Marvel’s Avengers was pretty heavily criticized at launch for a wide variety of reasons. The bugs and server issues made the game unplayable at times, the post-game content was rather underwhelming, and, perhaps most memeably, the cosmetic options left much to be desired. Between bizarre Captain America glitches, the glacial roll-out of MCU costumes, and whatever the hell this “cyberpunk” set is supposed to be, most fan’s have been less than enthused. With all of the post-launch content being free, cosmetics are the main way that players can support the game long term, and so far, very little of what’s on offer has managed to move the needle.
I’m only a few hours into the War for Wakanda expansion, but the first thing I did was dig into Black Panther’s cosmetics, and boy, Crystal Dynamics has done a full 180 on skins with T’Challa. My God, all of his costumes are magnificent. There are 28 options available already, and I wouldn’t consider a single one of them to be a simple recolor. Every costume uses different materials, textures, and styles that change his look in dramatic ways. Some suits are heavily armored or show off lots of tech, others are formal suits with jackets that show T’Challa’s face. There are capes, cloaks, fur, leather, hats, helmets, and everything in between. Some suits are iridescent or reflective while others are matte with a mix of different materials. It’s like night and day with the costumes available for the other Avengers, and I’m so blown away by the amount of variety and the level of detail in these skins.
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Comic fans will find some cool references in the collection as well. The Exiles Epic Outfit is a nod to Black Panther’s western look from the comic of the same name, but with some original touches. Rather than just giving him a cowboy hat, T’Challa gets to wear a black leather duster, scuffed boots, and a purple-and-blue combo that looks like a perfect fit for the character. Similarly, there's a Marvel Mangaverse skin that takes some pretty substantial creative liberties with the color and design, but certainly for the better. Hardcore Black Panther fans will almost certainly find more references that I have, but my sense is that the vast majority of these looks aren’t directly based on anything from BP lore, making this collection all the more impressive.
It’s hard to believe these outfits are even from the same game. A lot of people were critical of the character models when Avengers was first announced, calling them the off brand MCU, and I think the lackluster costume options really didn’t help. The base game heroes have over 50 different costumes now, but the options still haven’t gotten much better. Once you decide whether you want a classic or modern look for Captain America, most of his costumes all look the same. The few that stand out, like the molten lava skin and the purple-and-yellow Neon Razor, don’t feel like a particularly good fit for his character. Iron Man has arguably had the best luck with skins, but even still there’s a whole lot of recolors in his wardrobe. And don’t even get me started on all the Hulk’s in different hats and shirts.
Black Panther’s costumes work really well for him. They all feel authentic to his character and his culture, and they all stand out as unique, custom designs. This is the level of care I’d like to see for all the heroes going forward, and the best thing Avengers’ can do to get a whole bunch of my money.
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