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1[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marvel_ultimate_alliance_3.jpg]]
2
3->''"If we wanna survive here, we do it as a team."''
4-->--'''Nick Fury'''
5
6''Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order'' is an Action RPG released exclusively for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch on July 19, 2019, ten years after ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance 2''. While the first two games were handled by Creator/{{Activision}}'s first-party Creator/RavenSoftware and Vicarious Visions studios, this installment is the first to be published by Creator/{{Nintendo}} and developed by recurring external Nintendo collaborator Creator/KoeiTecmo's Team Ninja studio.
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8When a new menace known as the Black Order threatens the universe by seeking out the Infinity Stones for Thanos, the Mad Titan, the combined forces of ComicBook/TheAvengers, the ComicBook/XMen, the ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy, ComicBook/{{The Defenders|2017}} and more of Earth's (and the Galaxy's) Mightiest Heroes must band together against a common threat. But they're not the only ones looking to get their hands on the Infinity Stones, as various villains from across the Marvel Universe want to seek out their limitless powers for themselves...
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10The game features the largest base roster for an ''Ultimate Alliance'' title yet, with 36 playable characters in the base roster (more than either previous ''Ultimate Alliance'' title had '''after''' DLC) with 16 additional characters added as free and paid DLC. In addition, there are also a number of villains and non-playable characters. While the roster is largely based on characters who have been introduced within the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse (as is the trend for Marvel media since the success of ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''), several non-MCU characters also appear in order to further flesh out the setting.
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12On June 11, 2019, it was revealed that the game would be getting additional downloadable content through an expansion pass, which includes additional content based on ''Creator/MarvelKnights''[[note]]officially titled ''Marvel Knights: Curse of the Vampire'', released on September 30, 2019[[/note]], ''ComicBook/XMen''[[note]]officially titled ''X-Men: Rise of the Phoenix'', released on December 23, 2019[[/note]], and ''ComicBook/FantasticFour''[[note]]officially titled ''Fantastic Four: Shadow of Doom'', released on March 26, 2020[[/note]], with potentially more on top of all of that. Each expansion features a new game mode called "Gauntlet", where the player's team goes through gauntlets of back-to-back challenges to earn items and new characters. The contents of the Gauntlet mode vary between expansions, each with its own storyline (for example, the ''Curse of the Vampire'' expansion revolves around a dangerous vampiric curse created by Morbius's latest attempt to cure himself of his condition). Aside from paid DLC, Colossus and Cyclops were added to the game for all players for free in the August 30, 2019 update (they need to be unlocked in a special Infinity Rift so players can use them).
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14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16[[folder:Playable Characters]]
17* ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'': ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, ComicBook/IronMan, [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]], ComicBook/BlackWidow, ComicBook/TheFalcon, ComicBook/ScarletWitch, [[ComicBook/CarolDanvers Captain Marvel]], ComicBook/BlackPanther, ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, ComicBook/TheWasp
18* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': ComicBook/StarLord, ComicBook/{{Gamora}}, [[ComicBook/DraxTheDestroyer Drax]], ComicBook/RocketRaccoon and [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Groot]][[note]]Rocket and Groot are utilized together and function as one character.[[/note]]
19* ''ComicBook/XMen'' (Base Roster): ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}}, ComicBook/{{Psylocke}}, ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}, ComicBook/{{Cyclops|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/{{Colossus}}[[note]]Cyclops and Colossus were made playable in a free update after the game's launch.[[/note]]
20* ''ComicBook/TheDefenders'': ComicBook/LukeCage, ComicBook/IronFist, ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}, ComicBook/{{Elektra}}
21* ''Midnight Sons:'' ComicBook/DoctorStrange, ComicBook/GhostRider, [[ComicBook/{{Bloodstone}} Elsa Bloodstone]]
22* ''Spider-Verse'': ComicBook/SpiderMan (Peter Parker), Spider-Man (ComicBook/MilesMorales), ComicBook/SpiderGwen, ComicBook/{{Venom}}
23* Others: [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]], [[ComicBook/TheInhumans Crystal]], ComicBook/{{Loki}}, ComicBook/{{Thanos}}[[note]]Two variants of Thanos are available as of Ver. 4: a standard version in the base game, and a version equipped with the full set of Infinity Stones that is only available through the complete Epilogue chapter accessed through the Shadow of Doom DLC.[[/note]]
24* ''Creator/MarvelKnights'' (DLC): ComicBook/{{Blade}}, ComicBook/MoonKnight, ComicBook/ThePunisher, ComicBook/{{Morbius}}
25* ''ComicBook/XMen'' (DLC): ComicBook/{{Cable}}, ComicBook/{{Iceman|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/{{Gambit|MarvelComics}}, [[ComicBook/JeanGrey Phoenix]]
26* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' (DLC): ComicBook/MisterFantastic, ComicBook/InvisibleWoman, ComicBook/HumanTorch, ComicBook/TheThing, ComicBook/DoctorDoom
27[[/folder]]
28
29[[folder:Villains]]
30* ''Avengers'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]], the [[Characters/MarvelComicsBlackOrder Black Order]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsUltron Ultron]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsAIM M.O.D.O.K.]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsHydra HYDRA]], [[ComicBook/{{Infinity}} Thane]]
