History VideoGame / MarvelUltimateAlliance

* FallingChandelierOfDoom: In the 2nd cinematic, Nightcrawler spectacular escape involve [[TeleportSpam teleporting]] and cutting several chandeliers on [[MechaMooks Doombots]].

* EscortMission: In the first game, you can escort DoctorStrange, Corsair, and a Skrull around, but they're invincible and generally help in a fight. The appropriately-named Dum-Dum Dugan, on the other hand, ''isn't'' invincible, has a tendency to jump into fights (although he's smart enough to avoid Crimson Dynamo), and saving the game after he gets too low on health can make the Omega Base mission {{Unwinnable}}. The best bet might actually just be to use Deadpool to just teleport the team through most of the level, or even better use Spider-Woman's healing aura to fix him right up.

** Stan Lee's name is Stanley Lieber, natch.

''Marvel Ultimate Alliance'' is an Action RPG series published by {{Activision}} and developed by Raven Software and Vicarious Visions, starring many of Marvel's most popular {{superhero}}es and {{supervillain}}s. A spiritual successor of sorts to the ''{{X-Men Legends}}'' series (arguably a sequel to the second, but the first is in a continuity of its own), which was also developed by Raven. The first one was released in 2006 and took you through a tour of the MarvelUniverse trying to stop DoctorDoom and his [[LegionOfDoom Masters of Evil]].

The sequel was released in 2009, developed solely by Vicarious Visions (due to Radaven opting to do the ''[[Film/{{X-Men}} X-Men Origins: Wolverine]]'' tie-in game on their own at the same time), is based on the ''Secret War'' and ''Comicbook/CivilWar'' events before eventually splitting off into an original plotline altogether. The heroes are split into pro-reg and anti-reg as the plot progresses and the player's decisions will affect the ending as well as which characters they can choose.

Both games had versions released on the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and PSP. All versions of MUA 1 were essentially the exact same game apart from graphics and exclusive characters (which is proven by the PC port, which allowed for switching between both sets of graphics on the fly as well as {{game mod}}ding). The differences between versions of MUA 2 are more drastic; the Xbox 360 and PS3 version was made from scratch whereas the Wii, PS2 and PSP version is more or less a MissionPackSequel to MUA 1.

The series has been received rather favorably by gaming critics, gaming as a whole, and also comic book fans, for much of the same reasons the ''{{X-Men Legends}}'' series was.

* AGodAmI: In first first game, after [[spoiler: stealing Odin's power, Doom]]. [[spoiler: Nanite!Nick Fury]] in the second game as well.
-->'''[[spoiler: DoctorDoom]]:''' I'll show you how a real god smites his enemies.
-->'''[[spoiler: Nanite!Nick Fury]]:''' You damn throwbacks are like ''bacteria'' compared to us!

* AdventureDuo: The DLC for the second game created a team bonus for Best Friends? (Cable & Deadpool, Spider-Man & Venom).

** [[spoiler: When unlocked as a playable character, he only uses four of them: [[ShockAndAwe Electro]], Spider-Woman, A-Bomb, and [[KillItWithFire Firestar]].]]

* ArtificialStupidity: No, CaptainAmerica, you can't fly. Stop trying to follow IronMan across the BottomlessPit.

* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The battles against Kraken, Ultimo and {{Galactus}} Fin Fang Foom, Arcade (in a giant power suit) and Ymir, and the Goliath/Yellowjacket battle in ''MUA 2''
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Dr. Doom. Black Panther. Namor. Lilandra. Von Bardas. If Black Panther is your main character during the boss fight with Doom, then you will literally have two heads of state, fighting each other with the power of Odin. Also, Black Panther makes use of this to convince Namor to let the team help out in Atlantis, saying that he would do the same if it was Wakanda under attack.
* BadassBookworm[=/=]GeniusBruiser: The Think Tank team bonus (The Hulk, Green Goblin, Mr. Fantastic, Spider-Man or Iron Man) and the Master Minds (Mr. Fantastic, Nick Fury, Iron Man, Spider-Man).

* BadassNormal: Nick Fury in the first game. [[spoiler: [[BadassAbnormal Not so much in the second.]]]] Also, IronMan, Hawkeye, and Elektra. %%Please don't add natter on whether or not Captain America is one.

