This year’s PSX has come and gone and one of the major announcements at the annual Playstation convention was Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite. Rather than make a sequel to the longstanding Marvel vs Capcom fighting game series, Capcom instead chose to reboot it: bringing the Marvel side of the equation more in line with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The incredible trailers released at the event show off versions of Iron Man, Captain America and Captain Marvel — clearly modeled after their big-screen counterparts — trading blows with Ryu (Street Fighter), X (Mega Man X) and Morrigan (Darkstalkers).
One thing that is heavily rumored, and increasingly apparent, is that Marvel’s feud with Fox over the X-Men and Fantastic Four film rights will result in characters from those franchises — including notable Marvel vs Capcom combatants Wolverine, X-23, Super Skrull, Storm, Sentinel, Phoenix, Magneto and Deadpool — being cut out from the game entirely. While fans of the series are understandably upset that they won’t be able to play as their favorite spandex-clad brawlers, it does mean that there are a lot of holes in the roster that need to be filled by characters that previously didn’t have a high enough profile to duke it out with the likes of Hulk and Dormammu.
Black Bolt (The Inhumans) — It’s obvious by now that anything Marvel lends its name to that isn’t part of its cinematic universe is advertising for it. Marvel rebooted its entire comic line in order to mirror what people see in the movies, minimize — or entirely excise — the characters whose film rights they don’t control and serve as a proving ground for stories that they eventually want to adapt on the big screen. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has not only tied into nearly every post-Avengers Marvel movie, but has served as an introduction to out-there properties like The Inhumans and as a way to softball in previously mishandled properties like Ghost Rider. And don’t you think for one second that Marvel vs Capcom is going to be any different.
The Inhumans are Marvel’s in-universe answer to their stable of X-characters. It’s basically X-Men meets Game of Thrones, with Black Bolt filling the role of Ned Stark by way of Charles Xavier. King of an underground society of off-brand mutants, Black Bolt’s voice can level entire cities with a whisper. Sporting a memorable character design, oddball power set and at least one upcoming TV series to headline, this is the perfect opportunity to familiarize the public with one the more obscure characters Marvel’s going to try to push in the next couple of years.
Batsu Ichimonji (Rival Schools: United by Fate) — Although one of Capcom’s lesser known fighting series at large, Rival Schools enjoys a healthy reputation among fighting game fans. The franchise showcases two schools worth of combatants — including Street Fighter mainstay Sakura Kasugano — beating the snot out of each other, often with extra-curricular themed move sets. Given that two other Rival Schools characters — Tiffany Lords and Hinata Wakaba — appeared as background characters in a Street Fighter V stage, Capcom seems eager to bring the franchise back into the conversation.
As the franchise protagonist, Batsu makes the most sense to bring into the game. He has the highest profile of any character in the franchise save for Sakura, who had the advantage of starting off in a higher profile series. He’s the Ryu of Rival Schools, and if Capcom’s serious about reviving the now-obscure franchise, this is the perfect way to raise his public profile.
Doctor Wily (Mega Man) — It might just be because of how much I played these games when I was a kid, but I can’t imagine why Mega Man‘s absolutely massive stable of characters hasn’t made more of a splash in the Capcom vs games. Never mind the games’ heroes, between the original and X games there are triple digits of memorable antagonists to include, none more memorable and iconic than the original Big Bad: Dr. Wily.
The primary antagonist of the original Mega Man games, Dr. Wily invariably was not above rolling up his sleeves going toe-to-toe with the Blue Bomber himself. His presence would go a long way to shoring up Mega Man’s lackluster presence in previous Marvel vs Capcom games, which has largely focused on the series protagonists and their cutesy sidekicks. And given the likely exclusion of Doctor Doom, Wily would be a logical choice to fill his megalomaniacal shoes.
Loki (Thor) — Deserved or not, Marvel is frequently derided for its lack of compelling villains. The majority of what they did have, though, belong to franchises Fox currently owns the film rights to. Doctor Doom, Super Skrull, Magneto, Mr. Sinister, Phoenix, Apocalypse, Mystique, Sabertooth, the Sentinels: these are just some of the iconic Marvel villains that won’t be appearing in Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite.
There is one fan-favorite antagonist that they do have access to that they would be insane not to use: Loki, God of Mischief. The breakout villain of the MCU is an endlessly compelling, deeply sympathetic antagonist with a knee-wobbling smirk and a power set perfectly suited to fighting games. I’ve always loved the Shang Tsuns of the world — characters that are able to transform into, or at least mimic, a game’s other characters — and as a master of illusion, that’s exactly what Loki would be uniquely suited for. Besides, who wouldn’t want to team him up with Thor for a good old fashioned brother beatdown?
Star Lord (Guardians of the Galaxy) — While any of the Guardians of the Galaxy would be perfect for a down-and-dirty brawler like this, Star Lord seems the best suited for the task. As the team-leader, he’s the face of the oddball movie that somehow turned into a blockbuster hit for Marvel. And as a wanna-be space cowboy — living out the 80’s kid idea of cool — he’s a perfect, tongue-and-cheek smart alecky replacement for fan favorite Deadpool.
Especially if they draw a bit more from the comics, Star Lord has a vast array of weapons to draw on in combat: the coolest of which are doubtlessly his elemental guns, which are capable of firing rounds that replicate the effects of the four base elements. This could make him a particularly versatile — and particularly fun — fighter, capable of freezing enemies in place just as easily as blasting them with slow-burning fire or a face full of boulders.
