Cyclops' Phoenix Five era is playable in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls. PlayStation shared a new clip yesterday at 9:15 AM MST of Phoenix Cyclops, the 4-versus-4 tag fighter's first DLC character, striking poses mid-battle. Arc System Works designed the fighter around the Phoenix Five storyline from Avengers vs. X-Men, right down to a Dark Phoenix transformation. Check out the official post down below:
The Phoenix Five In The Comics
Avengers vs. X-Men was a 12-issue, twice-monthly crossover that began in April 2012, written by Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman and Matt Fraction, with art from a rotating team that included John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert. The event centered on the return of the Phoenix Force and the war it started between the Avengers and the X-Men.
When Iron Man shot the Phoenix with a disruptor weapon built to kill it, the blast instead split the Force into fragments that bonded with Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus and Magik. The Phoenix Five began reshaping the world, providing free energy, food and water and ending armed conflicts, before their methods turned on the Avengers. Cyclops later absorbed Colossus and Magik's share of the Force, then took Emma Frost's portion and used that power to kill Professor X before becoming Dark Phoenix. Hope and the Scarlet Witch brought him down, and Cyclops was arrested in the aftermath.
The series topped the comic sales charts from April to October 2012, and its fallout led into Marvel NOW!
How The Game Adapts It
Producer Takeshi Yamanaka explained on the PlayStation Blog that Optic Blasts build Phoenix Force energy called Solar Shards. After 4 Solar Shards, Cyclops can transform into his Dark Phoenix form, a mechanic Yamanaka said was inspired by Cyclops absorbing his fellow Phoenix Five members' power in Avengers vs. X-Men. The form grants a large temporary power boost but carries risks, including health depletion.
Arc System Works gave this Scott Summers a somewhat younger look to contrast with the Phoenix Force's aura. He wants to tame a destructive power to save mutantkind from extinction, believes in absolute justice and is willing to take extreme actions, and his transformed state shows his shift "from idealistic leader to fiery corruption." Yamanaka said the Phoenix costume stays faithful to the source material, with added details drawn from the comics.
The team considered Cyclops for the roster's Unbreakable X-Men early on, but because he had appeared in so many Marvel fighting games, the narrative team pitched the Phoenix version to give him a different look and playstyle. Ray Chase voices him. His "Classic" and "Legacy" costumes launched as separate DLC on the same day, and Yamanaka said that whenever the team significantly reinterprets a character or picks a less common version, it plans for classic-inspired costumes to be available too.
Release And Pricing
Phoenix Cyclops launched on November 2 as the first of 4 characters in the Year 1 Characters and Stage Pass, which costs $34.99 on Steam and also includes a stage and result screen poses. On his own, Phoenix Cyclops is $7.99. The rest of the pass is expected by December 31, 2027.
MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls launched on PS5 and PC on August 6, published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Blade's addition to the roster was covered in Marvel Tokon Makes Blade Playable For The First Time As His MCU Movie Stays In Limbo.
PlayStation's gameplay trailer for Phoenix Cyclops shows more of his moveset:
Was Cyclops right in Avengers vs. X-Men, or did the Phoenix Five go too far?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.