Netflix's trending new Squid Game show leaves many viewers pondering, "what if...?" but one burning question remains: which of Marvel's Avengers would win a real-life version of the competition? The South Korean drama centers around ordinary people pitted against one another in a series of six simple games, with a deadly twist. However, what could viewers expect from a lineup of not-so-ordinary contestants, picked from across the entire history of Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
The contest in Squid Game consists of a series of six children's games, each one testing a different aspect of the contestants' skills. A loss in any game results in the player's death, and it is assumed that all of the Avengers can in fact die. Upon entering, all contestants are dressed in jumpsuits, meaning that all of the Avengers would have only their brains and brawn for this contest.
All six of these games must be completed sequentially in order to win, so some strong attributes may never come into play due to weaknesses. For example, a very strong player like the Hulk may have an advantage in round three's tug-of-war, but fail to reach that point in the game because of round two, which tests a player's patience and dexterity. The Avengers host a wide range of contrasting characters, making Squid Game an interesting arena for them to face off in. With these rules in place, which of the Avengers would make it to the end to be crowned the winner?
The Opening Rounds
The first two rounds test control, reflexes, and dexterity. The first is the international classic, "red light, green light." In this game, characters race to a finish line, moving only when a giant killer robot is facing away from the players. Any movement out of turn will result in immediate death. In round two, players are each given a brittle circle of honeycomb candy, with a shape stamped in the middle. Each contestant must remove the excess candy, and reveal the shape using a sewing needle. If the shape breaks or the player fails to perform the task in under ten minutes, they are killed. These first two challenges pose serious problems for most of the Avenger's more brutish members, such as Hulk, Thor, or Thing. Even some of the more capable, but hot-headed heroes like Bucky Barnes may lack the patience to pass the honeycomb game.
A Test of Strength
Several strong characters, however, have the control to make it past the first two rounds and eliminate the physically weaker contestants in a tug-of-war. This game is played in teams, however, so whether or not a physically weaker Avenger moves on is entirely dependent on who else is on their team. For example, if a suit-less Tony Stark were paired with Captain Marvel, he might have a chance, but if not, he's no help. In fact, most characters who rely on technology in battle would be filtered out by this round, such as Ant-Man, Wasp, and War Machine. Furthermore, since tug-of-war is a test of brute strength, this would eliminate most non-powered heroes, like Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Falcon.
Mind Games
This places the Avengers with a more balanced skillset ahead of the curve for round four. The fourth game is decided by the contestants, as each is given a bag of marbles and a partner. They may decide the rules of the game, and they may cheat, but whoever takes all of their partner's marbles without the use of force wins, and their partner is killed. This is where mystical abilities would particularly thrive. There would be nothing preventing Scarlet Witch from magically manipulating her opponent into simply giving her the marbles. Doctor Strange could easily rig any sort of game through sorcery, without breaching the rules. This puts these heroes at an extreme advantage, however, since each contestant plays one-on-one against a partner, several contestants could make it past this round if they weren't pitted against a magically enhanced individual. This puts characters with poor charisma at a disadvantage, and characters like Namor and Valkyrie would be unlikely to succeed.
Walking on Glass
Game five is similar to "hopscotch," however, players must hop across a bridge made of glass panes, some tempered, and some brittle. The differences between the two types of glass are nearly imperceptible and jumping onto normal glass will result in the player falling to their death. In the show, one character is able to distinguish between the two different types of glass due to subtle surface imperfections on the tempered tiles. However, this high degree of perception and odd knowledge of glass is not exactly commonplace. Assuming that characters would not be allowed to fly across, this could pose a pitfall for those that lack extreme perception and scientific know-how. Some Avengers with heightened senses like Daredevil or Wolverine could possibly detect the subtle distinctions in the glass, and Spider-Man's Spidey Sense might warn him if her were to step on the wrong pane. Others like Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Bucky Barnes would likely be unable to tell the difference between the panes and would have no other option than to chance it.
Squid Game
The sixth and final game is the traditional South Korean "squid game." Players in this round are armed with steak knives and assigned an offensive or defensive position. Put simply, the offensive player must try and reach a small circle marked at the end of a court, winning the game. The defensive player must stop them, trying to force them outside of the court to win. Many cases could be made for a victor here, however, one stands out from the rest. In Marvel's groundbreaking series, House of M, Scarlet Witch forever secured herself a position as the most powerful Avenger. Fueled by mental instability, she replaced all of reality with one that better suited her wishes. This kind of power has only ever been seriously contested by Professor X (who could probably would not make it past the tug-of-war), and Doctor Strange. However, Strange's victory over a very addled Wanda in Avengers: Disassembled required the use of the Eye of Agamotto, which he would not be able to bring into the game. This leaves Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, as the winner of the Squid Game.
While there could be many arguments made to suggest the victory of other characters, Wanda Maximoff's reality-altering abilities are simply ideal for any situation. With simple magic like invisibility, she could pass the first round. It would require the smallest fraction of her power to solve the honeycomb game. The tug-of-war could be easily swayed in her favor through magic. Her mind control abilities would render almost anyone instantly defeated in marbles. Magical divination could help her distinguish between the glass panes. Lastly, Scarlet Witch's nigh limitless cosmic power would overwhelm any opponent in the final round, the squid game. A Squid Game with the Avengers would certainly make for an interesting adaptation with many possible outcomes, but Scarlet Witch is the most likely to outlast all of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.