The Marvel vs. Capcom series is special in the hearts of many within the fighting game community. It has a long legacy on the competitive side of things, has some of the most popular characters ever created in anything ever, and brings back memories as old as 25 years.
Needless to say, there were a plethora of ecstatic fans when Capcom unveiled Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, with many of us feeling like we’ve finally been reunited with an old friend after 10+ years. A piece of fan art inspired by the announcement has been going around on social media this week that is not only being shared because of its aesthetics, but also heavily due to the emotion it incites within so many of us.
While X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994) and Marvel Super Heroes (1995) acted as the precursors to the Marvel vs. Capcom series, it was officially 1996’s X-Men vs. Street Fighter that saw the two massive IPs fully clash for the first time.
X-Men vs. Street Fighter’s intro holds one of the most iconic and memorable pieces of imagery ever to grace Capcom’s Versus series. In it, we see Street Fighter’s Ryu and X-Men’s Cyclops — essentially both parties’ poster boys — take center stage and give each other a respect-filled hand shake.
This moment has been recreated several times in different Marvel vs. Capcom media, and most recently acts as the forward facing focal point of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics’ cover art. It was a fantastic design choice on Capcom’s part to use this for the upcoming compilation’s cover as it not only symbolizes the teaming up of the two companies, but also resonates with a lot of fans as a loving welcome back.
The fan art we’re looking at today comes from the mind of PADRE, and it stems from the Ryu and Cyclops handshake. What we have is a simple, plain background with both Ryu and Cyclops up front and center.
Instead of illustrating the actual handshake, PADRE captures the moment right before the two fighters’ hands lock which somehow makes for an even more emotional portrayal. The poses for both Ryu and Cyclops are so dynamic here, showcasing a ton of movement and passion despite being stationary.
Seeing Cyclops’ arm cocked back and his palm opened wide lets you feel just how strong this long awaited handshake is going to be. Ryu wears an expression of acceptance and determination as he holds his hand out to greet his old buddy.
This piece of artwork comes packed with so many feels, perfectly capturing that feeling of finally seeing someone near and dear to you after a very long time. And that is exactly how many of us feel about the Versus series of games and Capcom’s upcoming compilation. Our old friend is finally back, and we couldn’t be happier.
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lets go for a ride pic.twitter.com/mLytbHVU8Y
— PADRE COMMS CLOSED (@yeet_sonny) June 20, 2024
From what I’ve seen, a lot of folks on Twitter shared similar sentiments about this beautiful work of art. Even Jorge Constantini, editor for Maximilian, put together a little animated clip that features the art piece followed by the Ryu and Cyclops from the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection cover to complete the handshake.
— Jorge Constantini (@itotweets_) June 21, 2024
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics doesn’t have a set release date yet, but it is slated for release sometime this year. It will be available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.