Marvel's Midnight Suns is coming out in March 2022, and developer Firaxis Games has explained why it made a distinct change to the original Midnight Sons name from Marvel lore. Revealed at Gamescom 2021, the game follows the adventures of a customizable Hunter that teams up with a myriad of Marvel characters to fight the Mother of All Demons, Lilith, from taking over the world. Gameplay will be centered around a card-based combat system, and players will get to control a number of popular characters from the comics.
The game is inspired by the lesser-known Midnight Sons team from the Marvel comics, with their first appearance happening in 1992 in Ghost Rider vol. 3 #28. The Midnight Sons were brought together by Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch after Ghost Rider received a vision of Lilith being resurrected and planning to take over Earth with her demonic children. The team assembled by Ketch and Blaze, along with some help from Doctor Strange, was made up of Morbius, Vengeance, the Darkhold Redeemers, and the Night Stalkers.
Marvel's Midnight Suns maintains certain aspects of the Midnight Sons story established during their comic appearances. One particular aspect that is pulled from the source material is having the main villain of Midnight Suns be Lilith once again. The game will also feature some members of the original Midnight Sons team mixed with more recognizable Marvel characters, with gameplay footage showing Ghost Rider, Blade, and Doctor Strange bringing the fight to Lilith.
Midnight Suns' Name Honors The Source Material While Teasing A New Adventure
Firaxis Games spoke to CBR recently about the decision to shift from the comic book Midnight Sons name to the new moniker for the game. The developer stated that "The decision to call the game Marvel's Midnight Suns was driven by Firaxis' love for the original Midnight Sons comic series, while the change in name highlights the fact that this is not a retelling of the original story and that it offers a completely new unforgettable adventure." Firaxis Games also said that the new name "is unique to the game," establishing the new team of heroes as their own distinct force.
The slight name change to Midnight Suns is a great move by Firaxis for a couple of key reasons. Changing the name opens up the door for the implementation of multiple characters from Marvel lore instead of tying the roster solely to the Midnight Sons team from the comics. This is evident from how many characters Midnight Suns includes from different corners of the Marvel Universe, ranging from the X-Men to the Avengers and beyond.
Adjusting the name to Midnight Suns also unlocks the potential for the development team to use some elements of the source material in the game while still focusing on creating a brand-new adventure. Employing Lilith as the bad guy and having the playable Hunter be her daughter - and the only force able to stop her - shows a balance between past and original elements, as does the incorporation of original Midnight Sons members fighting alongside more mainstream Marvel characters. This simple name change seems to be a dual effort of honoring and evolving what Marvel fans know about the Midnight Sons, which gives Marvel's Midnight Suns the potential to be better than Marvel games before it.
Source: CBR