31* ''Guardians of the Galaxy'': [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Nebula]], Ronan the Accuser
32* ''X-Men'': Sentinels, Infinity Sentinel, [[Characters/MarvelComicsMystique Mystique]], Characters/{{Juggernaut|MarvelComics}}
33* ''Spider-Verse'': Electro, [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Green Goblin]], [[Characters/SpiderManCentralRoguesGallery Mysterio]], Sandman, [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Doctor Octopus]]
34* ''Daredevil'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheKingpin The Kingpin]], [[Characters/DaredevilCentralRoguesGallery Bullseye]]
35* ''Thor'': Surtur, [[Characters/TheMightyThorGiants Hela]], The Destroyer
36* ''Iron Man'': Ultimo
37* ''Doctor Strange'': Dormammu
38* ''Black Panther'': Klaw
39* ''Captain America'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsRedSkull Red Skull]]
40* ''Fantastic Four'' (DLC): Annihilus
41[[/folder]]
42
43[[folder:Non-Playable Characters]]
44* ''Avengers'': ComicBook/AntMan, ComicBook/TheVision, ComicBook/{{Valkyrie|MarvelComics}}
45* ''X-Men'': ComicBook/{{Beast|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/ProfessorX (DLC)
46* ''ComicBook/{{SHIELD}}'': ComicBook/NickFury
47* ''ComicBook/{{Inhumans}}'': Lockjaw, Medusa, Black Bolt, Gorgon
48* ''Cosmic'': ComicBook/{{Nova}} Corps, Cosmo
49* ''Defenders'': ComicBook/JessicaJones
50* ''Captain America'': ComicBook/WinterSoldier
51[[/folder]]
52
53!! This video game provides examples of:
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55* ActionGirl: Among MUA vets, ComicBook/CarolDanvers has graduated to Captain Marvel since the second game, and ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/{{Psylocke}}, ComicBook/{{Elektra}}, [[ComicBook/JeanGrey Phoenix]], and ComicBook/InvisibleWoman[[note]]the latter two via DLC[[/note]] also return for this one. In addition, this game introduces ComicBook/BlackWidow[[note]]Unless you played the PSP version of the first game, in which she was playable[[/note]], [[ComicBook/{{Bloodstone}} Elsa Bloodstone]], ComicBook/TheWasp, [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy Gamora]], ComicBook/SpiderGwen, ComicBook/ScarletWitch, the current [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]], and [[ComicBook/{{Inhumans}} Crystal]] to the MUA series.
56* AdaptationAmalgamation: The game pulls from multiple sources from across the entire Marvel franchise (including the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, different eras of the comics and even other video games) to create a grand tour of the Marvel Universe. Even characterization is pulled from different sources, for instance you can have 90s era Venom teaming up with more recent heroes like Ms. Marvel and Miles, while the X-Men are depicted closer to their beloved 90s incarnation - Cyclops is even portrayed more as a confident leader rather than the WellIntentionedExtremist he became post-''ComicBook/HouseOfM''. He even wears a modernized version of his Jim Lee costume. Additionally, Valkyrie resembles her traditional comics incarnation as opposed to the [[RaceLift raceswapped]] MCU depiction, and Thanos' Black Order has Supergiant as one of their members while the Black Dwarf is referred to as Cull Obsidian.
57* AdaptationDistillation: [[https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/05/20/your-marvel-comics-reading-list-ahead-of-ultimate-alliance-3 According to creative director Bill Rosemann]], there are a large number of comics that influenced the game. This ranges from classic storylines to more recent events, big titles and deep cuts, to create a unique mythos. Influences include the 2008 ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'', ''ComicBook/TheDefenders2017'', ''ComicBook/{{Shadowland}}'', ''ComicBook/UncannyXForce'', ''Doctor Strange: Damnation'', ''ComicBook/{{Inhumans}}'' by Paul Jenkins, ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'' by Creator/TaNehisiCoates, the classic ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'' storyline, ''Avengers Assemble'' by Creator/BrianMichaelBendis, ''ComicBook/TheAvengersJonathanHickman'' (including ''ComicBook/{{Infinity}}''), and ''[[ComicBook/BlackOrder The Black Order]]'' by Derek Landy.
58-->'''Bill Rosemann:''' Just as the huge roster of ''Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order'' unites characters from across our sprawling universe, the game’s story similarly assembles and remixes awesome scenes, locations, and moments from throughout Marvel’s 80 years of storytelling.
59* AlternateContinuity: The game is set in a universe unconnected to the first two ''Ultimate Alliance'' games. As such, both Nightcrawler and Phoenix are alive and well (in the first game, one of them had to be killed off by the player's choice, and Nightcrawler doesn't appear in the second game, implying his optional death in the previous game was canon to it).
60* ArtEvolution: The art style for this game is brighter, more colorful, and a touch more cartoonish to evoke the look and feel of a comic book, as opposed to its two predecessors which went with a more realistic and subdued art style. The characters even emote more, visibly moving their mouths as they speak, and even in-game one can see their facial expressions change during the fights if they look closely.
61* AttackReflector: Some heroes have Safeguard-class abilities, such as Captain America and Colossus. These can reflect projectiles back at an enemy.
62* AwesomeButImpractical: It's awesome to unlock of the most powerful characters...from the comics. While there are some real GameBreaker characters like Phoenix and [[spoiler: Thanos (Infinite)]], there are many that are rather mediocre or have limited use - including all of the unlockable hidden characters in the non-DLC Infinity Trials such as Elektra, Magneto, Loki and Thanos. This can be real glaring, especially when many of the best characters are the heroes you get early on such as Thor, Wolverine and the Hulk.
63* TheBattleDidntCount:
64** Upon being defeated, many bosses in the game upon will just stand up, give a one liner and threat, and run off.
65** Even if you beat Proxima and Corvus at the Xavier Institute, the game will still treat it as if they won. You will, however, get some concept art, so it’s not a complete loss.
