Marvel vs Capcom
From Liquipedia Fighting Games Wiki
Marvel vs. Capcom is a 2D fighting game franchise first debuting in 1994 with X-Men: Children of the Atom, developed and published by Capcom in collaboration with Marvel Comics. The success of the title inspired the companies to collaborate on more games, though the first game bearing the series name would be 1998's Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes. Following 2000's Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, the series would go on development hiatus but see the rise of a rich competitive scene in the United States throughout the 2000s. The series returned in 2011 with Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and its subsequent update Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, bringing in a huge number of new players considered part of the 09-ers. The series' most recent new entry came in 2017 with Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. A collection featuring the series titles from 1994-2000 titled Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics released in 2024.
Colloquially referred to as 'hyper fighters', the Marvel vs. Capcom games are notable for their extensive use of vertical space and aerial- moves, high-powered and mechanically complex characters, long and flashy combos, and various team mechanics featured in titles where a player selects multiple characters, the first being 1996's X-Men vs. Street Fighter. The most popular competitive entries include Marvel vs. Capcom 2, 3 and its update 'Ultimate', and Infinite. Players select three characters and designated assist attacks to fight in 2 and 3, while Infinite sees players selecting two characters and an 'infinity stone' for their team.
Early titles in the series saw competitive play across the fighting game community, but Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was the title most heavily supported at tournaments following its launch. The title headlined EVO from 2002 until 2011 saw the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and its 'Ultimate' update, which featured as mainstage titles until 2018 and returned to the main stage in 2023 as EVO's first throwback tournament title.
The Marvel vs. Capcom series has a rich competitive history. Cataloguing this history is an ongoing endeavour of the fighters side of Liquipedia.