The Marvel vs. Capcom series is a series of fighting games created by Capcom that contain characters from both Marvel Comics and Capcom. It all begins from Marvel's first licensed game, a beat-up genre game called The Punisher in 1993.

The franchise was thought of as an experiment by Capcom after the release of X-Men: Children of the Atom & Marvel Super Heroes. After the release of those games, Capcom made X-Men vs. Street Fighter and was ultimately succeeded by Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Heroes, officially starting the Marvel vs. Capcom series as a whole.

Games Marvel vs. Capcom[e] is a series of crossover fighting games developed and published by Capcom, featuring characters from their video game franchises and comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series originated as coin-operated arcade games; later releases were specifically developed for home consoles, handhelds, and personal computers. Its gameplay borrows heavily from Capcom's previous Marvel-licensed fighting games X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes; however, instead of focusing on single combat, the games incorporated tag team battles. Players form teams of two or three characters and, controlling one fighter at a time, attempt to damage and knock out their opponents. Players can switch out their characters during the match, allowing team members to replenish their health and prolong their ability to fight. The series' gameplay is distinguished from other fighting game franchises due to its character assist mechanics and emphasis on aerial combat.

The Marvel vs. Capcom series has received generally positive reviews from critics, who have praised its fast-paced gameplay, vibrant visuals, and wealth of playable characters. The series has enjoyed broad appeal, selling approximately 11 million units as of 2023. X-Men vs. Street Fighter was initially released as an arcade game in 1996.[1] The game was later ported to the Sega Saturn in 1997 and PlayStation in 1998.[2][3] It established the series' basic gameplay conventions by combining Street Fighter-style combat with tag team features.[4] X-Men vs. Street Fighter also borrowed gameplay concepts from Capcom's previous Marvel Comics-licensed fighting games, X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes.[5] Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter was released in arcades in 1997.[1] It was then ported to the Sega Saturn in 1998 and PlayStation in 1999.[6][7] The game expanded the playable roster to the larger Marvel Universe, introducing characters such as Captain America, Hulk, and Spider-Man.[4] It was also responsible for introducing character assist moves to the franchise, a gameplay element which would influence future Marvel vs. Capcom installments.[5] Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes debuted in arcades in 1998.[1] Ports to the Dreamcast and PlayStation soon followed in 1999.[8] Rather than strictly using Street Fighter characters, the game included characters from other Capcom video game franchises, such as Mega Man, Morrigan, and Strider Hiryu.[4] It removed the character assist feature used in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter and implemented its own system, which randomly allocated guest characters to each player.[9] Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes was released in arcades in 2000 and ported to the Dreamcast within the same year.[10][11] The game received ports to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2002.[12][13] It was then re-released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 through the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, respectively, in 2009.[14] Lastly, a version for iOS devices was released in 2012.[15] Featuring a large playable roster, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 reused the assist features from Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter and changed the series' two-on-two battle system to three-on-three fights.[16] Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011.[17] The series' traditional sprites transitioned into 3D character models while retaining the 2D-style combat.[4] The game includes various gameplay features designed to make it more accessible to newer players, such as the additions of a comeback mechanic and a more simplified control scheme.[18] Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, a standalone updated edition of the original Marvel vs. Capcom 3, was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox 360 in 2011.[19][20] The game was also released for the PlayStation 4 via the PlayStation Network in 2016; releases for the Xbox One via the Xbox Live Arcade and Microsoft Windows via Steam followed in 2017.[21] It features new characters, stages, modes, and other enhancements to improve game balance and online functionality.[22] Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite was released in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.[23][24] It features two-on-two battles, similar to earlier Marvel vs. Capcom games, and removes traditional assist moves in favor of its own dual-character combo system.[24][25] The game also implements a gameplay mechanic involving the Infinity Stones, which grants players unique abilities and upgrades depending on the type of stone selected.[25] It is the first game to feature a cinematic story mode. Compilations Marvel vs. Capcom Origins, a compilation game which includes Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 through the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, respectively, in 2012.[26] It features high-definition visuals, online multiplayer, dynamic challenges, and unlockables.[26] Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a compilation comprising all seven Capcom-developed Marvel games originally released for arcades: The Punisher, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.[27] It was released in 2024 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows. An Xbox One version will launch in 2025.[27]

The Marvel vs. Capcom series is a series of fighting games created by Capcom that contain characters from both Marvel Comics and Capcom. It all begins from Marvel's first licensed game, a beat-up genre game called The Punisher in 1993.

The franchise was thought of as an experiment by Capcom after the release of X-Men: Children of the Atom & Marvel Super Heroes. After the release of those games, Capcom made X-Men vs. Street Fighter and was ultimately succeeded by Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Heroes, officially starting the Marvel vs. Capcom series as a whole.

Games Marvel vs. Capcom[e] is a series of crossover fighting games developed and published by Capcom, featuring characters from their video game franchises and comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series originated as coin-operated arcade games; later releases were specifically developed for home consoles, handhelds, and personal computers. Its gameplay borrows heavily from Capcom's previous Marvel-licensed fighting games X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes; however, instead of focusing on single combat, the games incorporated tag team battles. Players form teams of two or three characters and, controlling one fighter at a time, attempt to damage and knock out their opponents. Players can switch out their characters during the match, allowing team members to replenish their health and prolong their ability to fight. The series' gameplay is distinguished from other fighting game franchises due to its character assist mechanics and emphasis on aerial combat.

