The new Marvel fighting game isn't out yet, but it's already putting rivals to shame

As is usually the case with PlayStation State of Play of late, fighting game fans have received a new look. Marvel Token: Fighting SoulsThe next batch of characters has been officially confirmed. This time around, Doctor Doom's allies Token Universe was unveiled, working alongside Magneto, the Green Goblin, and Carnage as a wizard/tyrant/supervillain. While the moment led to many jokes about Doom hating Spider-Man because half of the Knights of Doom are Spidey villains, it also led to many sad posts and comments referencing it. Marvel Rivals'Lack of villains.

Since Magneto has long been an anti-hero, 3 of the 4 characters in Knights of Doom can be considered true villains. And sadly, that's more than ever Rivals Proposals. Marvel RivalsEven after a year and a half of availability, there are only 2 real villains in its playable roster: Hela and Ultron. The rest, the previously mentioned master of magnetism, the trickster god Loki, and the deadly guardian, Venom, skirt the line a lot. While it's true that the Marvel Universe's do-gooders have very different personalities — Magik is nothing like Squirrel Girl who's nothing like Moon Knight — there's a lot of desire to see more baddies join the mix. Hopefully, the fact that Token's use of villains has garnered so much praise will help NetEase realize that fans want to see similar additions to its game.

Marvel rivals have no shortage of great villains to introduce

Not only is the Marvel Universe still full of popular heroes to add—Captain Marvel, Ghost Rider, and Nightcrawler aren't even featured yet—but there are dozens of great opportunities available at NetEase. Kang's time travel antics can make for a really fun ultimate that sees him rewind time, reduce final cooldowns and fight back 30 seconds. If players lose a nearby team fight, they'll essentially get a chance to try again, doubling the game's intensity when involving a scrapped big bad from the MCU's multiverse saga. Doctor Doom himself is an equally valid choice, especially in that he's the most important character Marvel Rivals' Lor, though he will probably be added along Avengers: DoomsdayDebut later in 2026.

Not every villain has to be an Avengers-level threat, though. There are plenty of X-Men villains who could serve as fun additions; Juggernaut as an environment-destroying vanguard seems like an obvious slam dunk, while Mystique could be an awesome spy-like duelist character. Likewise, Spidey's iconic rogues gallery presents a host of options. Sandman's shapeshifting makes it so he can essentially fill any role as Deadpool, Mysterio's illusions can confuse the enemy team, and Carnage can infect dead bodies to throw AI-controlled attackers at the enemy team. The Green Goblin's glider makes him a unique flying hero if it can destroy him on the ground, while giving Doc Oak some massive weapons makes him a formidable vanguard.

Perhaps the strangest thing of all Marvel Rivals' The villain gap is that Vidya has established several villains who can act as playable characters. Symbiote God Knull can and should be more than a background character. Then, there's Kingpin, who also has a completely fished out moveset as he serves as the secret boss battle in Blood Hunt PvE mode. By extension, the same logic applies to Dracula, even if he's not as big a name as the other options. Simply put, Marvel Rivals Can and should do more with the brand's impressive pool of villains.

Other standout villain options include, but are not limited to:

• Mr. Sister

• the lizard

• Bullseye

• Dorammu

• MODOK

• Claw

• purple man

• the scorpion

• Kraven the Hunter

• Omega Red

Thankfully, it looks like Marvel rivals got the message

Fortunately for the desperate to see Marvel Rivals Starting to diversify its roster this way, NetEase seems to be laying the groundwork for adding some villains. First and foremost, Thanos seems very likely Marvel Rivals Due to upcoming tie-in game modes for Eternal War and end gameAnd the Mad Titan is probably something someone would love to use (Infinity Gauntlet or not). Additionally, Gore the God Butcher has been leaked, with a future season of the hero shooter all-but-confirmed. These two characters, plus the inevitable addition of Doctor Doom, would go a long way toward fixing that. Rivals' villain problem, though they should really be the tip of the iceberg.

issued

December 6, 2024

ESRB

T for Teens // Violence

developer(s)

NetEase Games

publisher(s)

NetEase Games