I Desperately Want To See Marvel’s Most Hated Character Come to Rivals, and You Should Too

Marvel has no shortage of beloved characters, with the hugely successful Marvel Cinematic Universe raising the stock of countless characters and making them into proper pop culture icons. With Marvel Rivals now switching to a monthly format for hero releases, it likely won’t be too long before all the beloved characters are hit, meaning that it will have to start adapting either deep cuts or less celebrated heroes and villains. One character would fit the bill of the latter category in particular, as they have been a source of internet ire for the last several years. However, I’m confident that said character – Captain Marvel – would be an incredibly beneficial addition to NetEase’s hit game.

Much of the hate for Captain Marvel comes from the MCU version of the hero, with certain corners of the internet being obsessed with hating Captan Marvel actor Brie Larson due to some comments she made in interviews. While all the outrage around Brie Larson is extreme, unwarranted, and has gone on far too long, not every critique around the character comes from a place of sexism. Some Marvel fans dislike how she has been written out of major events in the Cinematic Universe, while others dislike her personality in the first film due to her amnesia stripping her of emotion. Additionally, the version of Captain Marvel from the comics had just gone through a rough patch in the years prior to her solo film’s release, as book readers disliked her stance and actions in the Civil War 2 event. While the reasons vary from blind hate to fan frustration to just a general dislike of the hero, there would surely be backlash if she were added to Marvel Rivals. Despite this, I think she’d be a character worth adding to the game, and honestly, she can’t come soon enough.

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Why Marvel Rivals’ Captain Marvel Would Be Healthy For the Game

To be clear, I’m a Captain Marvel fan – I enjoyed her solo movie and, even more so, The Marvels. I’m the proud owner of Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Captain Marvel omnibus as well as Kelly Thompson’s (fingers crossed for the second volume, still waiting). I was devastated when Marvel’s Avengers ended support before Carol Danvers came to the game, as I was eager to see her interact with Crystal Dynamics’ version of Kamala. But putting my love for the character aside, from a gameplay standpoint, I think she’d make for a perfect addition to Marvel Rivals because she could fill a void the game currently has: the lack of a flying Vanguard.

While there is certainly a chance that Carol could be a Duelist like Jean Grey or even a Specialist, her confident action hero-like personality would make her an ideal tank. After seeing Emma Frost take on the Vanguard role, it’s easy to imagine Captain Marvel in the exact same position, boasting a bulkier build and an impressive height. This would absolutely be a welcome approach, as Vanguards currently lack a way to easily deal with flyers. Sure, Magneto’s projectiles can hit a flyer at mid-range, but it’s easy for them to soar out of reach, and the options for dealing with flying foes are ultimately too limited for Vanguards. To NetEase’s credit, its Season 3 rework for The Thing is a step toward fixing this problem, as he’ll be able to leap at flyers and knock them out of the air. Like NetEase has said, though, this is just a first step, and a hero like Captain Marvel built from the ground up to combat flyers could be the best step forward.

While some may be concerned about Carol continuing Marvel Rivals hero recognizability problem, she’d likely be different from the other blonde women in the game. Her color scheme would surely be a bit different, regardless of whether her current blue/gold/red look is used or her classic black/gold/red scheme is picked, and her default haircut could be a mohawk to make her model even more distinct.

What Could Captain Marvel’s Kit Look Like?

Based on Captain Marvel’s existing power set, it’s possible to envision some abilities for Marvel Rivals’ version of the character, such as:

Like Marvel Rivals’ Iron Man, Carol’s flight could have a speed mode that allows her to move faster by restricting her ability to attack, making her a menace for flying characters since she could hunt them down.
Carol’s attacks could be a mix of ranged photon blasts and punches, with her blasts potentially recharging or gaining power the more damage she takes. Such a system would reward aggression and require Captain Marvel users to play alongside the team’s healers.
If she does end up in the Vanguard role, it would help to give Captain Marvel some kind of ability to boost her team. One possibility would be something like Rally, the Ultimate ability of Overwatch 2’s Brigitte. Instead of just giving the team a speed boost and boosting Carol’s abilities, Captain Marvel could briefly charge her allies with photon energy, making her a moving supercharger that the team will want to gather around.

Hopefully, NetEase has plans to add Captain Marvel itself, as it would be hard to imagine her winning a popularity contest if her name came up in Marvel Rivals’ hero voting. With Carol Danvers able to add something important to the game, though, both her biggest haters and fans like myself would be able to appreciate her addition from a gameplay perspective, which is the best possible reason to include her.