Marvel vs. Capcom (series)

Marvel vs. Capcom (マーヴルVSカプコン) is a series of fighting games created by Capcom in which characters created by Marvel Comics and Capcom's own characters appear together. While it was the first vs. series involving Capcom, the name Marvel exists to distinguish it from Capcom's other vs. series with SNK (Capcom vs. SNK), Tatsunoko Production (Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars) and Namco (Namco × Capcom, Street Fighter X Tekken).

The Marvel characters depicted in these games were often based on their incarnations in various early 1990s animated series (particularly X-Men), and were often voiced by the same voice actors.

Many of the characters and fighting mechanics used in these games were first developed and refined in two other fighting games Capcom had developed earlier, serving as precursors to the series: X-Men: Children of the Atom, which featured characters strictly from the X-Men universe, and Marvel Super Heroes, which gleaned characters from Marvel's entire roster (X-Men included).

Although the tag-team fighting concept was not new, it was refined with this series (although fans would argue whether this was for better or for worse). New fighting game terminology, such as "Aerial Rave" (the act of performing a combo on an opponent while the opponent remains airborne) and "Variable Combination" (the act of having two or more characters on the same team to perform their hyper combos at the same time) were added to the fighting game vernacular with this series.

Games

 * X-Men vs. Street Fighter (Arcade, PlayStation, Sega Saturn (Japan only))
 * Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (Arcade, PlayStation, Sega Saturn (Japan only))
 * Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (Arcade, PlayStation, Dreamcast)
 * Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network)
 * Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
 * Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows)

Story
There does not appear to be a concrete story behind each game in the series, although several plot points run across the various games of the series. However, various pairs of characters - typically one Marvel and one Capcom, were often partnered with each other during gameplay (although later games randomized the partnerships so that it was possible to complete the game facing all Marvel or all Capcom teams). There has been confirmation that in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, unlike previous installments, the subtitle, Fate of Two Worlds, will actually tie into the game storyline and plot.

However, several interesting (but obviously non-canonical to both Marvel and Capcom continuities) side-plots did emerge throughout the series, some of which contradict the others:


 * In X-Men vs. Street Fighter,
 * Psylocke is the one who rescues the amnesiac Cammy, who lost her memory after the battle with Apocalypse, from The Hand and its leader, Matsu'o Tsurayaba. Three years later, she joins the British special forces unit, Delta Red.
 * Wolverine seeks Akuma in Japan as he believes Akuma has information about his own past. However, in order to get the information from Akuma, he must win a fight to the death.
 * Jubilee greets Wolverine and Ryu. Wolverine, then, teaches her about Ryu's honor and has found respect for him.
 * Sabretooth engages in a final battle with Wolverine, after defeating everyone he has come across. Ryu, Chun-Li, and Charlie were among those Sabretooth have beaten.
 * Zangief and Colossus defend Russia against Omega Red.
 * Storm and Gambit rescue Forge, Dan, Sakura, and the rest of the X-Men and Street Fighters. As Storm was about to rekindle her relationship with Forge, Shuma-Gorath breaks free and all five of them do battle against him, putting Storm's love for Forge on hold.
 * M. Bison gives Rogue an offer to become human but declines, refusing to be under his control. This lead to her questioning her mutant powers. Chun-Li dismisses her by responding that she can throw fireballs. Later on, Gambit approaches Rogue and consoles her, appreciating the way she is.
 * Chun-Li was made an honorary member of the X-Men, despite the lack of mutant powers on her part. Ryu is also offered membership in both the X-Men and Avengers, but turns it down both times, preferring to continue on his own path.
 * Magneto and M. Bison team up, intending on betraying each other at a later time. In Magneto's ending, Magneto eventually manages to get the upper hand and kills Bison, with the Shadaloo Grand Masters (Balrog, Vega, and Sagat) joining him afterwards, fearful of Magneto's power. The opposite happens in M. Bison's ending.
 * Charlie is kidnapped by M. Bison, who uses Shadaloo's technology to transform him to a super-soldier henchman known as Shadow. This prompts Guile to seek revenge against M. Bison.


 * In Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter,
 * Apocalypse captures Akuma and turns him into Cyber-Akuma.
 * Confirming Charlie's ending from the previous game, Shadow appears as a selectable character. In M. Bison's ending, a completely mechanical Charlie (built with the technology behind Cyber-Akuma) follows Bison's orders to spread fear and destruction in the name of Shadaloo.
 * Ryu reunites with Cyclops and they both take down Cyber-Akuma.
 * In a follow-up from X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Wolverine and Akuma continue their rivalry. This time, Akuma stalks Wolverine, who defeats Cyber-Akuma, and is ready to reveal his past if Wolverine concedes to a duel with him. Therefore, Wolverine accept Akuma's ultimatum.
 * In the Hulk's ending, he initiates a conversation with Blanka and agrees to help find Blanka's mother.
 * In Omega Red's ending, he apparently kills Ryu, prompting Ken to also seek revenge.
 * In Chun-Li's ending, she reports to Interpol with the capture of various Marvel characters and Street Fighters, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, Shuma-Gorath, Ken, Zangief, and Sakura.
 * In Dan's ending, Akuma is hinted to be his father. However, this ending, much like Dan himself, is a parody of the Art of Fighting series. In this case, the ending to the first game.
 * In Dhalsim's ending, he welcomes Shuma-Gorath to his home in India.
 * In Akuma's ending, Dan is turned into Cyber-Dan by Apocalypse. He is very easily defeated by Akuma, though.
 * In Ken's endings, the events of the games never actually happened. In X-Men vs. Street Fighter, he was playing the game itself with his son Mel, while the events of Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter appear to be a dream. He wakes up and continues his training with Ryu.


 * In Marvel vs. Capcom,
 * When Onslaught emerges, Charles Xavier subconsciously calls the Capcom heroes to help stop himself.
 * After the demise of Onslaught, Captain America gathers the Capcom heroes and transported them back to their world.
 * Shadow turns on M. Bison, who then tries to subject Chun-Li to the same fate.
 * In Shadow Lady's ending, Jin Saotome is attacked by M. Bison and left near death. Shadow Lady and fellow cyborg Shadow find Jin and to prevent his death, they modify him into a being like themselves.
 * In Jin's ending, he disappers after defeating Onslaught, with Ryu vowing that one day he would return.
 * In Ryu's ending, Ken takes his protégé Sean to see him to continue his training.
 * In the Hulk's ending, Captain America sacrifices himself to destroy Onslaught (in a scene similar to the canonical Onslaught Saga).
 * In Zangief's ending, he, in his Iron Body form, battles Jin's Cyberbot, Blodia.
 * In Gambit's ending, he flirts with Morrigan until Rogue intervenes and takes him away.
 * In Morrigan's ending, she doesn't find anyone who can provide a challenge for her. Ryu, then, steps up to accept her challenge in a game of Puzzle Fighter.
 * An unspecified accident causes Morrigan's mind to be transferred into the body of her sister, Lilith, and vice versa. When the two attempt to return their minds to their rightful bodies, Zangief interrupts.  It is heavily implied that this results in Morrigan and Zangief's minds trading bodies.
 * Roll defeats Onslaught before Mega Man does and is given enhanced powers by Dr. Light, leaving Mega Man in disdain.

Marvel Characters
This is a list of all the Marvel characters that have appeared in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, most of which have appeared in various Marvel comic books:

Capcom Characters
This is a list of all the Capcom characters that have appeared in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, most of which have appeared in other Capcom games: