For MCU fans, now that Spider-Man: Brand New Day has swung past, all eyes are on December and Doomsday. Marvel is gearing up for one of its biggest crossover events ever, which will serve as the culmination of the entire multiverse saga post-Avengers: Endgame. Anticipation is high to see how Anthony and Joe Russo unite characters like Thor and Steve Rogers with the newest teams on the block, the New Avengers and Fantastic Four, as well as the Wakandans and even the returning X-Men from the 20th Century Fox universe in a desperate struggle against Robert Downey Jr.‘s Doctor Doom. However, before that, gamers will get to experience an even wilder crossover of comic book forces.
This week, on August 6, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls will finally release on PlayStation 5 and Windows, marking Marvel’s latest venture into the 2D fighting game arena. Developed by Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ masterminds Arc System Works and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the game reimagines a roster of 20 iconic characters from the comic giant for a 4v4 tag team battle across a variety of locales from throughout the Marvel universe. Though players can assemble whatever teams they desire with whatever leader they like best, each hero or villain is divided onto one of five teams, including the Fighting Avengers, Unbreakable X-Men, The Amazing Guardians, The Knights of Doom, and Samurai Outriders. Captain America, Storm, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, and Ghost Rider were each chosen to assemble the squads by The Promoter, who prepares them all for The Challenge of the Champion against a villain that threatens to destroy their world unless they can produce a worthy opponent.
The story isn’t the main focus of Marvel Tōkon, but the game does feature an Episode Mode following each of the five teams as they compete in qualifiers for a chance to fight the Promoter and The Champion himself. An Elder of the Universe, The Champion has laid waste to several worlds whose champions haven’t passed muster, including the Shi’ar homeworld of Chandilar, and now has Earth in his sights. Each team assembles for their own reasons to take down the threat, but before the game releases, Marvel Comics is providing a bit of extra context to this conflict. A companion anthology comic one-shot, titled Marvel Tōkon: First Strike, hits store shelves on August 5 and expands the story of each fighter and their new foes. A preview was just released, showing where the groups are and how they prepare for the coming battle, as well as revealing how The Promoter got involved in The Champion’s path of destruction.
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Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?
🕷️Spider-Man
😈Daredevil
🤖Iron Man
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💀Punisher
⚡Thor
🛡️Cap
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01
What drives you to do what’s right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.
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02
It’s 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you’d think.
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03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What’s yours?
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04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
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05
You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.
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06
What’s your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.
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07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.
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08
When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.
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09
What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
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10
The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.
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Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
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Queens, New York
🕷️ Spider-Man
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You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.
Hell’s Kitchen, New York
😈 Daredevil
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You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.
Stark Industries, Malibu
🤖 Iron Man
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Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.
New York City
💀 The Punisher
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You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.
Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms
⚡ Thor
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Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.
Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers
🛡️ Captain America
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You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.
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The book opens with The Promoter commiserating with the Silver Surfer about her boss. Like many great Marvel characters, The Champion was forged in tragedy, belonging to a long-forgotten strong world whose civilization was destroyed in an invasion. He was the lone survivor and vowed to make all worlds strong enough to resist destruction, but to do so, he puts those worlds with unworthy champions through his training program, leading to their demise anyway. Even though The Champion saw promise in her and gave her a new purpose, The Promoter is conflicted about working for someone whose noble aims run up against violent methods. The remaining pages show the Avengers displaying their might by fiercely protecting Earth from an invasion by the Skrull and Kree armadas and Storm relentlessly training against simulated Sentinels to prepare for The Champion.
First Strike unites a team of talented writers, including Josh Trujillo, Steve Orlando, and Tom Waltz, as well as artists Bruno Bull, Athila Fabbio, and Ryusei Yamada, to tell three separate stories within the world of Marvel Tōkon. Expect big battles and a few mysteries that tie into the game’s narrative, particularly in relation to The Promoter and Champion, as well as a showcase of this colorful, poppy version of the Marvel universe. Capping off the comic is a cover by Juan Frigeri highlighting the stylish Promoter, who’s ready to kick off the high-stakes competition.
Marvel Tōkon: First Strike #1 goes on sale on Wednesday, August 5, before Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls launches on August 6 on PS5 and Windows. Check out the preview in the gallery above.
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