This September, the next installment of the popular fighting game franchise, Marvel vs. Capcom, will finally be released after a six-year wait. The new game will be titled Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, and will go back to two-on-two matchups with new gameplay mechanics based around Marvel's Infinity Stones.
In the coming months, we'll receive announcements from Capcom concerning new additions to the game's roster. Many characters are returning from past installments, along with some new characters joining the action as well, such as Gamora, Ultron, and Sigma. What has many fans concerned is the possibility that the X-Men, a team that's been heavily featured in the franchise, will be left out of the game due to disputes between Marvel and 20th Century Fox.
Losing the X-Men would mean no Wolverine, no Magneto, no Deadpool, and no Cyclops. Though these are all fan-favorite characters, they don't have to carry the franchise. No team does. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 had 27 playable characters on the Marvel side, and only four of them were Avengers.
Taking away the X-Men and the Fantastic Four hardly limits Capcom's choices. The Marvel Universe is full of interesting characters with diverse backgrounds, powers, and personalities. The same can be said of Capcom's characters.
Now let's have a look at 16 Characters We Want To See In Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.
16. Loki
The current roster for the game on Marvel's side includes two villains, Thanos and Ultron, while the most recent game had a much greater number of villains. If Capcom looks to add another nefarious character, Loki would be an excellent choice.
As a playable character, the longtime archenemy of Thor and God of Mischief could seem like an evil Doctor Strange, and, with the number of options that exist for magical spells, he'd be sure to have a unique moveset.
Loki's proficiency with weapons such as the spear and shapeshifting abilities would give him tools that Doctor Strange wouldn't have. His history with the characters would also provide opportunities for great interactions with other characters, especially with his step-brother Thor, the Hulk, and his fellow sorcerer, Doctor Strange.
15. Captain Commando
The original mascot of Capcom is Captain Commando (Cap Com), who starred in a 1991 arcade game of the same name. Captain Commando was a beat-'em-up side scroller where the title character and his team had to fight crime in 2026.
Captain Commando uses energy gloves to fire powerful bolts of electricity. He also has a number of special moves with flashy names like Captain Kick, Captain Collider, and Captain Cannon.
Though the game never received a sequel, Captain Commando went on to appear as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. The second game is still popular with gamers, and Captain Commando continues to be a fan-favorite character for the game, giving fans hope that the character will soon get another chance to shine in the next installment.
14. Venom
So far, the Marvel side of the roster is being dominated by Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy characters. This won't change if the X-Men are left out, and Marvel doesn't necessarily need the X-Men to diversify the roster. Throwing in one or two Spider-Man characters could be enough to please some dissatisfied fans.
Venom is a fan-favorite villain, anti-hero, and occasional protagonist. The Eddie Brock version of the character was included in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and was a character that fans felt should have been in Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
If Venom were to be included this time around, the character has the potential to look both stunning and terrifying in modern graphics. With strength that greatly exceeds Spider-Man's, the character would have the playstyle of a brawler character like the Hulk, except with added advantages. Venom's abilities allow him to use the symbiote as a weapon. He can lash out with a stretching attack like Super Skrull from Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
Not to mention the fact that the villain will be starring in his own movie sometime next year.
13. Rashid
One of the most popular new characters to debut in the 2016 title Street Fighter V was Rashid of the Turbulent Wind, a Middle Eastern acrobat with a quirky personality and an appreciation for technology. While Street Fighter V has been met with harsh criticism, Rashid is one character who's been well-received by players.
In the game's story, Rashid, accompanied by his loyal servant Azam, is on a quest to find a missing friend. Rashid is portrayed as a heroic person who doesn't take fighting as seriously as the series' main protagonist, Ryu. Rashid is the fun-loving type who tends to make witty remarks in battle.
Rashid's fighting style consists mostly of kicks, parkour, and a technique that can create whirlwinds. Rashid can use this ability to perform a variety of spinning attacks that can deal out multiple hits. He can also hurl mini-tornadoes at his opponents.
12. Scarlet Witch
After appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, Scarlet Witch has become one of Marvel's most important female superheroes, though she was already the most important female Avenger, aside from the Wasp.
The comic book version of the character has a completely different set of powers than the one featured in the MCU. When she was introduced as a mutant, she had the power to create hex bolts that could produce a variety of effects by altering probability. She later gained access to chaos magic, which has limitless destructive capabilities that even extend to the manipulation of reality itself.
