At the New York Comic Con today, Capcom revealed two more playable characters appearing in next year’s highly anticipated fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3.  One of them is a very good pick for the game.  The other is making it hard for me not to jump up and down with glee like a 9-year old on a sugar high.  Marvel, not to be outdone by the publisher, then did pretty much the exact same thing.

Nathan “Rad” Spencer, the star of Capcom’s Bionic Commando series, and Magneto, mutant master of magnetism and arch-enemy/teammate of Marvel’s X-Men, will be joining the cast, and their inclusions are great.  Couldn’t be happier.  My happiness about these two, however, is dwarfed by my mind-numbing joy over Capcom’s reveal of Arthur from Ghosts N’ Goblins and Marvel’s announcement of MODOK. 

Arthur, the knight in shining armor (and stylish boxers) who first appeared in 1985’s damn-near-impossible arcade classic Ghosts N’ Goblins, was left out of the Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom lineup, much to the dismay of many fans, but seems like a perfect fit for an over-the-top fighting game.  MODOK, for those who don't know, is a gigantic head with baby arms and legs who sits in a floating chair and shoots mental blasts at the Hulk and the Avengers from time to time.  He’s not exactly a traditional pick for a 2D fighter, but this is the sequel to a game that let players pit a cactus against a demon octopus, so pretty much anything goes.

Even before today's announcements, I was very happy about the way MvC3’s roster was shaping up.  Capcom and Marvel have done a great job of mixing serious, popular characters like Wolverine and Ryu with bizarre and obscure ones like Tron Bonne and Dormammu.  The new announcements today follow that philosophy perfectly, and make the roster even more robust, exciting, and wacky.  That’s exactly what Marvel vs Capcom 3 should be.