Marvel Cosmic Invasion asks you to pick two heroes, not one. The game’s Cosmic Swap system lets you tag between a pair mid-combo, so the right question is not which single character is strongest — it is which two cover each other’s weaknesses. Spider-Man and Storm is the most forgiving starting pair.
Last updated: September 10, 2026
Tribute Games and Dotemu — the studio and publisher behind TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge — released Marvel Cosmic Invasion on December 1, 2025 for PC, Linux, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It reviewed well: Metacritic lists 84 on Xbox Series X|S, 81 on PC, 80 on PS5 and 72 on Switch 2, with OpenCritic reporting 85% of critics recommending it. Dotemu said the game passed 1.5 million players by May 2026.
How the Cosmic Swap system changes character choice
Cosmic Swap is the mechanic that makes this guide necessary. You bring two heroes into every stage and switch between them freely, including in the middle of a combo. That means your second pick is not a backup — it is half your kit, and it is the system reviewers singled out most consistently in the game’s launch coverage.
The practical effect is that raw damage matters less than coverage. A pair of two short-range bruisers will struggle against ranged enemies no matter how hard they hit, while a bruiser paired with a crowd-control character covers both problems. Pick for the gap, not for the favourite.
The full Marvel Cosmic Invasion roster
The game shipped with 15 playable heroes: 11 available from the start and four unlocked through story progression. Two more arrived as paid DLC in May 2026, bringing the current total to 17, with a further two announced for a Fall 2026 expansion.
| Hero | Availability | Role | Best paired with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man | From the start | Fast, mobile, forgiving | Storm or She-Hulk |
| Captain America | From the start | Balanced all-rounder; shield-based reach | Nova |
| Wolverine | From the start | High damage, short range | Storm or Silver Surfer |
| Storm | From the start | Crowd control and ranged coverage | Wolverine or Spider-Man |
| Iron Man | From the start | Ranged, safe chip damage | She-Hulk |
| She-Hulk | From the start | Heavy bruiser, strong grabs | Iron Man or Spider-Man |
| Nova | From the start | Mobile, strong air game | Captain America |
| Rocket Raccoon | From the start | Ranged, small and evasive | Beta Ray Bill |
| Black Panther | From the start | Fast pressure, combo extension | Storm |
| Beta Ray Bill | From the start | Reach and heavy hits | Rocket Raccoon |
| Cosmic Ghost Rider | From the start | Ranged, high damage | She-Hulk |
| Phyla-Vell | Story unlock | Fast, technical | Beta Ray Bill |
| Phoenix | Story unlock | Screen-clearing power | Spider-Man |
| Silver Surfer | Story unlock | Long reach, strong mobility | Wolverine |
| Venom | Story unlock | Close-range bruiser with symbiote reach | Iron Man |
| Cyclops | Paid DLC, May 18, 2026 | Ranged, precise | She-Hulk |
| The Thing | Paid DLC, May 18, 2026 | Heavy, slow, high-impact | Rocket Raccoon |
Best characters for a first playthrough
Start with Spider-Man and Storm. Spider-Man is the most forgiving character in the game — fast, mobile, and hard to corner — and Storm covers the one thing he is weak against, which is groups of ranged enemies clustered at the edge of the screen.
If you want something with more weight, Captain America and Nova is the sturdier equivalent: Cap’s shield handles projectiles and Nova gives you an air game for enemies that Cap struggles to reach. Avoid pairing Wolverine with Venom or She-Hulk on a first run — all three want to be in melee range, and you will have no answer to ranged pressure.
One thing to check before you buy: the Switch 2 version scores lower
Marvel Cosmic Invasion did not review evenly across platforms. Its Metacritic average is 84 on Xbox Series X|S and 81 on PC, but 72 on Nintendo Switch 2 — a 12-point spread between the best and worst reviewed versions of the same game.
Two caveats before you act on that. The Switch 2 average rests on 10 critics against 48 for the PC version, so it is a much thinner sample, and Metacritic does not tell you why a version scored lower. We have not seen a published technical analysis isolating the cause, so we are not going to assert one.
What the spread does justify is checking reviews of your specific platform before buying, which is worth doing for a game where the core mechanic is a mid-combo swap. That is also why the pairings above emphasise coverage over execution difficulty: a pair like Captain America and Nova asks less of your swap timing than one built around tight combo extensions.
What the DLC actually costs, and what is still coming
Cyclops and The Thing joined the roster on May 18, 2026 as the first of two planned paid DLC packs, priced at $3.99. This is worth stating plainly because it has been widely reported as a free update: it is not. The pack is available on PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
A second paid expansion, “The Siege of Castle Doom,” was announced for Fall 2026 with two more playable characters and a new game mode, per Game Informer. As of September 10, 2026 it had not released, so no character entries for it appear above.
If you are weighing this against Marvel’s other current games, our Marvel Rivals vs. Marvel Tokon comparison covers the competitive side, and our best superhero fighting games ranking puts the genre in order. Spider-Man mains may also want our ranking of the best Spider-Man games.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many playable characters are in Marvel Cosmic Invasion?
Seventeen as of September 10, 2026. The game launched on December 1, 2025 with 15 heroes (11 available immediately and four unlocked through the story), and Cyclops and The Thing were added as paid DLC on May 18, 2026.
Who is the best character in Marvel Cosmic Invasion?
There is no single best character, because the Cosmic Swap system means you always play a pair. Spider-Man and Storm is the strongest general-purpose combination for most players: Spider-Man is mobile and forgiving, and Storm covers ranged enemies.
Is the Cyclops and The Thing DLC free?
No. It is a paid pack priced at $3.99, released May 18, 2026 on PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It is the first of two paid DLC releases planned for the game.
What platforms is Marvel Cosmic Invasion on?
PC, Linux, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, released December 1, 2025. Physical editions followed on March 13, 2026.
Is Marvel Cosmic Invasion by the Shredder’s Revenge team?
Yes. It was developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu, the same studio and publisher behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
