The 39 characters of Marvel vs Capcom 3

Galactus

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #48

As old as the creation of the Marvel Universe, Galactus is driven by one thing: an unending hunger. He travels all the cosmos eating whatever planet he can find, be those worlds inhabited or not. Every now and then he tries to chow down on our planet, but was often stopped by earth’s heroes, usually led by the Fantastic Four. One of the most powerful entities in existence, Galactus is far above any petty concerns the germs on whatever world he comes upon, which are normally revealed to him by his heralds, most famous of being the Silver Surfer.

Hsien-Ko

First Appearance: Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge (Arcade)

Zombies are cool, but sprinkle a little tragedy and Chinese mysticism on them and you’ve got a bad ass fighter like Darkstalkers’ Hsien-Ko (AKA Lei-Lei in Japan). Hundreds of years ago in rural China, twins Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling’s saw their mother killed by a demon, and the girls swore revenge. Using an old ritual they became a Jiang Shi, a sort of vampire-zombie hybrid known for its hopping (seriously). Technically the body you see is Hsien-Ko, but Mei-Ling has the most control over their magic powers, as she became a spirit ward, which is that piece of paper over her pretty blue face, making her the brains of the team. Most of their powers involve floating on air and pulling an impossibly huge collection of deadly items out of their sleeves, which works just fine for killing demons.

Hulk

First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #1

Hulk’s the strongest there is, that’s all you need to know. If you must dig deeper, the Hulkseter’s smashing history began with Dr. Bruce Banner being blown-up by his own experimental Gamma-bomb. Soon the meek Banner’s extreme id was unleashed as a savage green beast that only gets stronger the angrier he becomes. Normally Hulk is just fighting for some solitude, as he is constantly pursued, usually by the army or interested super villains, all of which usually leads to Hulk punching his way to privacy again. Should you persist in bothering Hulk, prepare to be smashed.

Iron Man

First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #39

Featured in a couple recent films you may have heard of, Iron Man is one of Marvel's top heroes. When a fatal injury and kidnapping led weapons maker and lazy playboy Tony Stark to make a life-saving suit of armor, Tony decided to keep on using it to help the world. Unlike most heroes, Iron Man's costume is in a constant state of flux, as improvements and alterations are continually being made. Though flight, strength and energy blasts are a given, who knows what else the cybernetics genius will add to his robo-clothes next? An original Avengers member, Tony is just as famous outside of his suit, making groundbreaking technological discoveries seemingly every day.

Jill Valentine

First Appearance: Resident Evil (PlayStation)

Along with Chris Redfield, Jill starred in the original Resident Evil, and is known the world over as the "master of unlocking." She's equally good with a pistol as she is with a lock-pick, taking down hundreds of zombies as a member of S.T.A.R.S. in the first game, while in RE3 she battled the effects of the T-Virus solo in the ruined Raccoon City. In MvC3 she’s sporting her look from RE5, which included a new hair color to go with her new evil personality, which is thanks to the jewelry she’s sporting on her chest. Jill’s pretty busy this year: on top of this game, she’ll be in not one, but two games on the 3DS.

Magneto

First Appearance: X-Men #1

A freedom fighter to some, a genocidal terrorist to the majority of the populous, Erik Lehnsherr took on the moniker Magneto for noble reasons. When the emerging mutant race was met with hate and misunderstanding, Mags disagreed with his friend Charles Xavier and wouldn’t try to work with humanity, instead choosing to use his powers to demand humanity’s respect, or at the very least their fear. His control over all things metal makes him one of the most dangerous beings on earth, and probably the most treacherous enemy the X-Men ever faced. Whether threatening to destroy the earth by shifting its axis or planning to enslave all humanity, Magneto just wants to protect mutantkind, so long as he’s in charge.

Mike Haggar

First Appearance: Final Fight (Arcade)

Before Street Fighter II became the default fighting game of the ‘90s, Final Fight became the go-to beat ‘em up arcade cabinet. Two of its three playable characters (Guy and Cody) have long been a part of both worlds, while muscle-bound wrestler/Metro City Mayor Mike Haggar was forced to sit on the bench. Now, after two decades of waiting, you can pit this popularly elected combatant against the likes of not just Ryu and Chun Li, but also Spider-Man, Hulk and Galactus. Are two beefy arms enough to topple the Power Cosmic? In this weirdo crossover, anything’s possible.