The Marvelous Countdown, Day 7: Iron Fist

Shaping up to be one of the more straightforward supplements to the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 roster is Marvel's Iron Fist. He'll definitely be among the more in-your-face characters in the game, with his offense being almost solely close-range melee-based. Highs, lows, and mixups abound once he establishes that close range, but therein lies the problem; he doesn't appear to have any tools to help him get in close. This is where I imagine the challenge will be when using the chi master.

But like I said, once he's in there Iron Fist looks to be one of the strongest characters in the game for opening up defenses and landing the big combo. He has a variety of special moves that can be cancelled into another special moves, up to 3 at a time, but even this should provide a decent mixup opportunity, as some of these said specials hit high and some hit low. It's very reminiscent of Street Fighter's Fei Long and Hurricane Polimar from Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, only seemingly much harder to defend against; even moreso when you throw a low-hitting or overhead assist into the mix. Your goal with Iron Fist will definitely be to get these mixups going, and capitalizing with a full combo once you land the first blow.

Something I'd like to touch on are Iron Fist's various "chi" powerups, which can briefly provide him with a boost in attack, defense or meter gain. I don't think such a thing has ever been done in the Vs. series, but it seems pretty damn cool that he can buff himself (even mid-combo!). Depending on the degree in which his stats are increased and how long these buffs last, a whole new layer of depth could be added completely unique to him; maybe increase your defense when at a distance to minimize collateral damage on your approach, and transition into your attack buff once you land the big hit (or meter gain, depending on how close you are to 3 bars). An interesting new mechanic, indeed.

People may be deterred from using Iron Fist because of his glaring disadvantages at a distance, but to players that tough it out and stick with him, it makes their hard work all the more satisfying. Good luck to anybody using this guy.