Summary

  • Captain America paved the way for Marvel Comics' evolution, leading to the character appearing in games like Captain America And The Avengers.
  • Video games like LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel Rivals showcase Captain America's legacy, with engaging gameplay and diverse rosters.
  • Marvel Ultimate Alliance games offer players the chance to assemble dream superhero teams, introducing fans to expansive stories and adventures.

He may not be the first Marvel superhero, but Captain America was the hero who helped Timely Comics evolve into Marvel Comics back in the 1940s. Arguably, the Marvel Universe wouldn't be what it is today without the creation of Captain America. While he wasn't the first, he certainly led the charge for a popularity surge among The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and the X-Men.

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Since the 1990s, video game developers have honored Captain America's legacy by making him a playable character in various games. These games include everything from arcade titles to high-budget action adventures, often featuring Captain America alongside other Marvel heroes as part of a diverse roster.

9 Captain America And The Avengers

Classic Arcade Gameplay With Iconic Avengers

Captain America And The Avengers
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Beat 'Em Up
Side-scroller
2D
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Released
1991
Developer(s)
Data East Corporation
Genre(s)
Beat 'Em Up, Side-scroller, 2D
Platform(s)
Arcade, SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Nintendo Game Boy

With Vision, Hawkeye, Iron Man, and Captain America as playable characters, Captain America And The Avengers provides a classic beam ‘em up experience. Up to four players can work together in a simple but addictive side-scrolling fighter in the same vein as Final Fight or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: Turtles In Time.

Every hero in Captain America And The Avengers has their own melee and ranged attacks, with Captain America’s, naturally, being his vibranium shield. The shield can also be used for defense, which is most helpful when playing solo. Captain America And The Avengers was an arcade game designed to eat players’ money, so it has various difficulty spikes, especially when encountering the various villains.

8 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

Experience A Marvel Universe In LEGO Form

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
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Action-Adventure
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Released
October 22, 2013
Developer(s)
Traveller's Tales
Genre(s)
Action-Adventure

Captain America is only one of dozens of superheroes to play as in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. Even though it is a more family-friendly adventure with plenty of the signature LEGO humor, it is still a worthwhile Marvel game. From beginning to end, it feels like Traveller’s Tales respected the comics and created their own lived-in Marvel universe, with all the characters at their disposal.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes was also one of the first LEGO games to have a vast open world, with New York City being completely explorable. The many side quests, characters, and classic LEGO gameplay combined with a thrilling main story helped turn LEGO Marvel Super Heroes into a modern classic.

7 Captain America: Super Soldier

Play Through Captain America's World War 2 Exploits

Captain America: Super Soldier
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Beat 'Em Up
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Released
July 15, 2011
Developer(s)
Next Level Games, High Voltage Software, Griptonite Games
Genre(s)
Beat 'Em Up
Platform(s)
PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360

During Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, every game got a video game tie-in and the results were poor. However, fans were surprised when Captain America: The First Avenger got a solid tie-in with Captain America: Super Soldier, further expanding the exploits of the titular hero during World War 2, while also adapting events from the movie, with Chris Evans and other cast members from the movie reprising their roles.

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In the early 2010s, many games attempted to copy the Batman: Arkham combat system, and Captain America: Super Soldier does just that. The Star-Spangled Man With A Plan throws his shield, punches, kicks, and performs takedowns in an effective way to keep the gameplay fun. It even introduces new villains such as Madame Hydra, Iron Cross, and the Sleeper.

6 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

The Sequel Quite Literally Went Out Of This World

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2
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Action-Adventure
Puzzle
Platformer
Fighting
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Released
November 14, 2017
Developer(s)
TT Games, Traveller's Tales
Genre(s)
Action-Adventure, Puzzle, Platformer, Fighting

Where the first game stuck to a basic story about classic heroes fighting classic villains, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 goes in a far more outlandish direction, but in a good way. With threats like Kang The Conqueror, there are more heroes and villains from across time and space to create an even more diverse roster, including The Guardians Of The Galaxy and Spider-Man 2099.

Although Captain America is not as prominent in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, he still appears alongside various character variants. The game allows fans to explore New York City once again, offering even more activities and unique visuals due to the storyline events.