* BattleCouple: One team bonus is called DoubleDate (Mr. Fantastic & Invisible Woman, Storm & Black Panther). Daredevil & Elektra didn't make the cut.
* BlatantLies: In the first game, Black Widow claims that the nanites at the Atlantis outpost will let you move though the water as if you were on dry land.

** At one point in the second game, you can have a conversation with She-Hulk where you ask her about the "strange non-sequitur jokes" she used to make. Shulkie says that she leaves most of those to Deadpool, as it makes him happy. (Before DP, She-Hulk was the main fourth wall demolisher in the MU.)

* TheCameo: In both games, as expected. Special mention to the cutscene that plays [[spoiler: prior to the final mission, that explains what has happened while the playable characters were off-planet - The remaining heroes of Earth have mounted an offense against Dr Doom, but most have fallen and only Cyclops & a heavily mutilated Colossus are definitely still alive. Depicted in this scene are Charles Xavier, Magneto, Gambit, Shadowcat, the aforementioned Colossus & Cyclops, and the Hulk (Who is covered by shadow, except for his feet, due to licensing issues preventing the character being included in the main game).]]

* ChestBlaster: IronMan of course.

* CompositeCharacter: As with ''{{X-Men Legends}}'', the first game more or less based every character on their classic MarvelUniverse selves, but most of the playable characters are in the UltimateMarvel costumes for defaults (with Spider-Man and Daredevil, it really didn't matter since they look the same in either universe) though a few like Nick Fury and Deadpool have their classic looks as default and their Ultimate costumes for alternate costumes. The second game drops this and just has everyone in their classic Marvel Universe threads for their default costumes, though some do have thier Ultimate looks as alternate costumes.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: In the original, you can win the final boss fight against Doctor Doom [[AGodAmI with all of Odin's power]], using [[BadassNormal Nick Fury, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Ronin]] (But to be fair, you have to first [[BadassAbnormal absorb this power yourself]]). It's averted with the Galactus battle, since events require you to use the aid of Silver Surfer--which is more believable than taking Galactus down with, say, Electra.

* DummiedOut: MoonKnight and Colossus in the {{Xbox}}, [[{{Playstation 2}} PS2]] and [[PlaystationPortable PSP]] versions of [=MUA1=]. They can accessed by [[http://www.gametrailers.com/video/episode-14-pop-fiction/718387 certain methods.]]

** Also, Venom and Green Goblin feel so violated by being [[spoiler:[[AssimilationPlot assimilated]] into [[MassHypnosis The Fold]]]] that they decide to join the heroes ([[MindControl for real this time]]), no strings attached, which, knowing Norman Osborn, is a real feat. Venom (Mac Gargan) in particular seemed to really enjoy the hero thing.
** Perhaps the most extreme example - thanks to DLC, you can place Spider-Man on the same team as Green Goblin, Venom & Carnage.

* EscortMission: In the first game, you can escort Doctor Strange, Corsair, and a Skrull around, but they're invincible and generally help in a fight. The appropriately-named Dum-Dum Dugan, on the other hand, ''isn't'' invincible, has a tendency to jump into fights (although he's smart enough to avoid Crimson Dynamo), and saving the game after he gets too low on health can make the Omega Base mission {{Unwinnable}}. The best bet might actually just be to use Deadpool to just teleport the team through most of the level, or even better use Spider Woman's healing aura to fix him right up.
** Almost immediately after, you have to escort Bruce Banner but he has no health bar to worry and the escort goes through all of ONE fight before he reaches where he has to be.
** In the second game, you have to protect NPC allies, from Cloak and Dagger to Venom. The worst is Songbird's solo mission, in which you must protect three scientists from an army of super-hardy mutants and Moonstone. The scientists tend to put themselves between Songbird and the enemies, making for a frustrating time.

** TheDragon: Loki

** TheChick: SpiderMan
** TheBigGuy: {{Thor}}

* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Since you play mostly in teams of four, you may inevitably fall into this, if you know which characters to pick. For example, Deadpool (sanguine), Wolverine (choleric), Spider-Man (melancholic) and Daredevil (phlegmatic).

