing Fantasy'' vol. 2 #7 (2005). Monica Rappaccini is a genius-lev ...
(Jolene Andersen) and George Tarleton / MODOK (
Usman Ally Usman Ally (born August 27, 1982) is a Pakistani-American film, stage and television actor. Marking his acting debut in 2008, Ally won an Obie Award in 2015 for his role in ''The Invisible Hand''. He has appeared in several stage productions in ...
), who is severely mutated as a result of the events of A-Day. Other villains include Emil Blonsky / Abomination (
Jamieson Price Jamieson K. Price is an American actor, best known for his deep and booming voice in numerous anime and video game projects. He is known as the voice of the Count of Monte Cristo in '' Gankutsuou'', Sojiro Sakura in ''Persona 5'', Ovan in '' .h ...
), Tony Masters / Taskmaster (Walter Gray IV), and
Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
(
Travis Willingham Travis Willingham is an American voice actor known for his character portrayals in video games and English anime Dubbing, dubs. His notable roles include Roy Mustang in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' franchise, Cleo in ''Glass Fleet'', Ginko in ''L ...
). The game's DLC missions introduce more villains, namely the
Super-Adaptoid The Super-Adaptoid is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has appeared in over five decades of Marvel continuity and featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such a ...
, Lyle Getz (
Darin De Paul Darin De Paul is an American voice actor known for his video game performances as Dr. Samuel Hayden / Seraphim in ''Doom'' and ''Doom Eternal'', Reinhardt in '' Overwatch and Overwatch 2'', Ardyn Izunia in ''Final Fantasy XV'', Revenant in Ape ...
),
Maestro Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning " master" or "teacher," plural: maestros or maestri) is an honorific title of respect, sometimes abbreviated Mo. The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and oper ...
(
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), Ulysses Klaue / Klaw (
Steve Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series ''Cowboy Bebop''; Amon from ''The Legend of Korra''; Heatblast, Ghostfreak, and ...
), and Brock Rumlow / Crossbones (
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
). Non-playable supporting characters in the game include
Tony Stark Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
's proprietary A.I.
J.A.R.V.I.S. J.A.R.V.I.S. ( Just a Rather Very Intelligent System) is a fictional character voiced by Paul Bettany in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, based on the Marvel Comics characters Edwin Jarvis and H.O.M.E.R., respectively the h ...
(
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),
Hank Pym Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (Ja ...
( Danny Jacobs),
Phil Sheldon ''Marvels'' is a four-issue miniseries comic book written by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross and edited by Marcus McLaurin. It was published by Marvel Comics in 1994. Set in the 1939 to 1974 time period, the series examines the Marvel Univers ...
(Walter Gray IV),
Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...
( Charles Parnell),
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(
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),
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),
Jimmy Woo James "Jimmy" Woo (Woo Yen Jet) is a fictional secret agent appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by EC Comics writer Al Feldstein and artist Joe Maneely, the Chinese American character first appeared in '' Yellow ...
(Aleks Le), Dante Pertuz ( Michael Johnston), Cerise (Cherry Thompson), Yusuf Khan (
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),
Justin Hammer Justin Hammer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a villainous entrepreneur, head of Hammer Industries and a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man. He is the ...
( Nicolas Roye),
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,
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), Okoye (
Debra Wilson Debra Wilson is an American actress and comedian. She is the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series ''Mad TV'', having appeared on the show's first eight seasons from 1995 to 2003. As a voice actress, she has voiced va ...
), Zawavari (
Dave Fennoy Dave Fennoy is an American voice actor. His video game roles have included Lee Everett in '' The Walking Dead'', Bluebeard in ''The Wolf Among Us'', Finch in ''Tales from the Borderlands'', Gabriel the Warrior in '' Minecraft: Story Mode'', ...
),
Liz Allan Elizabeth "Liz" Allan, also known as Elizabeth Allan-Osborn and commonly misspelled as "Liz Allen", is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In ...
(Elizabeth Grullon), and
Mark Raxton Molten Man (Mark Raxton) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Once a chemical engineer who longed to get rich, Mark Raxton was caught in an accident that saw his body get covered by an experimental ...
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James Arnold Taylor James Arnold Taylor (born July 22, 1969), also known by his initials JAT, is an American voice and television actor. He is known for voicing Ratchet in the ''Ratchet & Clank'' franchise, the main character Tidus in '' Final Fantasy X'', Shuyin ...
).


