Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls is one of the most anticipated fighting games in a long time. We were able to get hands on with the closed beta earlier this month. It only made us more excited to dive right in. However, it still has a bit of time before Marvel Tokon releases and until then, the roster is going to be a lot of speculation. While the usual suspects like the Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and other MCU mainstays are likely to appear, Arc Sys themselves have said they want to use characters that haven’t been in a fighting game before as well as some that people really wouldn’t expect.
The Marvel vs Capcom series took a very similar approach with their character choices. It was a lot of people’s introduction to Rocket Raccoon, who was very obscure before the Guardians movies. Marvel vs Capcom was also some of the earliest video game appearances for characters like Thanos.
With Tokon coming in the future, I want to cover ten characters that I think would be good fits. These are characters that haven’t been in a fighting game before. Five of these, I do think have a good chance to make it in but aren’t too obvious. The other five are far more obscure or maybe have a lesser chance due to oddities involving their character. Let’s start with the five I think could make it.
Blue Marvel
Blue Marvel is a character that’s become pretty popular in the comics. Despite his popularity he hasn’t had many appearances in other media yet. Much like how Marvel vs Capcom 3 introduced Rocket to many, Tokon could be a good introduction to Blue Marvel. He’s a character that has a wide power set ranging from strength that rivals Hulk to energy and matter manipulation. This could make for a very versatile move set for the character. His playstyle could range from being a straight up powerhouse or could be a more all rounder type character. With how quickly he became popular in the books after his debut in 2008, it won’t be surprising to see Blue Marvel make it in. Personally, I think he will be a great fit.
Loki
Loki is probably among the most popular antagonist/ anti hero characters in Marvel. While he’s no stranger to video game appearances, he’s usually not playable and he’s never been in a fighting game. Being the god of mischief, Loki in a fighting game has the potential to have some of the most difficult to deal with set play and mix up options ever if he made it into the game. While playing against something like that is usually horrible, he could be among the most fun characters in the game to play as. Loki in a fighting game seems like he’d be like a character that would be hard to master. Of course, that means he’d be downright deadly for those that put time into him.
Nebula
While I’m certain more of the Guardians will appear outside Star Lord as they’re among Marvel’s most popular characters at the moment, I think nebula would be an interesting character to represent. Given her heavily cybernetic nature, I could see her functioning similar to Crimson Viper from Street Fighter. Nebula could be a powerful yet highly technical character. Alternatively, she could work as a hard rushdown character given her noted agility and skills as an assassin. Throughout the Guardians and avengers movies, Nebula did manage to build up quite a fan base. It’s fair to say she had a strong arc from antagonist to hero during the series. She was also noted for her complex relationship with her sister Gamora. Given that factor, and a pretty good range of abilities, I could see Nebula fitting into the roster pretty well.
Green Goblin
Often considered Spider-Man’s arch enemy and one of the most memorable villains in any media he’s appeared in, Green Goblin is overdue for an appearance of this nature. While his physical attributes are enough to match Spider-Man punch for punch, I imagine Green Goblin would work best as a zoner of sorts. He’s most known for a wide range of weapons as well as his glider, which can act independently from him. Green Goblin also has numerous weapons ranging from flame throwers to homing missiles. With the dedicated special skill button present in Tokon, I could see Green Goblin being a character that just overwhelms you with a constant barrage of projectile options.
Quicksilver
If Arc Sys really wants to add an unrelenting rushdown character whose turn never seems to end, there’s probably no better choice than Marvel’s resident speedster. Quicksilver hasn’t had many video games appearances but his popularity rose in recent years. Some may even say that his appearances in the X-Men films are among the most memorable. Being that his primary power is his super speed, like I said before, Quicksilver would work well as a straight up rushdown character. He’s a character that could be pretty hard to find gaps in his offense. His other abilities such as his ability to vibrate through objects and use his speed to create tornadoes could also make for interesting gameplay to keep him from being too one dimensional.
