Shack Chat: Which hero do you want to see come to Marvel's Avengers?

Shack Chat is back once again, our weekly feature where each Friday where we’ll ask the Shacknews staff to give their opinion on a particular topic, then open the floor to our dedicated Chatty community to provide a diverse mixture of thoughts on the subject. It’s a great way for us to get to know one another better while inspiring healthy debates with all of you passionate gamers out there.

Question: Which hero do you want to see come to Marvel's Avengers?

3-D Man - Asif Khan, Doesn’t care about Marvel movies

There are some obvious answers to this question, but I dug deep to find 3-D Man. Seems like this Marvel intellectual property could use some love, so why not dust him off for this video game? The game is 3D, he’s 3D, the story writes itself.

Doctor Strange - Ozzie Mejia, Senior Editor

I unapologetically love the magic side of the Marvel Universe. I grew up looking at Doctor Strange as the guy the superheroes call when things really go sideways or when they encounter something totally otherworldly that they can't possibly begin to fathom. Strange is a character I've come to love more into adulthood as somebody who's overcome his own flaws to become a better person and a better hero.

(And any chance I have to post a panel from Doctor Strange: The Oath is one I'll happily take.)

Howard the Duck - Blake Morse, Marvel Fan-Boy

Okay, maybe this fowl-mouthed, cab-driving SOB from a planet full of duck people isn’t the most powerful hero in the universe. But what he lacks in strength he makes up for with sheer tenacity and hutzpah. Much like his feathered forefathers, Daffy and Donald, this duck has a lot of rage, only he tends to wear it more on his sleeve than those other two ducks and he drinks a lot more too. I could just picture him now fighting side-by-side with Iron Man, blasting off guns and rocket launchers while shouting horrible, horrible things at his enemies. Things even I wouldn’t say. Don’t f*** with this duck! 

Leather Boy - Chris Jarrard, Watches Cruising 4 times a week

As one of the sworn enemies of Squirrel Girl, Leather Boy represents the coolest in Marvel characters, for obvious reasons. No one else in the Marvel Universe is dressing this cool. I also have super-low expectations for this game and being able to do battle as Leather Boy will likely make the experience more entertaining for me.

Gambit - Sam Chandler, Heart of the cards

Pretty sure Gambit would make for an awesome character to tag along with the Avengers. He’s got some sweet cards to throw at baddies and a big ol’ stick to smack them over the head. Plus, he’s a good-looking man with great hair, a rad jacket, and a sweet pink vest.

Riri Williams (Ironheart) - Donovan Erskine, Contributing Editor

Kamala Khan is a central character in the story of Marvel’s Avengers, so why not add one of her closest friends, Riri Williams? One of the several characters to take up the “Iron Man” mantle, Riri Williams is a founding member of The Champions, a superhero team featuring Miles Morales and Nova, led by none other than Kamala Khan herself. I’d love to see a side story about the formation of The Champions in the absence of the Avengers, it could even take place before the events of the game, or maybe adjacent to them. 

Star-Lord - Brittany Vincent, Senior Editor

Star-Lord would be my pick, just because I've really enjoyed the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. I don't know that he'd be particularly fun to play as, but Black Widow seems to have a good repertoire of moves and she's the least interesting Avenger out of the entire group. I like Star-Lord's attitude, the Guardians overall, and the game appearance Star-Lord has had in the past. It also wouldn't matter much if they couldn't license his appearance from the films since he wears a mask anyway.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl - TJ Denzer, The Beatable News Guy

Who is Squirrel Girl? Well, that’s simple. She is a girl, who is part squirrel (tail and ears, nothing weird). Also, she can talk to squirrels. Doreen Allene Green was designed as lighthearted foil to a lot of the super serious drama and darker storylines going on at the time of her creation. As such, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl has kind of always been involved in more perky and charming plotlines. That doesn’t mean she can’t do well at her job though. In her routine work, she’s aided the likes of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, but at her best, she’s talked massive threats like Galactus out of destroying the Earth, all while accompanied by her faithful friends, the squirrels Monkey Joe and Tippy-Toe. Squirrel Girl has the superhuman athleticism and features to keep up with the Avengers and I feel like her banter with Kamala Khan or clashes with Black Widow would be delightful. Functionally, I’d enjoy a strong acrobat who can also call upon squirrel armies to bring down justice upon her foes. There are a lot of regular picks out there, but Squirrel Girl is definitely one that deserves more attention.

X-Men - Greg Burke, Head of Video

Let's pretend for the moment that the game’s story isn't ripping beat for beat or even stealing the themes of the X-Men comics. I honestly would love to see some X-Men, any X-Men, or really literally just anyone that’s a non-Avenger. I realize the game is called, well, “The Avengers” well “Marvel’s Avengers” in case Disney thinks we’ll get confused with the 1960’s british television show. I also think there’s a lot more diversity in the X-Men. The fact that this game is launching without Black Panther feels really strange.Anyway probably won’t pick it up unless I have to review it or until they add a hero I actually want to play.

Batman. 2nd choice: Batman - David L. Craddock, long reads editor

If you’re asking what hero I want to see in Marvel’s Avengers, how about DC’s Batman? Tell Tony “Bruce Wayne Wannabe” Stark he can fiddle around in his lab. Let Captain “Boy Scout” America sit this one out on his shield. And tell Spider-Man… Actually, he can stay. The rapport between Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker would be hilarious.

If I have to stay within the Marvel-verse, give me Reed Richards. Seeing Reed and Tony argue over particle physics and whatever else would be great.

It’s clobbering time! -The Thing- Steve Tyminski, Contributing Editor

I think we’re all getting tired of superhero movies but it feels like superhero video games are alive and well. The question here is “what hero would I want to see join the Avengers” and my answer would be the Thing from the Fantastic Four. I have always liked the Thing, as he was the badass muscle for the Fantastic Four. That way the Hulk and the Thing could spar everyday and he could keep Hulk in check.

Disagree with our picks? Think we're a bunch of clowns? Let us know in the Chatty below.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.