Resident Evil 7 was a dramatic turning point in the franchise, though Resident Evil has a storied lineage of multiple turning points with genre-bending changes. It was unclear how many Resident Evil games would receive their own remake treatment around the time that Resident Evil 2 came out, but now it seems as if a whole remake continuity has been started with no plans of slowing down. Because Resident Evil 4’s remake is so successful, it is disappointing one beloved Capcom franchise may not be able to exploit that.
Marvel vs. Capcom is widely regarded as one of the best fighting game franchises thanks to its first few entries. Of course, there have been many collaborative crossovers in games, such as Capcom vs. SNK or X-Men vs. Street Fighter, but Marvel vs. Capcom has been the pinnacle of these installments. Unfortunately, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite may have been rough enough to bury the franchise, and therefore fans might never get to see Resident Evil’s remake characters appear in a future Marvel vs. Capcom game.
Resident Evil’s Remakes Would Make for Great Marvel vs. Capcom Characters
There are many reasons why a future for Marvel vs. Capcom is unlikely, with the two most likely being that Capcom abandoned Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, and Disney’s licensing may have restricted it further. The reception to Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite was generally negative due to its inhibitive roster and unfavorable art style, as well as an uninspired campaign. This was hardly the direction fans wanted the franchise to be headed, and it is undetermined whether another installment could appear in the future to redeem it.
It might be unrealistic to expect that Marvel vs. Capcom would return to its fan-favorite sprites with more of a traditional appeal and aesthetic, and most fans would probably prefer a Marvel game coming from NetherRealm as was previously rumored. Marvel vs. Capcom could be better off as a shelved franchise due to the whole ‘grass being greener’ mentality, where fans could wait for nearly half a decade only to see another pale imitation of the IP they adored.
Mods continue to populate in Marvel vs. Capcom’s previous games, introducing characters who are not officially part of their playable rosters, and that may be all fans truly need to hold onto. If another Marvel vs. Capcom game did release, its Capcom roster would be able to take full advantage of the updated Resident Evil character models that were introduced in the remakes.
It would be incredible to see Leon Kennedy with his newly learned knife parry, for example, and the game could continue to introduce new DLC characters with each new remake launch.Marvel would probably still have issues with its side of the fence due to its licensing restrictions from Disney, and that may always be unfortunate if Disney wants to pepper in characters that tie to its MCU properties with associable skins.
This insistence on connecting an overarching brand is ultimately what has led to a monotonous tone throughout most Marvel properties at this point, and Capcom could maybe find itself caught in similar trappings if it relies too heavily on its new interpretations of older games. Marvel vs. Capcom may always be in a tricky situation to navigate for a bunch of reasons, but it is great to see both Marvel and Capcom thriving individually in the meantime.
Resident Evil 4 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.