Marvel vs. Capcom 2: OG Characters' Fighting Game Return?

Capcom producer Shuhei Matsumoto has opened 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 Teases Possible Returns of Original Marvel vs Capcom 2 CharactersSays It's Always a Possibility, Capcom Still Feeling Things Out

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

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 games, "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 games of the series, including Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

This game 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 game, 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 games.

Addressing fans in attendance at Evo 2024, Matsumoto suggested that these characters could make a comeback and the release of the arcade classics collection presents them this opportunity. "Yeah, there's always a possibility. 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 OG 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 about three, four years" to make the new collection a reality. "We've been talking with Marvel for quite a while. And back then, we just didn't have the opportunities to release this game. But now, after those discussions with them, we were finally able to do so," Matsumoto said.

He added, "In terms of past Capcom-developed Marvel titles, this has been something that myself and the team have been wanting to re-release for years and years now. It was just a matter of timing and making sure that everyone was on board."

Matsumoto also mentioned that Capcom wants to make a brand new Versus series title and "not just that, but other past fighting games that might not be supported with rollback or are available on a current platform," he said. "There’s a lot we’re looking forward to and big dreams, and now it’s a matter of timing and seeing what we can do one step at a time."

The producer added that Capcom is keen 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 want them to be re-released again on modern platforms. And the feeling is mutual on the development side," he told IGN.

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