With the announcement of Marvel Rivals, Marvel extends its reach to competitive squad-based shooters like Overwatch, Team Fortress, and Valorant. Set in an alternate dimension where Doctor Doom became a dictator, the game will have two teams of six players fighting for the fate of the Multiverse.
Since alternate realities are involved, there is no clear distinction between villains and heroes; there are only Marvel characters to choose from to face your adversaries in arenas inspired by classic Marvel locations, such as Asgard and the Tokyo of 2099. As a live-service game, Marvel Rivals will continue to add new arenas and characters in the months following its release; however, 18 heroes and villains have already been confirmed as part of its launch roster.
Every hero and villain confirmed for Marvel Rivals
Iron Man
No introduction is needed for Iron Man, the monicker of genius engineer Tony Stark. Thanks to the MCU, wherein the character was portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man became a fan-favorite and could thus only be expected to be part of any Multiversal narrative Marvel created outside of its movies and shows.
Hulk
The Hulk is one of the most beloved Marvel characters of all time, and while he might seem like an odd choice for a shooter game, as he’s all about smashing his enemies with his bare fists, the Marvel Rivals trailer already shows him shooting beams of gamma energy out of his hands. Hulk can even use the gamma radiation to power up Iron Man, working together to get the upper hand.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is arguably the most beloved Marvel character ever and the most profitable superhero in history. Unsurprisingly, the Web Crawler gets a lot of screen time in the Marvel Rivals trailer. By the uniform alone, we can tell that this Spidey is Peter Parker, but he’s not the only spider-hero in the game.
Peni Parker
Peni Parker comes from an alternated dimension inspired by Evangelion. The heroine has a psychic link with a radioactive spider that helps her control a powerful mecha. While Peni is a somewhat obscure comic book character, fans know her as one of the main Spider-People of Sony’s hit Spider-verse trilogy.
Loki
Asgard’s King of Mischief began his MCU career as a villain in multiple movies. Since then, he’s gone through a touching redemption arc that resulted in his own MCU show. Thanks to Tom Hiddleston’s magnetic performance, Loki has garnered a cult following, which explains why he’s part of this game while Thor is nowhere to be seen.
Black Panther
Black Panther appears in the trailer summoning the spirit of Panther goddess Bast. Black Panther is another character who became a worldwide icon thanks to the MCU, wherein he was played by the late great Chadwick Boseman. A World War II version of Black Panther is also set to star in another Marvel game, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra.
Groot
I am Groot. That is all.
Rocket Raccoon
If Groot is a part of Marvel Rivals, then you know Rocket Raccoon isn’t be far behind. Rocket has been the heart of James Gunn’s beloved Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy for years, and in Marvel Rivals, he can climb onto Groot’s back to get a power-up, mimicking the duo’s classic synchronized fighting style.
Star-Lord
While major Avengers like Thor, Black Widow, and Captain America are not yet confirmed for Marvel Rivals, the game will feature other Guardians of the Galaxy. In addition to Rocket and Groot, it will count Star-Lord among its heroes, as played by Chris Pratt in the MCU. Star-Lord uses elemental pistols and jetpack boots to battle his enemies.
Mantis
The last confirmed member of the Guardians is Mantis, who has empathic powers that allow her to tap into and alter people’s emotions. The character design in the game echoes Mantis’ MCU counterpart, as played by Pom Klementieff.
Dr. Strange
The Master of the Mystic Arts is another heavy hitter added to the Marvel Rivals roster. In the MCU and comic books, there’s not much Strange can’t do, and he’s often depicted as one of the most powerful superheroes in the Multiverse. It will be interesting to see how the game balances his powers with other characters’.
Scarlet Witch
Speaking of magical powerhouses, the comic book version of Scarlet Witch is associated with the Mutants while the MCU version departs from this origin story. Just like with Strange, it’ll be interesting to see if and how the game prevents her from being all-powerful the way she has appeared so far on screen.
Magik
Magik is a Mutant capable of teleporting herself to Limbo, a dimension she can draw magic energy from and use to forge weapons and even transform into a creature with fangs and claws. Outside of the comic books, Magik has been seen in The New Mutants, as played by Anya Taylor-Joy.
Storm
Storm is a classic Mutant who appears in almost every TV and film adaptation of the X-Men. She has the power to control the weather, which will probably lead to versatility attacks in Marvel Rivals. More recently, Storm is one of the main characters of the X-Men ‘97 animated series.
Magneto
The Master of Magnetism has a complex history in Marvel history, both as a villain and a hero, and he’s also been part of most X-Men adaptations outside comic books, including X-Men ‘97.
Namor
Namor is a Mutant who rules an underwater nation and is frequently at odds with the surface world. The Marvel Rivals Namor design sticks close to his comic book origins, departing from the Aztec makeover the character got in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The Punisher
The Punisher is one of the most beloved antiheroes in Marvel lore, a broken man who is not afraid to murder and torture in his one-man war against crime. The most beloved iteration to date is that of Jon Bernthal, who played him in Netflix’s Daredevil and The Punisher and is set to return in the upcoming MCU project Daredevil: Born Again.
Luna Snow
Luna Snow is the least-known character in Marvel Rivals’ roster. In the comic books, she’s a K-pop singer who uses her ice-based powers to fight crime. She appeared for the first time in 2018, but has not yet jumped over to the MCU or any animated Marvel project.
Galacta
The final Marvel character confirmed in the Marvel Rivals trailer is Galacta, a gender-bent version of Galactus, the Devourer of Planets. Galacta is not a playable character in Marvel Rivals; instead, it looks like she’ll host the game’s multiversal matches.
Marvel Rivals is currently a closed alpha releasing in May 2024.