* GameBreaker: One that was acknowledged and fixed: Deadpool's teleport in the first game. Essentially, it works by going for a spot a certain distance from Deadpool in the direction he's facing: if there's an area the player is allowed to go at that point, then Deadpool will instantly move to it. If not, he'll go as far as he can along that path. Elevation doesn't matter. Nothing in the way matters. Because of this, if used smartly enough this can be used to - in addition to getting places the player usually can't - ''skip whole areas of the level'' as the player is fully allowed to go through walls, InsurmountableWaistHighWalls, voids and rivers, even ''burning wreckage'' as long as there is something to walk on on the other side. In the sequel, Deadpool's teleport was unsurprisingly changed so that it does not go through things the player is not allowed to go through, and the range is decreased to boot.

* HealingFactor: {{Wolverine}} and {{Deadpool}} naturally have one. IronMan, LukeCage, and {{Blade}} can be given one with the right outfit.
* HeroicSociopath: Deadpool ("Alright, who do I kill!"), Venom and the Green Goblin (in an EnemyMine), Wolverine, the list goes on and on and on.
** Some team bonuses feature these characters--Bad to the Bone, Assassins, Rogues Gallery, Unrepentant Killers.
** In the second game, judging by the audio cassette of his mind control experiments, Reed Richards approaches this as well.
* HoYay - "The ''world'' can count on us... ''sir''." *sly wink, saucy smile*
** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''2'':
--> '''Iceman/Deadpool/Spider-Man/Human Torch''': Why are [Iron Man and Captain America] so obsessed with each other, anyway? It's reaching "creepy ex" territory.
** This, from ''1'':
--> '''Spider-Man:''' Hi, again. Shall we continue to discuss how wonderful Tony Stark is?

* LargeHam: [[StarWars Clive]] [[Franchise/StarTrek Freakin']] [[{{Transformers}} Reville]] as Doctor Doom. Too good.

* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: In the second game especially. Characters like IronMan are useful at the start while [[XMen Jean Grey]] or [[FantasticFour Sue Richards]] are not. However as you progress further and further, IronMan starts to get his ass handed to him by the fold and Sue [[GameBreaker obliterates everything in sight.]] Something's not quite right there...
* LookBehindYou: Ms. Marvel to Shocker, when you find her in the underground weapon-smuggling tunnel in ''2''. He makes it seem he's not fooled until he turns around... and sees your team there.
* LostForever: Activision refused to renew their contract with Marvel, citing poor sales, so any downloadable content for either game was removed from the Xbox 360 and PS3 marketplaces; their reasoning was that the characters "were always a limited offer." With ''[=MUA1=]'', at least, the player can hunt down a copy of the [[GameOfTheYearEdition Gold version]] which contains all the DLC on-disc or mod the PC version to add them in, but with ''[=MUA2=]'', no such version exists yet, so new players are stuck without the additional characters. Did we mention that you need access to DLC to play online with other people?
** Actually Activision added the DLC back online recently for ''[=MUA2=]'' so for those of you who didn't get to fulfill your dreams of [[VitriolicBestBuds Cable and Deadpool]] in a team or [[EnemyMine Spidey, Green Goblin, Venom and Carnage]] in their own little group... now's your chance.
** Unfortunately, if you're a PS3 user in anywhere except the US, apparently you're still screwed as it's not been put up yet, and there's no word on a release date.

** One exampe is in a conversation with Spider-Woman talking about her relationship with Spider-Man is, she says "I'm not his cousin who he donated blood to", that's a reference to She-Hulk (who would appear in the sequel).

-->'''Firestar''': Yeah, we really are some [[{{Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends}} amazing friends]].

* {{Narm}}: Penance in MUA 2. Also a fair chunk of Mephisto's Realm, with the use of "astral energy" instead of "soul" and Nightcrawler's [[BigNo Small Nein]].
** In the first Pro-Reg mission, as soon as you run into the White Star, one of them says in the whiniest voice imaginable: "It's a raid! Get to your positions!"
** You know those big hulking... things you run into at the omega base? Seem kind of intimidating, don't they? Then you run into them again in Asgard, and they talk. And they sound [[SimpletonVoice exactly like you'd expect them to]]. Another enemy that suddenly talks in Asgard is the Clay Warrior. His "Halt! YouShallNotPass!" might have been BadAss if you hadn't just spent a level [[OneHitPointWonder one-shotting]] about two-hundred or so of his kind.
** In the first game, one of DoctorDoom's victory phrases after defeating an enemy is "Finally! I have achieved my ultimate triumph!". When he says this after defeating Random Mook #284, it's either this or WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome.

