Iconic Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Characters Hint at Return

Capcom producer Shuhei Matsumoto has opened the doors for the return of the beloved original characters from Marvel vs Capcom 2. Read on for more of his statements ahead of the release of Capcom's latest “Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection.”

Capcom Producer Hints at the Possible Returns of Original Marvel vs Capcom 2 CharactersSays It's Always a Possibility, Capcom Still Testing Things Out

The return of original Marvel vs Capcom 2 characters in a "new title" can "always be a potential outcome." This is according to Capcom producer Shuhei Matsumoto, who was present and spoke at EVO 2024, the world's premiere fighting game competition.

There hasn’t been a new entry in Capcom's crossover fighting game series since Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. However, a new remastered collection of the earlier titles, "Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics," which Matsumoto is producing, is due to be out soon this year.

The Marvel vs. Capcom series, of Versus series, features characters from both Capcom and Marvel franchises. During the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, Capcom unveiled a trailer for its latest release, which includes six classic titles of the series, including Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

This title in particular introduced three original characters: Amingo, an anthropomorphic cactus-like creature; Ruby Heart, one of the protagonists and a notorious sky pirate; and SonSon, the monkey girl granddaughter of the protagonist from Capcom's 80's arcade title, SonSon. These beloved characters have been largely absent in modern iterations of the series, except for minor appearances, such as their cameo appearances on wanted posters in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and as playable cards in Capcom's card fighter titles.

Addressing fans in attendance at Evo 2024, Matsumoto suggested that these characters could make a resurgence and the release of the arcade classics collection presents them this opportunity. "Yeah, there's always a prospect. This is actually a great opportunity for us because when we do release this collection, there are going to be a lot more people who'll be able to familiarize themselves with the characters who only appeared in these versus series," Matsumoto reportedly said via a translator.

He also suggested that these original characters could appear outside of the Versus series if enough interest is generated. "If there are enough people who are interested in these characters, then who knows? Maybe there is a chance they could appear in Street Fighter 6 or another fighting game. This is another great reason to re-release these old games; it gets people to learn more about the IP and the series." He additionally noted that this presents a great influx of creativity for the Capcom team and "creates a bigger pool of content for us to work with."

Capcom's Plans of More Marvel Crossover Hinge on Fans' Interest

Capcom had planned "for approximately three to four years" to make the new collection a reality. "We've been in discussions with Marvel for quite a while. And back then, we simply didn't have the opportunities to release this game. But now, after those deliberations with them, we were finally able to do so," Matsumoto stated.

He added, "In terms of previous Capcom-developed Marvel titles, this has been something that myself and the team have been eager to re-release for numerous years now. It was merely a question of timing and ensuring that everyone was in agreement."

Matsumoto also mentioned that Capcom aspires to create an entirely new Versus series title and "not only that, but additional past fighting games that may not be compatible with rollback or are unavailable on a current platform," he said. "We have extensive aspirations and grand visions, and now it's a matter of timing and determining what we can accomplish incrementally."

The producer added that Capcom is eager on re-releasing other legacy fighting games on modern platforms. "We have a lot of other legacy fighting games that we know fans out there really desire them to be re-released again on modern platforms. And the sentiment is mutual on the development side," he told IGN.

"The optimal thing that we can do right now is to re-release these classic titles that some of our fans may not be fully cognizant of. And of course, there's constraints, there's different schedules, it's going to necessitate collaboration with other non-Capcom parties in order to make this happen. And that could take some time, but we feel that the optimal that we can do right now is to re-release these games to galvanize the community," Matsumoto concluded.