Of all the new Capcom characters added to Ultimate MvC3, Firebrand is probably the least familiar of the bunch. While it’s true this fire-spewing demon hasn’t seen much action lately, his legacy as a feisty troublemaker more than earns him a spot in our massive crossover series…

Firebrand began life as a minor villain in the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series. Barely half way through the first level, he’d appear and swoop at Arthur with quick, surprising strikes that could easily end your adventure before it even began. He reprised this role in other GnG games (like Ghouls ‘n  Ghosts), and was such an effective enemy that the mere sight of him raises my blood pressure. Truly, Firebrand haunts my dreams.

In those early days, Firebrand was just a low-level (albeit infinitely annoying) bad guy. When Gargoyle’s Quest launched on the original Game Boy, however, he was re-imagined as a hero of the Ghoul Realm and starred in a trio of surprisingly deep action games. In addition to swooping, he could cling to walls, fly for short periods of time and fire various projectiles. Above you see him in black and white, then his colored form (with defined pecs!) on the NES Gargoyle’s Quest II, and then his fearsome Super NES incarnation from Demon’s Crest.

For the most part, that’s it – he’s just a cool-looking bad guy who scratches, claws and blasts his way to victory, both as a hero and a villain. As you see above though, he does have a few cameos in other titles, namely Capcom vs SNK Chaos as a hidden boss character. However, as a boss character, he lacks the nuances of his Ultimate MvC3 appearance. As you’ll see below, this version keeps his Ghosts ‘n Goblins roots in mind, allowing for supremely confusing attacks.

Firebrand has always been one of my favorite Capcom characters, so I’m genuinely excited to play as him in UMvC3. In fact, once I discovered these cool colored building blocks (fittingly named Pixel Blocks), I immediately built an NES Firebrand to stand alongside Samus Aran and my many Mega Man bosses.

He now proudly guards my desk – thanks, Firebrand!

If you’re interested in checking out his inaugural outing as a hero, Gargoyle’s Quest is now available on the 3DS Virtual Console.