Marvel Cosmic Invasion Designer Reveals the Comics That Most Inspired the Game (Exclusive)

November 20, 2025, 11:00am

Ahead of its impending release, the team behind the upcoming video game Marvel Cosmic Invasion has revealed which Marvel comics served as the greatest inspiration for the title. Rather than being based around a single Marvel character, Cosmic Invasion is set to feature a vast cast of playable fighters that include Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Silver Surfer, and Wolverine, just to name a few. With so many characters involved, developer Tribute Games was influenced from a number of different Marvel comic books that have been released over the years to craft its own unique storyline.

Videos by ComicBook.com

In a new video, Yannick Belzil, the narrative designer of Marvel Cosmic Invasion, visited Crossover Comics in Montreal to talk extensively about which comics shaped the narrative of the game. Belzil said that more than anything else, the 2006 event series Annihilation was the biggest influence on Cosmic Invasion, which is primarily seen by Annihilus being the main antagonist of the game. Much of the characterization of Annihilus, in addition to some of the other enemies that appear throughout Marvel Cosmic Invasion, were pulled from the pages of Annihilation but were revamped in a more colorful, all-ages style.

Other than Annihilation, Belzil also pointed to some other iconic comic book runs that many Marvel fans have likely read for themselves. 2008’s Guardians of the Galaxy was the primary source that shaped the Guardians characters that appear in the game, while the X-Men comic that Tribute Games primarily looked to was 1991’s Mutant Genesis storyline. As for Spider-Man, Belzil said that the team didn’t look at a single Spidey storyline, but instead tried to emulate the version of the character that was seen in comics throughout the 1990s.

To hear the full breakdown from Belzil, you can watch the video for yourself right here:

As for how these influences ended up shaping what’s seen in Marvel Cosmic Invasion, it’s known that the game will feature a ton of different locales that are present in these aforementioned storylines. From New York City to Asgard and the Negative Zone, Cosmic Invasion will transport players to many iconic locations across its 15 different stages. Best of all, the game will allow up to four players to play the game at once, either locally or online, so that you can take down Annihilus and other Marvel baddies with your friends.