Successfully complete the game on the Normal difficulty setting to unlock the Hard difficulty setting. Do not be afraid of the Hard difficulty setting. When you start a game under Hard mode, you can load your characters from a previously saved game. For example, if you have a level 50 Wolverine from Normal mode, you can start the game with him and all his powers, gear, and costumes that you have gained. It also adds five more dots to level up your powers with. If you have a character maxed out in Normal mode, there is even more room for improvement.