Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, which launched today, may already be hinting at its future downloadable content. The game's accompanying tie-in comic, Marvel Tokon: First Strike, released this week and appears to feature characters that could be future DLC additions.
The comic introduces the game's premise and its roster of confirmed fighters, but also includes several notable characters who have not been officially announced by developer Arc System Works. Among these is Norrin Rad, the original Silver Surfer, who engages in a battle with the game's antagonists, the Promoter and the Champion. Following his defeat, the Champion mentions Shalla-Bal, who is Silver Surfer's love interest and has also taken on the mantle. This suggests a potential inclusion of this iteration of the Silver Surfer in the game.
During the narrative involving Norrin Rad and Shalla-Bal, brief appearances are made by Nova and Cosmic Ghost Rider. While Marvel Tokon already features one Ghost Rider, this alternate version of Frank Castle, who becomes both Ghost Rider and Herald of Galactus, seems less likely to be added. Nova, however, presents a stronger possibility. Given Marvel's tendency for cross-media synergy and Nova's upcoming MCU film, their inclusion in the fighting game could serve to familiarize audiences with the character.
The comic also features an extended appearance by Thor, alongside confirmed Marvel Tokon fighters Iron Man and Hulk. Thor's absence from the initial roster, considering his status as a central Marvel character, makes his appearance in the tie-in comic particularly intriguing.
Further bolstering the theory of these characters appearing as DLC is the presence of Phoenix Cyclops, who was previously confirmed by Arc System Works as the first of four planned Year 1 DLC fighters. If one confirmed DLC character appears in the tie-in comic, it stands to reason that other unannounced characters featured might also be slated for inclusion. The game's launch roster of 20 characters, divided into five teams of four, could also accommodate the four potential DLC fighters as a cohesive cosmic team, filling a perceived gap. However, these are currently speculative, as Sony or Arc System Works have yet to officially confirm any additional DLC characters. Marvel has a precedent for this approach, having previously debuted Mister Sinister, a villain from Marvel's Wolverine, in a tie-in comic.