Marvel Themed Slots

Brief History of the Genre

Marvel slots have for long been associated with Playtech. The partnership runs since 2009 when Marvel Entertainment Inc. signed an agreement with the provider. Under the agreement, Playtech would create games with Marvel characters. The first slots included Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk that are famous to date. 

With new Marvel comics releases, Playtech still had loads to offer, with more and more Marvel-themed slots appearing. However, things changed in 2017 when the deal with Marvel expired and was not renewed, prompting them to be removed from the shelves. The reason behind this was that Disney had acquired Marvel Entertainment back then in 2009, and for its focus on having family-friendly content, it did not gel well with adult entertainment from Marvel. This prompted Playtech to fill the gap with another agreement with Warner Brothers, famous for DC comic films and TV shows.

What Defines Marvel Themed Slots?

As stated earlier, Marvel slots are simply slots dedicated to characters from the Marvel universe, including the Hulk, Iron Man, X-Men, Captain America, Thor, Fantastic Four, and Avengers. However, their functionality is not different from normal video slots, as many would assume. The major difference strikes on other aspects as follows:

• Number of paylines
• Bonus features
• Many game characters

The captivating bit of the slots was the storyline that despite each slot having its own in-depth story, some characters would appear in other stories, thanks to the intertwined universe. In a nutshell, it would not be surprising to come across Jean Grey and Professor X on another slot besides X-Men.

On the bonus features, Marvel slots boasted multi-level progressive jackpots that defined them. Additionally, players would also enjoy other bonus features such as free spins, bonus rounds, and more, like other video slots.

Software Providers offering Marvel Themed Slots

Unlike slots with alternative themes, one is not bound to find many software providers with Marvel slots. Since their inception, there have only been two (2) software providers supplying the slots. Cryptologic was the first to bring the slots but lacked the ‘hype’ for being standard. After the Disney takeover, Cryptologic’s license was not renewed. Instead, Disney partnered with Playtech, who by far remain the biggest contributors of Marvel slots. 

Besides the huge collection, Playtech provided the best Marvel slots judging from the functionality and gameplay, involving 3D graphics, animations, sound effects, and music. Moreover, Playtech slots offered loads of unique features, including progressive jackpots. This explains why Marvel slots from Playtech were the most popular.

The Most Popular Marvel Themed Slots

There was a selection of popular Marvel-themed slots, besides them being pulled off in 2017. Today, a keen player will find that most of the legal slots based on comics are from DC Comics, not Marvel. However, some Marvel slots are still available, albeit illegally. 

Below is a list of the most popular Marvel-themed slots:

• X-Men: The slot from Playtech boasts five (5) reels and comes in two variations, including one with 25 paylines and another with 50 paylines. Looking at other features such as the payout percentage, most players opt for the variant with 25 paylines, thanks to the 95.03% payout. Players will come across favourite characters on the slot, including Professor X, Magneto, Wolverine, Storm, and Mystique as symbols. The X-Men DNA signifies the wild symbol, with the X-Men logo representing the scatter symbol. Among the unique bonus features to trigger include the Heroes vs. Villain free spin bonus round. 
• The Incredible Hulk: The slot brings all Bruce Banner fans on board. Like X-Men, The Incredible Hulk slot comes in two versions, including one with 25 paylines and another with 50 paylines. This is yet another Playtech product convenient for all players thanks to the €0.01 – €500 bet size. The green Hulk’s face represents the wild symbol that can replace every other base symbol to form winning combinations. Players will enjoy two scatters (The logo and the Smash Bonus) to activate the Hulk Smash and free spins features. Other features available on the slot include multipliers.
• Iron Man 2: The slot from Playtech also comes in two variations for players (25 paylines and 50 paylines). For the bet size, the slot provides limits of €0.01 and €125 per spin. One aspect many players love about the slot is the sophisticated graphics, animations, and features. The features include free spins with multipliers, expanding wilds, and scatters. The Shield Agency logo represents the wild symbol, while the Iron Man 2 logo represents the scatter symbol.

Features of Marvel-themed slots

The functionality of Marvel slots is not so different from standard slots with alternative themes. This ranges from the regular bonus features, including:

• Wilds (sticky & expanding)
• Scatters
• Free spins
• Multipliers
• Marvel Jackpot Network: This is unique compared to other online slots. All Marvel comic-inspired slots will be linked via a jackpot network. Worth noting that every Marvel slot has four (4) progressive jackpot pools. They are Power, Extra Power, Super Power, and Ultimate Power.

Whenever a player takes a spin on either slot, the pools increase in value until someone wins. After that, the jackpot resets to its seed value (starting point). The seeds are as follows:

1. Power: €50
2. Extra Power: €500
3. Super Power: €5,000
4. Ultimate Power: €100,000

Return to Player

Many users love Marvel slots because they boast different but high payout percentages (RTP). High rates range from 94%, which means that the house edge is significantly reduced. As is the norm, the higher the RTP, the lower the house edge, which is advantageous to the players. Keep in mind that RTP is an average payout after several trials. For example, a 97% RTP offers a €97 payout to a player from a €100 bet.

Below are some of the highly-rated Marvel slots in terms of the RTP:

Are Marvel-themed online slots available for mobile devices?

Marvel slots are playable across several devices, including mobile phones and tablets. The provider ensures the slots are in instant-play mode. For this reason, marvel slots fans do not need to download any software or plugin to enjoy the games on their mobile phones. Additionally, the provider ensures that the slots’ quality is maintained, despite the small screen sizes. On functionality, the games load fast without any lags, an aspect that sits well with all.

Why are Marvel Slots so Popular?

There are many reasons why marvel slots were popular among users. We have stated some of the reasons in our guide, but a little recap would also come in handy. Below are the reasons why the slots were popular:

1. Engaging slots: The characters on the slots were relatable to customers making the slots engaging. Many customers followed the in-depth storylines and others were pure fans of the Marvel universe.
2. Intertwined universe: While each character had their own story on a slot, the network was intertwined, and for the vast Marvel universe, it was possible to find different characters appearing on one slot. For example, it was not strange to come across the Avengers characters on Iron Man 2, and so on.
3. 3D graphics and captivating visuals: While many video slots captivate users for their graphics, Marvel slots were a notch-higher thanks to Playtech creating games based on movies and TV shows. Besides the graphics, there was the entertaining aspect of the slots.
4. Progressive jackpot: Marvel slots had a network of progressive jackpots on all its slots. There were four (4) different pools where customers would claim huge returns once they landed hit a winning combination.