Marvel’s Blade Should Watch Marvel Rivals Closely for One…

NetEase and Marvel have been collaborating to add in-depth lore to Marvel Rivals that players may be unaware of. With Blade leaked as a character roster addition sometime in the future, NetEase and Marvel should consider fan response to some new Season 1 additions as they perfect the vampire hunter for Marvel Rivals. While Marvel shouldn’t just look at fan response before perfecting Blade for Marvel Rivals, this info should be kept in mind as development for the MCU’s Blade continues.

By every metric, Marvel Rivals Season 1’s additions have blown players away. With the expanded Battle Pass compared to Season 0, two new characters with more allegedly on the way, and plenty of new skins, Marvel Rivals is maintaining its incredible momentum after taking the hero shooter genre by storm.

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By Megan Lorich

Marvel Rivals' Lore is the Best Path for Character Additions

One of the best parts of Marvel Rivals is also understandably overlooked. Sure, Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic are thrilling new additions to the shooter’s character roster, but they’ve also heavily expanded the game’s lore. The Season 1 release trailer and the game’s new main menu opening sequence both highlight the threats the Fantastic Four face and what drew them into the shooter in the first place. A villain to rival them all, Dracula is the main antagonist of Marvel Rivals Season 1.

Of course, the best combatant against a vampire is a vampire hunter. Dracula could easily set up Blade’s addition to Marvel Rival’s character roster, but NetEase and Marvel should watch how fans react to Dracula as a villain before committing to using him as a gateway for Blade. In fact, official artwork of Blade facing off against Dracula has already been revealed by Marvel Rivals, solidifying that the two may face off in the shooter’s lore sometime in the future.

By navigating to “Heroes,” players can select a hero of their choosing and read one of the various stories centered on the character. These stories focus on Marvel Rivals’ version of the character, giving players a clear view of how the hero differs from their MCU, film, television, or comic adaptations. These stories also mention other characters that have yet to be introduced to Marvel Rivals’ character roster. As Dracula’s story progresses throughout Season 1, perhaps Blade will be mentioned in the lore associated with other upcoming Marvel Rivals heroes like the Thing or the Human Torch.

Marvel Rivals Could Change the MCU's Blade

Reactions from fans both to the Dracula versus Blade storyline and Blade as a Marvel Rivals addition as a whole could alter the upcoming Blade film. The film’s production history has been a bit rocky to say the least, as filming for Blade was halted due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023. The lack of information about the film’s production and development over the last year led fans to believe that the project may be scrapped, but Kevin Feige has confirmed that Marvel is dedicated to completing the film.

Story details for the film also have yet to be released in full. Though it's unlikely that the MCU Blade adaptation’s plot will be similar to his lore in Marvel Rivals, the shooter would be a great opportunity for moviegoers to become acquainted with a new version of the character. While Wesley Snipes’ portrayal of the vampire hunter is iconic, modern audiences will likely associate the character with its most recent adaptation in Marvel Rivals. To prime the next generation for Blade, Marvel needs to consider how the character will shape Marvel Rivals and, in turn, the MCU.

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