So those are five characters that are fairly popular and mainstream. It would not be surprising to see any of the above make it into Marvel Tokon. However, let’s not forget that Arc Sys did say they want to surprise people with Tokon. So with that in mind, let’s go into five more characters. These might not be as beloved or may just be characters you have never heard of.
Cosmo
Although not as obscure after appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Cosmo isn’t really a character you’d expect to make it into the game over others. I do think however that Cosmo would be a great addition to the game. In the comics, they are powerful enough to go head to head with characters like Adam Warlock. For those unaware of the comic lore, that’s someone who’s considered on the same level of power as Thanos. Cosmo’s powerful telekinetic abilities could be useful in a number of ways as well. They could make them a zoner or even have them play as a more unconventional take on a grappler. Cosmo isn’t someone I would expect but, who wouldn’t like playing as a good boy? Or good girl if they go by the movie.
Man-Thing
A bit of a cult favorite among comic fans, Man-Thing’s imposing stature and great strength and durability could make him a good choice for a powerhouse tank or grappler type character. This is also the type of character I’m dying to see since that’s who I typically play. They could also opt to give him a damage over time mechanic given his ability to secrete corrosive poison. This would make him absolutely terrifying when he gets in. There is history for this as it was actually done with another grappler to great effect. Fellow fighting fans may remember this from when General RAAM was added to Killer Instinct. While he’s someone I definitely doubt, Man-Thing is a character that could be a refreshing sight to see in Tokon.
Hit Monkey
Seeing Hit Monkey appear in the game would be a surprise to say the least. Although the character did get a well received TV series, he’s not exactly a character that’s known to a very wide audience by any means. If he were part of the Tokon roster however, in terms of gameplay I could see Hit Monkey being one of the most fun to play as. Think of this character as essentially John Wick if he were a Japanese macaque. Even in his show, Hit Monkey is all over the place with his fighting style. This could definitely translate well to the naturally erratic gameplay of a tag fighter.
Lady Hellbender
A pretty recent character, debuting in 2015, Lady Hellbender is a character that might catch people by surprise. Lady Hellbender comes with a unique appearance and warrior queen personality. She had an appearance in the Guardians of the Galaxy game back in 2021 that unfortunately a lot of people didn’t play. If they want another unexpected choice for a powerhouse character, Lady Hellbender could be a good pick. She’s known for her immense strength and brutal fighting style that has gained her command over a literal army of monsters. The various creatures she commands could also be part of her gameplay as well. Plus, after the reception to characters like Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil and Marisa in Street Fighter 6, it’s clear that giant women go over well with gamers.
Slapstick
If Arc Sys really wants to go out there and go for complete insanity, then I don’t think there’s a more wild choice they could pick than Slapstick. In a nutshell, Slapstick is basically if a screwball Looney Tunes character became a Marvel superhero. His powers consist of being able to do things that a cartoon would. Imagine a character pulling giant hammers out of nowhere. Then imagine him being able to squash and stretch his body with no damage to himself. In terms of gameplay, Slapstick could actually feel very familiar to one of Arc Sys own creations. If you guessed Faust from the Guilty Gear franchise, you’d be right. Faust is known for pulling random objects out of nowhere as part of his gameplay, fights with a giant oversized scalpel, and is known for being comedic (despite having one of the most messed up backstories). On the very off chance Slapstick makes it to Tokon, I could see him playing similar to Faust. That would give fans of the character in Guilty Gear something to look forward to.
Personally, I think that the roster for Tokon may actually play it a bit safer. That even includes picks that are more popular characters. At the end of the day the roster is likely up to more on who Marvel/Disney wants in rather than Arc Sys themselves. However with the large rosters that tag fighters tend to have, it’s possible that some of these characters make it in, even the more obscure ones. One thing I got from the game in playing the beta is that Arc Sys is trying to create a game with a lot of playstyle variety. Whether it’s these characters or not, I just hope to see more info on Tokon’s roster very soon.
What Marvel characters do you want to see in Marvel Tokon? Let us know down below and be sure to keep coming back to GSC for all your gaming needs!
