It has been a trend lately to depict supervillains in a way where they are as empathetic as superheroes in order to make them robust characters. This helps to differentiate lost causes from redeemable antiheroes, andMarvel’s Midnight Sunsmakes those distinctions with its own antagonists fairly plain. Even Lilith, the Mother of Demons, is a character that seems irredeemable in the game’s opening act, but players learn that there is a potential for her to be understanding and empathetic herself inMarvel’s Midnight Suns.
Some ofMarvel’s Midnight Suns’ own playable characters make choices that could easily lean them toward a darker persona and make the narrative intriguing as a result. Nico Minoru and Magik, for example, are always pushing the boundaries on what others believe is safe regarding the mystic arts. Johnny Blaze is a complicated figure that many characters share an opinion about, butMarvel’s Midnight Suns’ Fallen Venomis a villain that could have his own redemption similar to how Scarlet Witch and Hulk are redeemed near the end of the game.
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Marvel’s Midnight Suns Examines What It Means to Be a Villain
Sabretooth and Crossbones are villains who Firaxis seemingly chose to have as its inarguably malicious antagonists.Marvel’s Midnight Sunsmakes no effort to redeem them anyhow, but Marvel fans are now incredibly familiar withWanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witchand Dr. Bruce Banner’s Hulk.
Wanda has certainly been portrayed as a supervillain beforehand, as well as a superhero, and Hulk is typically depicted as a superhero unless his scientific alter-ego loses control of his rage. This makes their inclusion as villains and bosses inMarvel’s Midnight Sunsinteresting, but not wholly regarded as antagonists.
Both characters are only presented as villains in the game because they have been corrupted by Lilith, and that antagonism is quelled through narrative progression as players learn how to dispel that corruption. Before this is learned, characters inMarvel’s Midnight Suns’ Abbey groundsall have their own opinions and perspectives toward Wanda and Bruce.
Magik and Nico Minoru are hellbent on bringing Wanda back from Lilith’s corruption, while Tony Stark feels guilt for not having been there for Bruce. This allows these characters to be omnipotent villains for a while before they are brought back from the depths, lending to characters’ capacity for empathy.
Venom is treated similarly to Sabretooth and Crossbones by many of the game’s characters besides Spider-Man, who knows Eddie on a personal level that the other characters simply do not relate to. Even though Wolverine knew Sabretooth on a personal level, he still wanted him snuffed out and is even disappointed when it is not him that gets to close the book on that rivalry. This gives Peter an opportunity to truly show why he is truly a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns Offers Its Antagonists Much-Needed Empathy
Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ Season Pass DLCcould be a great opportunity for Eddie Brock to receive redemption. Because it is assumed that each DLC character will arrive with bags packed at the Abbey, it is also assumed that players will be able to interact with them and hang out.
This will hopefully allow fans to get to know the man bonded to the symbiote, and sinceconcept art of Eddie has already been officially released forMarvel’s Midnight Suns, it is safe to presume that he will have some semblance of control over the parasitic alien. Of course, it is also possible that Eddie may lean more toward being an antagonist in the Abbey, which would also introduce some interesting conflicts with other characters.
But Peter seems to believe that Eddie is still a salvageable or redeemable person, and he may still be the only person Eddie can rely on when he arrives in the future. Peter is also one of the few people who actually knows what it is like to be bonded with the symbiote, making his connection to him even more salient and relatable. If clubs are reinstated for post-launch content or if new clubs emerge, it would be great to see Peter and Eddie interact, especially if Venom still has a craving for Spider-Man’s flesh.
Marvel’s Midnight Sunsis available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions coming later.
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