66* BeatTheCurseOutOfHim: [[spoiler:Elektra]] in chapter 3, [[spoiler:Doctor Strange]] in chapter 6, and [[spoiler:the Dora Milaje]] in chapter 8.
67* BigBadEnsemble: In addition to Thanos, the heroes must contend with an assortment of other villains that are seeking to claim the Infinity Stones for themselves. Loki, Hela, Surtr, and HYDRA are uninvolved with the conflict over the Infinity Stones and are pursuing [[spoiler:ISO-8]] instead.
68* BondVillainStupidity: At the end of chapter 8 [[spoiler:the Black Order steal the complete set of infinity stones from you]]. But for some reason, in chapter 10 [[spoiler:they each take an infinity stone and fight you one at a time, letting you regain all the stones again]].
69* BoringButPractical: Captain America and Daredevil. Cap has two offensive abilities, a purely defensive ability, and a buff, but his dash does solid damage and rips through stagger bars, his shield toss can be guided and rips through mobs (at higher levels, it one-shots many of the common enemies at once), his special guard has massive damage reduction and can reflect projectiles, and his teamwide damage buff is invaluable. Daredevil, meanwhile, has decent but unspectacular offensive abilities, but Radar Sense is an ''invaluable'' debuff that massively softens up bosses and {{Elite Mook}}s when upgraded, and can make higher-difficulty runs and Infinity Trials significantly easier.
70* BossBonanza: The final level has you fight seven bosses in quick succession. [[spoiler:You face each member of the Black Order, then Thanos, and finally Thane.]]
71* BossRush: The final Gauntlet of the first two DLC packs is a rush of all the previous final levels. Taken further in ''Shadow of Doom'' where the second to last gauntlet is a rush of previous bosses (the Defenders, Dark Phoenix, the final bosses of each chapter excluding Dormammu and the Green Goblin, the Black Order, God-Emperor Doom, and the Celestial), and then in the final gauntlet, you have to defeat '''everyone''' on the roster and then 11 heroes wearing alternate costumes.
72* BraggingRightsReward:
73** Unlocking the final secret character. [[spoiler:Obtaining Thanos requires clearing the Infinity Trials. At that point, there is nothing to use him on except replaying the main story on Ultimate difficulty and completing the Omega level Infinity Trials.]]
74** Also, completing Shadow of Doom’s story mode on Ultimate nets you [[spoiler:Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet as a playable character. Do you even need anything else?]]
75* BreatherEpisode:
76** The Xavier Institute stage acts as this to the previous stages. While the stages until this point had some comical elements, the overall feel was still pretty serious. When you get to the X-Men manor on the other hand, the atmosphere is surprisingly lighthearted given the situation. You can see and hear a singing Deadpool making tacos, and before one of the boss battles is a basketball court where you can actually toss balls into the hoops. The X-Men even seem to prioritize taco night over the invasion by [[spoiler:the Sentinels and then the team of Magneto, Mystique and Juggernaut]] with Beast talking about taco night (implying they INVITED Deadpool over to make tacos) and even Wolverine asking with a glum tone about ordering out, after [[spoiler:Juggernaut]] ruins taco night, rather than worrying about the destruction that said character was causing. It isn't until when [[KnightofCerebus Thanos' minions]] show up when the heroes really start taking things seriously.
77** While still a serious level tonally, the trip to Attilan is a very short one, consisting of several small enemies and a boss fight against Maximus.
78* BreakMeter: Elite enemies and bosses have a Stagger Gauge, if this is depleted they are staggered and the screen goes into BulletTime where you can get a free attack or 2 while the enemy is momentarily off-balanced. If you hit the enemy with an Ex or a Synergy attack, this will instead cause the enemy to fall to their knees and be stunned. They'll take substantially more damage in this state.
79* BrutalBonusLevel: The Infinity Trials, especially the later ones. A mix of often high-powered enemies and bosses from all stages are mixed with specialized rules, and while they all serve as excellent ways to grind for character levels - something which the game outright recommends, it doesn't stop most of them from bordering on NintendoHard.
80* TheBusCameBack:
81** A meta-example as this game marks the first official Marvel-related console game to feature the X-Men since 2013's ''VideoGame/LEGOMarvelSuperHeroes''. The DLC also adds the Fantastic Four, who have been missing from Marvel games for the same amount of time.
82** From an in-series standpoint, this marks the return of Vision, Hawkeye, Doctor Strange, Venom (Eddie Brock), Elektra, Ghost Rider, Loki, Ultimo, Ultron, Odin, MODOK, the Destroyer armor, Mysterio, Professor X, the Inhumans, Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, and Doctor Doom who appeared in the first game but then were dropped come the second game.
83* CallingYourAttacks: Similar to ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'', characters often call out the names of their skills when performing them. The parallels to said series become stronger when heroes like Wolverine, Deadpool and Iron Man end up having skills that share the same name and animations with specials and Hyper Combos from there. It can get funny when some attacks have non-specific names, such as Ms. Marvel's Sweet Combo Attack or Spider-Gwen's Catchy Attack Name (and yes, they ''do'' call them that in-game).
84* ChekhovsGun: The ISO-8 [[spoiler:prove to be vital for defeating the Black Order as they're essentially less potent Infinity Stones. The heroes gathering large quantities of them is what turns the tide.]]
85* ChekhovsGunman: Loki first appears watching the heroes after they storm Shadowland, then appears out of nowhere in the Dark Dimension to fight the party. This seems like him just being a troll, but it turns out he has other plans.
