Frank West

Dead Rising’s photojournalist previously entered the ring in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, where he had a unique moveset that included zombies, shopping carts with zombies in them, and “The Real MegaBuster.” The developers planned to have this survivor in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and even teased him in early promos, but they had to ditch him because he would have taken too long to prepare. One of the benefits of an update like this is that with the initial groundwork over, the team has more manpower to use on asset-heavy characters like Frank.

But what if there's another reason that Frank won't return? MVC3’s online lag is bad to begin with, and I can’t imagine how it would fare with two Franks calling zombies and assists at the same time. Dead Rising 2’s Chuck Green could be a replacement, but Capcom would want to promote Frank for the upcoming Dead Rising 2: Off the Record expansion...what a mess!    

Mega Man

I was glad that the developers didn’t shove Mega Man into the original version. Characters you don’t expect are more interesting than ones that are in because of a mandate. Unfortunately, this happy soldier has gone from being a star mascot to suffering two high-profile cancellations, most recently Mega Man Legends 3. Maybe getting into MVC3's cast will help get him escape this turmoil.

The question now is which Mega Man they will put in. I could do an entire article about the pros and cons of each version. Personally, I'd like a Mega Man X who could use dash jumps and wall kicks to leap around the screen as he peppers foes with projectiles. The only thing I really care about with the Blue Bomber, however, is if he’s fun to use.  

Gill

Never heard of this guy? Once you face this final boss in Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike Online Edition you'll see how Street Fighter 4's Seth wasn't so tough after all. While M. Bison needed an overhaul to compete in previous Vs. games, Gill wouldn’t need many changes even if he lost his trademark Resurrection technique. I’d rather see the dual-colored messiah keep SF3’s parry counter anyway -- much in the same way C. Viper kept her Focus Attack from Street Fighter 4.

No, wait, that’s not it. While Niitsuma does like Gill, it would be strange for him to go in before SF3's hero, Alex. Capcom needs a new female character to go with Marvel’s new female characters anyway, but other Street Fighters like Cammy would be boring. Actually, if Akuma is moved down to the row where the other Street Fighter characters are, then there would be room for two Mega Man characters. Roll is confirmed!

Asura

We know three things about the protagonist of the upcoming Asura’s Wrath: He screams a lot, he can grow six arms that shoot energy balls, and he can punch away the finger of a planet-sized space Buddha. Since the game isn’t out yet, we don’t know if Asura is for real or a dime-store Kratos, but this wouldn’t be the first time someone used a fighting game to promote an upcoming action game.  

No way. What about Darkstalkers? That franchise has so many cool characters like Jon Talbain, B.B. Hood, Anakaris, Jedah, and Donovan. Not adding one is criminal. My Ouija board must be on the fritz.

Strider Hiryu

Everything about Strider Hiryu bleeds cool: His appearance, his attacks, and even his theme music. His inclusion in the first Marvel vs. Capcom made him popular enough to get a sequel after years of dormancy. The ninja was also the most exciting character to watch in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 thanks to talented players like Clockw0rk, who is now suffering from Strider Abandonment Recluse Syndrome due to his absence.

But Strider is also co-owned by manga creator Hiroshi Motomiya, which makes putting him into games more complicated than usual. Even taking this into account, I hope he will make it in, if only because Strider not being in an MVC3 expansion is on my Signs of the Apocalypse prediction list. 

Phoenix Wright

Unlike a lot of people who have been clamoring for this Ace Attorney since Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, I am not someone who's looking forward to seeing Pheonix Wright in a fighting game. He's a more interesting choice than someone like Devil May Cry 3's Virgil, but the only move anyone seems to come up with is for him to say "Objection!"

I’m sure the developers can make a movelist for him; after all, they made the Japanese comic Norimaro into a brawler way back in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter. I won’t call any character a waste of a roster slot, but I really want Phoenix to be a worthy addition to the cast and not someone who people play for a few games and then go back to Wolverine.