Plot


Main story

Kamala Khan Kamala Khan is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie, Kamala is Marvel's first ...
attends a celebration event called "Avengers Day" which unveils the Avengers' second headquarters in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
and their own
Helicarrier The Helicarrier is a fictional airborne aircraft carrier appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the aircraft First appearance, first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965). The ...
called the ''Chimera''. The ceremony is interrupted by a terrorist attack led by Taskmaster, which leads to the ''Chimera'' Terrigen Crystal-powered core exploding and
Steve Rogers Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely Comics ...
' apparent death. San Francisco is destroyed and blanketed by Terrigen Mist in the aftermath, which causes numerous individuals, including Kamala, to involuntarily manifest superhuman powers as
Inhumans The Inhumans are a superhuman race of super beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many people associat ...
. Blamed for the tragedy known as "A-Day", the Avengers disband and a company named A.I.M. rises to power. Five years later at her home in
Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous
, Kamala discovers damaged video footage which seemingly implicate a scientist named George Tarleton in Rogers' death. She attempts to meet a contact from an anti-A.I.M. resistance movement known as "Tiny Dancer", but is captured by Tarleton and A.I.M.'s scientist
Monica Rappaccini Monica Rappaccini is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fred Van Lente and Leonard Kirk, the character first appeared in ''Amazing Fantasy'' vol. 2 #7 (2005). Monica Rappaccini is a genius-lev ...
. Kamala escapes and travels to
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
to find the resistance's base of operations. Her search leads her to the ''Chimera''s damaged remains in which she finds the
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
who attacks her before reverting into Bruce Banner. She convinces him to assist her in proving the Avengers' innocence. Traveling to a former
S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...
compound to retrieve J.A.R.V.I.S., the two are confronted by A.I.M. and one of their operatives, Emil Blonsky. Hulk defeats him before he and Kamala return to the ''Chimera'' to reactivate J.A.R.V.I.S. and set out to reunite the Avengers. While they find
Tony Stark Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
at his family estate, he bears a grudge against Banner because his testimony of A-Day incriminated the Avengers. Upon learning of Kamala's evidence, Stark agrees to join them and works to restore the ''Chimera''. During their search for parts to help Stark, Kamala and Banner stumble upon the Ant Hill, an Inhuman sanctuary and the resistance's headquarters run by
Hank Pym Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (Ja ...
. While assisting them, Kamala disobeys orders and attempts to raid an A.I.M. facility alone to save Inhuman prisoners, but is captured. While in custody, she learns Rappaccini's efforts to make an Inhuman cure are unsuccessful, leading Tarleton to prioritize the manufacturing of Adaptoid androids. Natasha Romanoff drops her cover within A.I.M. and infiltrates the facility. She captures Rappaccini, frees Kamala, and reveals her identity as "Tiny Dancer". Banner attempts to interrogate Rappaccini about the Adaptoid laboratory's whereabouts, but the latter resists before A.I.M. forces attack the ''Chimera'' and retrieve her. Witnessing the attack,
Thor Odinson Thor Odinson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, based on the god from Old Norse religion and Norse mythology, mythology, Thor (Þórr). Created by artist Jack Kirby, writer Stan Lee, and scripter Larry ...
intervenes and re-joins the Avengers.
J.A.R.V.I.S. J.A.R.V.I.S. ( Just a Rather Very Intelligent System) is a fictional character voiced by Paul Bettany in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, based on the Marvel Comics characters Edwin Jarvis and H.O.M.E.R., respectively the h ...
restores the footage which shows Rogers ordering Tarleton to seal him inside so he can destroy the ''Chimera'' reactor, apparently causing the explosion. Believing A-Day really was their fault, the Avengers disband again. While reviewing the interrogation footage, Kamala realizes A.I.M.'s Adaptoid laboratory is located off-world in a satellite called Ambrosia. She relays this information to the Avengers and rallies them with a heartfelt speech. Stark upgrades his suit to achieve space travel and infiltrates the satellite where he discovers Rogers is alive and placed in suspended animation so Rappaccini could harvest his blood to power the Adaptoids and covertly accelerate Tarleton's mutation. Thor comes to their rescue and they return to the ''Chimera'', where Rogers reveals that he destroyed the reactor because it was unearthing an unidentified object underneath the bay that threatened to destabilize the
San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults, right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly through the U.S. state of California. It forms part of the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Paci ...
and destroy
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Meanwhile, Tarleton discovers that Rappaccini's serum, while ostensibly keeping him alive, has deliberately induced his mutations and injects her with it in retaliation. Reassembled, the Avengers deduce that Rappaccini hired Taskmaster to hijack the ''Chimera'' and steal the Terrigen Crystal, which unearthed the buried object in the bay. They learn that Tarleton, now calling himself "M.O.D.O.K.", plans to exterminate Inhumans around the world and commit suicide afterwards. The Avengers storm his fortress, but M.O.D.O.K. activates the object—a massive Kree Sentry—and overpowers them. Kamala unexpectedly grows to giant size, destroys the Kree Sentry, and sends M.O.D.O.K falling into the bay. After her recovery, Kamala returns home to her father Yusuf who allows her to discreetly join the Avengers. In a mid-credits scene, Rappaccini becomes A.I.M.'s new leader, the
Scientist Supreme The Scientist Supreme is a name of several characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Description The Scientist Supreme is often described to be the top leader of A.I.M., and can also be described to be the scientifi ...
, while the Kree Sentry's remains launches a pod into space. In a post-credits scene,
Maria Hill Commander Maria Christina Hill is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch (comics), David Finch, the character first appeared in ''The New Avengers (comics), The Ne ...
rallies the Avengers to undermine A.I.M.'s activities.


