Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has revealed Phoenix Cyclops as its first Year 1 DLC character, giving the X-Men leader both his signature Optic Blasts and the cosmic powers of the Phoenix Force. The product of a massive collaboration between Arc System Works, PlayStation Studios, and Marvel Games, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is bringing 4v4 tag-team fighting to one of the biggest media franchises in entertainment.
In creating Marvel Tokon, Arc System Works has not simply reproduced standard versions of every character's most familiar comic-book appearances. Nearly every member of the launch roster, consisting of classic characters like Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Magneto, Green Goblin, and Carnage, has new designs either from original concepts or inspired by Marvel's vast number of variations of each hero. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls's first post-launch addition seems to be pushing the game's reimagining concept much further by combining Cyclops with one of Marvel's strongest cosmic powers, calling back to a comic storyline from nearly 15 years ago.
Phoenix Cyclops Is Marvel Tokon’s First Year 1 DLC Character
On July 23, 2026, the team behind Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls hosted a panel at San Diego Comic-Con and followed it up with a PlayStation Blog post detailing everything that was announced. Perhaps the biggest announcement at SDCC for Marvel Tokon was the reveal of Phoenix Cyclops as the first Year 1 DLC character, arriving in fall 2026. He'll be voiced by Ray Chase, who fans may know as Rakan in the Solo Leveling anime. This version of Scott Summers is inspired by his Phoenix Five incarnation from 2012's Avengers vs. X-Men comic storyline, wherein Cyclops harnesses a portion of the cosmic Phoenix Force. Fans should be aware it's certainly not the character's standard X-Men appearance. Arc System Works says that the character retains his classic powerful Optic Blast and exceptional hand-to-hand combat, except now boosted by the Phoenix Force. Arc System Works has not yet explained exactly how those Phoenix abilities will function during matches, but more detailed fighting-style breakdowns are promised in future updates.
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Readers familiar with Avengers vs. X-Men may already know why Phoenix Cyclops is immediately more dangerous than an ordinary version of Scott Summers, but comics aside, the DLC addition appears to have a potentially devastating kit. Of course, Cyclops's Optic Blasts should be capable of controlling the neutral through long-range blasts, but based on the newly released trailer, the fighter could have some fiery area-of-effect abilities and enhanced mobility options as well. The character concept lends itself to some incredibly powerful possibilities considering what Scott Summers gets up to as part of the Phoenix Five, but the fans will still have to wait to see his true mechanics.
Phoenix Cyclops is part of the Year 1 Character and Stage Pass included with the Digital Deluxe and Ultimate Editions, and it is only the beginning of Arc System Works' DLC plans. The Stage Pass is expected to add four post-launch fighters, leaving three fighters unannounced ahead of Marvel Tokon's August 6 release date. Choosing a rather unconventional version of Cyclops for Marvel Tokon does bring some excitement to the game, suggesting that Arc System Works could use future DLC to introduce obscure Marvel characters or draw future fighters from specific comic storylines that fans outside the medium wouldn't know about. Fans will have to wait and see what the rest of the Year 1 pass contains.
As of now, Arc has not detailed a complete move set for Phoenix Cyclops, but the character does look overwhelming and powerful conceptually. However, fighting game balance ultimately depends on how his abilities will interact with the rest of the roster, especially given the tag-team nature of the Marvel Tokon. Players will get one final opportunity to test Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls during the open beta running from July 24 to 26 on PS5 and PC, although this powerful version of Scott Summers will not be part of the playable lineup. Phoenix Cyclops may sound unfairly powerful on paper, but players will have to wait for his full gameplay reveal to determine whether the Phoenix Force makes him Marvel Tokon’s first truly overpowered fighter, or simply its flashiest one.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86/100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- August 6, 2026
- ESRB
- Teen / Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arc System Works, Marvel Games, PlayStation Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes
- Franchise
- Marvel
- Number of Players
- 1-2 players
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- August 6, 2026
- PS5 Release Date
- August 6, 2026
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