5 Marvel Ultimate Alliance

The RPG That Pulled Off A Shared Universe Before The Movies Did

Marvel Ultimate Alliance
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Action RPG
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Released
October 24, 2006
Developer(s)
Raven Software
Genre(s)
Action RPG

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Ultimate Alliance was the closest thing to a big-budget Marvel crossover fans got. With a legion of heroes to mix and match in a four-member task force, the player can create the team of their dreams and go crawling through different dungeons in the Marvel universe to stop the evil Doctor Doom from conquering it.

Many heroes can be chosen, but the base team in Marvel Ultimate Alliance consists of Captain America, Spider-Man, Thor, and Wolverine. They are seen in all the cinematics as they go from a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier to Asgard to other alien planets. In between missions, there are countless characters to interact with and learn about, immersing the player into a living Marvel world.

4 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

Fans Are Able To Finish The Trilogy On The Switch

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
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Action RPG
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Released
July 19, 2019
Developer(s)
Team Ninja, Koei Tecmo
Genre(s)
Action RPG
Platform(s)
Switch

The first two Ultimate Alliance games are nearly impossible to find or purchase due to the separation between Activision and Marvel. Fortunately, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order can still be found digitally and physically as an overlooked exclusive for the Nintendo Switch, introducing even more characters, including Spider-Gwen, Morbius, and The Guardians Of The Galaxy.

Scarlet Witch in Midnight Suns; President Loki in Marvel Rivals; Kang in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2
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The visuals in Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order blends inspiration from the comics and the movies together, but it is still the same dungeon-crawling experience. Players still select up to four characters to have on a team and face off against threats, which include the titular Black Order, Brotherhood Of Mutants, the Sinister Six, and much more.

3 Marvel Rivals

Marvel Multiplayer Matches Across The Multiverse

Marvel Rivals
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Third-Person Shooter
Action
Multiplayer
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Released
December 6, 2024
Developer(s)
NetEase Games
Genre(s)
Third-Person Shooter, Action, Multiplayer

While many agree that the hero shooter genre is oversaturated, Marvel Rivals effectively cemented itself as one of the best. With an already large roster at launch, Marvel Rivals portrays the many heroes and villains in a stylish and vibrant art style that mixes comic accuracy with the developers’ own twists and turns.

Captain America appears in Marvel Rivals as a vanguard, designed to charge in and absorb hits with his shield. The game features 6v6 gameplay with various objectives like pushing payloads and capturing points. Since its massively successful launch, it has maintained a dedicated player base, with more free characters on the way.

2 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

The Marvel Civil War Resulted In A Much Darker Sequel

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
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Action RPG
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Released
September 15, 2009
Developer(s)
Blizzard
Genre(s)
Action RPG

Captain America and Iron Man are at war with each other over the Superhuman Registration Act in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. The darker and more grounded sequel is an adaptation of the Civil War comic, with two factions battling each other and the developers took advantage of such a concept, with two different campaigns for Iron Man’s Pro-Registration and Captain America’s Anti-Registration.

Not only do the two campaigns allow for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 to have more replay value, but certain characters are locked in their respective campaigns. Additionally, the superhero dungeon crawler gameplay from the first game is still present and expanded on, with new team-up abilities, thus incentivizing experimentation.

1 Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Superheroes Fight Demons In A Stellar Original Game

Marvel's Midnight Suns
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Tactical
RPG
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Released
December 2, 2022
Developer(s)
Firaxis Games
Genre(s)
Tactical, RPG
Platform(s)
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Marvel’s Midnight Suns feels like a throwback to classic Marvel games such as Ultimate Alliance, where the developers just throw as many Marvel characters as possible into a story. However, Firaxis pulls it off by focusing on the supernatural side of Marvel, featuring an original story about a demon mother named Lilith trying to conquer the Earth.

The gameplay for Marvel’s Midnight Suns was controversial when first revealed, mixing turn-based strategy akin to the developers' other franchise, XCOM, with deck-building. With additional RPG elements and a strong roster of characters with manageable relationships, Marvel’s Midnight Suns has quickly become a fan-favorite addition to the modern era of Marvel games.

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