Side stories

Throughout the story progression, six side missions can be unlocked. * Kamala and Banner learn that Blonsky attempts to create a gamma army by transforming the people of a small town in
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
with gamma bombs around. While J.A.R.V.I.S. deactivates the gamma bomb timers, the Hulk defeats Blonsky, then sends him and his A.I.M. troops to the authorities. * Romanoff leads a rescue ops to save the former A.I.M. scientist she befriended and is currently having trouble defecting to the resistance side safely. Once the scientists are rescued, Romanoff's second leading mission is to infiltrate A.I.M.'s icy underwater base which contains the data of those who were present in A-Day and are currently Inhumans like Kamala. * Thor learns that an imposter assembled a cult of former A.I.M. agents known as "Woken" and is using them to create a synthetic
Bifröst In Norse mythology, Bifröst (modern Icelandic: Bifröst ; from Old Norse: /ˈbiv.rɔst/), also called Bilröst and often anglicized as Bifrost, is a burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard (Earth) and Asgard, the realm of the gods. ...
bridge. As the Avengers stop the unstable Bifröst, the fake Thor, who turns out to be his brother, Loki Laufeyson, escapes. * Rogers leads an infiltration to an A.I.M. space station to broadcast the truth about A.I.M.'s true nature and confirmation of the Avengers' return, then raids A.I.M.'s bases at New Jersey alongside resistance and S.H.I.E.L.D. troops led by Pym and Hill. * As Taskmaster has an ongoing contract with A.I.M. for five years, he collects data and uploads them to his contractor. However, as he is defeated by the Avengers, the last piece of data which Taskmaster was about to upload to A.I.M. has been destroyed by Hill, securing his arrest under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody. * "Reigning Supreme" campaign's mission can only be unlocked after finishing the tasked side-missions. Once the campaign is cleared, a
cutscene A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
shows Kamala being officially made an Avenger.


Story expansions


Taking A.I.M.

After a series of
tachyon A tachyon () or tachyonic particle is a hypothetical particle that always travels Faster-than-light, faster than light. Physicists posit that faster-than-light particles cannot exist because they are inconsistent with the known Scientific law#L ...
storms occur across the world, the Avengers investigate and discover their relation to A.I.M.'s experiments. While investigating an A.I.M. facility, they encounter Kate Bishop,
Clint Barton Hawkeye (Clinton Francis "Clint" Barton) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck, the character first appeared as a supervillain in ''Tales of Suspense'' #57 (Se ...
's protégé and ex-Avenger-in-training. Meeting with her at a S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost, the Avengers learn that Barton had been captured by A.I.M. while investigating
Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...
's disappearance and its relation to the tachyon storms. Capturing A.I.M. scientist Lyle Getz, they interrogate him and learn that Rappaccini is attempting to master time travel. After Rogers offers her a chance to join the Avengers, Bishop leads the team on a raid, during which they discover Rappaccini is in contact with a future version of herself and that Barton apparently works with her. Consulting Pym, the Avengers agree to travel back in time to rescue Barton and end Rappaccini's experiments before they tear reality apart. With help from the resistance, they construct their own time gate and go back to before Barton initially went through A.I.M.'s portal and rescue him, whereupon he reveals that he was attempting to contact Fury, who is with the future Rappaccini, and that they are working together to avert a future apocalypse. Agreeing to let Barton travel to the future, the Avengers return to the present to ensure he succeeds and takes control of Rappaccini's time gate after defeating a
Super-Adaptoid The Super-Adaptoid is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has appeared in over five decades of Marvel continuity and featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such a ...
created by her future self. Once Barton returns to the present, Bishop destroys the gateway and agrees to join the Avengers as a full-time member. While debriefing the Avengers, Barton reveals that Rappaccini was trying to thwart a
Kree The Kree, briefly known as the Ruul, are an List of fictional extraterrestrials, alien race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and have a scientificall ...
invasion with Fury's help. After the latter realized the battle was a lost cause, he sent Barton to the past to prepare the Avengers for the invasion before it occurs. Before he can tell the Avengers more, Barton suddenly falls unconscious due to the effects of time travel.