86* CombinationAttack: The Synergy Attacks which are utilized by two characters using compatible moves. The Ultimate Alliance Extreme Attack is this taken up to eleven.
87* CompositeCharacter: The Infinity Stones have the uniform orb-like appearance of their classic comic counterparts but the colours of their film counterparts [[note]]e.g. the space stone is blue rather than purple[[/note]]. Also like the films, they're called Infinity ''Stones'' rather than Infinity ''Gems''.
88* ContinuityReboot: While the game is numbered ''3'', the game is actually a reboot that uses the modern character designs (either based on the comics or the MCU movies) and has a Samuel L. Jackson-esque Nick Fury Jr. based on the Cinematic Universe rather than the classic white one that appeared in the first two games.
89* CreatorThumbprint: Due to being developed by Team Ninja, some their influence is noticeable in this game, particularly from VideoGame/HyruleWarriors.
90** Loads of easily defeatable enemies appearing onscreen at once.
91** Stronger foes have a BreakMeter that allows you to deal major damage.
92** Remixed versions of levels that feature different enemies and bosses used to pad out the game’s length.
93* CrisisCrossover: The game unites all corners of the Marvel Universe from the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Defenders, Spider-Verse, Inhumans, and finally, the X-Men, to collect the Infinity Stones before Thanos and the Black Order does. Furthermore, outside of them, there's a wide assortment of villains such as Green Goblin, Kingpin, Ultron, Magneto, Dormammu, and M.O.D.O.K. who ''also'' want the Stones for themselves. The epilogue reigns in the Fantastic Four when Doctor Doom makes his move for the Soul Stone.
94* CutsceneIncompetence: In chapter 9, [[spoiler:the heroes handily beat the Destroyer, but in the following cutscene they are utterly incapable of harming it (of course, it's supposed to be indestructible, but it should stop once its psychic link with its "driver" is severed), requiring Odin to defeat it.]]
95* ADayInTheLimelight: While the game does its best to showcase nearly everyone on an equal level, some characters and their respective villains take precedence for each level:
96** The Guardians of the Galaxy guide the player along the Kree ship, being a four-person team with immediate bonuses to ease them into the game.
97** Spider-Man and other members of the Spider-Verse (including Luke Cage and Ms. Marvel, who gets lumped in with her fellow Champions Miles and Spider-Gwen) are the focus during the Raft sequence.
98** The Defenders and their grudge against Kingpin and the Hand shape the Shadowland arc of the game.
99** The raid on the Avengers Tower focuses a bit on several Avengers, including Iron Man, Hawkeye and the Wasp.
100** Fittingly enough, the X-Men and other mutant-related characters like Deadpool take center stage for the Xavier Institute.
101** The supernatural-themed Midnight Sons (Scarlet Witch, Elsa Bloodstone, Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider) keep the spotlight during the alliance's treck through the Dark Dimension.
102** As the only major party member who has close ties to the Inhumans, Crystal gets a decent amount of screentime in Attilan.
103** Given their status as royalty within the country, Black Panther and Storm are major characters within the Wakanda arc alongside Captain America and his allies like Black Widow and Falcon.
104** Similarly, Thor and Loki obviously have important roles to play when the plot shifts to Hel and Asgard.
105** Due to their status as two of the most powerful individuals in the entire roster, Captain Marvel and the Hulk lead the charge against the Black Order for the Infinity Stones on Knowhere.
106** Each of the alliance members gets a quip in against both Thanos and [[spoiler:Thane]] during the final level, just to tie all things up nice and easy.
107** The Fantastic Four take center stage for the Shadow of Doom epilogue, although all the previous DLC characters have their fair share of highlighted interactions present.
108* DefeatMeansFriendship: Venom, Miles, Spider-Gwen, Ms. Marvel, Elektra, Magneto, Doctor Strange, Loki, [[spoiler:Thanos]], the Punisher, Blade, Moon Knight, Morbius, Iceman, Gambit, Cable, Phoenix, and Doctor Doom are all fought as bosses before the player gets the chance to unlock them via main story progression, the Infinity Trials, or Gauntlet Mode.
109* DevelopersForesight: Beast and Professor X will have alternate lines if you play the Danger Room mode with characters from the same team - Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Defenders, and even villains.
110* DiscOneNuke: Ordering the season pass grants players access to Deadpool's chef outfit... and the ability to play as Deadpool himself as soon as the initial main party is formed after beating Sandman. Issue is that he was meant to be unlocked much later in the campaign[[note]]Players need to clear the Raft, Shadowland and Avengers Tower before making it to the Xavier Institute, where Deadpool is recruited halfway[[/note]], and wasn't balanced as such for this method; thus, Deadpool's about 15 or so levels ahead of almost everyone else, and can make most of the early fights an absolute cakewalk.
111* DreamTeam: The Alliance, early on gets some of the greatest heroes including Thor, Hulk, Wolverine and etc., they only get stronger from then on getting more members including CosmicEntities like Phoenix and [[spoiler: Thanos]].
112* EnemyMine:
113** Venom is fought as a boss at the Raft, alongside Electro. Spider-Man vouches for Venom and he becomes playable after being beaten. The situation is lampshaded by the Champions, who start begging forgiveness after being tricked into fighting the alliance -- but then see Venom on the team and realizes that if ''he's'' there, they have no real justification for not allowing them on the team as well.
114** Spider-Man invokes this when he asks the [[ComicBook/NormanOsborn Green Goblin]] to join them after he's beaten, [[spoiler:but Osborn is in no condition to agree, having a breakdown after witnessing a vision of Thanos destroying the universe]].
