Disney and Marvel are betting big on video games. This year’s D23 Expo (Comic-Con just for Disney) featured the first ever Disney and Marvel games showcase, a 30-minute live stream on the future of video games from some of the biggest entertainment properties on the planet. While most of the showcase is best described as amateur, the standout was the reveal of a new Marvel game starring Captain America and Black Panther set during the Second World War.
There isn’t a lot of concrete information about the project, but we can still have a good time theorizing about a game that doesn’t even have a title. Here is everything we know about the upcoming Captain America / Black Panther game.
When is the Captain America / Black Panther game’s release date?
Very little concrete information exists about the upcoming game, including a concrete release date or window. First announced in October 2021, the project has been in development for at least a year, and the team behind its development has been around since 2019. But based on what has been shown it might be better to hold off on any hope of seeing this in the next year or two. This could be a late 2024 title at the earliest if development is smooth.
What might the game be called?
This game doesn’t even have a title yet! That makes it really hard to write about and leaves me typing the phrase “Captain America / Black Panther game” over and over again — which isn’t very fun!
That said, based on the game’s setting and cast, it is possible that it could be titled Flags of our Fathers. This is also the name of a 2010 Marvel comic that bears striking similarities to what we know about the untitled game.
Is there a trailer for the game?
Yes! Something concrete that we have on this game is a trailer. Check it out:
Calling this a mood-setting trailer seems best, it doesn’t give us a look at anything concrete, but it does set the tone of the game and acclimate the audience to its setting. The shot of a bunch of plot-relevant objects on a table does feel a lot like an Uncharted trailer or the tease for Bethesda’s Indiana Jones game.
Marvel receives high marks for song choice though. “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn was written in 1939 and became an anthem of World War II, resonating with troops going off to war uncertain if they would live or die. It also accompanies the ending of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
Who is developing the Captain America / Black Panther game?
The project is being developed by Skydance New Media. The developer was founded in 2019 as the interactive media division of the film company Skydance Media. It is led by Amy Henning, creator of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series.
Since leaving Naughty Dog, Hennig worked at Visceral Games on a Star Wars game called Project Ragtag before the game and the studio were both shuttered. (Remember when EA declared single-player games were dead?) Hennig then founded Skydance New Media and is leading development on the Captain America / Black Panther game as well as a project set in the Star Wars universe. She is also a credited writer on the upcoming Square Enix RPG Forspoken.
What will the story of the game be?
As reported in August, the game will be an ensemble title focusing on a cast of four characters. The two most recognizable are Captain America and Black Panther. However, this is not the Black Panther most people know from the MCU. This is T’Challa’s grandfather, Azzuri.
The game will take place in World War II before Cap was frozen into a popsicle and thawed back out in the modern day to galivant with the Avengers. Presumably, someone wanted to separate this game as much as possible from Square Enix’s failed live service game.
Accompanying the two heroes will be Gabriel Jones, a U.S. soldier and member of the Howling Commandos; and Nanali, leader of the fledgling Wakandan Spy Network.
Cap, Azzuri, Nanali, and Gabe are all prominent characters in the Flags of our Fathers comic arc, which also takes place in WWII. It is safe to say that the game will draw heavily on this comic. In Flags of our Fathers, Gabe is a perspective character through which the audience is able to see both Cap and Azzuri as symbols of their respective nations and people. Amid war, Hydra attempts to steal vibranium from Wakanda, involving the Black Panther in the conflict. Both Cap and Azzuri are looking out for their countries, which leads to the two butting heads and forming tentative alliances.
Based on the trailer it looks like the game will span the European theater of war as well as bring players to Wakanda itself. Audiences can expect Hennig to bring the signature globe-trotting adventure story she did so well with Uncharted to the table and create an exciting new chapter in the Marvel Universe to enjoy.
