Marvel is in another golden age of video games right now. Midnight Suns was brilliant, although not enough people played it. Marvel Rivals is crushing it in the hero-shooter genre. And coming later this year, we have Marvel Cosmic Invasion, developed by Tribute Games. They're the team that brought us the incredible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge in 2022. Fifteen Marvel heroes will take to the streets to battle Annihilus, and here are the ones confirmed right now.
Wolverine
He's the best there is at what he does, and what he does is move Marvel merchandise. It's a running gag that even Wolverine doesn't know exactly how many teams he's on. There's no way they were making a Marvel side-scrolling brawler and not including him. He was also a key component of the X-Men's 90s success, appearing in the classic X-Men Arcade Game and of course, the 1997 cartoon that now has a brilliant continuation on Disney Plus. Let's go, bub!
Spider-Man
Spidey is every bit as reliable as Wolverine when it comes to generating fan interest. His books, movies, and of course, video games are nothing short of iconic. Remember Maximum Carnage and its "blood red" Super Nintendo cartridge? If you do, Cosmic Invasion is for you.
Venom
Speaking of Maximum Carnage, if aliens are punching each other in the Marvel universe, Venom is sure to be on the scene. Thanks to his movies, Venom has an even higher profile now than when he and his horde of symbiotes were first introduced to us. He has embraced his role as a "Lethal Protector," so the Annihilation Wave better be ready.
Captain America
F' yeah. The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan is the ultimate leader. If you need a battle plan to take down an invading alien army (which you do every Tuesday in the Marvel universe) there's nobody better for the job than good old Steve Rogers. He brings a gaming pedigree that stretches back to Marvel's arcade brawlers, and we couldn't possibly forget his Marvel vs Capcom appearances. The art style of Cosmic Invasion is directly influenced by some of the games from that era.
Nova
The Nova Corps got their biggest exposure in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. They're often compared to DC's Green Lantern Corps, as they are super cool space cops with matching uniforms and power sets. As with the Green Lantern mythos, there is more than one person who has been Marvel's Nova.
We don't know yet which character will appear in Cosmic Invasion, or if there will be enough story meat for us to distinguish any real difference. Arcade brawlers aren't often known for being in-depth character studies.
Phyla-Vell
Phyla-Vell is the daughter of Genis-Vell, one of the heroes who held the moniker of Captain Marvel. Phyla has also been as Captain Marvel, Quasar, and Martyr. Making things more potentially more confusing, the Richard Rider version of Nova has also gone by Quasar. This is part of why arcade brawlers don't have in-depth character studies.
Storm
One of the X-Men's greatest leaders, Storm has appeared in almost every game that includes the beloved mutants. That includes the X-Men arcade game, which is a huge inspiration for Cosmic Invasion.