Despite Having “Never Played A Game In The Series,” Streamer Asmongold Doubts Marvel’s Avengers Will Be In Kingdom Hearts IV

Ryan Pearson |

Apr 12, 2022

Sora (Hayley Joel Osment) awakens in Shibuya in Kingdom Hearts IV

Despite admitting to having no experience with the crossover series, popular video game streamer Asmongold has doubts over whether Marvel’s Avengers will be a part of Kingdom Hearts IV due to what he perceives as a clash in styles and themes.

The 2.9 Million Twitch subscriber-boasting World of Warcraft streamer shared his opinion while watching the Kingdom Hearts IV reveal trailer during a recent stream.

Though he found himself bemused by the game’s hinted plot elements, impressed with the graphics, and amazed by its potential gameplay, he would eventually admit to his viewers, “You know what? I’ve never played a Kingdom Hearts game before in my life.”

“I’ve seen other people play it, I know kinda what happens in the game in general, but I’ve never actually played it myself,” he explained. “I don’t know why, I didn’t get a [PS2] until a little bit later on in it’s life cycle, and by that time I was already really into Halo, so I didn’t play it a whole lot.”

As Asmongold mused on how much of Kingdom Hearts IV’s gameplay could be scripted and showed an interest in playing it at launch, he showed disgust at the prospect of at least one Disney property joining the game.

After a fan asked “Can Marvel appear in this?” due to their ownership by Disney, Asmongold scoffed, “Bro, if there’s one thing, that I’ve learned about intellectual property over the years, is that no one really knows the answer to that, except for probably a cabal of overpaid lawyers that work at either of those companies,” before reaching the indecisive conclusion, ” I think so? Maybe??”

“I feel like Avengers don’t really fit with the theme,” Asmongold proposed. “Like personally, I don’t think the Avengers fit with the theme of Kingdom Hearts. I think maybe something like- I don’t know- the Hulk? Maybe the Hulk does? Kinda?”

He further opined, “I feel like the Kingdom Hearts theme is a lot more lighthearted, but then again you have someone like Sephiroth too so…hmm, I dunno… It depends.”

“You know what Kingdom Hearts always felt like to me?” he retorted. “It felt like Super Smash Bros., but they’re all on the same team,” before rolling back his declaration by observing, “But also, straight up, they have some crazy-ass characters in Smash Brothers now too.”

Similarly, when a fan indicated the possibility that an AT-ST foot cup could be seen in one of the forest shots in Kingdom Hearts IV’s trailer, Asmongold was unsure whether it was a mechanical fixture or a rock formation.

Asmongold’s doubt over Earth’s Mightiest Heroes entering the world of Kingdom Hearts is understandable, as from an outsider’s perspective, the series appears to strictly crossover Final Fantasy games and Disney’s core animated projects.

However, later games featured not only worlds and characters inspired by Pixar’s CGI creations such as Monsters Inc. and Toy Story, but also live-action appearances from the cast and locations of The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

The “lighthearted” series has also dealt with its fair share of death and fates worse than death – the Kingdom Hearts IV trailer even ending with Donald and Goofy seeking out Hades in the Underworld – whereas depending on the medium, The Avengers have taken to toning down their own violence and darker themes for younger audiences.

As such, it’s possible a marketable version of Earth’s Mightiest Hero could land in that sweet spot of the series’ maturity level.

Further, both Marvel and the concept of super heroes have already subtly woven their way into Sora’s adventures, thanks to the Keyblade-wielding hero’s visit to world based on Big Hero Six – itself based on a Marvel team of the same name – in Kingdom Hearts III.

While this may be one of the stronger arguments for Kingdom Hearts to introduce Marvel characters, the strongest sis still simply the potential to further boost the game sales with The Avengers’ massive popularity.

Fans have also theorized even at this early stage that Kingdom Heart IV’s worlds may pull on Disney’s live action films and TV shows.

Others meanwhile have assumed Sora’s realistic design may just be his regional outfit in The Quadrant world, much like how his clothes and even body changed when entering the worlds of such films as The Lion King, Monsters Inc., and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Some have even speculated that the failure of Marvel’s recent video game efforts, particularly the Crystal Dynamics-developed Marvel’s Avengers, may lead Square Enix to angle away from including the publisher’s premiere super team.

While Marvel was a box-office bombshell at it’s peak, Marvel’s Avengers resulted in a $48 million loss for Square Enix two months after launch and even failed to offset its initial development costs.

A year later, Square Enix’ President admitted that the game “produced a disappointing outcome,” while also noting that Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy undershot “initial expectations.”