115** Magneto attacks the X-Mansion alongside Mystique and Juggernaut. However, when the Black Order arrives demanding the Infinity Stones, Magneto recognizes that they have a common enemy.
116--->'''Magneto:''' Perhaps an alliance is called for after all...
117** Loki assists the heroes after his attempt to overthrow Asgard with the assistance of Hydra lands him in the dungeon. However, he was always planning to deal with Thanos.
118** [[spoiler:Thanos joins in to take out Thane for the final boss fight, if for no other reason that the universe is ''his'' to destroy and he doesn't want Thane doing it first.]]
119* {{Fanfic}}: Kamala has written a Gamora/Star-Lord fanfic at one point; the real Gamora dreads finding out what this means.
120* FictionalCurrency: The Alliance can buy cosmetics and useful items with SHIELD thru credits and SHIELD Tokens. [[RewardingVandalism So smash everything in sight, especially in Odin's throne room]] and [[KleptomaniacHero it's okay to mug villains]].
121* TheFourGods: Statues of the four gods appear in Shadowland as part of puzzles. Iron Fist recognizes them and identifies them for the rest of the alliance (and the player).
122* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
123** There are several characters you meet in the story (Elektra, Magneto, Loki, and [[spoiler:Thanos]]) who agree to join your alliance, but can not be used until you complete the appropriate Infinity Trial. What makes this especially jarring is that the aforementioned trials are set at 20 or 30 levels above the point where you meet them in-story (Elektra is met in an area with level 10 enemies for example, but her trial is level 30), so without a lot of grinding you won't unlock these characters until far after they've "joined" you in story. Though there is at least some justification, as these are all villains (or at least anti-heroes) so it makes ''some'' sense that it would take more work to get them to join an alliance of heroes. And then there are Cyclops and Colossus, who can be unlocked even though they don't actually join the alliance in the story (they instead hold off the Black Order with Juggernaut to allow the alliance to escape).
124** The game doesn't let you use the same hero twice on a team, but (DLC unlock spoilers) [[spoiler:Thanos and Infinite Thanos are considered separate, so you can use both at once]].
125* GoodThingYouCanHeal: Characters with Healing Factors, such as Wolverine, will regenerate some of their health every few seconds. All your characters will regenerate, if you buy a Vitality section lab skill which heals your characters of 1% of their max health every 10 seconds. This isn't nearly as good as a character with Healing Factor, but it can be a real life-saver in areas where health drops are rare.
126* HealingMagicIsTheHardest: Both Scarlet Witch and Dr. Strange are the healers of the alliance with Chaos Magic and Winds of Watoomb respectively. These abilities are advanced, they're the Level 20 and Level 15 ability for the heroes but they don't heal large blocks of health - instead they act like an extra healing factor on top of anything a hero already has. Scarlet Witch drops down a circle of magic that a hero has to be inside of, while Dr. Strange sends out a cone of healing energy - making these abilities a bit tricky to use in the heat of battle - whereas their respective combat magic is great for dealing with crowds and pressure situations.
127* HeroOfAnotherStory: The X-Men and the Winter Soldier each manage to get an Infinity Stone on their own; they just need the alliance's help to keep it. The Kree manage to get ''all six'' before the game starts and use them to lay a trap for Thanos, which the Guardians then blunder into.
128* HopelessBossFight: The Xavier Institute houses three of these. The initial battle against Magneto, Mystique and Juggernaut is nearly unwinnable on a first attempt, and the later fights against Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight follow a similar pattern. It is possible to beat Corvus and Proxima, but you have to be at a very high level to do so. However, for the first fight against the Brotherhood, the fight will end if any of them go down.
129* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels: The difficulty settings are "Friendly", "Mighty", "Superior", and "Ultimate".
130* InfinityPlusOneSword: Some of the best characters and Iso-8s in the game can only be recruited or found after finishing the main storyline (plus they require {{DLC}}).
131* LegacyCharacter: One team-up bonus invokes this trope by having a team consisting of certain heroes (Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Spider-Man) and their successors (Falcon, Ms. Marvel, and Miles Morales).
132* LimitBreak: All playable characters have an Extreme Attack, a powerful move capable of wiping out multiple enemies which can be used when the Extreme Gauge has been filled. There's also the Ultimate Alliance Extreme, where all four characters on your team will unleash their Extreme Attacks all at once.
133* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Inverted. The two magic users of the Alliance, Dr. Strange and Scarlet Witch are widely seen as the worst characters in the game. They have awful stats, poor synergy and their abilities come with significant drawbacks or are lacklustre in some way. In contrast, bruisers like the Hulk and Colossus are seen as top tier amongst a huge character list. To add insult, the Mastery stat (the stat that affects damage caused by energy or ethereal attacks) is higher in the bruisers than the wizards that depend on that stat.
134* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: One of the game's main flaws, especially in the Story mode, where missions can take up to one minute to load.
135* {{MacGuffin}}: Those pesky Infinity Stones are back, and it's up to the heroes of the Marvel Universe to find them before Thanos and the Black Order do.
136* MacGuffinDeliveryService: [[spoiler:Once you collect all the Infinity Stones, big surprise, the Black Order sweeps in and takes them from you.]] However, there's also an inversion: [[spoiler:Loki, Hela, and Red Skull collected a stockpile of ISO-8, which the ''heroes'' then swept in and claimed. Loki suggests he planned it this way, for whatever his word is worth.]]
