Why Marvel Rivals’ Anti-Venom Skin Likely Sets a Sad Precedent

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As a long-time Marvel enthusiast who has been following the evolution of symbiote characters since the early days of Venom, I must say that I am a bit disheartened by the recent addition of Anti-Venom as a skin in Marvel Rivals instead of a unique character with its own distinct abilities.

In the game Marvel Rivals, certain characters’ skins may undergo color changes or stick to a basic color scheme, while many costumes are entirely distinct from the original ones. Additionally, this game often includes special cinematics, emotes, and sprays alongside these costumes. Some of the costumes significantly alter a character’s appearance, which can necessitate adjustments so they can still perform their usual functions. For example, the Mr. Knight skin for Moon Knight in Marvel Rivals features a cape that allows players to glide, even though the original Moon Knight doesn’t typically have a cape, because this ability is one of the character’s main skills.

Similarly, although the MVP skins for Captain America’s Captain Gladiator and Iron Fist’s Sword Master depict them with an axe and a sword respectively, these weapons aren’t part of their combat moveset. Instead, they serve as decorative elements during cinematics when players reach MVP (Most Valuable Player) status.

In theory, changing the color schemes of characters might simply serve as additional skins. However, noticeable examples like Storm’s white version and Star-Lord’s red one demonstrate significant visual impact. Regrettably, some color swaps hint at a disheartening possibility that certain characters might be reduced to skins rather than being added to the roster. Fortunately, Marvel Rivals has confirmed that Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy would never be just skins if considered. But, the presence of Venom’s Anti-Venom costume implies that some significant variations of a character may still not receive full recognition, despite their uniqueness or importance.

Marvel Rivals’ Anti-Venom Costume Misses the Potential a Roster Character Could’ve Had

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The “Anti-Venom” character could function well as a skin for the “Venom” character in the Marvel Rivals game. If the abilities of the symbiote weren’t altered, it wouldn’t be problematic that the white-and-black suit is a color variation. It would seem strange to introduce another Eddie Brock character solely for Anti-Venom, for instance.

Since Anti-Venom possesses healing and beneficial abilities instead of being purely harmful like a venom, it would’ve been intriguing to envision him as a Marvel Rivals Strategist who could possibly restore or boost teammates’ health while draining the life from adversaries.

For sure, Anti-Venom is renowned for draining Spider-Man’s radioactivity and rendering him powerless. If the game developers of Marvel Rivals were to design Anti-Venom in a way that he could counteract or put enemy abilities on hold, making them vulnerable and their strategies ineffective, it would be thrilling to witness. It would be exceptionally powerful if an expertly timed Anti-Venom Ultimate could nullify enemy Ultimates within a certain range, thus securing points at the last minute, all while Anti-Venom simultaneously heals teammates nearby.

Marvel Rivals Hopefully Sets Sights on Other Symbiote Characters

To summarize, Marvel Rivals boasts an abundance of characters yet to be introduced, but a healing Venom without distinctive costume options might not be worth arguing over. It’s understandable that fans passionate about symbiote characters like Toxin, Scorn, Scream, or even Venom 2099 might feel let down, as it’s improbable they’ll appear in the game now that Anti-Venom is merely a skin rather than a character with its own unique abilities.

Among the symbiote characters, Carnage’s Cletus Kasady is the one with a real chance of being added to the roster because of his widespread popularity. Knull, on the other hand, has a slim possibility due to his significance in Venom and Marvel Rivals’ grand storyline. It’s unexpected that the Klyntar were included as one of the first maps in Marvel Rivals, and it remains to be seen if their early appearance hints at more symbiotes being introduced or not.

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2024-12-26 01:24