Marvel Rivals Technically Adding a Powerful Marvel Villains…

Marvel Rivals is expanding its already-sizable character roster with two heavy-hitters: Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman. This dynamic duo is part of the game's Season One rollout, which is fleshing out the Marvel Rivals lore alongside its gameplay elements.

The story of Marvel Rivals, as is the case with most multiplayer-focused games, takes a backseat to the action. It mostly serves as a way to facilitate gameplay, being focused on an interdimensional entanglement that resulted in a number of character variants clashing with each other. The game's multiverse shenanigans allow for virtually limitless opportunities when it comes to introducing new characters, concepts, locations, and more, and this boundless potential is evident in Season One's upcoming content.

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By Drew Swanson

Marvel Rivals' The Maker Skin Represents One of Marvel's Greatest Villains

The Maker's Backstory

Marvel's Ultimate Universe was started in the late 1990s with the intention of offering unique origin stories for Marvel's biggest characters. The likes of Peter Parker and Tony Stark were wrapped up in decades of complex continuity in the primary timeline by that point, which made it both harder to tell new stories and harder to appeal to new readers. Thus, Ultimate Marvel was born, and it is against this backdrop that The Maker was introduced.

Following the deaths of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, Magneto, in an episode of rageful grief, attempts to destroy the world. The heroes of the Ultimate Marvel universe manage to stop him, but this doesn't come without a cost: destruction has been wreaked on a mass scale, and a number of heroes, including Professor X, Wolverine, and Daredevil, are dead. Wracked with grief and traumatized, Reed Richards finally snaps when Sue Storm declines his proposal at the funeral of Franklin Storm.

Believing his world to be essentially ruined, Richards decides to use his powers of intellect and elasticity for selfish ends, becoming The Maker and seeking a new world to shape however he sees fit. Reed Richards is arguably the most intelligent character in any Marvel universe, but Ultimate Reed Richards is confirmed to be able to "stretch" his brain to increase his intelligence by several orders of magnitude, making him a major intellectual threat. Once he is deeply steeped in his villain arc, Molecule Man splits him into an infinite number of physical beings, one in each new universe created during the events of Secret Wars. To make matters worse, all these duplicates share one consciousness. In summation, The Maker is perhaps the smartest human in the Marvel universe, unbound by both dimensional barriers and conventional morality.

What The Maker's Introduction Says About Marvel Rivals

With its multiverse-centric storylines and multiple distinct continuities, there is no "true" version of any major character in Marvel. But at the same time, most incarnations of these characters share crucial similarities that act as throughlines between various universes. For instance, Ultimate Peter Parker is a bit moodier than Earth-616 Peter Parker, but they both share the same value system, desire to see justice done, occasional shyness, and sense of humor. In other words, they have the same essence.

But The Maker is so distinct from almost every other version of Reed Richards that he is effectively a different character entirely. So the fact that he is only included as a skin for Mr. Fantastic is interesting, as it essentially locks him out of being a dedicated character, indicating that NetEase is looking to relegate such overpowered characters to Easter eggs and references rather than essential parts of the Marvel Rivals story or gameplay suite.

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Third-Person Shooter

Action

Multiplayer

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 78 /100 Critics Rec: 84%

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Released: December 6, 2024
ESRB: T For Teen // Violence
Developer(s): NetEase Games
Publisher(s): NetEase Games

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Marvel Rivals is a Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter!
Assemble an all-star Marvel squad, devise countless strategies by combining powers to form unique Team-Up skills and fight in destructible, ever-changing battlefields across the continually evolving Marvel universe!

A Deep and Varied Marvel Roster
Choose from a vast array of fan-favorite and cult-classic Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains from across the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and many more from across the Marvel Multiverse.

Fast and Fun 6v6 Action with Ever-Changing Game Dynamics
With intricate environments, fast-paced gameplay, and ever-changing battlefields, there's never a dull moment in Marvel Rivals! Battle as Super Heroes and Super Villains with incredible abilities and combine your powers to bring unexpected fun to the battlefield in a matter of seconds.

Dynamic Hero Synergy
Coordinate unique combinations between characters to ignite surprising Team-Up Skills! Unleash the synergy of combined superpowers and invent new tactics that can turn the tide of combat. Ride on Groot's back as Rocket Raccoon to take on your enemies as a dangerous duo, unleash Gamma energy as Hulk to charge Iron Man's armor for massive damage, and so much more!

Creative Environment Destruction
Tear your way through iconic Marvel worlds across destructible environments! From Asgard to the Tokyo of 2099, use superpowers to alter these environments, reshape the terrain, and craft a strategic advantage on the battlefield! Take cover to dodge attacks or use makeshift weapons to strike down enemies. Players will find countless ways to utilize the environment to claim victory!

Continually Evolving Universe and Robust Post-Launch Updates
The Marvel Multiverse brings infinite possibilities! Each seasonal drop will introduce new Super Heroes to the battlefield along with challenging and diverse maps! Unlock new content to implement across various gameplay strategies while experiencing thrilling action and endless possibilities in these adventurous team battles!