Batman has Arkham. Spider-Man has one of PlayStation’s biggest exclusives. Wolverine is next. So why hasn’t Superman had a major game in 20 years?
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (2020) via Game Reactor
Most people would say it’s because he’s too overpowered. If you’re indestructible, where’s the challenge? That sounds reasonable, but it can’t be the whole answer. Kratos is a literal god. Goku can wipe out planets. Yet their games still manage to be fun. What those developers understood is that the protagonist’s growth should evolve alongside the strength of the enemies they face.
God of War (2018) cinematic screenshot via Super Jump Magazine
That’s what makes Superman different from everyone else. His greatest dilemma has never been his power. The real challenge is stopping himself from going too far.
It’s easy to build a game around Batman or Spider-Man because they can be hurt. They need better gadgets, they have to dodge bullets, and even ordinary criminals can still pose a threat. With Superman, it’s a different story.
A full game about chasing bank robbers wouldn’t be exciting. Sure, you can pit him against Lex Luthor with kryptonite or Doomsday, who can actually match the Man of Steel in combat. But can boss fights alone carry a 20-hour game? A boss battle with Doomsday? That’s the easy part.
But what do you do for the first ten hours? That’s where most Superman games struggle.
What’s interesting is that the comics may have already solved this problem.
In Grant Morrison’s early New 52 Action Comics, Superman is still young. He doesn’t have his cape yet. He can’t fly. He can only leap incredible distances, and heavy weapons can still hurt him.
The New 52 Superman #4 (Action Comics) comic cover via Reddit
Right there, it already feels like a video game.
Imagine starting as a young Clark Kent, taking on corrupt police officers and street gangs. As the story progresses, you gradually unlock flight, heat vision, super hearing, and slowly become nearly invincible. By the time you face Metallo, Lex Luthor, and Brainiac, it genuinely feels like you’ve earned the right to become Superman.
Superman Returns (2006) game still via GameSpot
The blueprint already exists. It just needs the right studio to bring it to life. And that might finally happen. James Gunn has confirmed that a Superman game is in the early planning stages as part of the new DC Universe.
That doesn’t mean the problem is solved. For nearly three decades, different developers have tried to make Superman exciting in video games, yet none have reached the level of Arkham or Spider-Man.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 gameplay screenshot via Reddit
Maybe Superman was never the problem. Maybe the problem is that we’ve always wanted to play the Superman whose journey is already complete.
Perhaps it’s far more interesting to let us be Clark Kent first before we become the Man of Steel.
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