The Marvel vs. Capcom series has received generally positive reviews from critics, who have praised its fast-paced gameplay, vibrant visuals, and wealth of playable characters. The series has enjoyed broad appeal, selling approximately 11 million units as of 2023. X-Men vs. Street Fighter was initially released as an arcade game in 1996.[1] The game was later ported to the Sega Saturn in 1997 and PlayStation in 1998.[2][3] It established the series' basic gameplay conventions by combining Street Fighter-style combat with tag team features.[4] X-Men vs. Street Fighter also borrowed gameplay concepts from Capcom's previous Marvel Comics-licensed fighting games, X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes.[5] Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter was released in arcades in 1997.[1] It was then ported to the Sega Saturn in 1998 and PlayStation in 1999.[6][7] The game expanded the playable roster to the larger Marvel Universe, introducing characters such as Captain America, Hulk, and Spider-Man.[4] It was also responsible for introducing character assist moves to the franchise, a gameplay element which would influence future Marvel vs. Capcom installments.[5] Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes debuted in arcades in 1998.[1] Ports to the Dreamcast and PlayStation soon followed in 1999.[8] Rather than strictly using Street Fighter characters, the game included characters from other Capcom video game franchises, such as Mega Man, Morrigan, and Strider Hiryu.[4] It removed the character assist feature used in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter and implemented its own system, which randomly allocated guest characters to each player.[9] Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes was released in arcades in 2000 and ported to the Dreamcast within the same year.[10][11] The game received ports to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2002.[12][13] It was then re-released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 through the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, respectively, in 2009.[14] Lastly, a version for iOS devices was released in 2012.[15] Featuring a large playable roster, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 reused the assist features from Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter and changed the series' two-on-two battle system to three-on-three fights.[16] Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011.[17] The series' traditional sprites transitioned into 3D character models while retaining the 2D-style combat.[4] The game includes various gameplay features designed to make it more accessible to newer players, such as the additions of a comeback mechanic and a more simplified control scheme.[18] Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, a standalone updated edition of the original Marvel vs. Capcom 3, was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox 360 in 2011.[19][20] The game was also released for the PlayStation 4 via the PlayStation Network in 2016; releases for the Xbox One via the Xbox Live Arcade and Microsoft Windows via Steam followed in 2017.[21] It features new characters, stages, modes, and other enhancements to improve game balance and online functionality.[22] Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite was released in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.[23][24] It features two-on-two battles, similar to earlier Marvel vs. Capcom games, and removes traditional assist moves in favor of its own dual-character combo system.[24][25] The game also implements a gameplay mechanic involving the Infinity Stones, which grants players unique abilities and upgrades depending on the type of stone selected.[25] It is the first game to feature a cinematic story mode. Compilations Marvel vs. Capcom Origins, a compilation game which includes Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 through the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, respectively, in 2012.[26] It features high-definition visuals, online multiplayer, dynamic challenges, and unlockables.[26] Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a compilation comprising all seven Capcom-developed Marvel games originally released for arcades: The Punisher, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.[27] It was released in 2024 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows. An Xbox One version will launch in 2025.[27] Marvel vs. Capcom has featured over 100 playable fighters, primarily drawn from comic book series published by Marvel Comics and video games franchises developed and produced by Capcom. The games have introduced a few original characters, which include Norimaro from Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, and Amingo, Ruby Heart, and SonSon from Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.[9][49] In addition to the playable cast, other characters from the Marvel and Capcom universes make appearances in the games in varying capacities. Both Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes include secret characters which can be played by inputting specific sequences of joystick movements on the character select screen.[50][51] These secret characters consist of palette swaps of existing fighters with different moveset properties.[50][51] Clash of Super Heroes also has unplayable summon characters as part of its "Guest Character/Special Partner" assist system.[36][52]

Many Marvel vs. Capcom installments also allow players to fight as the games' boss characters in special game modes, with the exception of Abyss from Marvel vs. Capcom 2.[53][54] Characters that have not been playable frequently make cameo appearances in the games' cutscenes and stage backgrounds.[55] Lastly, numerous non-playable Marvel and Capcom characters are featured as "Ability Cards" in the Heroes and Heralds game mode in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.[56] Out of all the playable characters, Ryu and Chun-Li are the only ones to have appeared in every game released thus far. Notes edit Players can fight as final boss characters Apocalypse, Cyber Akuma, Galactus, and Onslaught against waves of AI-controlled enemies in their games' respective boss modes. In Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, Ryu has an ability called "Complete Change", which allows him to change his moveset into Ken's or Akuma's. Appears as a summonable assist character. Alternate, palette-swapped versions of Blackheart (Mephisto), Captain America (U.S. Agent), Charlie (Shadow), Chun-Li (Shadow Lady), Hulk (Orange Hulk), Morrigan (Lilith), Sakura (Sunburned Sakura), Spider-Man (Armored Spider-Man), Venom (Hyper Venom), War Machine (Mega War Machine), and Zangief (Mech-Zangief) appear as secret characters. Norimaro is exclusive to the Japanese arcade and console versions of Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter. An alternate version of Wolverine, named Bone Claw Wolverine, appears as a separate playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. Totals include playable boss characters and downloadable content characters, where applicable. Combos.[44][45] In addition, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 included two different control scheme options: Normal Mode and Simple Mode.[46][47] Simple Mode, designed for casual players, allows players to perform special moves and Hyper Combos with single button presses at the expense of limiting a character's available moveset.[44][46] Though Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite returned to a control scheme similar to Marvel vs. Capcom 2 ― with four attack buttons, one dedicated button for character tagging, and another for activating Infinity Stone abilities ― it introduced a new "auto-combo" system to improve accessibility that allows players to repeatedly mash the light punch input to automatically execute ground and air combos without any damage penalty.[