On Monday night, the long-gestating Marvel’s Avengers video game (published by Square Enix and developed by Crystal Dynamics) unveiled an E3 2019 trailer with characters who don’t really resemble your nerdy best friend’s cast of beloved MCU superheroes. The game — which which will arrive on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and PC on May 15, 2020 and boasts voice actors such as Nolan North and Troy Baker — goes back to basics with a lineup that reflects five core Avengers, including Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Iron Man, and Hulk. Moments of the trailer reflect gorgeous-looking cinematics, but there wasn’t much of a gameplay preview, and the characters don’t look like the actors who play them on the big screen.
In other words, if users want to play a game in which they can control Avengers who look like Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and the rest, they’re out of luck. Also notably, Hawkeye is not visible in the lineup (looking like Jeremy Renner or anyone else), which has ruffled some feathers. Maybe players will see Hawkeye later (this is, after all, a game based on an original story), who really knows? Maybe he’ll even be portrayed as a villain instead of a superhero, but some folks aren’t thrilled. And what would Stan Lee think?
Hawkeye is like after that Avengers reveal 😭#E32019 pic.twitter.com/cJ15lCmoj1
— IKO THE RAINMAN ⛈️ (@IKOTHERAINMAN) June 11, 2019
Hawkeye SAVES HALF THE UNIVERSE in the MCU (and is king in Marvel Comics for years) after you noobs doubted him, and Crystal Dynamics comes along and is like "nah fam, he's not even a starting Avenger"
— Rob Keyes (@rob_keyes) June 11, 2019
I cannot believe that they have done my boy Hawkeye dirty again
— mercer. (@AGuiltyThorn) June 11, 2019
https://twitter.com/gwen_maximoff/status/1138358414545784832
Again, the developers of this game obviously weren’t bound by the MCU’s rules. Yet given that the release coincides with Avengers: Endgame still being in theaters, there’s a certain bizarro effect at hand. So it’s no wonder that Twitter filled itself with complaints of “stunt doubles” and an alleged budget-Avenger look that could benefit from a Thanos snap.
Stunt Doubles… ASSEMBLE #Avengers pic.twitter.com/FvhHpn5aua
— Joe ✨ (@balf4our) June 11, 2019
Pretty cool of Marvel to give the stunt doubles their own game! #avengers pic.twitter.com/1G2V0cCTVe
— Gav (Miracle Of Sound) (@miracleofsound) June 11, 2019
Zing … #avengersgame #Avengers pic.twitter.com/WrObfVujIi
— Jason Lopez (@Jak62_) June 11, 2019
Someone get Thanos to snap these Avengers. pic.twitter.com/h0C8tpG4Lz
— CNET (@CNET) June 11, 2019
Dude…all I want is a GOOD AVENGERS GAME
Just watched the trailer for the Avengers game announced at E3. Hurt my heart seeing the voice acting, graphics, and gameplay be such of a let down.
— Jack “CouRage” Dunlop (@CouRageJD) June 11, 2019
https://twitter.com/EricHaywood/status/1138282989127839744
https://twitter.com/SkillUpYT/status/1138326533632774144
Plenty of Senator Captain America and White Chicks-focused Black Widow wisecracks also surfaced in the mix.
This Captain America looks like he just voted to take my healthcare away #AvengersProject #Avengers pic.twitter.com/rZaP326TZx
— Amber (@Lavender_Panda) June 11, 2019
https://twitter.com/stefmowords/status/1138356467105501184
I can't stop laughing. 😹 #avengersthegame#Avengers pic.twitter.com/ecchyqAHHm
— Kat (@Kat30580615) June 11, 2019
— Kaitlyn Winters (@KAITLYN_LIGHTS) June 11, 2019
What happened to Black Widow's face? #avengers #SquareEnixE3 pic.twitter.com/k7JmCunCMO
— YerAlma (@MoetamedSafa) June 11, 2019
All of these complaints are to be expected, but as one Twitter user noted, it’s worth remembering that we’re talking about characters from a comic book, who were played by actors but are now the subject of, you know, a video game.
https://twitter.com/mccusker86/status/1138275416223965184