** Similarly, the second playthrough onward of MUA 1, aside from having the Hard difficulty level unlocked, lets you use everyone you've unlocked (as well as letting you choose your team from the very start). Which is good if you want to use Dr. Strange, Black Panther, Daredevil, Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider or Nick Fury (indeed, teams such as Classic Avengers, Supernatural, Marvel Knights, Defenders and/or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are impossible to field without these guys). Also, all the unlocked costumes, so you can turn up with Assassins (Wolvie Ultimate, Elektra Stealth, Deadpool Weapon X and Blade - any outfit but Original) all in black. ''And'' all the leveling you achieved up to that point (which, difficulty-wise, will seem like starting it all from scratch if you pick Hard).

* {{Nanomachines}}: [[spoiler:The BigBad of MUA 2. Honestly. And you thought that ''{{Metal Gear Solid 4}}'' was bad enough with that already.]]

* TheOtherDarrin: A lot of the voice cast changed between MUA 1 and MUA 2.

* PutOnABus: On the side of heroes, between both games: Doctor Strange, Elektra, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Nightcrawler, Ghost Rider and Silver Surfer.

* ShoutOut: Cam Clarke voiced Thor in the first game, and one of his battlecries was "By the Power of Asgard!" This sounds a bit like the catchphrase of [[HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse a certain blonde muscleman he'd voiced a few years before]].
** Multiple references to SpidermanAndHisAmazingFriends exist throughout the game including a line of dialogue between Spidey and Firestar (see MythologyGag above). Another referance to the cartoon occurs when Deadpool complains to the game designers that the game wasn't called ''Deadpool and his Inferior Friends''.
** Then there's Deadpool's suggestion that when they find Titanium Man, they should make him say something like "[[RockyAndBullwinkle Moose and Squirrel]]." Hilariously, Titanium Man actually does say "Moose and Squirrel" when you fight him.

** In Act IV, the Skrull Empress is willing to share knowledge of Galactus' weakness providing you help her escape. Anyone with the right mind knows she's lying and just using you to flee, but you need to go along 'cause she'll be leaving [[BrokenBridge the hangar's doors wide opened for you to progress in the game]].

* VillainProtagonist: A character pack in the Xbox 360 version of the first game allowed you to take control of Magneto, Venom, Sabretooth and even that game's own BigBad, Dr. Doom. In the second game, half of the Thunderbolts (you know what half) fit the role.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: In the second game, OminousLatinChanting plays during ''computer hacking''.

** Nick Fury chews out ''everyone'' in the second game, after getting this treatment himself at the very beginning. Also, certain conversations allow you to do this as well - with Anti and Pro Reg sides laying into each other for what they've done. Also, after the two sides, the Fantastic Four give this to [[ReedRichardsIsUseless Reed Richards]], who ''[[WellIntentionedExtremist really]]'' ''[[HeroicSociopath deserves it]].''

* WorthIt: One of the scenes in the MUA 1 ending credits is about [[{{X-Men}} Iceman]] getting knocked out by SpiderWoman's pheromones, and this is his reaction.

----

* LargeHam: [[StarWars Clive]] [[StarTrek Freakin']] [[{{Transformers}} Reville]] as Doctor Doom. Too good.

* ActionGirl: Is she a female playable character? Then she's an ActionGirl.
** This applies to a lot of NPC's as well!

* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The Goliath/Yellowjacket battle in MUA 2
** How to forget the battles against Kraken, Ultimo and {{Galactus}} and the first game?
*** Don't forget Fin Fang Foom, Arcade (in a giant power suit), and Ymir.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Dr. Doom. Black Panther. Namor. Lilandra. Von Bardas. If Black Panther is your main character during the boss fight with Doom, then you will literally have two heads of state, fighting each other with the power of Odin.
** Also, Black Panther makes use of this to convince Namor to let the team help out in Atlantis, saying that he would do the same if it was Wakanda under attack.

