This 2004 Superhero Game Was So Bad, It Might Have Caused Wonder Woman’s Cancellation

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WB Games cancelled its upcoming Wonder Woman game earlier this year. While announced back in 2021, very little was ever revealed about it. Many fans, including myself, were excited about the project, especially given the success of the Wonder Woman movie and the popularity of superhero games. I’ve been wondering what led to the cancellation, and I can’t help but think the fate of another recent DC game with a female lead might have played a role.

The development of Wonder Woman faced several challenges from the start. The team at Monolith, known for Shadow of Mordor, originally planned to include their innovative Nemesis system in the game. However, they later decided to create a more traditional action-packed superhero experience. Ultimately, Warner Bros. cancelled the project. It makes you think if the failure of the Catwoman movie influenced both Monolith and Warner Bros.’ choices, especially since this could have been the first major solo superhero film led by a woman in over two decades.

Catwoman Was Both a Terrible Superhero Game and a Lackluster Platformer

I loved video games as a kid, and I always looked for games with female characters on the cover. Being a huge superhero fan, I was excited about the 2004 Catwoman game, which was based on the movie. It had the potential to be a really big deal for me and other fans, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t a good game.

As far as I can tell, Catwoman was the first big superhero game to star a female character. While games like Gotham Knights have let you play as female heroes like Batgirl for parts of the game, we haven’t seen another major DC or Marvel game focused entirely on a solo female hero. Most single-player DC games have been about Batman, so it makes sense that the first game to put a woman in the lead would be connected to that world, even if it features a villain as the protagonist.

A Catwoman game had the potential to be fantastic. It’s rare to play as the villain, and her complex character could have created really engaging gameplay. Unfortunately, the Catwoman game felt rushed, likely because it was tied to the movie release, and shared many of the film’s problems. Adding to the issues, it was a platformer with a terrible camera, making some sections incredibly difficult to play.

Despite receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews – a mere 46 on Metacritic – the game unfortunately left a lasting impression, but not in a good way. It’s now remembered as one of the worst games of its time, and I worry this has discouraged DC and Marvel from creating new video games starring female superheroes or villains.

Wonder Woman May Have Suffered from Catwoman‘s Failure

Over the last ten years, we’ve seen a rise in games featuring strong female leads. Classics like Metroid and Tomb Raider demonstrate that games starring women can be very successful. When I was younger, there was a widespread belief that girls weren’t interested in video games. While that’s changing, it’s often been replaced with the idea that girls only play specific kinds of games. This, combined with the worry that male gamers won’t enjoy games with female protagonists, can make it challenging to get people excited about a female-led action or superhero game.

The 2004 Catwoman game was seen as a risk – a test to see if players would buy a superhero action game starring a female lead. Sadly, it wasn’t successful by any measure. Since then, many superhero games have been released, but none have featured a female protagonist. Even after the huge success of the Wonder Woman movie in 2017, a game starring the character didn’t materialize quickly, and it makes you wonder if the failure of Catwoman played a role in that.

Many things can determine if a game is actually finished and released. Game development budgets are often limited, leading to the cancellation of promising projects. However, the failure of the Catwoman game likely weighed on Monolith as they worked on Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman would have been the first major female superhero action game from DC or Marvel since Catwoman was widely considered a critical failure.

When Warner Bros. cancelled the Wonder Woman game, it was part of a larger company reorganization. They decided to concentrate on projects – their biggest, most reliable franchises – that were almost guaranteed to be profitable. While Wonder Woman is a major DC superhero, like many of Warner Bros.’ hits, it seemed risky. There hadn’t been a successful large-scale Wonder Woman game before, and the recent DC game, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, hadn’t performed well. With Catwoman being the only example of a successful female-led DC superhero game, Warner Bros. likely wasn’t willing to take the chance. However, the cancellation is disappointing.

Have you ever seen the 2004 Catwoman movie? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-12-20 23:12