Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is out, and reactions to the new tag fighter have proven to be a mixed bag so far. Windows PC players have had it the worst thanks to poor optimization, but PC and PlayStation 5 players alike have also had to deal with sluggish fighter movement and wonky hitboxes.
I’ve enjoyed my time with Marvel Tokon so far, those frustrations aside. Superheroes have been in my life since I was a kid, and seeing anime-styled versions of them duking it out Dragon Ball-style is enough to fill this old man with glee.
That said, Marvel Tokon’s meager roster of only 20 playable characters is a bit of a bummer. More will be added via post-launch DLC. Ever since the Phoenix version of Cyclops was revealed as the first DLC fighter, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what other highly specific versions of my favorite characters could get added. It certainly seems like the first DLC lineup will be of a cosmic scale, but there’s room for developer Arc System Works to get weird and surprising with Marvel’s stable of characters down the line. Here are 10 unique fighters I want to see suit up in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls.
1
Silver Surfer with Thor’s hammer
Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer, has fought Thanos a handful of times throughout their comics history. But none of those brawls were as jaw-dropping as when they went head-to-head in Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw’s Thanos run. Set in an alternate future, the Surfer shows up decked out in black and wielding Mjölnir, Thor’s hammer. He harnesses both the Power Cosmic and Thor’s God of Thunder abilities in the brawl, which would give him quite the varied moveset in Marvel Tokon.
2
Unworthy Thor
Classic Avenger Thor is a head-scratching omission from Marvel Tokon’s roster, and hopefully he joins the lineup at some point. If we’re giving the Silver Surfer Mjölnir, then a hammer-less version of Thor would work well: the Unworthy Thor. The Odinson becomes unworthy during Original Sin, setting up Jane Foster’s run as Thor. The Odinson eventually jets off into space (after losing his arm and replacing it with one made from black Uru metal) and stars in the miniseries The Unworthy Thor. It’s a unique take on the character, but if Arc System Works wants a hammer-wielding Thor, the King Thor version would be a worthy addition too.
3
Thanos as the Punisher
Tired: Thanos chasing the Infinity Gems. Wired: Thanos as the Punisher.
In Cates and Shaw’s Thanos Wins storyline, Frank Castle is revealed to be the Cosmic Ghost Rider. (Comics are nothing if not filled to the brim with wonky ideas.) He stars in Cates’ aptly titled Cosmic Ghost Rider miniseries, where he contends with an alternate-future Thanos whom Castle raised… and who eventually became the Punisher, essentially. This would be an interesting way for Arc Systems Works to include a fresh take on Thanos and give him an unexpected, gauntlet-less moveset.
4
Shadowkat
Kitty Pryde has worn many hats in her 46-year comics history, from being Star-Lord to the pirate captain of the Marauders. Notably, Kitty Pryde was once trained as a ninja, and that’s exactly the version of her that would be a great fit alongside other sword-wielding heroes in Marvel Tokon (minus the brainwashing, however). Combined with her phasing powers, she’s a ruthless and highly deadly ninja. Of course, a Shadowkat playable character wouldn’t be complete without her dragon companion Lockheed along for the ride.
5
Orson Randall as Iron Fist
While Iron Fist is typically Danny Rand, the hero is a lot like the Avatar, in that there’s been many different incarnations throughout history. One such is Orson Randall, a World War 1 veteran. He… wasn’t the best Iron Fist, spending most of his tenure in hiding, but he’s certainly a unique Iron Fist in the way he wields twin handguns and uses them in tandem with his martial arts techniques.
6
Elektra as Daredevil
Like Thor, Daredevil is another surprising omission from Marvel Tokon’s roster; he just starred in a Disney Plus show, after all. Instead of bringing Matt Murdock to the roster, I think it’d be cool to have Elektra wear the red devil horns in the 4v4 tag fighter, just like she did in Chip Zdarsky’s Daredevil run. Having trained under the same master as Matt (Stick), she’d play similarly to how’d you expect Matt to, except she’d wield deadly sai instead of billy clubs.
7
Agent Venom
Surprisingly, Carnage made the base roster instead of Venom. As Spider-Man’s symbiote frenemy is a pretty bankable and popular character at this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s eventually added to Marvel Tokon. However, Arc System Works could surprise players by bringing Flash Thompson’s Agent Venom to the game, instead of Eddie Brock. Thompson is a soldier, and as such uses military weapons in conjunction with his symbiote powers, which would make for a unique Venom moveset.
8
Juggernaut Colossus
Colossus hangs out in the background when fighting on the X-Men’s mansion map alongside other mutants like Rogue and Psylocke. I say, why not put him in the game as a playable character? During the Fear Itself event, Colossus finds himself as the avatar of the Juggernaut with newfound — and dangerous — strength. While his moveset may just end up being various ways to punch people, that’s never stopped the Hulk from being in fighting games. Plus, he could transform into a creepy monstrous form in the game, not unlike how his sister Magik can transform into the Darkchilde.
9
Valkyrie Dani Moonstar
As I say on the daily, you can never have too many mutants in a Marvel fighting game, so let’s add one more to the list: Dani Moonstar, a member of the New Mutants and friend to Magik. She’s a psychic who uses illusions to trick her foes (and even goes by the moniker Mirage at points). During her comics history, she’s been a Valkyrie, the badass warriors of Asgard who ride into battle on winged horses. Dani became a Valkyrie after saving one of those horses, and gained magical powers to complement her mutant abilities in the process. With those powers combined, Dani could be one of the roster’s standout characters.
10
Sorcerer Supreme Clea
Marvel Tokon has a distinct lack of a Sorcerer Supreme on its roster, despite Doctor Strange’s growing Marvel Cinematic Universe popularity. It should change that, but mix things up by throwing Clea into the mix. She’s Stephen Strange’s ally and eventual wife, and she briefly takes over as Sorcerer Supreme in the comics after Strange dies. (Don’t worry, it’s not much of a spoiler, because the miniseries is literally called Death of Doctor Strange.) Hailing from the Dark Dimension, she’s one of the most powerful magic wielders around, making her a formidable foe to Marvel Tokon’s heroes and villains.