137** [[spoiler:Happens again when the Alliance fights each of the Black Order individually to obtain the Infinity Stones again. They succeed, only for Thane to use the Time Stone to stop their fighting; Thanos intervenes directly within minutes to take all the Stones for himself and obtain the Infinity Gauntlet.]]
138* ManaMeter: The Energy bar. How much energy you have to power your abilities and certain traits, depends on a character's Energy stat. Sadly most heroes have poor Energy ratings and abilities usually consume a lot per use, this is mitigated by your [[RegeneratingMana Energy slowly regenerating over time]] and it recovers much faster when you successfully hit an enemy with basic attacks. Phoenix's "Cleansing Flame" makes energy management trivial.
139* MoneyIsExperiencePoints: The Alliance Enhancement tree allows you to purchase stat upgrades using Enhancement Points gained from leveling up, and with Credits, the main currency of the game.
140* MythologyGag:
141** Ms. Marvel claims that the Raft holds "six hundred and sixteen" (616) prisoners, a nod to Earth-616, the official designation of the mainline Marvel Universe in the comics.
142** Ms. Marvel's introductory caption refers to her as a "[[ComicBook/{{Champions 2016}} Total Champion]]."
143** When Medusa refuses to involve Attilan in the current situation with the Infinity Stones, she justifies her stance by referencing a [[ComicBook/InhumansVsXMen recent conflict between the Inhumans and Mutants]].
144** Spider-Man's "Sticky Situation" skill visually resembles the Web Blossom gadget he possesses in his [[VideoGame/SpiderManPS4 recent solo game]].
145** Multiple nods to the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' games. In general, if the character has appeared in said crossover, a part of their arsenal will definitely reference a special move or two. Sometimes in appearance, sometimes in name:
146*** One of Wolverine's abilities is called Berserker Barrage, named directly after his iconic ''MVC'' special move. His Adamantium Assault ability is a dead-ringer for his Tornado Claw special, his Primal Rage buff functions similarly to his Berserker Charge Hyper Combo, and his Extreme Attack is his Berserker Barrage X Hyper Combo.
147*** Likewise, Venom literally has his Venom Fang attack and his heavy attack resembles his Venom Rush attack.
148*** The Hulk also has an attack clearly modeled after his Gamma Wave special, and his Unstoppable Charge skill is his Gamma Charge special in all but name.
149*** One of Deadpool's special abilities is his Katanarama! special from ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', whilst his gun skills reference his Trigger Happy special and his Happy Happy Trigger Hyper Combo.
150*** Most of Hawkeye's specials are practically all of his arrow shots in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''.
151*** Storm's Ice Barrage is pretty much her Ice Storm hyper move.
152*** Captain America's Shield Dash is quirky - it's practically his "Charging Star" dash move in the fighting games, but he says it as though he's performing "Shield Slash", a projectile move where he throws his shield, which does show up here as the Shield Strike ability.
153*** Spider-Man's regular combo finisher resembles the Spider-Cannon special given to him in his ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' incarnation, while his heavy attack takes after his traditional Web Swing special.
154*** One of Dormammu's attacks is summoning a homing ball of fire, much like his Stalking Flare Hyper Combo in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. He also summons large pillars of darkness resembling his Purification special, and being able to summon meteors is similar to one of the variants of his Liberation special.
155** Hawkeye says [[ComicBook/AvengersDisassembled “Not like this...”]] upon being incapacitated.
156** Initiating dialogue with Thor in the Avengers Tower level will have him say [[ComicBook/UltronUnlimited “We will have words with [Ultron]. Strong words.”]]
157** Plenty in regards to the alternate costumes:
158*** Venom's alternate skin colors him blue rather than black, a reference to how he was colored in the 1990s.
159*** Similarly, Hulk has his classic grey-skinned look as a PaletteSwap.
160*** Drax's alternate default skin colors him grey, like in the movies.
161*** Iron Man has his ''Extremis'' armor.
162*** Black Widow's alternate DLC costume is the other Black Widow, Yelena Belova.
163*** Cap's DLC costume is from when he gave up being Captain America for a while and lead the Secret Avengers as just "Commander Steve Rogers".
164*** Miles's DLC costume is reminiscent of him wearing a hoodie over his black costume during the "Leap of Faith" sequence in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse''.
165*** Hawkeye's DLC costume is Ronin.
166*** Captain Marvel has her classic black Ms. Marvel outfit.
167*** Cyclops has his ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'' outfit.
168*** Phoenix has Jean Grey's classic "Marvel Girl" costume.
169*** Colossus, Gambit and Punisher all have their ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse'' outfits.
170*** Blade has his green coat and afro from his original design in ''ComicBook/TheTombOfDracula''.
171*** Spider-Man has his Future Foundation outfit.
172*** Venom has Anti-Venom as a separate costume.
173*** Wolverine has ComicBook/OldManLogan.
174*** Star-Lord, Rocket and Groot have their blue-jumpsuited looks from the 2008 ''Guardians'' revival.
175*** Drax has his costume from ''ComicBook/TheThanosImperative'' with the purple cape.
176*** Gamora's alternate costume is taken directly from ''Annihilation: Conquest''.
177*** Thor, Falcon and Elektra have their costumes from the Ultimate universe.
178*** Wasp has her original red costume from the 1960s.
179*** Cable has the green costume he wore in his first appearance.
180*** Ms. Marvel has the casual clothes she wore on the cover of her book's first issue.
181*** Thanos has his white robes from ''ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}''.
182*** Luke Cage has his classic "Power Man" costume, tiara and all.
183*** Crystal has her 90s Avengers jacket.
