Now, the creators have said that they are currently aiming for around 15 characters per side, although it’s likely the end result will be more - hopefully a lot more since they’ve got a lot of good material to work with! I’ve managed to narrow my predictions down to 17 per side. And today, I announce the predictions for the Capcom side of the rivalry…

	Name: Ryu From: Street Fighter Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Confirmed character A Capcom fighter just wouldn’t be right without Ryu, the lead character of Street Fighter that gives most players at least one fighter they can use without worrying that they don’t know any of the moves. Bringing in his classic Hadokens, Shoryukens and unpronouncable spin kicks, he’ll surely be a solid character, with his Shinkuu Hadoken devastating all that stand in his way.
	Name: Morrigan From: Darkstalkers Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Confirmed character The seductive Morrigan hails from Capcom’s more monsterlike fighter, Darkstalkers. A beautiful succubus, she uses her wings for aerial manoevers and can use dark powers such as summoning bats to attack. In Marvel vs Capcom 2 her hyper moves included purple lasers and the ability to attack the opponent alongside a doppelganger.
	Name: Chris Redfield From: Resident Evil Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Confirmed character Chris Redfield is the original lead male in the Resident Evil series, also being the lead character of Resident Evil 5. We haven’t seen him before but clips suggest he’ll be employing guns among his moves. We don’t know a lot else – but I’m sure his melee attacks and the Rocket Launcher will be in there somewhere. Perhaps we’ll see Sheva as a cameo in one of his specials?
	Name: Dante From: Devil May Cry Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Very likely When Marvel vs Capcom 2 was first released a decade ago, the original Devil May Cry hadn’t even hit the shelves yet and Dante wasn’t a known character in the gaming world. As time passed on and I grew to love the series – specifically DMC3 – I’d always wished I could see Dante appear in the series, but it seemed it could never be so. However, now starring in four games, he’s now a very likely candidate for the newly unveiled installment of the fighter – with plenty of potential for sword/gun/demonic attacks of pure coolness. Silhouettes in the new artwork look almost undeniably like him, and there should be no lack of inspiration for fighting moves where this guy’s concerned.
	Name: Felicia From: Darkstalkers Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Almost certain Silhouettes in the new art could surely belong to none other than Felicia, Darkstalkers’ resident cat-girl. Using a very rapid and acrobatic style, we should see her tumbling all over the place, leaping around and scratching her opponents to shreds. In MvC2, her hyper attacks included barrage attacks and summoning a swarm of other cat-girls to beat up her opponent.
	Name: Chun Li From: Street Fighter Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Almost certain Chun Li is Street Fighter’s most recognisable female, using an array of rapid kick attacks and energy blasts. The MvC3 art suggests she’ll be in the game, and she should be a solid character as always. MvC2 had her using a giant energy blast as her Hyper Combo attack.
	Name: Frank West From: Dead Rising Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Almost certain The artwork seems to show that Frank West will be one of the characters, his stocky figure recognisable amongst the silhouettes. Frank has actually appeared in Tatsunoko vs Capcom, so this won’t be his first appearance in a fighting game. His attacks revolved around using mall objects, as well as summoning zombies much like Jill Valentine did in MvC2. A strange character to master.
	Name: Seth From: Street Fighter IV Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Likely Named after Seth Killian, creator of SFIV – Seth is perhaps one of the most hated bosses of all time, with his unfair AI and cheap attacks. Killian says Seth’s fine (sadistic power trip much?), and I’m sure we’ll get a few groans if he gets officially announced – one of the silhouettes definitely looks to me like the bald tyrant so we can only hope he’s toned down for this game.
	Name: Akuma From: Street Fighter Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Possible With the roster set to around 15 characters per side, I could imagine that Capcom would want to reduce the amount of “Shoto” type characters that utilise similar moves to that of Ryu. However, Akuma has a large following and has appeared in MvC2, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see his “Dark Hado” version of Ryu’s fighting style appearing in the game.
	Name: Megaman From: Megaman Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Quite Likely Being brought almost to the status of mascot due to his popularity, the “Blue Bomber” is one of Capcom’s most well-known characters. Although there’s been no mention of him so far, I would be surprised if he doesn’t make an appearance in one of his many incarnations, having appeared in both Marvel vs Capcom and Tatsunoko vs Capcom previously. In MvC2 his Hyper move involved growing into a giant robot and blasting the enemy up with huge missiles.
	Name: Gouken From: Street Fighter IV Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Possible Gouken hasn’t been around as a playable character for long, but being the “good” brother of Akuma and Ryu’s master I imagine he has gotten quite a following fairly quickly. If Akuma gets in, I can see Gouken being put in due to his popularity as well.
	Name: Captain Commando From: Captain Commando Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Possible Originally created as a mascot for Capcom, his name even abbreviating to CAP.COM, he starred in the self-titled game Captain Commando which played in the same way as Final Fight. Although an old mascot, Capcom included him in MvC2 and may feel he is worthy of continuing in the newer title. His Hyper Combo involved summoning all three of his allies from Captain Commando to attack together.
	Name: Strider Hiryu From: Strider Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Unsure – but I hope so! Strider is another of Capcom’s older characters - a futuristic ninja/mercenary who utilises lightning-fast blade attacks, can climb walls, and has a number of robotic animals and devices that can assist him in battle. Although perhaps not well known nowadays, Strider was a very good character in MvC2, and I can only hope Capcom will see him worthy of keeping in the latest version.
	Name: Jill Valentine From: Resident Evil Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Possible Jill Valentine was the original female lead of Resident Evil, along with Chris Redfield. However, since Chris and Frank West have joined the roster, her mixture of gun and zombie attacks have perhaps been left redundant. Capcom may decide to keep her, perhaps even changing her to the “blonde-super-Jill’ from RE5, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
	Name: Samanosuke Akechi From: Onimusha Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Doubtful but would be good Since the release of MvC2, Onimusha is a series that has been and gone – the most recent title being Dawn of Dreams, the fourth installment which was released on the PS2 a few years ago. Samanosuke is a japanese samurai who has been the most prominent of the series’ protagonists, employing a mixture of elemental swords and the ability to transform into an all-powerful being, the “Onimusha”. Although it’s sadly unlikely he’ll be included, there is hope – Tatsunoko vs Capcom recently included Onimusha 4′s Soki as a playable character, meaning the series has not been forgotten altogether.
	Name: Vergil From: Devil May Cry Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Unlikely due to roster size The evil twin of Dante, there could be no better character to rival him in MvC3 - the similar appearance between the twins being one of their only similarities. While Dante is generally good, lighthearted and fun, Vergil is known for his cold demeanor and deadly precision with his katana, Yamato. He was a playable character in DMC3: Special Edition, offering a unique playing style that was just as good to play as Dante himself.
	Name: Phoenix Wright From: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Unlikely A lawyer? In a fighting game? Am I mad? Probably! But to be honest, MvC is all about madness, and including characters from all walks of life. Known for his tagline “OBJECTION!”, Phoenix is probably one of the only lawyers to be loved rather than despised. Originally, Phoenix Wright was even planned to be in Tatsunoko vs Capcom, but didn’t make the final cut. I sort of hope they get him in this! Every MvC game needs a novely character or two, after all!

So these are my predictions for the Capcom side of the roster! What do you think?

Expect to see my predictions for the Marvel side soon.

-Leon