How many Batman video games could you reel off the top of your head? If you are a gamer, you would probably make a good fist of it, perhaps a dozen, maybe two? Yet, it is not an easy exercise when you really get into it, as there have been so many obscure appearances. But even if you have an encyclopedic memory, it’s almost impossible to get them all because it seems that nobody is truly sure.
Yes, you can hunt around the web to start counting the number of Batman games and games with Batman making an appearance. The problem, however, is that not every appearance is licensed or credited. For instance, an unauthorized version of Batman appears in the Revenge of Shinobi (1989), with the Caped Crusader appearing as a ‘Boss’ that the ninja warrior must defeat in the game. Should that count? Probably not. Then, there are games where Batman has been licensed but only appears as a minor character.
Batman and Spider-Man top the charts
What we can say is that Batman appears in at least 63 official games where he is the principal character. He has also appeared in numerous Justice League games as a main character, and, of course, he has popped up here and there in DC-related games where he is on the periphery of the action. Overall, the count comes in at well over 100. Yet, to be clear, there are some additions to the list that point to contention as to whether Batman should be counted as a character.
Another point of contention is games that are discontinued. In the 2010s, Playtech, which is one of the biggest casino slots developers, had deals with both Marvel and DC to create superhero slot games, with official content from their respective cinematic universes appearing in dozens of games, but both these deals have expired, however. It is common practice for slot developers to strike deals with movie and television producers. For instance, the Slingo series of slots, has official licensing deals in place with brands like The Deadliest Catch and Deal or No Deal. But do we count slots as games in this sense?
Spider-Man is often cited as the most frequent appearance maker in video games, although it is not abundantly clear whether he has more or fewer appearances than Batman overall. Several publications have lists detailing every official Spider-Man game with the superhero as the principal character. Yet, several of the lists we have seen have omitted significant games from the 1980s, including Questprobe Featuring Spider-Man, an adventure game that was made available for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit, among others.
Most lists have missing data
Of course, as with Batman, it gets a bit difficult in trying to add up the games where Spider-Man makes a non-title character appearance. Technically, you could try to cross-reference that with appearances in other Marvel games, but there are so many that are considered cameo appearances, i.e., they are uncredited and semi-official games, that it becomes almost impossible to count with accuracy.
As for sources, there is no real database for counting everything. Wikipedia is usually the go-to platform to start such a journey, but the website has plenty of holes in its catalog of superhero games. Wikipedia is a brilliant resource, yet it is also a testament to the time and effort of volunteers who put together the information. And it seems cataloging every DC or Marvel game is not a priority. Other sources encounter the issues we have highlighted above, as well as subjective opinion as to what constitutes an appearance or even, at times, what constitutes a video game.
While it is arguably possible to contact Marvel or DC Comics for a list of IP that has been licensed, that, too, can fall into other issues, including, for example, Sony’s ownership of the image rights of Spider-Man for certain media, including movies and games. You are basically looking at a web (excuse the pun) of different ownership and sub-ownership.
In the end, it’s fairly pointless to worry about it all. Does it matter that Spider-Man’s unofficial appearance in a 1980s SEGA game does make the official count? Probably not, but it is interesting to note that in this era of limitless access to information, we cannot get a definitive answer to how many video games our favorite comic-book heroes have appeared in. Thankfully, for those of us who love gaming and comic books, the answer is a lot.
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