Well, Bloody Hell! Marvel Cosmic Invasion Just Popped a Surprise DLC – Cyclops & The Thing Are Here!
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Dotemu and Tribute Games have shadow-dropped the first paid DLC for *Marvel Cosmic Invasion* today, adding fan-favorite heroes Cyclops and The Thing for $3.99 across all platforms. Building on the game's successful launch and 1.5 million players, the developers also teased a second paid DLC for Fall 2026, promising more characters and an all-new game mode.
Alright, mates, grab your cosmic ray guns and put on your finest stretchy blue outfits, because something rather unexpected just materialised out of thin air! Word from the digital ether (via Cameron Swan over at Game Rant, bless his pixels) is that Dotemu and Tribute Games – those digital wizards behind the fantastic retro beat-'em-up, *Marvel Cosmic Invasion* – have pulled a proper rabbit-out-of-a-hat move, shadow-dropping their first paid DLC today! No pre-announcements, no lengthy hype cycles, just BAM! New characters, right now!
And who, pray tell, are these new pugilists ready to clobber their way through hordes of intergalactic nasties? Only the ever-stoic, optic-blasting leader of the X-Men, **Cyclops**, and the ever-lovin', blue-eyed brawler from the Fantastic Four, **The Thing**! For a mere $3.99 – which, let's be fair, is less than a fancy coffee these days – you can add these two absolute legends to your roster on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch (yes, Switch 1 *and* 2, apparently, because why not embrace the future, eh?). It's a proper surprise, isn't it? Like finding a rare foil card in a booster pack you thought was empty.
Now, let's talk brass tacks about these new lads. **Cyclops**, as you'd expect from Ol' One-Eye, is all about those precision optic blasts. Apparently, his moveset is packed with powerful forward, downward, and upward energy beams, perfect for, well, blasting things. Plus, there's a 'Vertical Strike' that sounds like it’ll make those pesky flying enemies think twice about buzzing your head. His 'Overpowered' passive rewards a fast, relentless playstyle – more damage for consecutive attacks. So, get ready to unleash a barrage of red-hot justice, 'cause Scott Summers ain't here to make friends, he's here to lay down the law with his eyeballs.
Then we've got **The Thing**, who sounds like the ultimate 'get in close and smash things' character. Described as a 'grappling-focused powerhouse,' his moveset is all about grabbing foes, clobbering 'em good, tackling them out of the sky (take that, flying pests!), and charging head-first into the fray. His 'Rock Solid' passive means his sprint attack gets armour, so you can really commit to those charges. Basically, if you fancy playing as a walking, talking, incredibly durable rock who just wants to throw down, Ben Grimm's your bloke. Clobberin' Time indeed!
This sudden character drop comes on the back of *Marvel Cosmic Invasion*'s rather smashing debut last December. The game, a brilliant throwback to those classic Marvel arcade beat-'em-ups from the '90s (who didn't pump coins into those, eh?), scored an impressive Top Critic Average of 81 on OpenCritic. GameRant itself gave it an 8/10, calling it 'one of the best arcade throwback titles of the past several years.' And here’s a proper statistic for your digital tea leaves: the game has already hit 1.5 million players since launch. That's fair dinkum impressive, especially for a game that knows exactly what it is and doesn't try to reinvent the cosmic wheel.
But wait, there's more! Alongside this unexpected treat, Dotemu and Tribute Games also casually mentioned that *Marvel Cosmic Invasion* is getting a *second* paid DLC later this year, pencilled in for Fall 2026. This one's set to bring 'even more playable characters' and an 'all-new game mode.' Now, my curious mind immediately goes into 'what happens if...' mode. Who could they possibly add next? Daredevil? Iron Fist? Wolverine (obviously)? And what's this new game mode going to entail? A cosmic gauntlet? A survival mode against endless waves of baddies? The possibilities are as vast as the Marvel cosmos itself, and I'm genuinely excited to see what other tricks these wizards have up their sleeves.
So, there you have it. A surprise DLC that’s got me grinning like a Cheshire cat who just found a super-powered laser pointer. *Marvel Cosmic Invasion* continues its delightful retro rampage, and with Cyclops and The Thing joining the fray, plus another DLC on the horizon, it seems the beat-'em-up renaissance is far from over. Go get 'em, tiger!
Tags: Beat 'Em Up, Marvel, DLC, Retro Gaming, Action Games
Original article: Game Rant