In the comics, Scarlet Witch sometimes serves as the Avengers' version of Dark Phoenix, a character who, at her full potential, can bring about the end of the world. Her character in the game could share similarities to Phoenix from Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Phoenix was a powerful, heavy damage dealer but a physically weak character who could be easily defeated before getting a chance to do anything. However, if Scarlet Witch does make it into Infinite, we hope she gets a bigger life bar than Phoenix.
11. Hayato Kanzaki
It's been 17 years since Marvel vs. Capcom 2 released, and some of the game's characters continue to have a huge fan-following, including Hayato Kanzaki, the protagonist of Star Gladiator for the original PlayStation.
Hayato is a Japanese intergalactic bounty hunter from the future and is armed with a plasma sword. Despite the character's lack of appearances in video games, his playstyle in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 makes him popular with fans.
Most of Hayato's moves in the game involve his plasma blade, a weapon that functions like a lightsaber. The length of the plasma blade gives him the ability to hit opponents without getting too close. If included, Hayato and Zero could be the only sword-based characters in the game if Taskmaster and Deadpool don't return.
10. Daredevil
Another major Marvel character that has been noticeably absent from the Marvel vs. Capcom series is Daredevil. Though the Man Without Fear has always been relevant, his popularity has certainly received a boost from the Netflix series.
It's hard to say how the blind hero's radar sense could be utilized in a fighting game, but we do know he would still be a fun character to use. As one of Marvel's most skilled martial artists, Daredevil has no shortage of options when it comes to fighting.
He could incorporate moves from various fighting styles, while also bombarding his opponent with blows from his billy club. Daredevil's billy club serves as a multi-purpose weapon that can be split in two, act as a grappling hook, or used as nunchakus, Bruce Lee-style.
9. Asura
If Capcom wants to include a character from one of their newer franchises, a good choice would be Asura from the 2012 action game Asura's Wrath. The game's protagonist, Asura, is a powerful demigod with a violent temper that rivals the Hulk's. Similar to the Hulk, Asura's strength increases with his rage. Asura is an expert hand-to-hand fighter with plenty of moves that are sure to work well in a fighting game.
When his skills aren't enough, Asura's "Wrath" can cause him to go through a terrifying a transformation. His intimidating appearance reaches new proportions when Asura grows four extra arms. Asura has other transformations that could be utilized in the form of Hyper Combos.
For fans interested to see who would win between Hulk and Asura, including the character in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite would be the perfect way to find out.
8. Adam Warlock
Though Adam Warlock may not be considered one of the biggest names in Marvel Comics, the gold-skinned hero has been at the forefront of several Marvel events that feature the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man.
In storylines like Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade, it's not Captain America or Iron Man who leads the heroes, but Adam Warlock. When you have a story that involves Thanos and the Infinity Stones, the story would feel incomplete without Warlock showing up to take charge.
Warlock is Thanos' greatest enemy, which is saying a lot, considering how powerful Thanos is. As the protector of the Soul Gem, Adam Warlock can absorb souls. However, even without this, Warlock is still one of Marvel's most powerful heroes. Superhumanly strong and capable of flight, Warlock can also use Quantum Magic to manipulate energy.
With an upcoming appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and possibly more to follow, now would be a good time to make Warlock a playable character in a console game for the first time.
7. Nina
Capcom's first attempt to make a RPG resulted in Breath of Fire for the Super Nintendo, a game that has spawned five sequels. Similar to other Japanese RPGs, Breath of Fire has an anime-art style. The games are often compared to the Final Fantasy series.
One of the two main protagonists featured in the series is Nina, a winged girl with blond hair. Nina focuses on magical attacks rather than close combat, though in some games she has been known to use weapons.
Nina is usually shown to use healing magic, but also makes use of offensive spells, though the nature of these spells varies between games. If Nina were to fly into action for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, her wings would be a great asset in battle, allowing her to swoop down on her enemies or reach across a wide area for a long range attack.
6. Hank Pym
For the past few years, Marvel has been promoting the character of Scott Lang, known to fans as the second Ant-Man and the protagonist of the Ant-Man movie. If any Ant-Man is in the game Marvel will want it to either be Scott Lang or Hank Pym, who has a greater legacy, more powers, and a stronger fan-following. Some fans believe that Lang is the obvious choice, however.
