Future Imperfect: Predicting Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite's 2018 DLC Roster

Capcom has already laid out its DLC plans for the rest of this calendar year. By the end of December, the existing roster of 30 fighters will be joined by Monster Hunter, Sigma, Black Panther, The Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Venom.

But with Capcom hoping to keep Infinite alive as long as possible, especially with the possibility of a lucrative esports circuit on the horizon, there's a vested interest in keeping the DLC train going. After all, Street Fighter V is pumping out a new character every couple of months, so why should Capcom's crossover fighter be any different? Today, Shacknews takes a look at the potential DLC fighters on the horizon one pair (one for Capcom and one for Marvel) at a time.

Final Fight vs. Defenders

Both Capcom and Marvel are no strangers to taking the fight straight to the streets. Marvel has an entire roster of street-level heroes, who focus less on the extraterrestrial and world-ending threats that the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy focus on and more on the drug dealers and kingpins (or Kingpin) that lurk in the shadows of everyone's backyard. Capcom, on the other hand, has a franchise specifically about taking the fight straight to the streets with Final Fight, the 1989 classic beat 'em up that has left a lasting impact on Capcom's fighting games to this day.

To this point, nearly every Final Fight hero and boss character has made it into either the Street Fighter series or the Vs. crossover games. So this would be a nice time to consider finally elevating series antagonist Belger to the big time. A modernized take on the Final Fight baddie with a motorized wheelchair could make him into Infinite's version of M.O.D.O.K., with a powerful arsenal that can keep opponents juggled in mid-air or simply down for the count.

The Marvel side could get any of its pick of Netflix's Defenders, but the sentimental favorite is Daredevil, a shocking omission from the Vs. series to this point. The blind martial artist can go for multi-hit combos with his ninja training, while also going aerial with his billy club. There's even the possibility of a theatrical Level 3 Hyper Combo where he turns the lights out on the stage before brutalizing his foes. While Jessica Jones would be a fun option, there's too much potential for fun with Matt Murdock's dizzying quickness.

Resident Evil vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Special Tactics and Rescue Service (also known as S.T.A.R.S.) has been an ever-present part of the Resident Evil universe, keeping the world safe from Albert Wesker's megalomaniacal machinations and keeping the B.O.W. crisis under control. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. is the omnipresent authority overseeing the Marvel Universe, helping prevent all manner of supervillain world domination plots and extraterrestrial invasions.

While Jill Valentine has made several appearances in Capcom's Vs. games and Wesker made a fine addition to Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, the series has yet to see a playable Leon Kennedy and that's just a shame. From a sentimental standpoint, Leon's turn as a rookie cop in Resident Evil 2 and his star turn in the classic Resident Evil 4 mean he's more than earned his chance to join the Vs. fight. The trouble would be in differentiating his move set from Chris Redfield, though a focus on Leon's close-up knife combat is always a possibility.

There are several S.H.I.E.L.D. representatives and associates already on the Marvel side of Infinite's roster. So let's get creative and potentially add Quake to the mix. Daisy Johnson has seen her star rise since the debut of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and her unique power set could make her a fun character to play. Imagine using tremors to juggle opponents or reach distant foes, while using her S.H.I.E.L.D. hand-to-hand combat training to extend combos. Plus, her presence would help continue to push the Inhumans, who Marvel has been trying to get into the mainstream for the past couple of years.

Viewtiful Joe vs. The Champions

This one starts to get a little more off the beaten path, as the predictions start to move slightly to the side of the Capcom/Marvel push for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

For Viewtiful Joe, that makes sense. He's an action hero, after all, utilizing his VFX power to float in the air while completing massive combos. Joe would be a returnee from Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and, honestly, his moves wouldn't be too outlandish in Infinite's environment. The only real thing about him that would clash is the art style, as Joe is uniquely cel-shaded and Infinite's art style has moved away from the similar art style utilized in UMvC3. Still, it would be great to see Joe back.

It would also be fun to bring one of the Champions aboard. For the unfamiliar, the Champions are a new team of young heroes dedicated to bringing bright-eyed optimism back into superheroics. Ms. Marvel fits the bill perfectly. She's a fresh face who wields the kind of stretching powers that would normally be reserved for one of the Fantastic Four, a franchise Marvel seems unwilling to tap for this game. She'd be a solid replacement for the departed Super-Skrull and another Inhuman representative.

X-Men vs. Street Fighter

Finally, I had to end this entry with this matchup, for old time's sake. Nothing brings back fond memories like the old X-Men vs. Street Fighter game, where the crossover craze originally started. And while the prospects for the X-Men ever making it into Infinite seem grim, hope will spring eternal on this end.

The X-Men prediction is purely wishful thinking, since it doesn't seem like Capcom or Marvel will budge on the vision of keeping this purely tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. If I had to take a guess for one X-Men character to make it into Infinite, however, it would be Magneto. The long-time X-Men villain has clashed with the Avengers on several occasions and he's been enough of a favorite with the Marvel pro scene that their community would love to see him back. His powers of magnetism and flight have made him fun to play with and a nightmare to play against and his absence is sorely felt in Infinite.

Street Fighter is almost the opposite problem, in that a new character from this roster is a certainty, but the 25-year pantheon is so rich, it's hard to pick someone. When in doubt, though, the safe bet is to pick Akuma. Given that Infinite's world has become a battlefield for omnipotent forces like Ultron Sigma, the Mad Titan Thanos, the Dark Dimension ruler Dormammu, and the devious demon Jedah, Akuma would only see challenges before him and none that can withstand his demonic power. Akuma's moves have always fit in perfectly with the Marvel scene, acting as a nice contrast to Ryu, who feels better suited for casual players. Akuma is purely for veterans, who know how to make the most of his abilities.

Those are the Shacknews picks, but what are yours? Join the conversation and let us know who you think will join Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite in 2018.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?