A new wave of Disney Infinity madness is upon us this week. The first round of figures for the new Marvel Heroes edition of the well known sandbox platformer has hit store shelves and there are more than enough fan favorite characters to choose from.


The roster is stacked, but I'm here to set the record straight on which figures are the greatest and which ones just don't make the cut. It should be noted that every single figure can be vastly improved when they are leveled up through their skill tree. And of course I brought some GIFs along for the ride. Let's get started.


At the top of the list (bottom?) we find Nick Fury, or as I like to call him Nick Furry and Nick McFlurry. Fury has some decent versatility with his patented laser gun and kung fu skills, but he's a bit bland compared to the likes of full fledged heroes like Spider-Man and Thor. Sadly he is lacking what could be his best attack - asking enemies what Marcellus Wallace looks like.



Black Widow, sexy assassin with a some killer acrobatics, is one of three Avengers you'll find in the Infinity 2.0 starter set. She's basically a white female Nick Fury with the ability to go invisible from time to time with her special. It's like if you gave Violet from The Incredibles a gun and took away her force fields.


Even rocket boots can't save Star-Lord from an ironic lack of zazz. While Chris Pratt's rendition of the space rebel added a lot of comedic enjoyment and goofy dancing to the Guardians motion picture, there's not much of that here. He's like space Nick Fury! With two guns!



Drax the Destroyer is nothing like Nick Fury. Why that's become a comparison I have to make is beyond me. Drax has some killer tornado type attacks with his double daggers, but he's basically a poor man's Hulk. Even his special is basically him just Hulking out and going super Drax all over everyone. Still, he can knife you good.


I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot! But seriously, Groot is a very unique planet man with some killer range. Through the power of his mighty roots Groot can strike enemies from a distance while his leafy limbs can also be used for some powerful up close brawling. With a few upgrades Groot can even achieve the ability to wall crawl, which can make getting around much easier.



Hawkeye has the the versatility of a pocket knife and the eyes of a... hawk. See a bad guy creeping up on you? Arrow! Want to knock a robot out of the sky? Arrow! See a pedestrian jaywalking? Arrow! Hawkeye has possibly the best long range attacks of any character, but he's just not a very exciting character. Unless he's doing this^.


The Only agent of SHIELD to actually carry a shield is one solid combatant. Cap's super soldier skills make him a well balanced choice for just about any challenge or mission. Jump on his trademark motorcycle and you can bust some serious moves on your way into battle. The best game to play with Cap is "Escape from your own boomerang shield". Step one - throw shield. Step two - RUN!



Infinity 2.0's most pre-ordered figure is one scrappy procyonid. That's not an alien race, just a fancy word for the racoon family. Other character have fire power, but Rocket is packing the best looking (and most power) heat in the game. His nova gun upgrade and Loony Toons-esque special move set him apart from your average hero.


As I wasn't aware of Disney's longish running series Ultimate Spider-Man I wasn't too familiar with Iron Sides. I mean Fist, Iron Fist. He's one speedy martial arts master and can even shoot dragons made of fire if he so chooses (and he does when I control him). I'm almost certain he's really just a firebender (a la Avatar), but I'll take Marvel's word that he's not. I mean, they could have called him Iroh Fist. What a shame.



Adopted daughter of Thanos and brother of Sodom well toned assassin, Gamora is the most enjoyable of the Guardians. With both a sword and blaster she feels like a nice mix of Samurai Jack and Han Solo. If that comparison isn't enticing enough you should see her when she gets powered up. It's a sight to behold.


HULK JUMP GOOD. HULK FIGHT GOOD. HULK CLIMB ON WALLS TO REACH PUNY BAD MEN. HE ONE OF MOST FUN GAME FIGURE TO PLAY. HULK SMASH!



Everyone's favorite billionaire playboy philanthropist is back in action with his classic Stark snark. His melee attacks are some of the most satisfying and varied in the entire first wave. You'll be flying around New York in no time yelling "I am Iron Man!"


Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does exactly what you'd hope a Spider-Man would do. Spins a web, crawls on walls, looks really graceful when he falls. Who doesn't want to be Spider-Man? The teenage joke slinger hasn't been this much fun since the critically acclaimed Spider-Man 2 in 2004. Swinging is more fun than flying, though it's certainly slower.



Nova is like young Iron Man, but with more flare (Get it!?). He edges out both Mr. Stark and Mr. Parker with his flight abilities and sun-powered nova core attacks. He's far and away one of the most enjoyable heroes to take control of.


With tornado flight, long range hammer throwing and some fashy thunder attacks Thor is certainly the best hero on this list. The son of Odin can hold his own against just about any opponent stupid enough to cross his path and he looks darn good doing it.



As mentioned above, Thor is the best hero on this list. Which only leaves one character hanging around - Venom. With his wall crawling, web slinging and monstrous strength it's no wonder he's earned the nickname "Spider Hulk" in my household. Infinity executive producer John Vignocchi said it best when he noted Venom could use "a few more balancing patches." But why bother? It's more fun being this bad.


For more info on the newest Disney Infinity title you should check out both the TAY and Kotaku reviews.


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