Future Imperfect

Several weeks after falling into a coma, Barton dreams about his future self searching for Fury and coming across a time gate built by Pym. Hawkeye then suddenly awakens and formally rejoins the Avengers as they resume their mission to save the future. Barton goes to his home in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
to retrieve an essential package, only to find that most of his belongings have been stolen by the Watchdogs, A.I.M.'s hired terrorists, to lure Barton into a trap and capture him. The Avengers recover Barton's belongings before meeting with Pym at a
S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...
outpost. Barton gives him a
SIM card A typical SIM card (mini-SIM with micro-SIM cutout)A SIM card or SIM (subscriber identity module) is an integrated circuit (IC) intended to securely store an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number and its related key, which are u ...
to analyze, discovering it contains information about tachyons' ability to alter time. Pym modifies a
Quinjet The Quinjet is a fictional jet aircraft appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the aircraft first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #61 (February 1969). The Quinjet was f ...
to travel through time so that the Avengers can go to the future and find Fury. Amidst their search, they encounter a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents besieged by A.I.M. robots and save them. Learning the robots serve someone called the "Supreme Leader", the Avengers avoid them as they make their way to another S.H.I.E.L.D. hideout. There, they try to put together the clues they collected to locate Fury, but are forced to fend off an attack by the future Taskmaster. After defeating his troops, the future Barton appears and offers to help the present-day Avengers change the future out of guilt for refusing to help when the Kree invasion occurred and inadvertently allowing the other Avengers to be killed. With his help, the Avengers learn Fury's last known location—Substation 99—and go there to investigate. However, they encounter
Maestro Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning " master" or "teacher," plural: maestros or maestri) is an honorific title of respect, sometimes abbreviated Mo. The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and oper ...
, this timeline's Banner who was driven mad with power after absorbing excess radiation from the nuclear fallout that destroyed most of humanity. Maestro reveals that he knows about the Avengers' plan to alter the future and attempts to stop them, but is ultimately defeated. Venturing further into Maestro's territory, future and present-day Barton find Fury, Rappaccini, numerous S.H.I.E.L.D. and A.I.M. agents, and Kree Sentries frozen in time by the
Cosmic Cube The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...
, which Rappaccini built to help defeat the Kree. However, the cube trapped her and those around her in a time-bubble while the rest of the world collapsed into chaos. With no hope of rescuing Fury, future Barton asks his present-day self to never give up on the Avengers so that this future does not happen. Barton vows to do so, abandoning his retirement plans as he and the other Avengers return to the present.


Cosmic Cube

Following the Avengers' venture into the future, a model A.I.M. robot assembles the team for a briefing to stop Rappaccini from using the cube's unstable power on her "Project Omega", which would bring about the events that future Barton warned of. When Rappaccini's machine becomes more unstable, she uses the cube's power against the Avengers despite potentially threatening reality and Barton's warning. However, the future Barton arrives in the present and sacrifices himself to send him and Rappaccini into a void, leaving the cube behind. While mourning for the future Barton, the resistance, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Avengers work to find the present Fury's whereabouts and properly use Project Omega to stop the impending Kree invasion. Later, the A.I.M. robot holds the cube while securing it, causing the latter to activate and affect another nearby robot.


War for Wakanda

Five years since the A-Day tragedy caused
Wakanda Wakanda (), officially the Kingdom of Wakanda, is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the country first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' ...
to re-isolate from the world once again,
T'Challa Black Panther is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist-coplotter Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #52, published in July 1966. On ...
, the current king of his home country and the current Black Panther, leads his people into battle against invading A.I.M. forces and a private army led by
Ulysses Klaue Klaw (Ulysses Klaue) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a human physicist who has been transformed into solid sound, and who wears a sonic emitter on his right wrist as a pr ...
, a longtime enemy of the country whose father Fritz was killed trying to steal Wakanda's precious resource
vibranium Vibranium () is a fictional metal appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, noted for its extraordinary abilities to absorb, store, and release large amounts of kinetic energy. Mined only in the kingdom of Wakanda, the metal ...
. After stopping an invasion led by Crossbones at Wakanda's shielded capital Birnin Zana, T'Challa and his sister
Shuri Shuri may refer to: People *, ring name of Syuri Kondo, a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer and kickboxer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese professional wrestler Characters * Shuri (character), a Marvel Comics superhero ** Shuri (Marv ...
work with the Avengers to investigate Klaue's connection to the emergence of corrupted
Vibranium Vibranium () is a fictional metal appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, noted for its extraordinary abilities to absorb, store, and release large amounts of kinetic energy. Mined only in the kingdom of Wakanda, the metal ...
in Wakanda and around the world. T'Challa attempts to use Wakanda's Kimoyo network to locate Klaue, but the latter hijacks and damages it before capturing and killing Shuri's research team. T'Challa orders the Wakandans to evacuate to Birnin Zana before joining the Avengers in confronting Klaue at Azzuri's Temple, only for Klaue to destroy it. Upon escaping and regrouping, the heroes learn Shuri intercepted a transmission between Klaue and another Rappaccini clone in which she reprimands Klaue for prioritizing seeking revenge for his father and destroying potentially valuable information in the temple before retracting A.I.M.'s support. In retaliation, Klaue and his army storm Wakanda's vibranium mound while A.I.M. attacks Birnin Zana. As the Avengers stop Klaue's army from corrupting the vibranium core, T'Challa fights Klaue in close combat, during which the latter falls into the vibranium chambers and transforms into a pure sound being. Now going by "Klaw", he and Crossbones overpower the heroes, forcing T'Challa and Shuri to redirect energy from Birnin Zana's shields to create a wavelength capable of weakening Klaw. Crossbones retreats while T'Challa and the Avengers defeat Klaw, who disintegrates. As Birnin Zana's shields are restored, T'Challa joins the Avengers in their fight against A.I.M. and passes the throne to Shuri, making her Queen of Wakanda.


