How Marvel Rivals Subverts Typical Hero Shooter Archetypes

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 15, 2024 43 Views 8 Min Read
How Marvel Rivals Subverts Typical Hero Shooter Archetypes



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Less than a year has passed since Marvel Rivals was first revealed, and the game’s early performance has been off to a great start. When put into perspective, it’s incredible how much the new hero shooter has accomplished in such a short span of time. Marvel Rivals has even begun to outrun its biggest competition, despite having the deck stacked against it from the beginning.




Of course, Overwatch 2 is the clear target to dethrone among hero shooters. Overwatch 2 may have had its fair share of conflict, but there’s no question that Overwatch remains a legend in the genre. When Marvel Rivals was first announced, common word was very largely focused on how the game might set itself apart. Thankfully, Marvel Rivals may have found a way to do just that.

Split image of characters from Marvel Rivals and Overwatch

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Veteran Overwatch players can fit right into Marvel Rivals thanks to heroes like Hawkeye and Black Widow who mirror their favorite OW characters.

Marvel Rivals Heroes Offer a Fresh Take on the Hero Shooter Genre

Marvel Rivals Roster and Roles Explained

Marvel Rivals‘ playable characters are called heroes, with the full launch roster clocking in at 33 unique heroes to explore. These heroes are then divided into three different roles: Duelist, Vanguard, and Strategist. These roles fill the classic DPS, Tank, and Support split, although the exact ratio in-game may be somewhat off for now.


Most other games feature a similar divide, especially any of Marvel Rivals‘ peers in the hero shooter genre. Between this and some functionally similar hero designs, Marvel Rivals was struck by the Overwatch clone allegations almost immediately. However, Marvel Rivals‘ design philosophy is much more than skin deep.

Marvel Rivals Heroes Subvert the Status Quo of Tanks, Supports, and DPS

Characters may be sorted into roles, but this is far from the be all end all. One might think that a Duelist in Marvel Rivals wants to deal damage, a Vanguard wants to absorb it for their teammates, and a Strategist to heal whatever damage has been done. Although this is certainly a solid rule of thumb, it can easily be proven wrong. Marvel Rivals does allow each of these roles to have that respective focus, but many characters tend to have abilities that glance just outside their wheelhouse.


Venom is one of the premier Vanguards in Marvel Rivals, and a solid pick in most team compositions. Although Venom’s ability to gain bonus health can render him nigh-unkillable, he uses it far more for staying in to attack opponents than he does for shielding his allies. Venom isn’t alone either, as these “hybrid” characters can be found all throughout the cast. Storm is a Duelist who focuses on buffing her teammates like a support might, while Loki is a Strategist with turret-style combat that almost seems to surpass Namor in damage.

This diverse array of abilities really helps each and every character stick out from one another. In the same vein, it also helps Marvel Rivals‘ heroes avoid getting mixed up. After all, while some of Marvel Rivals‘ heroes appear to take some pretty clear inspiration from their peers, others are only similar simply by virtue of sharing a common character trope. For example, Hawkeye and Hanzo may seem similar on the surface thanks to their shared function as an archery-based sniper, but their differing abilities (like Hawkeye’s melee skills and charged attacks) make all the difference.


Marvel Rivals‘ developers have happened upon a very solid method to kill two birds with one stone. Marvel Rivals currently lacks role queue, so it’s nice to have characters like Iron Fist that can sustain themselves without the need for a healer at all times. More importantly, embracing these hybrid archetypes allows every character to have a unique place in the meta. When new characters start to release, one can only imagine how much more creative some abilities could become down the line.

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