The Best Character Designs, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Venom’s design in Marvel Rivals is terrifying with his gigantic frame making him extra creepy.
• Jeff the Land Shark’s appearance is a mixture of cute and intimidating with black eyes and a devious smile.
• Magneto rocks a stoic old-man look in red and gray armor.

Marvel Rivals offers a huge cast of iconic Marvel heroes and villains to choose from, and though they are all recognizable, they still have unique designs to fit the colorful and vibrant nature of the game’s aesthetics. As a result, many of these characters look absolutely stunning from a visual standpoint, which can only ever be a good thing considering this is a third-person game where players will also have a full view of their character during a match.

However, there are still a select few stand-outs among the cast who developers NetEase clearly went above and beyond to make as visually appealing as possible, and that’s what this list is going to be taking a closer look at today. These are the heroes and villains in Marvel Rivals who have the best designs in the game and are a joy to watch in action.

9 Venom

Venom has a pretty similar character design any time he appears in games, comics, and movies, but in Marvel Rivals, the team has gone to extreme lengths to ensure this guy comes across as terrifying as humanly possible. One way they achieved this is by making him a literal behemoth in terms of size, while his body constantly sprouts out small Symbiote tentacles, making him look extra creepy.

Venom’s enlarged frame also allows the big white spider across his chest to be extra noticeable, cementing himself as the antithesis to his arch-rival, Spider-Man. As far as Venom design goes, this one knocks it out of the park, especially in terms of the scare factor.

8 Jeff The Land Shark

Jeff Manages To Look Both Cute And Terrifying At The Same Time

In the comics, the lovable Jeff the Shark possesses a much more cuddly and harmless design than he does this time around. However, his new looks perfectly suits the character, as he can be a real nightmare to deal with when he’s gobbling people up and throwing them off the map in the middle of a match.

His blacked-out eyes and devious smile therefore are great design choices, yet the collar wrapped around him still adds at least a touch of innocence, allowing him to look just threatening enough without looking like a mini-Venom. Making Jeff look just a little more dangerous feeds into his in-game playstyle, reminding players he’s not an animal that should ever be taken lightly.

7 Magneto

This Stoic Old-Man Depiction Of Magneto Perfectly Suits The Characters

Magneto has always been an intimidating villain within the X-Men comics, and thankfully, his updated design here still excels at making him look like an absurdly powerful character, and that’s before he even throws out an ability. The classic red and purple color scheme has been switched out for red and gray, making Magneto’s suit of armor look like one giant case of steel that can protect him from any incoming damage thrown his way.

The designers also went for a slightly older look for Magneto, giving him a gray mustache and goatee to highlight that this is a warrior who has been in his fair share of battles, which perfectly suits a stoic wise man such as himself.

6 Black Widow

Black Widow’s Appearance Feels Like A Hybrid Of Her Comic And Movie Designs

Black Widow’s appearance feels like a modernized version of her design that was often seen in the comics. While she still retains a rendition of her black skinsuit, her outfit has now been kitted out with an assortment of armor plates and technological devices to make her job as the stealthy assassin of the crew all the easier.

Additionally, while she still has her signature red hair, it’s a lot shorter for this game, seemingly inspired by Scarlett Johansen’s portrayal of the character in the early Marvel movies. As a result, her design feels like a hybrid of the movies and comics, topped up with some extra colorful armor to create a character who looks downright stunning.

5 The Punisher

Gigantic Muscles And Skull Face Paint Make The Punisher Look Like An Unstoppable Monster

In classic Punisher fashion, Frank Castle in Marvel Rivals can always be seen with a mean look splashed across his face, along with having an absurdly muscular build that comes together to create a no-nonsense design. However, one subtle change to his classic appearance is how the white skull which usually can only be seen on his chest is now used as face paint, almost making him look like a grim reaper who’s coming to clean the streets of anyone he deems to be a threat to society.

As if he didn’t already look intimidating enough, the extra shells he keeps strapped to his shoulder, alongside his bulky armor, allow him to look even scarier than usual, even more so when he can be seen unleashing his gatling guns in the middle of battle.

4 Star-Lord

An Effortlessly Stylish Look For An Effortlessly Cool Guardian

The immensely arrogant yet deadly Star-Lord has never looked better than he does in Marvel Rivals. The most notable feature is his iconic mask which, while seen in other media, really stands out this time around thanks to the glaring blue eyes that pierce the soul of his victims. He also comes with a long and stylish jacket that only adds to the badass persona this Guardian of the Galaxy is going for, especially when paired with his rocket boots.

His energy pistols also deserve a special mention, since rather than designing a pair of regular handguns, NetEase decided to make them as futuristic as possible, looking like they were ripped right out of a Borderlands game.

3 Luna Snow

The Designers Did An Amazing Job At Mixing Luna’s K-Pop Fashion Sense With A Superhero Getup

Being able to design a character who is both a K-pop star and a superhero can’t be easy, yet developers NetEase managed to pull it off arguably even better than the comics ever have. A prime example of this is her hair which, while styled in a similar cut to a lot of K-pop artists, is also separated into white and black to highlight the two forms of ice that Luna uses in-game.

Considering she’s a big-time pop artist, it also makes sense why Luna is dripping with so much style, from her flashy jacket to her knee-high boots, all the way to the large pendant that hangs from her neck. She’s ultimately a character with excellent design who succeeds in looking the part of both her occupations.

2 Hawkeye

Without A Doubt, Hawkeye’s Most Badass Design To Date

Whoever could have thought Hawkeye, the sniper of the Avengers, could ever look this badass? With a mask covering half his face, slicked-back blond hair, and a sturdy chest plate, Hawkeye looks truly intimidating thanks to this drastic redesign. Hawkeye has been known to wear masks in the comics, but they are usually much smaller and only cover his eyes, so many would probably agree this version looks much better and more suitable considering his role in the team.

The short gray cloak that can be seen covering Hawkeye’s neck is also a small touch that makes him look far less goofy than he has before, almost giving off the impression he’s as much an assassin as he is an archer. It also needs to be mentioned just how muscular Hawkeye appears in this game, which is rather unusual for sniper archetypes in most hero shooters, but it works well here regardless.

1 Psylocke

Psylocke’s Redesign Adds An Aura Of Mystery And Intrigue To This X-Men Member

Receiving a drastic makeover from her comic book appearances, Psylocke’s new design suits her role as the assassin archetype Duelist of the game. There’s an abundance of cool and interesting details to point out here, including the red scarf that covers Psylocke’s mouth to give her an aura of mystery, and a katana strapped to her back, alongside a small flashy cape that follows her from behind.

A lot of attention was also clearly spent on the color contrasts, allowing Psylocke to pop out from the screen thanks to her outfit being made up of whites, blues, and reds, which all manage to fit together rather than clash. Psylocke’s design manages to be effortlessly cool without needing to go over the top, and it results in a look that is a real feast for the eyes.