At New York Comic Con 2019 last week, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics revealed that fan-favourite Kamala Khan is the latest playable Super Hero to be featured in Marvel’s Avengers. Co-created by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, Sana Amanat, and Stephen Wacker, in the comics, Kamala is an enthusiastic teenager who defends her hometown Jersey City as the costumed Ms. Marvel. First appearing in Captain Marvel #14 in August 2013, Kamala quickly captured the imagination of generations of True Believers, leading to her own monthly comic series in February 2014.
A self-avowed Avengers fan, Kamala Khan must apply her intellect, optimism, and unique abilities to the task of unravelling a global conspiracy and reassembling her personal heroes in time to stop a new secretive organization, Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM), before they unleash one of the greatest threats Earth has ever faced.
Players first encounter a young Kamala during A-Day, where Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor are unveiling a hi-tech Avengers Headquarters in San Francisco — including the reveal of their own helicarrier powered by an experimental energy source. The celebration turns deadly when a catastrophic accident results in massive devastation.
Kamala is exposed to the mysterious Terrigen Mist, and finds herself developing extraordinary polymorphic powers, which she subsequently hides for years. Blamed for the tragedy, the Avengers disband. Five years later, with all Super Heroes outlawed and the world in peril, Kamala uncovers a shocking conspiracy and embarks on a quest to reassemble the heroes she believes in and to become the hero she was destined to be.
Players begin the journey as Kamala Khan and learn the origins of her extraordinary powers. As the story expands, Kamala plays an essential role in bringing the disbanded Avengers back together. As each Super Hero is added to the roster, players must master all of their unique abilities, rebuild and customize the Avengers team to face increasingly growing threats only the Avengers together can defeat.
“An optimistic fan girl of the Avengers, Kamala Khan is the perfect character for the story we’re telling in Marvel’s Avengers,” says Shaun Escayg, Creative Director and Writer at Crystal Dynamics. “Telling our story of Kamala’s coming-of-age brings a fresh, hopeful perspective to the gameplay experience and her unique abilities as Ms. Marvel make her a character every person can relate to and will want to play. Kamala Khan is one of the unique characters that makes our game stand apart from any Avengers story experienced before.”
“Kamala is an inspired and perfectly fitting choice to join the ranks of, and reassemble, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” says Bill Rosemann, VP of Creative at Marvel Games. “Perhaps more than any other character invented over the past decade, Ms. Marvel has not only charmed the hearts of longtime True Believers, but her unique mix of classic Marvel heroic elements and modern cultural relevancy has resulted in a headline-generating cultural icon.”
“I think Kamala is a perfect fit for a game like this, since she sees the Marvel world the same way we do as fans and players,” says G. Willow Wilson, co-creator of Ms. Marvel. “Kamala allows us to imagine what we ourselves would do if we suddenly discovered we had superpowers and got to stand alongside our heroes in their time of greatest need.”
Marvel’s Avengers will release simultaneously for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC on 15 May 2020. The game is currently rated RP, rating pending by the ESRB.
Click here to read about the Avengers virtual reality experience, Avengers: Damage Control.
Marvel Studios and ILMxLAB, Lucasfilm’s immersive entertainment studio, have last week announced Avengers: Damage Control, a virtual reality fan experience coming to select locations at The VOID starting on 18 October. Tickets for the limited-time event are available now.
Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, says: “We’re always looking for new stories and corners of the universe for our characters to explore. Now, after more than a decade of amazing support, we are excited to give fans the same opportunity: to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Expanding how people can experience the MCU is something we’re always trying to do, and in Avengers: Damage Control, we wanted to give fans the chance to suit up alongside some their favourite heroes for the first time ever.”
Avengers: Damage Control will let fans step into the MCU in virtual reality. Alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!, fans will be enlisted by Shuri (Letitia Wright) to test her latest prototype design: Emergency Response Suits, created with a proprietary blend of Wakandan and Stark Industries technology. When sinister forces intervene, guests at the Wakandan Outreach Centers will soon find themselves recruited into action, exploring iconic locations across the MCU. Fans will fight side by side with Avengers like Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), among others.
Like ILMxLAB’s previous collaborations with The VOID, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire and Ralph Breaks VR, the new Avengers game pairs virtual reality with real-world sets and physical effects like heat and wind. The result is a highly immersive experience: a virtual world that guests can touch and feel, bringing their favourite Marvel characters to life in a way that’s not been possible before.
“The opportunity to bring such a beloved universe alive through immersive storytelling has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Shereif Fattouh, SeniorProducer, ILMxLAB. “Avengers: Damage Control” lets you feel what it’s like to shoot repulsor blasts with your own two hands, suited up in Shuri’s latest technology. This original adventure allows you to go beyond the screen, and become a character in the story itself.”
The game will be taking over multiple different locations at The VOID for a limited run, including New York City, Atlanta, Santa Monica, and Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, CA.
“We’re fans first, and we all have our favourite movie moment, and favourite character,” says Dave Bushore, Executive Producer, Marvel Studios. “But to be able to mark a moment in time where you got to step into the MCU and meet them, interact with them, and come together as a team… it’s extraordinarily powerful. We hope people have as much fun experiencing Avengers: Damage Control as we did making it.”