Rumors of NetherRealm Studios making a Marvel Comics fighting game are floating around and Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon might have just hinted at it
That would probably spell doom for any chances at seeing Marvel vs. Capcom 4 if true
Rumors began to circulate last week that NetherRealm Studios' next fighting game would not be in their DC Injustice universe but rather one for the other gigantic comic book and super hero entertainment juggernaut — Marvel.
Now, Mortal Kombat's Co-creator Ed Boon appears to be fanning the flames of these speculations about the potential for a Marvel x NetherRealm video game project.
"Wow. [James Gunn] has managed to work on DC and MARVEL movies. That’s impressive. 🤔" wrote Boon on Twitter in response to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 receiving its 2023 release date.
This is significant because Gunn directing and writing The Suicide Squad makes him one of the few people on the planet that's gotten the chance to work on huge projects for both Marvel and DC.
Wow. @JamesGunn has managed to work on DC and MARVEL movies. That’s impressive. 🤔 https://t.co/A4Yk437MuM
— Ed Boon (@noobde) May 4, 2021
The way Boon's tweet is worded and the thinking emoji at the end can easily be interpreted to mean that he too could be joining that club.
Rumors regarding NetherRealm's title were sparked by industry insider / leaker Daniel Richtman stating that the developer's next game is already in production and would be a Marvel fighting game for next-gen consoles as reported by Stealth Optional.
Considering Mortal Kombat 11 released over two years ago now, NRS is almost certainly working on their next project though the developer as a whole has been fairly quiet since Ultimate's launch in November 2020.
Boon previously stated that he has at least had a conversation with Marvel about making a fighting game, but he "probably shouldn't talk about it."
"We would love to make like a Marvel fighting game or a Marvel vs. DC," said Boon in a 2019 interview with Game Informer. "I think it'd be the coolest."
The one big potential snag that a NRS Marvel game could face is the fact that the studio is owned Warner Bros., who also of course has the rights to DC Comics.
It's unclear how willing Disney would be to play ball with one of their largest competitors in the entertainment space, but deals like these do come down from time to time.
After the poor initial and quick abandonment of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, it'd make sense that Disney would seek out a developer with similar stature and proven track record at producing hits to work on their next potential fighting game.
NetherRealm's ability to craft expansive and impressive cinematic story modes would also likely be one of their biggest selling points to Disney and Marvel as well.
If these rumors do turn out to be true, however, the existence of a NetherRealm x Marvel game would probably spell doom for any future Marvel vs. Capcom project for years to come.
While there had been some signs of promise recently that both companies came together again to release MvC and Marvel Arcade 1Up cabinets, but it's hard to imagine greenlighting competing products anywhere near each other.
It is important to remember that these "leaks" are still only in the realm of rumors, so this information should be taken with a huge grain of salt.
Moreover, Ed Boon is well-known to troll and mess with his fans online, so he could just be having fun with the speculation or trying to drum up hype to make the Marvel fighting game a reality at some point in the future.
NetherRealm's history is steeped in rumors and hidden secrets dating back to the original Mortal Kombat and the Midway days, so all of this is certainly right up their alley.
For now though, all we can really do is wait and see what Boon's team is cooking up for us next.
