10 Marvel characters that should be in Marvel vs. Capcom 4

Tips suggest a 2017 release of the long-awaited fighting video game Marvel vs. Capcom 4 for all major gaming platforms. As such, we've been hard at work creating a list of the 10 best Marvel Comics characters we think should either return to this universe or appear here for the first time in the game franchise's history. Some of these characters are quite likely, while others almost certainly won't make the cut, regardless of their excellence.

This era of Marvel vs. Capcom will likely pull much from Disney's direction in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While that likely means that Mutants won't appear in the game, our list disregards that foolish notion entirely. There could never be a proper Marvel vs. Capcom in this world without Wolverine's Berserker Barrage.

10. Captain America's Hydra alter-ego

The Hydra Cap comic arc didn't really turn our favorite all-American hero into an agent of death. Regardless, it'd be quite entertaining to bash the most-hated version of Captain America in the history of Cap-dom with the beloved red white and blue edition. Expect to hail hydra – expect to destroy him for freedom's sake!

The image above comes from Hamlet Machine. Artwork at the head of this article was modified by SlashGear. The rest of the images in this article come from their respective comic books and related Marvel Comics comic book titles.

9. Cable

There's no possible way Cable is not going to appear in the next Deadpool film – but that'll have little influence on this game. Especially if Disney has anything to say about it. But we'd love to see him come back to this franchise – especially since he's been gone since Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

8. Thor (Jane Foster)

Ushering in the All New All Different Marvel would be a blast with Jane Foster's Thor. The moves for this Thor wouldn't be all that different from the pre-Secret Wars Thor, but they'd FEEL new. We wouldn't be surprised to find a large set of ANAD characters in this edition of the game.

7. Gwenpool / Spider-Gwen

Gwendolyn "Gwen" Poole is an amalgam character which mixes up Gwen Stacy (in her Spider-Gwen age) and Deadpool. What better way to keep the feelings in this hero-bash-hero world than with a fun-loving pool-infused character? NOTE: There is one better way – see entry number 2 on this list.

Spider-Gwen might be a better bet than Gwenpool, if only because Spider-Gwen has been on the books for a bit longer. Don't expect to see Spider-Gwen without the newest version of Spider-Man, too. It might be a bit much to hope for Miles Morales to be voiced by Donald Glover – or would it?

6. Thanos

With the intergalactic cross-over movies coming soon from Marvel and Thanos already making an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy, his re-appearance is quite likely. Thanos hasn't been in the Marvel vs Capcom universe since 2, and his influence there was relatively small. Small compared to what we expect from Thanos in this 4th generation.

5. Apocalypse

The return of Apocalypse is a given. What with his appearance in the most recent X-Men movie and popularity therein, it's high time this franchise brought the ancient one back from the dead. That is to say, only if this isn't Disney's show to run.

4. Chewbacca

Han is dead, and Chewbacca is so extremely furious that he rips his way through the fabric of time and space! In reality it's not quite so insane – Marvel Comics publishes Star Wars comics of all sorts. Why not wish for a Chewie to join in on this fun?

3. Ego the Living Planet

Aside from the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy – the lot of whom we'll safely assume will make appearances in the next game – there's still EGO THE LIVING PLANET! This character could appear in the next game as a boss – or perhaps an unlockable joke character due to his immense size.

2. Squirrel Girl

The rise of Squirrel Girl's popularity over the past decade, especially amid rumors that she'd get her own movie at some point in the near future. This oddity of a Marvel character has superhuman agility, senses, and physical strength. She could also use her tail, claws, retractable knuckle spikes, and – oh yes – her ability to communicate with squirrels. She could call upon her pet squirrels Monkey Joe and Tippy-Toe to fight!

1. Old Man Logan

This character wouldn't look at all like the Wolverines of old. Instead of his classic yellow and blue X-Men costume, this Wolverine would look more like a haggard old brute. He'd work with an interesting mix of defensive moves and charged moves that depict his signature re-break with goodness and the re-snikt-ing of his claws.

If you have any other suggestions for characters from the Marvel Comics universe you think should be in the next Marvel vs. Capcom game, let us know! This game will likely be announced within the next couple weeks, and released early next year!