Marvel Rivals can use any character from 85 years of comics, devs confirm

The Marvel franchise boasts thousands of characters from its many years of publishing comics, which, according to NetEase developers, can be turned into playable heroes in Marvel Rivals.

In an interview with Videogamer, developers said that they are ‘licensed’ to use characters spanning ’85 years’ of Marvel Comics, meaning the potential for the game’s roster is almost limitless.

With Season 3: The Abyss Awakens just around the corner, the reveal of Blade and Phoenix made some fans concerned that Marvel Rivals might run out of characters to add to the game. This coincides with news shared through the Dev Vision that seasons will last two months going forward, meaning the game is set to add a new character every month.

However Guangyun ‘Guangguan’ Chen, NetEase’s Creative Director for Marvel Rivals, told Videogamer that they have been greenlit to ‘explore the full Marvel universe.’ He also stated that the team is keen on releasing both ‘heavy-hitters’ and ‘lesser-known’ characters.

This mindset can already be seen in the game itself, with popular Marvel characters such as Iron-Man and Captain America fighting alongside more obscure characters like Jeff the Land Shark.

In terms of esports, this makes the future of Marvel Rivals less predictable as any character from the franchise could be added, not just fan-favourites. And with more characters being added every month, the scene will continue to be dynamic.

History has also shown that new characters tend to be meta upon release. From the Fantastic Four in Season 1, to both Emma Frost and Ultron in Season 2. Season 3 has not been released yet, but based on impressions from streamers gaining early access previews, Phoenix is already looking to be a powerful addition to the game.

Only time will tell how much of an impact future characters will have on the game’s meta, and which ones end up seeing esports play in events like Marvel Rivals Ignite and Championships for future seasons.