EVO Japan 2026 saw a brand-new trailer for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, the 4v4 fighting game featuring many icons from Marvel Comics in an anime-inspired title from developer Arc System Works. The studio behind the Guilty Gear and Granblue Fantasy Vs have been compiling a strong roster of Marvel characters, including some obscure picks that haven’t been in a fighting game before. Although the latest reveals for the game were somewhat predictable, a small hint may suggest a surprising addition to the roster.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Characters in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls are divided into narrative teams, such as the “Unbreakable X-Men” and “Amazing Guardians.” These groups feature a “leader” character along with other fighters from their side of the Marvel universe, or those with similar personalities or goals to fit within a “canon” squad for the game’s story. For example, Storm leads Magik, Wolverine, and Danger into battle, while Spider-Man, Captain America, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Doom lead other teams.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighitng Souls Reveals Fighting Avengers Team With Hulk & Black Panther
The newest team to be shown off for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is the “Fighting Avengers,” a group led by Captain America. As many fans suspected, this team included Iron Man, one of the first characters revealed for the game’s announcement and a playable fighter across the game’s multiple open betas. The new characters revealed for this team were the Hulk and Black Panther, with the latter having their role embodied by an unlikely figure.
Instead of the standard Wakanda king T’challa occupying the role of Black Panther, his sister Shuri is behind the mask in this fighting game. Wielding a spear, Shuri’s Black Panther retains the agile combat that many would associate with the character. Likewise, Hulk appears to be a heavy bruiser, incredibly similar to the character’s appearance in other fighting games like Marvel vs Capcom 3. A new stage set in Wakanda was also used as the background for the debut of these characters, giving players a glimpse into the high-tech country from Marvel’s history.
Brief glimpses of the game’s story were seen in the Fighting Avengers trailer too, including how each new character fits into the new team. Shuri is adopting the Black Panther mantle for her injured brother, while Hulk is reluctantly helping out former Avengers after his seclusion in the dangerous Savage Land. Meanwhile, a cosmic Promoter is organizing a tournament for various challengers to take on The Champion, a lesser-known Marvel villain who fits perfectly into this fighting game’s aesthetic. Yet, one detail captured player attention the most, as the end of the trailer teased which team might be revealed next.
References To Amazing Spider-Man Comics Suggests Carnage To Be On Doctor Doom’s Team
The Fighting Avengers trailer ends with showing which leaders haven’t had their teams come together yet, including Doctor Doom and Ghost Rider. Before ending, the trailer flashes to a strange inverted green screen, with a number of symbols and changes sketched into the image. A hashtag next to Doctor Doom and the number 5 in the upper right corner seem to hint at Doom’s team being next, since the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 back in 1962.
However, additional clues point toward the eyes of Spider-Man being scratched out, implying that one of the characters on Doctor Doom’s team may not like the fast-talking wall-crawler. Fans have theorized that Doctor Doom would lead a team of Marvel villains, including one from Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. In the bottom left corner, the number “361” is repeated over and over, perhaps provided a similar clue to the “5” mentioned earlier. By following this logic, the deranged character Carnage might be a playable fighter, as the villain appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #361 in 1992.
Carnage would be a very unexpected choice for this game’s roster, as the serial killer Cletus Cassidy and his red symbiote have never been in a fighting game before. Most of the time, Carnage is associated with Venom, a former Spider-Man villain the web-slinger had to team up with to even have a hope of defeating Carnage. Should these hints be true, having Carnage in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls would be a huge shake up to what player expect, creating a Doctor Doom team that is unlike what anyone could have anticipated.
Are you hoping Carnage will be on Doctor Doom’s team in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation / McDonald's -
Courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation / McDonalds
