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The superheroes in Marvel's Midnight Suns are huge movie nerds

by: Eric - posted: 12/11/2022 9:05:00 AM
More On: Marvel's Midnight Suns

Marvel's Midnight Suns is an amazing game. I'm currently engaged in a leisurely second run through the game after mainlining it for my review last weekend. During this second playthrough, I'm taking my time, engaging in a mountain of side content that I had to kind of wave at while I was flying by at breakneck speeds the first time through. So this time, I'm paying much more attention to something that I noticed the first time through the game: the fact that the superheroes in Marvel's Midnight Suns are huge movie nerds.

Folks that have played Midnight Suns are probably aware that Nico from the Runaways is constantly spouting off about what a huge movie fan she is - and that might be true, even though she seems to only watch the same spaghetti western over and over again. But it is Tony Stark who is the true lowkey movie freak in Midnight Suns, and it is clear from the films that he references that his tastes run towards the classic films of the 80s.

 

Tony has a never-ending flow of movie references that fly out of his mouth without warning. Upon first seeing a picture of the game's big bad Lilith, Tony mutters "Gozer?" under his breath (Ghostbusters). At one point, when faced with an enemy object that might be indestructible, he offers that the team can "Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure" (Aliens). And at one point, in one his non-stop series of jokes about how uncomfortable he is working near the Forge in the Abbey, he comments that he'll be out there if "this thing turns out to be a gateway to ancient Egypt" (Stargate). 

But it's not just Tony. Nico herself, when explaining the basics of film to Hunter, tell her "the first thing you have to know is that the glowing suitcase is a distraction" (Pulp Fiction). And I happened to be walking around a corner in the Abbey after a primary character fell under Lilith's control just in time to hear Peter Parker say "We need a young priest and an old priest" (this one is kind of deep, as the quote is actually Mike Meyers as Dr. Evil in Austin Powers making an Exorcist joke).

I've been keep a little pad and pen next to my sofa so I can jot down whenever I spot a movie reference, because I am also a huge movie nerd. So far, the tally stands as follows:

  • Ghostbusters (3)
  • Raider of the Lost Ark (1)
  • Gremlins (1)
  • Pulp Fiction (1)
  • Aliens (1)
  • Stargate (1)
  • Austin Powers/Exorcist (1)

I'm going to keep at this for the rest of my playthrough, just for the sake of geeky fun. Who knows how many more quotes and references the Avengers and Midnight Suns will make throughout the game? And I'm having lowkey anxiety over how many quotes I am missing, simply because I don't understand the reference?

Regardless of your level of movie fandom, Marvel's Midnight Suns is a fantastic game with great writing that allows you to hang out and bird watch with Dr. Strange, so you should all immediately check it out. The game is now available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox if you want to start your own list.