Top 10 Worst Boss Fights In Superhero Games

“Marvel’s Spider-Man” (2018)

The PlayStation-exclusive “Spider-Man” from Insomniac Games had some fantastic boss fights from Scorpion and Shocker to Electro and Vulture. Unfortunately, Tombstone was the one villain that was completely forgettable (excluding Screwball). Tombstone didn't really throw anything interesting our way and was basically another big grunt that could call more henchmen to his aid and deliver hard hits. While his second phase redeems the fight with his fiery chains, it doesn't last long before you put the big guy to rest. In the end, he just doesn't throw enough curveballs to be considered much of a threat.

“[Prototype]” (2009)

When making a boss fight, it's important that you test the player's skills and offer unique setups. Introduce an enemy with interesting moves, force the player to use everything in their arsenal, really bring a challenge. Elizabeth Greene does not do any of that. Just about every guide and forum you read regarding this boss fight will suggest you simply hijack everything and scale buildings to avoid her dumb green orbs. Attack from above, use Devastator, rinse and repeat. This level of tedium makes for a really boring boss fight, and it's a shame to say considering how solid "Prototype's" combat and traversal is.

“inFamous 2” (2011)

Speaking of non-licensed superhero games, "inFamous" is a spectacular franchise from Sony, but the finale to "inFamous 2" was anything but. For the final mission, you'll have to choose whether to fight alongside the Beast or against it. Those who chose to fight it were given a repetitive mission that offered no challenge, even on the hardest difficulty! Sure, the power fantasy itself is somewhat satisfying, but come on - the fight against Kessler was more satisfying than this! Even when Kuo fights you, she doesn't offer much of a challenge.

“Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes” (1998)

The “Marvel vs. Capcom” games have boasted some epic boss fights that were tough but fair. Of them all, Onslaught is definitely the worst. The guy deals a ridiculous amount of damage, and even in the first round, he can just attack whenever he feels like it! Things get worse in the second round as his hurtbox now sits in the air, meaning you cannot utilize ground juggles. On top of that, he can still attack without any chance of stunning him or interrupting his moves. And did we mention he takes up the entire screen?

“Ultimate Spider-Man” (2005)

This SHOULD have been an insane fight. Come on, who wouldn’t want to see a fight between Venom and Wolverine!? Unfortunately, “Ultimate Spider-Man” presented this idea in the most underwhelming way possible. Wolverine does not do much to challenge you and proves to be a waste of your time. Logan employs the same three attacks over and over again, and all three of them are combos. Yeah, the health regeneration extends the fight longer than it ought to be, but the main problem is how easily exploitable and predictable the fight is. Just don’t go nuts, don’t absorb him, and abuse your tentacle powers.

“inFamous: Second Son” (2014)

Augustine felt like a lazy attempt at a villain already. “Military lady with rock powers” is pretty much her M-O, and it’s so uninspiring. Imagine our apathy towards the character when her boss fight proved to be just as dull. She’s basically a more annoying version of the typical rock conduit, spending most of the fight levitating rocks around her and using the same freakin’ moves over and over again. Adding to the frustration is the fact that her second phase is when you finally get to learn rock-based moves. Really? We’re going to need to learn an entirely new set of moves just to off this forgettable villain? Yeah, something tells us “Second Son” was a bit rushed towards the end.

“Hulk: Ultimate Destruction” (2005)

When you think of a game where you get to control the Hulk, what kind of game do you imagine? One with beastly monsters, explosions, and lots of smashing, right? “Hulk: Ultimate Destruction” certainly delivered that, but the fight against the Chief Combat Warden left much to be desired. This fight wasn’t any different than our first run-in with the Hulkbuster - it’s another brawl where the Hulkbuster rushes you and eventually, smaller goons come out to assist. The only thing that isn’t present are those damn satellite dishes. In the end, it just feels like we beat a bigger version of a regular baddie. We aren’t angry about it, but we aren’t impressed either.

“Spider-Man 2” (2004)

Speaking of unimpressed, Shocker had quite a bit of promise in “Spider-Man 2”. It wasn’t just the fights that made these exciting; we were taking him down alongside Black Cat! Our excitement quickly waned, though, when we got to the final fight with Shocker. Not only is the writing here laughably abysmal, but the voice acting gets very repetitive and the sound design isn’t any more pleasant. On top of that, you can easily avoid Shocker’s attacks by simply standing on one of the platforms that hold a control console. It’s a boss battle that requires very little effort yet inflicts so much irritation.

“Batman: Arkham Asylum” (2009)

“Batman: Arkham Asylum” was an excellent game from start to...well, right before the finish. Everything about “Asylum” was phenomenal up until our final confrontation with the Joker, and this fight would become one of the worst final bosses in gaming history. The Clown Prince of Crime injects himself with Titan and morphs into a behemoth with disgustingly long nails and an absurd mohawk. Adding to the monotony, Joker doesn’t do much to keep things interesting. The arena gets a bit more hazardous, but he employs the same melee attacks over and over again. At least “Arkham City” would improve its boss fights and excel greatly in just about all of them.

“Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015)

The “Arkham” games are, without a doubt, fantastic in their own unique ways. Unfortunately, the series also houses two of the worst boss fights in gaming history. As if Titan Joker wasn’t bad enough, “Arkham Knight” would greatly disappoint with its finale by having players fight Deathstroke...in a tank. Yep, because an assassin trained in martial arts and weaponry totally equates to tank warfare. Tedium plagues this part of the game, and considering Batman and Deathstroke’s history of awesome fights, this one left us very bewildered and with a bad taste in our mouths. It was this fight that got “Arkham Knight” so much flak for so long, and the Batmobile’s mere presence did not help.