DaRmaZat MARVEL Cosmic Invasion has introduced Cyclops and The Thing in its first premium DLC. Whether a downloadable content pack offering two additional fighters for a price tag of $3.99 represents fair value is entirely up to you. For some, a base game with an already substantial roster makes a micro-expansion like this an easy skip; for others, any opportunity to expand team combinations and combat variety is worth considering, especially if you’re already a fan of the base game. But do these two newcomers add enough mechanical depth and synergy to earn a place in your rotation?
By now, most players are already familiar with what the base game offers: a fast-paced 2D beat ’em up built around co-op, a sizeable roster of Marvel heroes, and a tag-based combat system that allows you to swap between two selected characters mid-fight.
Across its Campaign, Arcade, and additional Challenges, the game leans heavily on replayability through experimentation with different character combinations. And expanding that experimentation is exactly where this first DLC comes in, thanks to its addition of two highly contrasting playstyles.
One thing’s for sure, both new characters look great and are well-voiced. Cyclops is designed around tactical spacing, utilizing a disciplined ranged offense. As one of the X-Men’s most recognizable members and a long-requested addition by fans, his playstyle revolves around his iconic optic blasts, which keep enemies at bay. His real strength, however, lies in his angled laser attacks, allowing him to swat down certain (see later why this nuance) aerial threats and disrupt how enemies close in on him.
The Thing takes the completely opposite approach, he is all about that close-quarters brawl. Empowered by the cosmic radiation that transformed him into the Fantastic Four’s powerhouse, Ben Grimm’s heavier moveset leans into grappling and throwing his weight around on the front line. Surprisingly, he never feels overly slow; his agility allows him to barrel into enemy groups effectively, functioning as a bouncing tank – think Floyd from Streets of Rage, but less sluggish – within the game’s tag-based framework.
However, after spending time with both characters, I personally wouldn’t use these two newcomers as a pair. Neither character has the ability to fly, making them a surprisingly weak combination against airborne threats. While The Thing can use his bouncing jump move as a vertical tackle to gain some height, it often fails to reach enemies positioned at higher altitudes. Cyclops suffers from a similar issue, as most of his attacks strike downward rather than upward, and while his vertical energy strike does fire diagonally, it’s a predefined attack, meaning you have little control over its precise trajectory. Because of this shared limitation, choosing them together severely weakens your aerial defense, meaning they never truly complement one another.
Furthermore, this minor roster expansion fails to address the main structural limitations of the base game. While adding these two heroes unlocks some character-specific content in the Hero Lab, their inclusion has zero impact on the game’s short, tightly structured campaign or its existing modes.
Final Thoughts
As expected, Cyclops and The Thing do not radically alter MARVEL Cosmic Invasion’s core identity. Both heroes arrive with distinct individual playstyles, though their lack of synergy makes them less compatible than the marketing might suggest. Nevertheless, at $3.99, DLC1 provides a straightforward injection of variety, leaving dedicated fans to decide whether expanding their roster combinations is worth the additional fee – especially since, at this price point, any meaningful structural additions were never really on the table.
Additional Information
Release Date: May 18, 2026 (DLC1; Base Game: Dec 1, 2025)
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Tribute Games
Publisher: Dotemu, Gamirror Games
Relevant links: Available on Steam.
