Marvel 1943 leak shows Black Panther brawling in Paris — here’s what actually matters

Why this leak grabbed my attention

I’ve had Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra on my radar since Skydance New Media’s stylish reveal because, well, Amy Hennig. If you’ve played Uncharted or even go back to Legacy of Kain, you know her specialty: character-driven set-pieces that blur the line between cutscene and control. Since that first trailer, things went quiet-until early gameplay clips from an unfinished 2022-2023 build slipped out, showing Black Panther cracking skulls in a Parisian bar and stalking enemies through tighter spaces. It’s not official gameplay, and it’s definitely not final, but it’s the first tangible pulse check on what this project actually feels like in motion.

Key takeaways

• This is old, work-in-progress footage; expect visual and mechanical changes when Skydance shows the real thing.
• Black Panther’s WW2 incarnation (Azzuri) leans into agile melee and stealth-think pounces, parries, and environmental takedowns.
• Don’t assume open world or co-op; everything points to a tightly authored, narrative-first adventure with dual protagonists.
• No release date or platforms are confirmed. Any “2026 window” chatter is speculation until Skydance says otherwise.

Breaking down what’s in the footage

The Parisian bar sequence is the headline moment: third-person camera, close-quarters brawling, and props used as improvised weapons. You see furniture splinter, bodies hit railings, and a couple of feral pounce animations that sell Black Panther’s predator energy. The combat reads like animation-forward, timing-based melee-less Arkham’s rhythmic counter ballet and more a hybrid of Uncharted 4’s punchy brawls with sharper, feline mobility. It’s not flashy for the sake of it; the environment seems designed to feed you opportunities—tables to sweep, pillars to bounce off, bottlenecks to ambush.

There are also quieter infiltration beats. Panther sticks to shadows, moves fast, and chains takedowns while enemies search. It’s not full sim-stealth (don’t expect systemic sandbox a la Hitman), but the posture looks clear: stealth is a smart opener, not the only way. The most interesting part is how sequences appear to slide from cinematic into interactive without a hard cut—classic Hennig DNA. You can picture those “walk-and-talk” moments tilting into a sudden scuffle, then back to character drama without ever breaking perspective.

What we don’t see: UI, skill trees, or prolonged Captain America gameplay. That absence matters. Cap’s defensive, shield-centric style could anchor a very different rhythm—guard breaks, ricochets, crowd control—contrasting Panther’s pounce-and-parry aggression. If the team nails that contrast and lets us swap perspectives at story beats, the set-pieces write themselves.

The Hennig/Skydance factor: what that means for players

Amy Hennig’s teams traditionally build tightly scripted adventures: handcrafted encounters, big character chemistry, and scenes that escalate with precision. That’s a different promise than Insomniac’s open-world swing. Think closer to Eidos-Montréal’s Guardians of the Galaxy in structure—linear chapters, sharp pacing, banter that matters—just with two grounded perspectives in a 1943 war thriller.

That time period isn’t just window dressing. Black Panther here is Azzuri (T’Challa’s grandfather), which lines up with Wakanda’s isolationist stance during WW2 and complicates any “team-up with the Allies” framing. Pair that with Steve Rogers, Hydra’s rise, and supporting players like Gabriel Jones and a Wakandan spy like Nanali, and you’ve got fertile ground for culture-clash storytelling. If Skydance leans into that tension rather than Marvel quip autopilot, we could get something that actually sticks.

Why this matters in the current Marvel game landscape

Marvel games have been all over the map: Insomniac’s Spider-Man is a gold standard, Guardians of the Galaxy became a sleeper hit by doubling down on narrative, and Avengers tripped over live-service bloat. Marvel 1943 looks firmly in the “story-first, no bloat” camp. That’s good news if you’re tired of map icons and battle pass FOMO. The angle—WW2 espionage with dual heroes—also gives it room to feel different from the incoming Wolverine and the city-swinging comfort food of Spider-Man.

Combat-wise, there’s potential for real expression if Panther’s kit rewards timing, spacing, and positioning rather than button-mashy spectacle. The destructible staging in the bar hints at a sandbox-y layer to otherwise curated encounters. But this is where we need to see more than a minute of leaked scraps: enemy variety, boss design, and how Captain America changes the tempo will make or break the loop across a full campaign.

Temper the hype: what’s still unknown

Important reality check: the leak is from an old, unfinished build. Animations, lighting, AI, even combat feel are moving targets this far out. There’s no official release date, no platform list, and no confirmation of co-op. Given the fidelity the studio is chasing, current-gen-only (PS5, Xbox Series, PC) seems likely—but that’s an educated guess, not gospel. Anyone planting a flag on “2026” is speculating.

What I’m watching for in the first real gameplay showcase: does the dual-protagonist structure mean character swapping or discrete chapters? How deep is the stealth—simple takedowns or tools and light/detection systems? Does Cap’s shield play allow trick shots and crowd control chains? Are we getting hub-like spaces between linear missions, or a straight shot through the story? And please, no tacked-on gear scores.

What gamers should look for next

• Combat depth: parry windows, enemy archetypes, and whether Panther/Cap feel truly distinct.
• Stealth systems: visibility cones, sound, gadgets—more than just “press to takedown.”
• Structure: chapter-based linearity vs. hubs with optional objectives.
• Co-op clarity: single-player with swaps is fine; forced co-op would be a red flag.
• Performance targets: 60fps modes without gutting animation quality would be ideal for timing-based melee.

TL;DR

Leaked, early Marvel 1943 footage shows a promising mix of Black Panther stealth and crunchy bar-fight melee in wartime Paris, exactly the kind of playable-cinematic vibe you’d expect from Amy Hennig’s team. It looks like a narrative-first, dual-protagonist adventure—not an open world—and that’s a good lane for Marvel right now. Just remember: it’s old, unfinished footage. Wait for official gameplay before circling a date or picking a platform.