Sorry Invincible, we want a video game based on The Boys
While franchise fatigue has decimated everything from Star Wars to DC, even the once unflappable Marvel Cinematic Universe has started to wobble. Still, there's one studio that's proving we can't get enough of comic book adaptations, as Amazon offers a much more brutal world of spandex-clad heroes and villains.
If Amazon's live-action Fallout series wasn't enough to prove Prime Video is worth its monthly subscription, we've just polished off the epic Invincible Season 2, while The Boys is set to return for Season 4 on June 13. Instead of going head-to-head, the animated adventure and live-action f*ckfest are sitting comfortably as two of Amazon's most popular shows.
The Boys video game is an 'Invincible' idea
Click to enlargeThere's big news in the world of Invincible, as Skybound Entertainment has just announced it's begun crowdfunding for an Invincible video game. The project has rocketed past its $50k starting target, and at the time of writing, sits at over $450k for this proposed AAA adaptation.
As this isn't the first Invincible game, we're not alone in asking why The Boys is languishing behind. Come on Billy Butcher, pull your finger out of your backside. There were rumours as far back as 2021 that an R-rated video game based in the world of The Boys was on the way, but unless it's taken Translucent's powers, it's seemingly vanished.
There are any number of ways The Boys video game could go, and whether you're a new recruit of Billy Butcher trying to take down the Supes of the Seven, or a Starlight-esque newbie trying to climb the ranks of Vought Tower, it's a series that seems made for video games.
Of course, you can't talk about video games without giving the nod to Rocksteady's Arkham games and Insomniac's Spider-Man. The latter has especially shown what modern video games can do with a major IP, branching out and telling its own original story while homaging the source material.
With the Duke Nukem series largely being put to bed, we picture The Boys taking a leaf from its book with Karl Urban lending his vocals to the foul-mouthed Butcher. Combining the combat of the Arkham games with the open world of Spider-Man, chuck in the adult themes of GTA and the violence of Mortal Kombat, and we're onto a winner.
Speaking of NetherRealm's brutal brawler, Mortal Kombat is no stranger to either The Boys or Invincible. Both Omni-Man and Homelander have arrived as DLC characters, while a whole host of familiar faces from The Boys have popped up in Call of Duty. All these character crossovers, and we're still without an official game based on The Boys.
The Boys are back in town
It's only a matter of time until The Boys gets the adaptation it deserves, and as a tantalising tease of what could've been, video game auteur Hideo Kojima confirmed he cancelled one of its games because it was too much like The Boys.
The idea of the man behind Metal Gear and Death Stranding fixing his laser vision on The Boys sounds too good to be true. It seems showrunner Erik Kripke and Homelander actor Antony Starr both agree, tweeting Kojima and asking for him to get involved.
Kripke's story has done a great job of loosely adapting Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic series and has already proved itself with original characters like Madelyn Stillwell, Ryan, and Stan Edgar. Victoria Neuman is a clever evolution of Victor Neuman from the comics, and Gen V is full of brand-new creations.
We know The Boys is set to end with Season 5, so what better way to continue the world Amazon has created with more spin-offs like Gen V, the animated Diabolical, and other new tales in the form of video games?
Speaking to EW, Vernon Sanders, Head of Television at Amazon and MGM Studios, didn't mention games but teased the potential of more spin-offs, explaining, "Eric has had a vision for what this all leads to for years now, and we've been in an ongoing conversation about what comes next."
There have been some weird and wonderful pitches for everything from a Telltale take on The Boys to an Alien: Isolation-inspired outing where enraged Supes stalk you around Vought HQ, and to be honest, we'll take this wacky world in whatever form it takes. Forget a new Wolfenstein, we demand MachineGames makes a game based on The Boys.
