I completely expected Thor to appear at some point as a playable hero regardless of the leaks, simply because Loki is already in the game, and the God of Thunder has been used in so much current Marvel media due to his increase in popularity with mainstream audiences over the years – most likely due to his portrayal by Chris Hemsworth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – that his omission would feel jarring. The character I was more excited to see, however, was Dr. Doom . Doom was announced in the press release that accompanied Marvel Rivals ‘ first trailer, and it was clear he would play a major part in the story, but this is the first we have seen of the character and his future variant.
Marvel Rivals ** has revealed a new cinematic trailer at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, further exploring the main storyline of Marvel Games and NetEase Games’ third-person hero shooter. It’s been known since the original announcement of the game that Marvel Rivals would essentially be a multiversal story, with new worlds and Spider-Variants such as Peter and Peni Parker fighting side-by-side in the game’s various arenas. However, the new trailer provided more context into why the heroes are at odds, providing a proper look at the game’s main villain, Dr. Doom** , as well as Thor, a playable character who had been leaked before but wasn’t featured in the Closed Alpha playtest.
It’s possible that Sony may be holding back from showing more of Marvel’s Wolverine to save it for part of its own PlayStation Showcases ** first – much as it did with the initial reveal back in September 2021 – or that the game could make an appearance at August’s Gamescom event instead. This year’s Gamescom is reportedly the biggest yet, and while there have been reports that Sony may be missing it this year, a press release by Pyramid International stated that “the heroic tales of Marvel” will be part of its lineup. Of course, this could be referring to other titles such as Marvel Rivals or the upcoming Captain America and Black Panther-led Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra , so only time will tell. Hopefully, we will see more of Insomniac’s critically acclaimed Marvel Universe soon, even if its absence at San Diego Comic-Con** does feel like a bit of a missed opportun
Of course, it’s possible that Insomniac may have changed its plans and may be holding back as a result of the cyberattack the studio faced last year . As a result, a hacker group shared details including all of the plans for Marvel’s Wolverine , including footage, game files – which have been made playable by some in the community – a teaser trailer for the game, and the studio’s pipeline of games, showing the future of its marvel rivals news Universe. It wouldn’t be surprising if, as a result, Sony and Insomniac took a step back, firstly, to recover from the personal toll of the hack, which also leaked documents about the staff at Insomniac, but then also to rework its marketing strategy to ensure that there are still plenty of surprises outside of the content people may have seen onl
While the glimpse of Bag Man in Across the Spider-Verse also didn’t have the Fantastic Four imagery, this made sense due to that movie being made by Sony, which doesn’t own the rights to characters in the wider Marvel Universe. Its omission as a suit in Marvel Rivals is interesting, as Marvel owns the rights to The Fantastic Four and even has the daughter of one of their main antagonists, Galactus, in the game, even more so as the traditional look is referenced as a keychain on the backpack for the Bag Man s
Lastly, in the S-tier category, we have Punisher, a Duelist who can switch between an automatic rifle and a shotgun . And those are just his basic attacks! His abilities also give him a grappling hook, a smoke grenade, and a turret. He’ll even briefly retain sight of enemies after they slip behind a wall or obstacle. He may not have superpowers, but he easily holds his own in Marvel Riva
It’s important to remember that there are always ways to make a character work for you if you’re willing to take the time to practice their skills. While some characters may be harder to use than others, you can still have a lot of fun with them. If you’re lucky enough to participate in the July 2024 closed beta, enjoy your favorite characters in **Marvel Rivals
Very few characters in Marvel Rivals can be considered poorly built at this development point. Fans have found something to praise in every character, even if some are better. Some A-tier characters border on S-tier but need a bit of practice or the right circumstances to fully master. B-tier characters are more niche but have their moments to shine. C-tier , meanwhile, can be tricky to use effectiv
Mantis is a Strategist, the support/healing role in Marvel Rivals . Her build is actually quite similar to Ana from Overwatch 2 , the game’s biggest rival. Just as Mantis heals her teammates over time, she can put her rivals to sleep for ten seconds. Her other abilities allow her to provide a Damage Boost by spending her life orbs. She’s set to be one of the best support units in Marvel Riva