While Lang can control ants and shrink in size, Pym can do that and more. In combat, Pym remains unpredictable by constantly shifting his size from tiny, to normal, to titanic. The character carries an arsenal of weapons ranging from energy guns to baseball bats shrunken down to size for convenient use. Being the creator of Ultron, Pym would fit perfectly into the game's story, especially since Ultron is the game's main antagonist.
However, Hank Pym isn't defined by one identity, so it would be tricky for Capcom to decide which one to give him. He could be "Ant-Man," "Giant-Man," "Goliath," "Yellowjacket," or simply Hank Pym.
5. Jon Talbain
Darkstalkers is a series of fighting games developed by Capcom. A few of the characters have already appeared in Marvel vs. Capcom titles, such as Felicity and Morrigan. Morrigan is the only Darkstalkers character to be confirmed for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite so far.
Another character from the series who deserves an entry into Infinite is Jon Talbain, a heroic werewolf from England who is an expert in martial arts. Talbain's claws and fangs bring his kung fu skills to a new level of deadly.
The character's fighting style is based on Jeet Kune Do, a style developed by martial arts icon and Enter the Dragon star, Bruce Lee. Despite the character's appearance as a werewolf, the similarities to Lee are easy to spot. So when you have a character who's a cross between Bruce Lee and a werewolf, what's not to like?
4. Black Widow
The team featured in The Avengers movie has been heavily promoted in video games, toys, and other merchandise since the film was announced. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Hawkeye all appeared in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and all five have been confirmed to return in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.
The only one missing from both rosters is Black Widow, a character whose absence from other Avengers' merchandise has been a point of criticism for Marvel. Many fans are hoping Capcom will announce that Black Widow will be joining her teammates in the action, which would also complete the roster from The Avengers.
As a Russian superspy, Black Widow is a deadly fighter who can make use of lethal hand-to-hand combat techniques as well as ranged attacks that could include guns, her electrified blast called the Widow's Bite, or the batons seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. As one of Marvel's most popular female characters, who has been in contention for a solo movie for years, it would be an absolute shame if she doesn't make the cut.
3. Gene
Two Capcom characters, Gene and Mega Man, were in the final character pool for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but neither were able to make the cut. However, Mega Man was one of the first characters announced for Infinite. Will Gene be added to the roster as well?
Gene is the protagonist of the 3D beat 'em up game God Hand for the original PlayStation. In the game, Gene is a young man whose arm is cut off and replaced with the God Hand, a divine arm used to vanquish demons. Armed with the God Hand, Gene is capable of performing numerous over-the-top moves, including one where he summons a baseball bat and knocks the enemy into the sky.
With the God Hand, he can also become invincible for a short amount of time. Most of Gene's moves involve brutal martial arts techniques like the Discombobulator and the Face Runner, which many fans would love to see brought to the Marvel vs. Capcom series.
2. Vision
What the MCU needs from Marvel video games is an increase in exposure for Avengers characters who have been left out of the limelight for decades due to the immense popularity of the X-Men and Spider-Man. One such character is the Vision. As a mainstay of the Avengers who was at the center of many of the Avengers' greatest moments, the Vision is just as important to the team as Cap, Iron Man, or Thor.
Despite his importance in the Marvel Universe, the character has been underrepresented in video games until recently. Many fans believe it's time for Vision to get his due. His ability to change his density from light-as-a-feather to hard-as-diamond, as well as the power to make his body intangible like a ghost have great amounts of gameplay potential.
Not including the Vision would seem like a huge missed opportunity.
1. Cammy
Known for her revealing green leotard, blonde pigtails, English accent, and powerful kicks, Cammy is easily one of the most popular characters in the Street Fighter series. This assassin-turned-MI6 operative has kicked her way through several installments of the franchise, beginning with her first appearance in Super Street Fighter II.
She was also available in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, but has not appeared in the crossover series since, which has caused many fans to complain.
The current roster of characters in the upcoming game doesn't have a kick-heavy character, which would make Cammy the perfect choice to fill that spot. Cammy can be a great damage-dealer with both high and low kicks. Her inclusion in the game would further excite Street Fighter fans already looking forward to seeing Ryu and Chun-Li again.
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Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite will release on September 19 for the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4, and the PC.
Which characters do you want to see in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite? Let us hear it in the comments!