Marvel Rivals devs confirm they’re “licensed” to turn any character from the past “85 years” of Marvel Comics into a playable hero, and they want to get weird

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase has rapidly introduced new heroes into the game with the upcoming Season 3 bringing Blade and Phoenix into the fray. However, with the developer aiming to bring new heroes to the game every month, could the studio ever run out of characters they’re allowed to adapt?

Well, the answer is actually no. Speaking to VideoGamer ahead of the release of Season 3, game director Guangyun Chen explained that Marvel has given the team license to use whatever characters it wants over the comic brand’s entire 85-year history, and the team wants to get weird.

Marvel Rivals devs will never run out of characters

In an interview with VideoGamer, Chen explained that the team at NetEase “are licensed to explore the full Marvel universe”. The game director explained that the team at Marvel has opened the flood gates, allowing the team to draw “from over 85 years” of characters.

Additionally, Chen explained that the team won’t just “focus on the heavy-hitters” but will continue to “shine a light on some lesser-known yet equally fascinating characters”. While Chen didn’t explain what future characters will be added, the team is proud of its inclusion of “unique heroes like Jeff the Land Shark and Squirrel Girl”.

At the time of writing, Jeff the Land Shark is the most obscure character in Marvel Rivals, and no other character come close. However, the game director explained that the team wants to allow “players to experience the Marvel Universe from other unique and enjoyable perspectives” and offer “a chance to discover new aspects of Marvel”.

With 85 years of characters on the table, there’s a tonne of stupid, silly and just plain weird characters that deserve a shot in the spotlight. Imagine Spider-Man villain Big Wheel tearing up the battlefield in his titular big wheel; imagine the fun you could have with Bill the Lobster. Hell, let me play as Contemplator!

NetEase is still keeping its cards to its chest, but we’re expecting to see some really weird picks by the time the year is over. As for the game right now, Chen is just happy that that players are actually vibing with picks like Jeff, even if there’s way weirder Marvel characters to pick from.

“The feedback [from players and fans] has been overwhelmingly positive,” Chen said of the game’s current roster. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see players connect with our choices [so far].”

For more from our chat with Chen, find out why Marvel Rivals still hasn’t announced a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game yet.