Every Game In The Marvel Vs Capcom Series, Ranked From Worst To Best

Highlights

• Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite had some neat ideas but suffered from problems such as a lackluster story, cheap presentation, and reduced roster.
• Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds successfully revived the series with its 3-on-3 tag team system and fresh set of characters, but was quickly succeeded by its Ultimate edition.
• Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes remains a fan favorite due to its introduction of 3-on-3 combat, snapback mechanic, and large roster, despite being rushed due to timing constraints.

Back in the day, when Marvel stuck to comics and cartoons, and Capcom was kicking off with their arcade fighting games, they’d collaborate to unite both of their key franchises. The result would become the Marvel vs Capcom series, and it would become a worldwide success that would last for three decades and counting.

This cross-over was acclaimed by fans and critics for its creative art, advanced mechanics, and iconic music, but Marvel and Capcom’s collaborations didn’t begin with the first Marvel Vs Capcom game. Here are the best Marvel vs Capcom games in the series, ranked by their impact, popularity, and gameplay.

Updated July 2, 2023 by Mark Sammut: In fairly surprising news, Capcom has announced a new Marvel vs. Capcom release, albeit one that does not consist of a new game. A section outlining this project has been added to this article.

Upcoming Release: Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics

While not quite as exciting as a new game, Capcom has finally provided fans with something to look forward to. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics will come packed with the original six entries in the franchise, providing players with plenty of content to revisit.

Even though certain entries are better than others, Marvel vs. Capcom is arguably among the most consistent fighting series of all time, with even the weakest entries having something to offer. If nothing else, it is just nice to have an easy way to pick up some of the greatest arcade fighters of all time, especially since the package will include both the Japanese and English versions. Although far from remakes, the collection does include its share of new features, including online support, high-score challenges, and training modes. The latter reflects the collection’s attempt to appeal to new players, which is emphasized by a new option for executing one-button specials.

As great as all of the above is, Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics‘s biggest selling point is not even a fighting game. The compilation includes The Punisher, a brilliant beat ’em up that has barely been mentioned since its 1993 debut. Except for a Sega Genesis port, the game has mostly ignored consoles, so this release is a big deal. The Punisher holds up well, offering stellar visuals and intense combat that makes fantastic use of weapons.

Solid Gameplay, Disappointing Everything Else

Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite saw the Capcom and Marvel universes merged together by Ultron Sigma (a fusion of Marvel’s Ultron and Capcom’s Sigma). It was up to both sides’ best and brightest to fix things. MvC:I aimed to take the series in a new direction. Unfortunately, while the game had some neat ideas, it had a lot of problems. Some were minor, like going back to 2-person tags instead of 3; others were more significant, like the broken Infinity Stones system.

Then there was the lackluster story mode, the cheap-looking presentation, and the reduced roster. Its rough development was a factor in producer Yoshinori Ono’s departure from Capcom, Street Fighter 6‘s delayed development, and may have ended the MvC series for good.

9 Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter

More Of The Same, But Now Avengers

Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter is essentially the same as X-Men Vs Street Fighter but with most of the X-Men replaced with the Avengers. The Japanese version even had a strange character in Norimaro, a scrawny otaku based on a character played by comedian Noritake Kinashi.

It had the same huge combos, high-damage attacks, and assist attacks (calling the tag partner to perform a special move). That and everyone got a bunch of new moves and super combos, which enhanced the overall gameplay quality; however, it is ultimately just more of the same, complete with the same stages and penultimate boss in Apocalypse.

Good By Most Metrics, But Feels Obsolete Nowadays

After nearly a decade on ice, Marvel Vs Capcom 3 brought the MvC series back to life. The 3 vs 3 tag team gameplay came back from Marvel Vs Capcom 2, only this time, they could all (officially) be played online. It added a fresh set of characters like Deadpool, Wesker, and Phoenix and smoothed out the controls to make them more intuitive for new players.

This move worked as over 2 million copies were shipped within the first month of its launch. However, the game was succeeded within months by its Ultimate replacement, which likely left many of the original’s customers with a little buyer’s remorse. Still, considering Ultimate‘s additions, this was likely cheaper than buying seasonal DLC packs.

Great Package For Its Era

Marvel Vs Capcom: Origins was a compilation of MvC1 and Marvel Super Heroes. It reached the Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2012, emulating the original games while throwing in high-definition support, graphical options, and online modes. Basically, it was like Iron Galaxy’s other retro re-releases, such as Darkstalkers Resurrection and Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition.

