Ten Characters Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite Needs As DLC

This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.

Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite is live for everyone now. While the game still sticks to that core Marvel vs Capcom action, I admitted in my review that the roster is a bit lackluster. There's a lot of copy-and-paste from Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and fan-favorites from Marvel's X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises are missing-in-action. One of the pillars of Marvel vs Capcom is a roster of interesting and intriguing choices, so it's shame Capcom dropped the ball here.

There's hope though. We already know about the first wave of downloadable characters coming to MvC: Infinite. Black Panther, Monster Hunter (Female), Sigma, Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Venom are among the characters that will join the roster in the future. What about after the first Wave though?

I ofer a few ideas into the pile. There is a caveat in this list though. I'm assuming that Capcom and Marvel are sticking with the "no X-Men, no Fantastic Four" rule. That could change in the future and X-Men characters were rumored for future DLC, but for the purposes of this article, I'm leaving them out. That means, no Doom, no Wolverine, no Storm. Sorry folks.

Marvel

Ms. Marvel

Captain Marvel is already a key member of the Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite crew, so why not her greatest fan too? Kamala Khan is an Inhuman who was so impressed with Carol Danvers that she took her old code name. Ms. Marvel has stretching powers and the ability to change size at will.

Imagine a mid-range character that controls like the old Omega Red, but with the added ability to shrink dash to close space. And her Super Combo could see her growing larger, slamming foes down with a giant fist of justice.

Cloak & Dagger

Tandy Bowen and Ty Johnson were just a pair of normal teenagers until they were given super-powers by synthetic heroin. (The 80s were an odd time in comics.) The drug gave them new abilities: Tandy became Dagger, able to throw light daggers that drain enemies of life, and Ty became Cloak, able to teleport people and objects through the Darkforce Dimension in his cloak.

Like Rocket Raccoon and Groot, Cloak and Dagger would come as a matched set. Dagger would be the character you primarily play, a quick, melee-range fighter almost like Gamora. Certain abilities would allow her to use Cloak to get around the battlefield and one of her Supers would call upon him to suck her foe into the Darkforce itself.

Medusa (Inhumans)

I almost went with Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans, but instead I decided it was better to go with his Queen. Medusa is an Inhuman that can control her hair. With her powers, she can mold it into various forms, with amazing strength.

Honestly, Medusa might be difficult for Capcom to pull off in 3D, but I envision her like Shuma Gorath, a character they already nailed. She has a core body, but her hair is the writhing mass that morphs into various objects and forms to attack. Like Shuma, I see her as a close to mid-range rushdown character with some tricky overheads and anti-air attacks.

Citizen V (Thunderbolts)

I needed a villain for the Marvel side of this list, so I'm going with Citizen V. Citizen V is actually the alias of Baron Zemo, a long-running Marvel villain. In this alter-ego, he's the team leader of the Thunderbolts, a group of villains posing as heroes. (At least in their starting incarnation.) His primary weapon is a mighty saber, though he sometimes has some thrown items as well.

I'm seeing Citizen V as a heavier fighter, not to Hulk/Haggar-level, but a rather strong offense and with some heavy chip damage. The closest mental analog I have is Silver Samurai from Marvel vs Capcom 2 and earlier titles.

The Spot

Part of any Marvel vs Capcom game is going a little bit weird. This space was previously occupied by The Orb, an older Ghost Rider villain, but I landed finally on The Spot, one of the smaller, weirder Spider-Man foes. Dr. Jonathan Ohnn was attempting mimic Cloak's powers and the failed experiment covered him in spots and gave him the ability to teleport parts of himself and others at will.

The Spot is a keepaway fighter summoning his spots at different places around the battlefield. Teleporting punches aimed at different regions of the screen, the ability to teleport away to go out of a corner, and perhaps a counter move of some sort. I think the Spot could be an interesting fighter in the Marvel vs Capcom canon.

Capcom

Akira Kazama (Rival Schools)

The Capcom side of things is where we get a little weirder, but I'm starting with a straightforward choice. Akira Kazama is a fighter from the defunct Rival Schools series. Akira is a strong hand-to-hand fighter that uses Tai Chi Chuan and she sports an excellent biker-themed character design.

I see Akira as a character with fairly strong, but laggy normals and a lack of strong air combo game, but a number of moves and counters that set her opponents up for some big combos. Somewhere in-between Marvel Vs Capcom 2's Jin Saotome and Marvel vs Capcom 3's Iron Fist.

Ayame (Power Stone)

Why have you forsaken Power Stone, Capcom? This spot was originally going to be Jack from the same title, but I ultimately decided that Marvel vs Capcom need some more brightness and joy, so I went with Ayame. She's a ninja whose Power Stone form turns her into a bright pink ninja rabbit thing. Perfect.

I'd carry over Ayame's focus from Power Stone: rather weak normals with high speed and some damaging specials. Her Flower Shuriken will almost feel like the return of Psylocke from MvC2, with bright pink flashing around the battlefield.

Sissel (Ghost Trick)

Like I said, let's get weird. If Phoenix Wright, Viewtiful Joe, and Amaterasu can get a shot, why not Sissel? Poor Sissel is the protagonist of Ghost Trick, a detective who died an untimely death, but uses his powers to prevent others from dying.

I have no clue how to implement Sissel into Marvel vs Capcom. His only powers in his own game are to possess objects and to stop time. I do think his Level 3 Super should reverse any damage he's recently taken, like the restart function in Ghost Trick itself. Otherwise, get creative arm-chair game designers!

Azel (God Hand)

This was almost Gene from God Hand, who is frankly long overdue for a shot in Marvel vs Capcom, but I decided we needed another villain. Azel is one of the primary villains of God Hand and the owner of the companion Devil Hand. A human working with demons, who holds as much fighting prowess as Gene himself.

I see Azel as another version of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3's Wesker. Lots of great combo potential, high health, and I'd perhaps replace Wesker's Phantom Move teleport with something a bit more "dodge" in style. Not a one-to-one replacement, but a tweak on a previous great character.

Garr (Breath of Fire 3)

I needed to round out this list with a character that wasn't human, and while I had a number of other choices (like Pink Ostrich from Battle Circuit), I ultimately went with Garr from Breath of Fire III. Garr is a Guardian created to kill the Dragon Clan long ago, but he becomes a confidant for Ryu, Breath of Fire 3's hero, early in his adventure.

Like his counterpart in Breath of Fire, Garr in Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite would be a pure tank. Fairly slow with some great super armor, but really heavy hits. I miss Juggernaut from Marvel vs Capcom, so I'd play Garr like that, but with a little bit of range via slow-moving fireballs.