Discordant Sound

Shuri discovers that Klaw survived his last encounter, albeit weakened for a time being, and will always return many times to get revenge on Wakanda and the Avengers. With the help of Zawavari and Okoye, the Avengers immediately disperse Klaw and defend the Vibranium Mound.


With Great Power

While the Avengers continue their fight against A.I.M.,
Peter Parker Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of ...
and
Liz Allan Elizabeth "Liz" Allan, also known as Elizabeth Allan-Osborn and commonly misspelled as "Liz Allen", is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In ...
apply for internships with the company only to learn A.I.M. is torturing Inhumans to create weapons with help from Allan's family's company Allan Chemicals. Peter and Liz ask the Avengers for help with Peter becoming Spider-Man to help the heroes expose A.I.M., while Liz joins the resistance. It is revealed that Liz's half-brother
Mark Raxton Molten Man (Mark Raxton) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Once a chemical engineer who longed to get rich, Mark Raxton was caught in an accident that saw his body get covered by an experimental ...
had been working undercover for his sister's sake to gather pieces of information for Spider-Man and the Avengers about A.I.M.'s dubious activities such as
Spencer Smythe Spencer Smythe () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man as well as the father of Alistair Smythe. A scientist researching robot ...
's downfall on siding with A.I.M. ever since the death of his son
Alistair Smythe Alistair Alphonso Smythe () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of the superhero Spider-Man, and the son of Spencer Smythe. After his father dedicated his li ...
five years ago. With the evidence of A.I.M. and Smythe's crimes exposed and under investigation, Raxton uploads them to
Daily Bugle The ''Daily Bugle'' (at one time ''The DB!'') is a fictional New York City tabloid newspaper appearing as a plot element in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The ''Daily Bugle'' is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, most ...
and turns himself into the authorities for testimony against A.I.M.. Shortly after gaining a new suit as a reserved Avengers member, Peter gets a phone call from
Aunt May Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...
before he goes swinging across the city at night.


Return of Nick Fury

Following the Avengers' success in retrieving the
Cosmic Cube The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...
from Rappaccini and preventing the Future Imperfect's timeline from happening, as well as their successful alliance with the Wakandan army, Fury resurfaces from the shadows and returns to lead S.H.I.E.L.D. once more.


The Mighty Jane Foster

While preparing their current missions in their home timeline, the Avengers unexpectedly encounters a female Thor, who is revealed to be
Jane Foster Jane Foster is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Journey into Mystery'' #84 (September 1962). Jane Foster ...
from the alternate present timeline and was transported to the former's universe as the result of Rappaccini's tampering the tachyon affected her timeline as well. She explains that in her timeline, the original Thor lost his left arm in presumably a previous battle instead and alternate Jane was diagnosed with cancer after A-Day, resulting in Thor retiring from his role and entrusting it to her to keep cancer in her on hold via
Mjölnir Mjölnir ( , ; from Old Norse ''Mjǫllnir'' ) is the hammer of the thunder god Thor in Norse mythology, used both as a devastating weapon and as a divine instrument to provide blessings. The hammer is attested in numerous sources, including t ...
after it chose her. Thus, the alternate Jane became part of the reassembled Avengers team in his stead. Because of Thor's action, his father Odin Borson goes mad due to outside forces and desecrates the Ten Realms into chaos. Before so, knowing that she will not be able to defeat Odin, she made a temporary truce with Loki, allowing him to kill Odin while he is off-guard on focusing his fight against Jane. This outcome leads to Jane's involvement in the original universe when she and Loki were about to end a deal of their temporary alliance before the former is unexpectedly pulled by a tachyon anomaly that affected her universe. Jane of the prime universe, with whom she comes in contact, is revealed to be healthy because she was not present at A-Day.


No Rest for the Wicked

Kamala, Rogers, and Romanoff discover an unidentifiable energy reading at one of A.I.M.'s facilities. There, the Avengers discover a creature who turns out to be M.O.D.O.K., enclosed in a strange machine. They find out that due to their exploits against A.I.M., Rappaccini has become desperate to preserve it, and is now attempting to revive M.O.D.O.K. as a last-ditch effort to support A.I.M. She attempts to fend off the Avengers once again, only to be defeated. But to their surprise, the real M.O.D.O.K. appears before her and transports himself and Rappaccini away before the Avengers can do anything. As the heroes return to their base, they are still doubting M.O.D.O.K.'s current situation while vowing to bring him and Rappaccini to justice.


