MarvelRivalsmay shine the brightest due to its gameplay and interesting mechanical features, but that’s not all that stands out. While the story may not always seem like the main point of a hero shooter,Marvel Rivalshas one that shouldn’t be ignored. This is a huge benefit of leveraging the Marvel IP,making it easier to pull in players and create ideas from the historic franchise.
The next installment inRivalsis coming on April 11 with Season 2. The main draw of the season is the two new characters,Emma Frost and Ultron, waging war over the mutant homeland of Krakoa. However, Season 2 also comes with plenty of character and system changes that continue to evolve the game for the better.
What Is Marvel Rivals' Story?
A Game Of Chess Between Dooms
Marvel Rivals' story may not be complex, but it’s an intriguing thread that brings together all aspects ofMarvel. The Doom of the present day and his anti-hero counterpart Doom 2099 were both experimenting on controlling time, which led to making a Timestream Entanglement.This entanglement has forced numerous multiverses with different versions of iconic characters to combine and meet.
Doom is one of the smartest and most recognizable antagonists of the franchise.
Many of the “villains” of these seasons are working for their own goals or those of one of the Dooms. For example, Season 1’s Dracula was working for present-day Doom. Early speculation points toward Ultron working with or for Doom 2099. This could be a major sign of what storiesMarvel Rivalscould tell in the future, especially if it already has long-term plans in place.
Why Rivals Story Works
Doing Just Enough Right
For a game focused on PvP, the story doesn’t have to be a large and complex tale. Even something likeFortnite, which has changed directions over the years, isn’t inherently complex when following along.A good story for a PvP game simply needs to be engaging and appropriately strung together.
Marvel Rivals' Official Lore Has Never Been Easier to Understand
Marvel Rivals has been a break-out hit among gamers, and Marvel Comics is capitalizing on that excitement with a series of tie-in comic stories.
WithRivalsbeing composed ofMarvelcharacters that are already beloved, giving fans a way to see them interact in an easily accessible format is a boon. The villains are also a great touch. Doom is one of the smartest and most recognizable antagonists of the franchise, andhaving two variants of the character battle it out across seasons while using whomever they can is appealing. It also works perfectly from a gameplay aspect, as it introduces lore reasons for new characters.
The Future Of Marvel Rivals' Story
What The Future Holds For Our Heroes
The wide range of characters thatRivalscan use can lead the story in multiple ways.The most obvious way is a power tug-of-war between the two Dooms. After the Fantastic Four rising to stop Dracula and Emma Frost’s leadership against Ultron in Season 2, there are a lot of opportunities to remix things in the future.
This raises the question of howother leakedRivalscharacterswill join.The most obvious is Blade, who has already been shown off in Season 1. While it was originally suspected he would lead Season 2, despite the theme mismatch, it is now confirmed he won’t be a part of it. There’s still a chance that Blade could be asurprise fifth character for Season 1, but if that is not true, fans will have to wait even longer than expected. When he does come, he could play a major role in the fight against Doom and his proxy villains.
The other aspect of the story to consider is whetherRivalscan have the longevity of games likeFortniteorOverwatch. If it does, the story will likely need to move along at some point, as a continuous battle between two Dooms could eventually grow stale. Luckily,Marvelhas plenty of large-scale villains that could take over the role if necessary, like Kang or Galactus. However, if the game does get to that point, it will likely have the massive support it needs to pivot in these new directions.
Marvel Rivals Lore Will Become Ridiculous If We Never Fight On Doom’s Side
Doctor Doom is meant to be the main foe in Marvel Rivals. But, the map stories have found ways for the heroes to just fight amongst themselves.
Overall, while the story may not be the biggest draw, it is certainly a feature that should not be ignored. The tie-ins featured in content updates are significant, and the lore implications are just enough to hold interest. If you haven’t been paying attention to the story ofMarvel Rivals, now would be the time to look into the narrative so far to prepare for the interesting places it could go in the future.