Fun as it was, it left fans noticing what it lacked more than what it had. Where was MvC2? Or MSH Vs SF? Or any of the X-Men games? Disney/Marvel didn’t want to promote the latter because they didn’t own their movie rights at the time, despite MvC1 and MSH still featuring Wolverine and co. It was all moot in the end, as the game was delisted from all platforms at the end of 2014.

6 X-Men: Children Of The Atom

A Strong Start

The series all started with one Capcom game based on one Marvel franchise: 1994’s X-Men: Children of The Atom. Players could pick 6 of the titular mutants or 4 of their villains in an arcade take on the Genosha storyline where Magneto sets up a space colony for mutants.

There’s no tag gameplay here; no assists, DHCs, or anything like that. It’s just a straightforward 1-on-1 fighter but with bigger, bolder graphics and much faster gameplay. It holds up today as a dose of old-school fun and for its significance. Aside from being Capcom’s first Marvel game, it was also the second game ever to feature Akuma, who’s just as broken as he was in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo.

5 Marvel Super Heroes

Upgrading A Stellar Formula

Marvel Super Heroes came after X-Men Children Of The Atom the following year in 1995. This time, it followed The Infinity Gauntlet storyline, complete with Thanos as the final boss. Like the comics and future movies, Iron Man, The Hulk, Spider-Man, and Captain America, among others, had to stop him. Unlike them, they were backed up by Wolverine and Magneto, alongside Dr. Strange villains Shuma-Gorath and Blackheart.

The graphics were brighter and more colorful than ever and were paired with some of the best music in the series. Then the gameplay was boosted by the Infinity Gems, where players could steal their opponent’s gem and use it for a power boost like refilling health, extra defense, and stronger offense.

4 X-Men vs Street Fighter

The Start Of A Beautiful Friendship

Marvel and Capcom’s first true crossover came in 1996’s X-Men Vs Street Fighter. Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, and company joined forces with Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and the others to stop the Age of Apocalypse. The Street Fighter cast got their powers boosted up to match their Marvel counterparts like Ryu’s Shinku Hadouken becoming a giant Kamehameha-like beam.

It kept MSH‘s super jump and aerial combos and introduced the tag battle system, where partners could swap in and out of combat for combos or join forces to unleash combined hyper moves. This fast and furious (if broken) gameplay, combined with its vivid animation, made it a worldwide hit.

(Nearly) Perfecting The Formula

Oddly, the first Marvel Vs Capcom game was actually the 3rd in the overall series. This time, the Marvel heroes were supported by a wider variety of Capcom stars to bring the dreaded Onslaught down. It maintained the tag gameplay and aerial combos from the prior games, then threw in a bundle of unique mechanics that never made it into the sequels.

Players could select a 3rd Guest character to provide backup (a la Mortal Kombat 1‘s Kameo Fighters). They could also activate the Dual Combination Attack, where they control both of their characters at the same time to pile on the pressure. Presentation-wise, it really lived up to its “Clash of Super Heroes” tagline. Gameplay-wise, it had room for refinement.

Deep Gameplay, Fantastic Roster, Modernized Brilliantly

Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom3‘s additions were originally planned as DLC for vanilla MvC3. However, due to the Tohoku Earthquake disrupting development, they were all put together in one big game. This included 12 new playable characters from Ace Attorney, Dead Rising, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more, alongside cosmetic changes like redrawn endings for the arcade mode.

The gameplay was also tweaked, balancing out some characters and elements better from MVC3, though the likes of Phoenix and X-Factor remained causes for concern. Nonetheless, UMvC3 is still widely played today and still receives new content via the fan community’s mods on the PC port.

Perfection

The reason fans still go crazy for the series is due to Marvel Vs Capcom 2. It introduced 3-on-3 combat, the snapback mechanic that knocked one opposing team member out in favor of another, selectable assist attacks, and a gigantic 53-character roster that combined everyone from all the prior Marvel games with a few new additions.

It’s odd that one of the best fighting games ever came out due to timing rather than artistic or gameplay merit. Capcom’s deal with Marvel was due to run out in 2000, so they threw everyone into whatever they could piece together to complete their end of the deal. It’s why the stages and jazzy soundtrack feel out of place. Even so, it still produced the most fun and influential MvC game of all time.