Spencer

"How could I lose? I have a bionic arm."
—Spencer upon victory

Nathan "Rad" Spencer, known simply as Spencer is a character from the Bionic Commando series. He makes his debut to the series in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and carries on his attire from the 2009 Bionic Commando.

Backstory

Spencer was originally a member of the Federal States of America's armed forces, but his military career was cut short when he lost his left arm to a grenade. While on rehabilitation leave, he accepted a position as the first test subject for bionics technology by T.A.S.C., the FSA military's intelligence division. He was given the codename: Research And Development #1, or RAD #1, and the name stuck; many continued to call him "Rad" Spencer for years. Under the supervision of TASC agent and supervisor of bionics technology Joseph Gibson, Nathan was the first human subject to be fitted with and control a bionic limb.

Gameplay

Spencer's main strength is in his ability to drag his opponent to him and vice versa. Utilizing his wire grapple is key to playing him, as many of his combos can be prolonged. His health is quite high, though not on par with bruisers such as Hulk or Thor. His general attacks are also highly damaging when chained together. However, his movement speed is slow and his assists are quite ineffective offensively and are better used as support.

Special Attacks

• Right Hook
• Zip Line
• Wire Grapple: Spencer fires his hand at his opponent. If Spencer's Wire Grapple connects, he can do these follow-ups by pressing an Attack button.
  • Reel In Punch: Activated by pressing light attack, Spencer pulls his opponent in and punches the target.
  • Zip Kick: Activated by pressing medium attack, Spencer pulls himself towards his opponent in and kicks the enemy into the wall.
  • Come 'ere: Activated by pressing heavy attack, Spencer pulls his opponent towards himself.
• Jaw Breaker: A command grab move in which Spencer grabs a hold of the opponent, and punches them in the jaw, launching them into the air
• Armor Piercer: Spencer unleashes a powerful punch from his bionic arm, that sends the opponent flying causing a wall bounce.
• Bionic Bomber: An OTG move performed in the air. Spencer charges straight down towards the ground for an earth-shattering punch with his bionic arm.

Assist Attacks

Hyper Combos

• Bionic Maneuvers (Level 1): A quick combo of punches. Spencer grapples an opponent and delivers a one-two hit. Spencer knocks them off-screen with a bionic uppercut. Airborne, the opponent is grappled again and is smashed into the ground, reeled in and pummeled by a finishing blow.
• Bionic Lancer (Level 1): A highly-damaging, one-hit punch delivered by Spencer's bionic arm. It's also a forward-dashing move, covering at least half the screen's range. This Hyper has a notable amount of invincibility, enabling it to bypass several moves.

X-Factor

Changes in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

• Increased movement speed of Zip Line.
• Spencer will float higher during Zip Kick.
• Slightly decreased initial startup of Armor Piercer.
• Added new move "Bionic Bomber."

Theme Song

Spencer's theme is a remix of Area 1 from the original Bionic Commando.

Trailer

Quotes

Marvel vs. Capcom 3

• Alright, who wants some of this? (intro)
• Bionic arm, activated! (intro)
• Get in my way, I'll put you down. (intro)
• Oh, you can't outrun my arm! (intro)
• Oh, you want some o' this? (intro)
• Cavalry's here! (taunt)
• Good luck! (taunt)
• Don't say I didn't warn ya! (match win)
• How could I lose? I got a bionic arm! (match win)
• Worry about yourself. (match win)
• You didn't actually think you could win, did ya? (match win)
• I've lost everything, but I'm not gonna lose this fight.
• Make one more joke about my hair and I'll pick you up and beat you down some more!
• Sometimes I wonder if it's worth fighting at all.
• Try to stop me and you'll get a faceful of bionic fist.
• With this bionic arm, I have more than enough tools to take down jokers like you.

Special Quotes

Trivia

• He is 6'3" (1.91 m) tall and weighs 233 lbs (106 kg) without his bionic arm.^[1]
• Whenever Spencer uses his bionic arm to grab enemies from afar, he shouts, "Get over here!", a reference to Scorpion from Mortal Kombat.
• He has alternate color schemes based on Jane and the BioReign soldiers, both from the 2009 Bionic Commando. For Ultimate, he gets a color scheme inspired by P.N.03. His DLC costume is his appearance from Bionic Commando Rearmed.
• His character theme is a remix of "Leap of Faith", the Stage 1 theme in the arcade Bionic Commando, though much better remembered as the Area 2, 9 and 11 music in the NES port.
• Spencer has some moves from the 2009 Bionic Commando, including the Reel-In and Zip Kick. He gets the "Death from Above" move in Ultimate. Also, his "Jaw Breaker" grab may be a nod to a fighting scene near the end of the 2009 game.
• Spencer will taunt Spider-Man saying he knows nothing about swinging if paired against him, a nod towards the original Bionic Commando's unique gameplay mechanic.
• Spencer's ending involves himself and She-Hulk going on a "date," but to She-Hulk, destruction, and fighting off evil doesn't exactly equal an actual date and requests a more peaceful one.
• There are times during gameplay where Spencer's bionic arm is on the right side of his body wherein all other instances of the character it is on his left side.
• Spencer has a win quote with him saying "Either you die a hero, or live long enough to see everyone turn on you." This is a possible reference to the film The Dark Knight and also probably a reference to his false conviction.
• Spencer seems similar in terms of a body-theme to Lin from the King of Fighters, both have arms with special properties, and have the same seiyuu. Spencer's fifth outfit may even bear a resemblance in color scheme.
• Due to the tournament scene, Spencer's Bionic Lancer becomes a minor meme.
• Spencer was discovered for having a glitch with his Bionic Maneuvers Hyper, where when DHC'd from Haggar's Rapid Fire Fist (only on the rapid portion on an airborne opponent only) his foe would get stuck "out" of the hyper and into the ground. For a few seconds, the foe would then get launched out back to the neutral state. Though if a hit is landed on an incoming tagged character, they would instead get pummelled by the Hyper (via animations that involve getting hit by hit), only nothing is hitting them. This, like many glitches and infinites, was removed in the update patches, but could still work on Viewtiful Joe or Arthur.
• In the 2009 Bionic Commando game, from which this version of Spencer originates, he was voiced by rock singer Mike Patton of Faith No More fame.

Artwork

Spencer original artwork for Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Spencer artwork for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Spencer alternate costumes in Marvel vs Capcom 3.

Spencer alternate costumes in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3.

Spencer's MvC3 wallpaper

Spencer's move set

Bionic Commando Re-Armed DLC Costume

Spencer Winning Pose.

Spencer Full Victory Pose

UMVC3 ending 1

UMVC3 ending 2

Marvel vs Capcom Infinite

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Also See

Nathan "Rad" Spencer's moves in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

Nathan "Rad" Spencer's moves in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

References

1. ↑ play-bionic-commando.blogspot.com