184*** Scarlet Witch has her classic costume with the pink tights.
185*** Daredevil has his all-black BetaOutfit from [[Series/Daredevil2015 the Netflix show]].
186*** Storm has her mohawk and leather jacket look from the 80s.
187*** Doctor Strange has his "Blue Mage" look from a brief period in the 90s.
188*** Loki has [[ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard Kid Loki]].
189** The unlockable character profiles contain various nods to various events from the comics.
190** Doctor Octopus likes throwing around the word "[[ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan superior]]", as do his BossSubtitles. He also boasts that "[his] master plan is foolproof!", harkening to his stint under the name Master Planner.
191** Spider-Man is non-plussed by the fact that the Green Goblin is waiting for the heroes at the top of the Raft's control tower.
192-->'''Spider-Man:''' Oh, man. How come I always have to fight him in high places? [[ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied It never ends well...]]
193** Daredevil mentions he does his best fighting in corridors, a reference to the much-acclaimed corridor fight scene from the [[Series/Daredevil2015 the Netflix series first season]]. The final narrow hallway which leads to the elevator for Kingpin's penthouse could also be a reference to this, and the larger hallway fight scene the Defenders have in their crossover series.
194** A hidden room in the X-Mansion is Cerebro as seen in the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries''. Portraits in the mansion also show Professor X, even though he doesn't appear in person (he does play a role in Rise of the Phoenix but only has a voice appearance).
195** During the team's time at the Raft, Venom "joins" the makeshift Sinister Six only to turn on them at the first opportunity they get. This is a possible reference to a storyline written by Howard Mackie that had a more villainous Venom joining Sandman's version of the team before betraying them.
196** According to a line from Drax in the opening cutscene, Star-Lord has a passion for playing Earth music aboard the ship, much like [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 his movie counterpart]] and [[AwesomeMusic/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 his fondness for classic rock]].
197** Vision enacts "user override protocol A57" when purging Ultron from the first set of Iron Drones, referencing his comics self's first appearance in ''Avengers'' #57.
198** Ultron proclaims the coming of the "[[ComicBook/AgeOfUltron age of Ultron]]" during his first phase.
199*** Ultron also sports a red cape, possibly referencing his debut where he called himself the Crimson Cowl.
200** Ant-Man's costume is a dead ringer for his appearance in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''. And, much like in that movie, they pay homage to the iconic ''Avengers'' cover of Ant-Man being fired on one of Hawkeye's arrows.
201** The pose Blade does with his sword for his profile/stats page is taken from the final battle of the [[Film/{{Blade}} first]] Creator/WesleySnipes movie.
202** Dark Phoenix's character profile has a question mark next to Jean's name, with Star-Lord noting there's rumors that she isn't really Jean Grey but the Phoenix Force itself impersonating her -- a reference to the convoluted series of retcons surrounding ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga''.
203** [[spoiler: What does Thanos (Infinite) say after being unlocked? [[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron "Fine, I’ll do it myself!"]]]]
204* NonLinearSequel: Despite officially being a sequel to the ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'' games, right up to baring a "''3''" in the title, the game is clearly is set in a different continuity inspired by the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, comic books, and modern animation, with a lighter palette compared to the more realistic look inspired by the original comics and ComicBook/UltimateMarvel the previous games went for.
205* OhNoNotAgain: Iron Man finds himself saying this during the Shadow of Doom story expansion.
206* OneSteveLimit:
207** Averted as far as codenames go. There are two Captains (America and Marvel), two Blacks (the Widow and the Panther, not to mention the Order), two Irons (Man and Fist), two Marvels (Captain and Ms.) and not mention that ''both'' Spider-Men are in the game (Peter and Miles) on top of ''another'' hero with the Spider-prefix (Gwen).
208** In terms of real names, there's Peter "Spider-Man" Parker and Peter "Star-Lord" Quill, who are both playable. Also, there's Piotr "Colossus" Rasputin, who possesses the Russian variant and is often called "Peter" by his friends.
209** Scott "Cyclops" Summers is playable as a DLC character, while Scott "Ant-Man" Lang is an NPC.
210** Also averted quite literally with Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Stephen (Doctor) Strange.
211** Averted again with the first DLC: Blade's real name is Eric Stokes Brooks, and Magneto's is Erik Lehnsherr.
212* PaletteSwap: Unlike the previous two games, which featured skins with alternate models based on different versions of the characters in the base game, most of the alternate costumes -- aside from Deadpool's Chef outfit -- are simple pallette swaps. (Actual alternate costumes will be released as free DLC) Spider-Man's is his silver-and-black Spider-Armor Mk. 1, and Venom's turns him navy blue rather than black in a reference to how he was colored in the 1990s.
213* PurposelyOverpowered: [[spoiler:Thanos (Infinite) is as powerful as you would expect him to be with the six Infinity Stones equipped, having the highest overall stats and the strongest abilities. As a tradeoff, however, he can't equip ISO-8 or use Synergy attacks.]]
214* SecretCharacter: Technically, most of the characters were not actually ''secret'', as the entire base roster sans Loki and [[spoiler:Thanos]], as well as [[spoiler:Thanos (Infinite)]] in the third DLC expansion's roster, had been announced before their respective launch dates, but only 15[[note]]Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Rocket/Groot are played as in the prologue, Spider-Man joins them at the Raft but isn't playable until after defeating Sandman, and Fury summons Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Wolverine, and Crystal.[[/note]] out of 52 characters are available right away. Most of the characters, with fourteen exceptions, can be unlocked through Story Mode.
