Video games based on comic books have a mixed history. Many of the early games were not of the best quality, but there were a few good ones. Comic book-based games gradually became better, culminating in the masterpieces of the Batman Arkham games and Insomniac’s PlayStation exclusive Spider-Man game. Games based on comic books are becoming more common again. Since there are a decent amount of Jewish comic book characters, there is a lot of potential for video games to center around or at least feature prominent Jewish comic book characters.
Over the next few weeks, a few characters who would be good fits for Jewish comic book characters will be explored as well as the subject in general. These will be games that could feature a Jewish character as a main character or as part of a group while remaining a key focus themselves. Feedback is welcome from readers as well, regarding what characters they think would make for great video games.
I would like to look at a few characters who would be good fits, and over the next few weeks, talk about the subject. These will be games that could feature a Jewish character as a main character, or as part of a group while remaining a key focus themselves. I welcome feedback from our readers as well, regarding what characters they think would make for great video games.
The Thing
The ever-loving blue-eyed Thing, Ben Grimm, is a member of the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s First Family. The character’s Judaism was first revealed in a comic story titled “Remembrance of Thing’s Past,” and it was established that Ben hid his Judaism, so his monstrous appearance would not be used for fuel for Anti-Semitism. While the character’s Judaism was only revealed in the 2000s, Fantastic Four creator Jack Kirby had always viewed the Thing as Jewish. In fact, he had viewed the Thing as a sort of alter ego of himself and had a drawing of the Thing in a tallit and reading from a siddur in his home. His backstory was based on Jack Kirby to an extent as well, growing up on the fictional Yancy Street, based on Delancey Street, and he had a life of hardship with his brother dying young in a street fight. Ben was given Jack Kirby’s father’s first name, while his middle name of Jacob came from Jack Kirby himself, born Jacob Kurtzberg. The Thing’s backstory is a very Jewish one and tells the story of the children of immigrants.
A video game’s appearance for The Thing would not be unusual as he has appeared in several games including the recent Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 on the Nintendo Switch. However, that appearance only has him as one of several characters to choose from, while earlier Fantastic Four games were themselves admittedly of low quality. The Thing would ideally appear in a new Fantastic Four game that could base its style off the upcoming Avengers game or even Insomniac’s PlayStation exclusive Spider-man and truly delve into the characters. The Thing is known for his strength, being compared often to the Hulk (and we may touch on a character from the Hulk’s supporting cast somewhat soon), which would make him perfect for segments involving brawler and beat em up type gameplay. However, the character is also known as a skilled pilot, so aircraft segments of some kind would fit well. If the game manages to focus deeper on each character, then this would be an excellent way to highlight Ben’s Judaism in a video game format.
Batwoman
Kate Kane is the cousin of Bruce Wayne and is both Jewish and of the LGBT community, being a lesbian. As Batwoman, she has fought numerous foes and slowly built up her own fanbase and mythology that is ripe for exploring. The recent TV show adaptation has received a mixed reaction, but one area it did fall short on was exploring the character’s Jewish identity. Incidentally, her relation to Bruce Wayne also makes clear that Batman himself is of Jewish descent even if he does not identify. A Batwoman game would be extremely easy to develop, as the groundwork is completely laid out for the developers already.
The Arkham games broke new ground for Superhero video games and showed they did not need to be relegated to simple tie ins to movies and events. Basing a game off the comic’s history instead is now becoming the norm, and Batwoman has a nice amount of material to work with, including the character of Renee Montoya, the second incarnation of the character The Question, and Kate’s love interest in the comics. The game could emphasize a detective role, while also tweaking the game details enough to show accuracy to the character as seen in the comics. This would be a double opportunity to not only show off a Jewish woman protagonist in a game but also one who is part of the LGBT community and show how diverse Judaism can be.
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
If you are surprised to see Hal Jordan on this list, I do not blame you. Hal’s Judaism was only revealed in 2015 when it was revealed that not only was Hal’s mother Jewish, but Hal himself was raised somewhat in Jewish culture and tradition. Admittedly the whole part where Hal was a supervillain for a time is a bit of a downer, but that’s why we appreciate the retcon that he was possessed at the time and not truly evil (and we can write off the bad stories that way).
A Green Lantern video game has so much potential and could be done in a large variety of ways. One idea that could happen is a Green Lantern game that doesn’t focus on any specific character but instead functions as an RPG like Mass Effect (a game whose Jewish connections will be touched on in the future, rest assured). One could create a character and join the Green Lantern Corps, complete with multiple possible backstories. All this aside though, Hal himself represents a great possibility for Jewish representation in video game form. The character is one of the most iconic in the DC universe, and his adventures are some of the most inventive and imaginative. Fighting enemies on a cosmic scale, while carefully managing your power supply in the ring is an idea that instantly stands out. The game could take place in both Earth-based locations and space-based ones, fighting the various enemies of the Green Lantern Corps and Hal in particular. Specific storylines could provide influence, while Hal is given more insight as a character with his Judaism. This could be touched on with explanation of why he is the way he is. Plus, Jon Stewart and Kyle Rayner could also appear in the game…and Guy Gardner too.
This is just a scratch at the surface of the possibilities of Jewish comic book representation in gaming. There are many more considerations. Which Jewish comic book characters would you like to see in gaming? We’d love to hear feedback.