Ok fine this is like having a Naruto fighting game without having Sasuke in it. Does that sound better to you?

or playing a fighter that isn't smash bros or any WWE / raw game

My thoughts exactly, Leon is TOO popular. Capcom knows this and will exploit it to their benefit.

He is either going to be DLC or headline the eventual Mercenaries sequel.

As long as they had Jack Krauser and HUNK, I would be pleased.

I am PLEASED!

Not really, since I don't know who or what Sasuke is. Bottom line, the only reason you like Leon Kennedy so much to begin with is because of the story driven elements in the game, and those aren't present here in Mercenaries. He's nothing more than another skin for some of the other available characters, like Chris Redfield. If this were a story driven adventure featuring the entire cast and they left out Leon, I could see your point. However, this is a multiplayer affair, erasing his best attributes. I can see wanting the entire cast in there, but I can't see how leaving any character out is a deal breaker, when they all do the same crap in the game.

You kind of make a good point, but Leon's my favorite protagonist and getting to play as him is something I was looking forward to. I mean no he wouldn't have been dropping dope-ass one-liners and bicycle-kicking Executioners, but this is a game about fanservice and leaving one of the more popular characters out of a fanservice game seems out there.

It's more like, uh

What's a good comparison here

Leaving [insert top 5 popular character] out of Smash Bros. I mean yeah, it's not a deal-breaker, but why do it?

That's a good comparison in some ways, but Nintendo has more of a tiered hierarchy of characters. Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Samus, Donkey Kong and Pikachu are very high up on the food chain compared to other characters. Leon is something of a fan favorite, but in general he's really no more important to the series as a whole than Chris, Claire, Jill and Wesker. Seeing as how they're all in it though and Leon isn't, it beats me. I would actually say, based on the amount of games featured in, Chris(1, CV, 5), Jill(1, 3, 5) and Wesker(1, CV, Zero, 4, 5) are the top tier, and Claire(2, CV) and Leon(2, 4) are the second tier.

Me personally? No. No, not I.

Edit: Also your answer may better be phrased as "Being enormous jerks"

Nonsense. The worst thing will be people paying for it.

This is Capcom's official response on the matter according to eurogamer (via gonintendo):

"At the moment no, we haven't got any plan (for DLC). If the users want that we will endeavour to make it happen. We're always monitoring the comments and feedback from users. (As for Leon) He's all tied up for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. He couldn't make his appearance in Mercenaries." - Resident Evil producer Masachika Kawata
 

No Leon, but Barry makes the cut? Capcom explains how Barry was added to the roster...
 

"Most of the Resident Evil characters are cool heroes. Barry's a little bit different. It was quite a few years ago we found out that Barry was popular in the western market. It was a bit of a surprise for us Japanese guys. But since then we've always thought about him. He's a guy who thinks about his family all the time, which shows his humility. We thought he would be a unique character to play. He's a large guy, so he can do melee by using his body. He's also a maniac for guns. That's his strong point. From the start of the game he is allocated powerful weapons. He's not included as a comedian character. It's difficult because we don't play the game in English. The English lines may be taken in a different context when it's translated from the Japanese. I remember him as having love for his family. In order to protect his family he has to betray his colleagues. That was an impressionable scene." - Resident Evil producer Masachika Kawata

LOL Well at least that also answers fans' questions about why Kingdom Hearts 3 isn't ready yet, as we know who was too busy making Epic Mickey

edit: on second thought these guys are amateurs! Just take a look at some of the more dedicated talent out there, like Batman!