215** Venom, Luke Cage, Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, and Ms. Marvel all join your ranks as you progress through the Raft.
216** Iron Fist and Daredevil show up in Shadowland.
217** Hawkeye and Wasp become playable as you clear Avengers Tower.
218** Psylocke, Nightcrawler, and Deadpool (unless you've bought the Season Pass, in which case you'll have him unlocked at the Raft ''and'' with a Chef outfit) enter the fray at X-Mansion.
219** As you clear the Dark Dimension, the alliance will be joined by Elsa Bloodstone, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Strange.
220** The last characters unlocked through story mode in the base game are Storm and Black Panther, in Wakanda.
221** Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing are available upon reaching the Negative Zone in the full version of the Epilogue chapter (only available in the Shadow of Doom DLC expansion, of course).
222** You'll earn the privilege of playing as Doctor Doom by completing the full Epilogue chapter. You can also unlock [[spoiler:Thanos (Infinite)]] by beating the chapter in [[DifficultyLevels Ultimate]].
223** Elektra, Cyclops, Colossus, Magneto, Loki, and [[spoiler:Thanos]] must all be unlocked through playing the Infinity Trials.
224** Blade, Moon Knight, the Punisher, Morbius, Phoenix, Gambit, Iceman, and Cable must all be unlocked through playing the Gauntlet Mode in their respective DLC expansions.
225* SequelHook: The DLC's story ends on the note of [[spoiler:Doctor Doom begrudgingly joining the Ultimate Alliance after recognizing that there's an even greater, unseen threat on the horizon]].
226* ShoutOut:
227** After getting the third Infinity Stone from Ultron, Star-Lord comments "We're halfway there..." -- and then complains that you wasted [[Music/BonJovi the '80s song reference]] he set up.
228** In the X-Men level, Deadpool sings about taco night to the tune of "Macho Man" by the Music/VillagePeople.
229** Surtur is described as a "[[Film/TheToweringInferno Towering inferno]]."
230* SlipperyMacGuffin: The Infinity Stones end up switching hands multiple times throughout the game. For instance, the Power Stone ends up being in the hands of the Hellfire Club, the X-Men, the Sentinels, Magneto, and Cull Obsidian over the course of the game's story.
231* SpotlightStealingCrossover: Downplayed. The game takes a lot of obvious inspiration from the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, from the selection of most of the playable characters, to the default appearances of said characters resembling their MCU counterparts[[note]]Though even some characters who appeared in the MCU like Loki, Iron Fist, Gamora and Wasp use their comic designs instead[[/note]], and the basic plot involving Thanos and the Infinity Stones. However, there’s also a decent chunk of characters not connected to the MCU at all, including all the X-Men and Fantastic Four characters, Venom, Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Ms. Marvel, Elsa Bloodstone, Moon Knight and Blade, and the original comics have been cited as just as much of an influence as the MCU.
232* TheStinger:
233** After the credits shown upon clearing Chapter 10, [[spoiler:two nebula-shaped eyes appear over the Infinity Stones]].
234** After the credits shown upon clearing the complete Epilogue chapter, [[spoiler:you see a repeat of part of the last Chapter 2 cutscene showing Thanos wielding all six Infinity Stones and saying, "I shall be waiting here for you..." followed by a pop-up message box that says, "The Ultimate Reward Still Awaits in the Epilogue!" This is just incentive for the player to unlock Thanos (Infinite) by completing the Epilogue at the highest difficulty level.]]
235* SuperArmor: One reason why EliteMook and boss characters can be very dangerous. They get a "stagger gauge", while they still have anything remaining in it - they'll plow through your attacks without stopping. Additionally, characters with a grapple ability like the Hulk's Gamma Slam, won't be able to grab these enemies even if they do have a depleted stagger gauge - [[AntiFrustrationFeature though the move will cause some damage]].
236* TrueFinalBoss: Right after the heroes defeat [[spoiler:Thanos, his son Thane -- who was presumed dead after being attacked by his father -- shows up to steal the Infinity Gauntlet, which he uses to assemble the ''suit of armor'' that the Infinity Gauntlet is just one piece of; which makes him dangerous enough to force Thanos to team up with the heroes]].
237* VillainProtagonist: One of the team bonuses is called "Villains", which Magneto, [[spoiler:Loki, Thanos, Doctor Doom (DLC),]] Deadpool and Venom are affiliated with. Despite being a anti-villain, Elektra is not a member and the former villains that turned over a new leaf (Venom, Deadpool and Magneto) also carry the "Anti-Heroes" team bonus.
238* VocalEvolution: Steve Blum as Venom. In the first game, he gave Venom a voice that was raspy, slightly high-pitched, and drawn out - essentially a raspier version of his [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Orochimaru]] voice - and made Venom come across as a SoftSpokenSadist. In this game, he instead gives Venom a louder, more aggressive voice that empasizes his BloodKnight AntiHero nature. Venom also gains an echoey VoiceOfTheLegion filter.
239* WackyWaysideTribe: The Inhumans chapter comes across as this. Most of the other chapters are integrated into the hunt for the Infinity Stones, but this one starts when the heroes abruptly decide to go to Attilan for help, and just as abruptly ends when the Winter Soldier interrupts with a distress call. Maximus has no interest in the Stones, and it's just bad luck that the heroes were there during his latest coup attempt. Plus from a gameplay standpoint, it's only a few fights and a boss battle; much shorter than the other chapters.
240** That said, it turns out to be an InnocuouslyImportantEpisode given that [[spoiler:it introduces Thane, who goes on to be the TrueFinalBoss of the game.]]

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