How Telltale Games Plays with Expectations in Their Superhero Series

I don’t have to tell anyone reading this site that we’re living in a world saturated by superhero media. Between the hundreds of movies, TV shows, Netflix originals, video games, and of course comics, how does one stand out from the crowd? Especially when you’re one of many adapting/rebooting something as ridiculously overdone as Batman? Well, you do what Telltale Games does: you acknowledge that media saturation and the fact that your title character is a pop culture icon, and you decide to use that to do something different. You accept that your players will be bringing some knowledge of the superhero franchise—be it Batman or, more recently, Guardians of the Galaxy—you’re adapting to the table. And you use that knowledge as a foundation to play on audience expectations and take the opportunity to toy, fanfiction-style, with some “what if?” scenarios to create innovative and intriguing new takes on the familiar stories. And you do it all while exploring and giving agency to sidelined women characters, too!

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Martyred Moms and Dastardly Dads in the MCU

My friend and I came out of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 convinced that the Infinity Wars movies, and the big Avengers/Guardians crossover therein, were mostly going to consist of Tony Stark and Peter Quill trying to out-Daddy-Issue each other. As well as both having facial hair and a penchant for roguish one-liners, the two heroes have a few things in common, most notably their parental situation: like Tony, Peter Quill has a complicated and at times antagonistic relationship with his father that forms the emotional core of a whole movie, and a sense of wistful mourning for his mother, who was sweet, kind, and only shows up in a few scenes. She’s also dead due to circumstances that were in no way her fault, so they can bond over that as well. At this point, maybe Thor can chime in too, perhaps initiating a group hug, since he also has a complicated relationship with his main-character dad and grieves over his good and nurturing dead mum. Jeez, is Infinity Wars just going to be one big session of father-related angst and mother-related mourning?

Fridge a kind mother and elevate a father to main character status once, Marvel, and that’s shame on you. Fridge a kind mother and elevate a father twice, still shame on you. Do this three times for three different superheroes and it’s officially a pattern. What exactly is going on here, and why does it annoy me so much?

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Marvels of Marvel: Guardians of the Galaxy

{‘Hooked on a Feeling’ playing in the distance}

I usually review TV series for my ‘Alex Watches’ category, but I thought I’d branch out into something that’s effectively the same thing, but each episode is a multi-million dollar action movie. Welcome to my fond scrutinising of the Marvel Cinematic Universe! I’ll be working my way through the franchise backwards, poster character by poster character, starting at the top, in space.

First of all, let me say I had no idea what to expect from this movie except for everyone who’d already seen it whooping into the internet about how much fun it was, and the knowledge that this is the one where Marvel genuinely stopped giving a crap. Obscure comic series set in colourful outer space, starring a green lady, a gun-wielding racoon and a talking tree? Hell yeah. We’re making enough money we can do whatever we want, inherent silliness and marketing issues be damned.

Looking at The Winter Soldier, the movie that came out before it, I really can’t think of two parts of the same series that manage to be more different. The Winter Soldier is overtly grounded, cinematography, colouring and setting all building up a recognisable and sober atmosphere, as well as a (comparatively) character-central plot. It feels localised and steady, in grey tones and with subdued character designs and a believable world. Guardians of the Galaxy is set over a huge stretch of rainbow-hued space, where wacky hairdos and painted skin are enough to classify you as alien and the bad guys are dramatically intent on world destruction. It’s saturated and bright and full of 1970s and 80s dance music, and generally has an air that’s nothing short of playful. And did I mention the smart-talking, angry raccoon?