''Marvel Ultimate Alliance'' is an Action RPG series published by {{Activision}} and developed by Raven Software and Vicarious Visions, starring many of Marvel's most popular superheroes and supervillains. A spiritual successor of sorts to the ''{{X-Men Legends}}'' series (arguably a sequel to the second, but the first is in a continuity of its own), which was also developed by Raven. The first one was released in 2006 and took you through a tour of the MarvelUniverse trying to stop DoctorDoom and his [[LegionOfDoom Masters of Evil]].

* BadassBystander: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDr57ajoTlU During Loki's raid on Asgard in the first game,]] random Asgardian gate guard, upon seeing that he is totally outnumbered and faced with an enormous wave of super soldiers, does what any good Asgardian would do. [[AwesomeMoments Run in screaming with his weapon drawn and absolutely no hesitation.]] He even manages to take out six or seven of the hulking brutes with a ''single charge.''

''Marvel Ultimate Alliance'' is an Action RPG series published by {{Activision}} and developed by Raven Software and Vicarious Visions, starring many of Marvel's most popular superheroes and supervillains. A spiritual successor of sorts to the ''{{X-Men Legends}}'' series (arguably a sequel to the second, but the first is in a continuity of its own), which was also developed by Raven. The first one took you through a tour of the MarvelUniverse trying to stop [[FantasticFour Dr. Doom]] and his [[LegionOfDoom Masters of Evil]].

The sequel, developed solely by Vicarious Visions (due to Radaven opting to do the ''[[Film/{{X-Men}} X-Men Origins: Wolverine]]'' tie-in game on their own at the same time), is based on the ''Secret War'' and ''Comicbook/CivilWar'' events before eventually splitting off into an original plotline altogether. The heroes are split into pro-reg and anti-reg as the plot progresses and the player's decisions will affect the ending as well as which characters they can choose.

* XanatosGambit: Pulled by Doom in the first game.

-->'''[[spoiler: DoctorDoom: I'll show you how a real god smites his enemies.]]

* AGodAmI: Averted. Even after [[spoiler: stealing Odin's power, Doom]] never actually claims to be a god. [[spoiler: Nanite!Nick Fury]] is a little more arrogant...

* EscortMission: In the first game, you can escort Doctor Strange, Corsair, and a Skrull around, but they're invincible and generally help in a fight. The appropriately-named Dum-Dum Dugan, on the other hand, ''isn't'' invincible, has a tendency to jump into fights (although he's smart enough to avoid Crimson Dynamo), and saving the game after he gets too low on health can make the Omega Base mission {{Unwinnable}}. The best bet might actually just be to use Deadpool to just teleport the team through most of the level.

* IfYouKnowWhatIMean: Wolverine telling the team about Xavier and Lilandra's relationship in ''[=MUA1=]'':
--->Xavier's the one who's close to Lilandra. They used to be good friends... ''Really good'' friends... (nudging at Spider-Man) If ya catch my meaning.
** Then there's Spider-Man's conversation with Venom in the second game (keep in mind this is the third Venom and the former Scorpion).
--->'''Spider-Man:''' Admit it, Mac, you miss the 7 foot long tail.
--->'''Venom:''' Not as much as the ladies do.
** In the PS3, PSP, and Wii versions of the first game, Bruce Banner is voiced by none other than famous online voice actor and cartoonist Egoraptor.

** In the first game, one of DoctorDoom's victory phrases after defeating an enemy is "Finally! I have achieved my ultimate triumph!". When he says this after defeating Random Mook #284, it's either this or [[{{ptitle8px80d2wm3pd}} What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?]].

* {{Narm}}: Penance in MUA 2. Also a fair chunk of Mephisto's Realm, with the use of "astral energy" instead of "soul" and Nightcrawler's [[strike:BigNo]] Small Nein.

** You know those big hulking... things you run into at the omega base? Seem kind of intimidating, don't they? Then you run into them again in Asgard, and they talk. [[FlatWhat What]]. And they sound [[SimpletonVoice exactly as expect them to]]. Another enemy that suddenly talks in Asgard is the Clay Warrior. His "Halt! YouShallNotPass!" might have been BadAss if you hadn't just spent a level [[OneHitPointWonder one-shotting]] about two-hundred or so of his kind.

** Hell, even some enemies you defeat in the Asgard missions in the first game are like this. Could be kinda {{Narm}}ish if it wasn't you beating the crap out of them.

* This applies to a lot of NPC's as well!

* This applies to a lol of NPC's as well!