Marvel Rivals developer NetEase has been on a media frenzy lately, releasing a bevy of trailers to show off its newest additions to the hero shooter’s roster. Just a few days ago, they displayed the look and abilities of both comic-lovers fan favorite, Squirrel Girl, and the latest hero to plunge their hands into the heart of Shou-Lao, Lin Lie the Iron Fist!
Squirrel Girl sports an iconic look and a host of useful skills, including assistance from her stalwart squirrel companion, Tippy-Toe. She appears to be one of the more deliberate ranged Duelists (DPS), using projectile-based attacks and clever wall-ricochets to assail her opponents.
Despite being a Duelist as well, Iron Fist looks like he’s operating on the exact opposite principal as Squirrel Girl. His mobility and defenses allow him to get the drop on his enemies in close range and stick on them until they’re out of commission.
As if that’s not enough, NetEase continued the trend, following up the very next day with yet another pair of character trailers! This time, they debuted the classic femme fatale and MCU alumnus Black Widow, as well as Cloak and Dagger, an often-inseparable comic duo now fused into a unique two-person player character.
Black Widow is a sniper Duelist, utilizing her grappling hook to reach the perfect vantage point and her martial arts abilities to deal with anyone who tries to get up close. Those one-hit KO headshots look pretty formidable, which makes me wonder just how dangerous she’ll be at launch.
Cloak and Dagger players must learn to swap between playing as Cloak, the teleporting master of shadows, and the dazzling light-slinging Dagger to maximize this Strategist (Support) character’s abilities at the proper times. Dagger appears to be the healer of the two, while Cloak focuses more on dealing damage. This pair seems like a terrifying team in the hands of a skilled player!
Even as this article was being prepared, the Maestros of Marvel Rivals went ahead and did it again, releasing another character trailer just this morning! This time, we get to see Weapon X himself, Wolverine, doing exactly what it is that he’s the best at:
Yet another Duelist, Wolverine looks like he eschews the fancy mobility and active defenses of Lin Lie in favor of pure, unchecked, bestial aggression. With a pouncing attack that looks to pin its victim and the ability to apparently shrug off damage in a berserker fury, Wolverine is easily going to be a fan favorite in Marvel Rivals just as he is in every other piece of media he’s ever shown up in!
While I’m a little miffed that four of the five trailers we’ve seen in the past few days have all been Duelists, there’s still some time left until launch. If they keep up this cadence, we might be expecting anywhere from one to three new trailers coming as soon as this evening! Which characters are you most excited about appearing in Marvel Rivals? What personal favorite of yours do you wish they’d add to the roster?
Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play hero shooter releasing on Steam, Epic Game Store, Playstation 5, and the XBOX Series X|S. Marvel Rivals pre-load begins today, December 4, in preparation for its official launch on December 6, 2024.
