SEGA has added Marvel franchises Captain America (R.I.P.), The Incredible Hulk and Thor to its roster of licensed properties.

The multi-platform deal will span several years and will keep development in the U.S. of A. Just like Cap would want it, if he wasn't dead.

So far The Incredible Hulk is the only project Sega's saying anything about. A game will be released to coincide with the sequel to Ang Lee's 2003 film, Hulk. The quality of that film was dubious, but with Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2, Unleashed) on board for the next offering we're hoping the film will give SEGA enough decent materiel to produce a game with a bit of spiff.

Details of when we should expect Thor and Captain America haven't been given, but SEGA has indicated that they'll be released alongside as yet undated films based on the properties.

David Maisel, chairman of Marvel Studios, said:



SPOnG would be pretty chuffed too if it had three characters that no one was interested in a year ago getting snatched up by one of the world's biggest games publishers. Recent events such as the Civil War, which pitted hero against hero in a battle over super-hero registration, and the death of Captain America have thrust Marvel's core heroes into the limelight.

The three properties join Iron Man, for which SEGA recently signed a deal to produce a game to coincide with the 2008 movie.

If you can't wait for a big ol' slice of merry Marvel action, however, have a look at SPOnG's Marvel Ultimate Alliance page for a glance at every Marvel hero and his masked dog.