The Winter Soldier

Having presumably died at the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
during his time as Rogers' sidekick,
Bucky Barnes James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in '' ...
was found and brainwashed by the Soviets' Red Room as a "Winter Soldier", who often put him on ice until new missions are given to him each year, particularly during a
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
. Until the day during his time trained by Red Room, Barnes fell in love with Romanoff, who partially restored some of his humanity and past memories. Unfortunately, when the Red Room caught them having a relationship "forbidden" to their rules, Barnes remains unfound, while Romanoff was eventually rescued by S.H.I.E.L.D., and became one of the founding members of the Avengers after Rogers was found on ice years later. Sometime later, Barnes eventually wakes up and escapes Red Room in the same year as A-Day occurred. For three years since Rogers' presumed death in A-Day, A.I.M., particularly Rappaccini acquired Red Room's assets to brainwash Barnes once more and experiment on him.


AIM Cloning Lab

Two years later after the Avengers re-assembled, and Rogers was found alive thanks to Kamala, the team is informed that M.O.D.O.K. is waiting for them at A.I.M.'s branch of the cloning lab, and learns that Rappaccini has escaped from his wrath once again. After being defeated by the Avengers, M.O.D.O.K. has learned the Kree's arrival is nearing, and shows them Barnes' exact location before he presumably dies. It is revealed that Barnes is also being put into similar station like how Rappaccini secretly did to Rogers in A.I.M.'s space station.


A Dark and Heavy Star

Thanks to M.O.D.O.K.'s presumed death that allows Avengers to find Barnes's exact location, Barnes is offered to join the Avengers to redeem himself, in exchange for helping him find a way to remove the brainwashing protocols from his head.


Release

A teaser trailer was released on
Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...
's YouTube channel in January 2017 which announced the game. The game was under the working title ''The Avengers Project''. More than two years later at
E3 2019 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019 (E3 2019) was the 25th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
,
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...
hosted a press conference that shared more details on the game, including a full trailer and release date. The 14-minute presentation showcased a trailer made from in-game footage, a brief description of the gameplay including characters, multiplayer and customization, and a preview of the actors behind the game. A playable demo was available to show floor attendees behind closed doors. A closed beta was available for those who pre-ordered the game. This began 7 August and ran until 9 August for PlayStation 4. The closed beta came to Windows and Xbox One from 14 to 16 August, with an open beta for all PlayStation 4 users also being available during this weekend. A final open beta took place from 21 to 23 August for all launch platforms apart from Stadia. ''Marvel's Avengers'' was originally set to release on
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
, Stadia,
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
, and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
on 15 May 2020, but was pushed back to 4 September, to adjust and polish the game. The game was released in four editions; a Standard Edition, an Exclusive Digital Edition (only for PS4), a Deluxe Edition, and an Earth's Mightiest Edition, with the latter three editions being playable from 1 September, and the standard edition releasing on 4 September. The game released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on 18 March 2021. PS4 and Xbox One players are entitled to a free upgrade. Publishing rights for the Asian release of the game were handled by
Bandai Namco Entertainment is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...
.


Post-release content

Following the initial release of the game, Crystal Dynamics developed several free
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
(DLC) packs adding new playable characters and missions that continue the game's story. In June 2020, the first of these expansions was revealed to focus on Hawkeye (Clint Barton). Later, in August,
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
was announced as the second playable DLC character, exclusively to PlayStation. Crystal Dynamics studio head Scot Amos stated the exclusivity of Spider-Man came from Marvel and Sony's existing partnership, and clarified that he was meant to be the only console-exclusive character. On 1 September, the third announced playable DLC character was Hawkeye ( Kate Bishop). Kate's expansion, titled ''Operation: Kate Bishop – Taking A.I.M.'', was the first one to be released, on 8 December, after being delayed from its planned October release. The second expansion, ''Operation: Hawkeye – Future Imperfect'', which patches Clint Barton as a playable character, was released on 18 March 2021. The third expansion, ''Operation: Black Panther – War for Wakanda'', which added
Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...
to the game, was released on 17 August 2021. ''Hero Event: Spider-Man – With Great Power'' was released on 30 November 2021. ''Hero Event: The Mighty Thor'' was released on 28 June 2022, which adds Jane Foster version of Thor. ''Hero Event:'' ''Winter Soldier'' was released on 29 November 2022. On 20 January 2023, Crystal Dynamics announced that all official support for ''Marvel's Avengers'' would end on 30 September and the game would be delisted from digital storefronts on 30 September 2023. Crystal Dynamics released the last content update on 31 March 2023.


Tie-in media and merchandise


''Marvel's Avengers: Road to A-Day''

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
has published five tie-in prequel comics for the game in a collection called ''Marvel's Avengers: Road to A-Day''. Each comic focuses on one of the five playable characters available at launch, excluding Ms. Marvel. The first comic to be released was ''Marvel's Avengers: Iron Man #1'' on 11 December 2019, followed by ''Marvel's Avengers: Thor #1'' on 8 January 2020, ''Marvel's Avengers: Hulk #1'' on 5 February 2020, ''Marvel's Avengers: Captain America #1'' on 18 March 2020, and concluding with ''Marvel's Avengers: Black Widow #1'' on 25 March 2020.


