Summary
Iron Manmay be one of the most recognizable heroes in Marvel’s pantheon, butthere was a time when Tony Stark wasn’t so beloved as evidenced by recently resurfaced footage of Shell Head’s first 3D video game. Back in 2003, Iron Man remained one of Marvel’s B-Tier superheroes: While he still played a role in The Avengers, the success of theX-MenandSpider-Manmovies resulted in him being the second fiddler to more popular characters.Thanks to 2008’sIron Manand his prominence in the successiveAvengersmovies, many would now consider Stark to be the face of Marvel.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter),retired programmer and video game archivistKevin Edwardsshared never-before-seen footage ofThe Invincible Iron Man, a game that was in development at Genepool Software in 2003.
Activision unfortunately canceled the project, which would have been Iron Man’s first 3D video game, and the studio was shut down. The resurfaced footage and stills demonstrate what could have been asplayers assumed control of Tony Stark in what appears to be a suit of armor inspired by his appearance in theMarvel Ultimatecomicsand flew through a canyon while blasting enemies.
Marvel’s Coolest Possible Iron Man Game Wouldn’t Star Tony Stark
At this point, Tony Stark as Iron Man has been done to death. An Iron Man video game featuring another character as Iron Man would be way cooler.
Iron Man’s Video Game Tenure
Not Too Good But There’s Hope On the Horizon
While little is known about the scrapped Iron Man game,the footage does suggest that players would have been able to freely fly around the levelwhile also getting up close and personal with any enemies in their path. As a mechanical pitch,it sounds like the ideal format for a video gamebut Tony Stark hasn’t had the best of luck when it comes to interactive adaptations. While the Game Boy Advance played host to a decent game also titledThe Invincible Iron Man,most of the hero’s other outingsfailed to impress.
The most high-profile solo Iron Man games include the projects based on the 2008 film and its 2010 sequel. Both allowed players to fly around a 3D environment but their controls were clunky and ineffective while the actual combat was sluggish and unresponsive. Fortunately, Tony Stark has appeared in plenty of other video games that have left much more of an impact on players, includingMarvel Ultimate Alliance,LEGO Marvel Superheroes, and the excellentMarvel vs. Capcomseries.
Tony Stark also starred inIron Man VR, a VR game that does what it says on the tinbut due to its restrictive controls and awkward writing, it disappointed many fans.
There’s also still hope thatIron Mancan still star in a great solo video game asEA Motive is currently working on a project based on the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. While it doesn’t yet have a release date,the game is described as a third-person, single-player action-adventureexperience that features an original narrative starring the titular hero. Platforms have yet to be announced but it’s presumed to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
