How Marvel Rivals’ The Thing Could Stand Out from The Hulk

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home January 3, 2025 26 Views 6 Min Read
How Marvel Rivals’ The Thing Could Stand Out from The Hulk



With The Thing coming to Marvel Rivals, one of the developers’ big challenges will be making sure that Ben feels different from The Hulk. Both characters traditionally fit the same role as resident powerhouses who can both give and take more physical damage than their teammates can. However, for the sake of keeping Marvel Rivals and its roster interesting, the two will need distinct playstyles. Otherwise, Ben may end up feeling like a palette swap of Bruce. Thankfully, there are several solutions that the developers can use to ensure their identities remain distinct.

According to a recent Marvel Rivals leak, The Thing is set to join the already-impressive roster of Marvel’s hero shooter. In hindsight, it may be more of a surprise that he wasn’t on the base roster to begin with. Before the rise of the MCU, The Thing was arguably one of Marvel’s most recognizable superheroes. Even among the Fantastic Four, he has the biggest profile, once having his own solo TV show and is set to have a solo comic released in March. That’s not to mention his rocky orange look makes him instantly recognizable. The Thing joining Marvel Rivals feels like an obvious choice.

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The Thing and The Hulk Are Two Completely Different Flavors of Team Muscle

The Hulk and The Thing Are Both Muscular Powerhouses

An important part of balancing Marvel Rivals‘ roster is ensuring that each member feels unique, giving players a reason to try every character. However, The Thing already has some notable similarities to another member of the roster, The Hulk. Both are the powerhouses of any respective team they’re on, being the beefiest members as well as the ones who can give and take the most physical damage. On a surface level, they feel like they would fill the exact same niche in-game. As a result, the design team will have to make some clear distinctions between their respective gameplay.

Ben Grimm Can’t Transform As Bruce Banner Does

One of the quirks of playing Hulk in Marvel Rivals is the role of Bruce Banner himself. The player starts the match as Bruce, and transforms into the Hulk with his ultimate, shifting back into the much weaker Bruce once Hulk runs out of health. This is a gimmick that makes Hulk unique, and it’s a feature that The Thing can’t replicate. Ben Grimm has no way to return to his human form, which is a major part of his character and fuels much of his personal drama. This alone ensures that Hulk and The Thing will have one major difference in Marvel Rivals.

The Thing is a Deceptively Skillful Martial Combatant

Ben has another trait that should be able to give Marvel Rivals‘ Fantastic Four addition extra identity. The Hulk’s fighting style in Marvel Rivals largely consists of throwing full-force attacks with little finesse. Meanwhile, The Thing has trained as a boxer and knows several martial arts in addition to his immense strength. That opens the door to a few more technical abilities. For example, Ben could bob and weave between attacks, or send an enemy flying with a judo throw. Ben’s combat expertise could let the developers get creative with his moveset, resulting in a new kind of powerhouse in Marvel Rivals.

Ben Grimm and Bruce Banner’s powers may look similar, but they should play quite differently. In upcoming seasons of Marvel Rivals, the roster will likely expand repeatedly, with The Thing likely being among the first of many. These roster additions need to bring something to the game aside from being a new name on the roster. At first glance, The Hulk and The Thing might have trouble setting themselves apart, but thankfully, the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing has plenty of ways to establish his uniqueness in Marvel Rivals.

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