Tie-in books

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of the British entertainment company Titan Entertainment, which was established as Titan Books in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cine ...
published two tie-in books for the game on 1 September 2020. The first book, titled ''Marvel's Avengers: The Extinction Key'' was written by
Greg Keyes Gregory Keyes (born April 11, 1963) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy who has written both original and media-related novels under both the names J. Gregory Keyes and Greg Keyes. Early life Keyes was born in Meridian, Mississi ...
, is a prequel focused on the events that take place prior to the A-Day, which also sets the game's events in motion. The novel follows the Avengers as they try to prevent an ancient organization called the
Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...
from acquiring an infinitely powerful weapon capable of warping the very fabric of time and space – the Zodiac Key. ''The Extinction Key'' also introduces the game's versions of
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
and
Brother Voodoo Dr. Jericho Drumm is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' Strange Tales'' #169 (September 1973) as Brother Voodoo. The character was created by Marvel publisher Stan Lee, write ...
, as well as specific
members Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...
of
S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...
The second book, ''Marvel's Avengers: The Art of the Game'' contains concept art, storyboards and artist commentary, an intimate study of the Avengers, plus a detailed view at the different environments and missions in the game.


Further merchandise

Funko Funko Inc. is an American company that manufactures Brand licensing, licensed and limited popular culture, pop culture collectibles, known for its licensed Polyvinyl chloride, vinyl figurines and bobbleheads. In addition, the company produces li ...
released a set of Pop! Vinyl
figurine A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cla ...
s based on the playable characters in the game that are available at launch, in addition to figures based on Taskmaster and Abomination. Black Widow received a glow-in-the-dark chase variant, with the stock of this variant being at a rate of one in every six Black Widow figures. Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and Hulk also received alternate designs exclusive to certain retailers, with the first two being glow-in-the-dark variants. The designs for the characters were also loosely adapted for
Lego Lego (, ; ; stylised as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitri ...
Marvel Avengers sets releasing in 2020, though the events depicted are not from the game itself. There was also the release of several
Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...
figures to tie-in to the game. This includes 5-inch basic figures of Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Taskmaster, Abomination, Captain America and Ms. Marvel as well as 6-inch
Marvel Legends Marvel Legends is an action figure line based on the characters of Marvel Comics, initially produced by Toy Biz, then by Hasbro. This line is in the scale, with spin-off lines in the , , and scale. The line initially began in 2002 as a spi ...
figures of Captain America, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Hulk and Abomination.


Reception


Critical response

''Marvel's Avengers'' received "mixed or average reviews" from critics, according to
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website
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. ''
Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...
'' summarized its 6/10 review by calling the game "Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy it a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled." ''
Shacknews ''Shacknews'' is an American video game journalism website founded in 1996. It that publishes news articles, reviews, and cheat codes. History ''Shacknews'' was founded in 1996 by Steve Gibson. The website, originally named 'Quakeholio', was ...
'' praised the campaign and unique character abilities, but noted the "convoluted and uninspired" menus and bug issues. ''
USgamer Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...
'' scored the game 2.5/5 stars and wrote: "If ''Marvel's Avengers'' was just the single-player story campaign, it would be amazing. There, Crystal Dynamics sells you on its version of the Avengers and introduces the charming and endearing Ms. Marvel to players everywhere. Combat has depth to it, and each hero truly feels distinct. Unfortunately, the endgame is where our heroes falter, with broken matchmaking, rough options in terms of progression, and endlessly reused environments and enemies." ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...
'' said "''Marvel's Avengers'' squanders the potential of what might have been a fun superhero romp by grafting on an annoying, overly repetitive games-as-a-service component. Playing as the cast of heroes offers decent thrills, and the campaign tells an enjoyable enough story, but odds are good you'll get bored long before you
grind A blade's grind is its cross-sectional shape in a plane normal to the edge. Grind differs from Blade#Knife blade profiles .28Patterns.29, blade profile, which is the blade's cross-sectional shape in the plane containing the blade's edge and ...
your way to the top." ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' gave the game an 8.75/10, writing: "Developer Crystal Dynamics delivers a powerful superhero showcase that taps into each Avenger's unique abilities to light up the battlefield in thrilling ways, but when the dust settles, it slows down to show a softer, human side that is every bit as engaging, placing a character you wouldn't expect in the central role." ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' gave the game 6/10, praising its combat, superhero flavor and campaign, but criticizing its technical issues, loot system and recycled, repetitive end-game.


Post-release

In the weeks following its launch, ''Avengers'' saw a large player drop due to audiences frustrated at the game's problems, such as bugs, repetitive gameplay, and lack of content in the base game. One update included a patch that fixed over a thousand player-reported issues in the game. Peter Morics of ''Screen Rant'' reported around 1,190 players on Steam during a weekend in November 2020 – a 96% decline since the game's debut. Gene Park of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' noted that only over a thousand players were playing ''Avengers'' on PC, which he described as "an early and worrying symptom of a dying live service game." The dwindling number of players, which Paul Tassi of ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' observed as falling below 500 players at one point, have begun causing problems with matchmaking multiplayer games on PC. Mike Fahey of ''
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'' noted that players such as himself were growing bored with the game's repetitive features and lack of content, saying, "We need new content. New enemies. New game mechanics... The initial excitement over playing beloved superheroes has dulled, thanks to a lack of variety in late-game content". After receiving a statement from Crystal Dynamics, he advised players, "There are plenty of other games out there to play, and as much as I would love to engage my superhero fantasies on a daily basis, nonstop for weeks on end, it's not currently happening in ''Marvel's Avengers''." Thomas Carroll of ''
Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'' felt that the game had "plenty of bugs and crashes and a severe lack of content and customisation" alongside a large $60 price tag for a live-service game. He believed that Square Enix relied too much on the established Marvel brand in marketing, instead of "bothering to create a quality experience people would pay for once, then continue to pay for whenever new content was released." Paul Tassi enjoyed his initial experiences with the game, but over time grew frustrated over the game's bugs and underwhelming, grind-heavy loot system, concluding that it was "too broken to effectively play right now." Although Gene Park commended Crystal Dynamics for listening to feedback and implementing fixes, he felt the game's lack of content in the base game highlighted that it "didn't need to be a live service game, and it's become increasingly clear that it shouldn't have been in the first place." In September 2021, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix introduced XP boost, which can only be purchased through real-world money. XP boost allows players to gain more experience points for a short period of time, allowing them to level up faster. This move followed an update in March 2021, which altered the progression system to make the leveling-up process take significantly longer than it did when the game first launched. These changes drew ire from both the community and gaming journalists, especially as Square Enix had previously declared in 2019 that the game's microtransactions would only be redeemable for cosmetics and customization items and would not be used to create a
pay-to-win "Free-to-play" ("F2P" or "FtP") video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content for free. The term "free-to-play business model" or simply, "free-to-play model", refers collectively to business models tha ...
system. Crystal Dynamics removed the XP boost from the in-game marketplace one month later, on 3 November.


Story expansions

The Kate Bishop expansion was praised for its gameplay, voice work, and story, but some felt the added content was lacking. Fahey stated, "It's not her powers and abilities that make Kate Bishop great in ''Marvel's Avengers''. It's a combination of hoeveris writing the game's hero banter and the voice acting of
Ashly Burch Ashly Burch (born June 19, 1990) is an American actress, writer, director, and singer. She is known for her roles as Aloy in the ''Horizon (video game series), Horizon'' series, Chloe Price in the ''Life Is Strange (video game), Life Is Strange ...
. Burch is a sassy voice actor given incredibly sassy superhero banter and she just eats it up." Dave Trumbore of ''Collider'' felt it was a "too-short introductory outing" for Kate, whom he described as "
ringing Ringing may mean: Vibrations * Ringing (signal), unwanted oscillation of a signal, leading to ringing artifacts * Vibration of a harmonic oscillator ** Bell ringing * Ringing (telephony), the sound of a telephone bell * Ringing (medicine), a ri ...
an energy on par with Kamala Khan's youthful spirit and Tony Stark's sharp wit to the team, though it's her tool kit of melee/ranged/teleporting skills that are a cut above on the battlefield." Tassi was "deeply impressed" by the update's expansion on the campaign, voice work, and satisfying gameplay as Kate, but noted that this would do little to expand the game's current player base unless a large-scale expansion were added.


Sales

The beta of ''Avengers'' was the most downloaded beta in PlayStation history. According to Square Enix, there were over 6 million beta players and more than 27 million hours playing in beta. In the United Kingdom, ''Marvel's Avengers'' was the best-selling retail game during its first week on sale. In the United States, the game was the top-selling title for the month of September, and second-highest launch-month dollar sales of all-time for a superhero game behind ''
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
''. In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version sold 42,979 physical units within its first week on sale, making it the second-best-selling retail game of the week in the country. The game sold 3 million copies by November 2020. Despite initial strong sales, ''Avengers'' failed to turn a profit for Square Enix, with the publisher reporting an estimated loss of $63 million for their latest fiscal period at the time. In November 2021, Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda described the game as a commercial disappointment for the company. However, he affirmed that service games would be an important focus for the company in the future. In March 2021, ''Avengers'' was the 9th best selling game on Xbox in the United States. As of June 2021, it was 9th in the top 10 best selling games of the last 12 months. Following the Black Panther expansion in September 2021, the game returned to the top 10 of the UK video game chart for two weeks. It was the 13th most downloaded game in the United States and Canada and the 16th in Europe on PlayStation 5 that same month.


Awards

At the Golden Joystick Awards in 2020, Sandra Saad won “best performer” for her role as Kamala Khan in ''Avengers''.


Notes


References


External links

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