It’s no secret that DC has fallen quite far behind Marvel when it comes to video games.Marvel Rivalsis only the latest game to reiterate this, and even though Marvel and DC don’t need to be perpetually locked into a competition between one another it would be wonderful if DC could wield Marvel’s wins as inspiration to produce its own. If that was to manifest itself transparently and unabashedly, DC would hop on the 6v6 hero-shooter bandwagon sooner than later and put forth its own take onMarvel Rivals.
Batman and Superman could have great variety in a DCMarvel Rivalsbetween all of Batman’s gadgets and vehicles orSuperman’s yellow sun-fueled Kryptonian abilities. Likewise, characters like Martian Manhunter or Green Lantern could have ridiculously whimsical and creative kits. That said, it’d be nearly impossible to design kits for Aquaman or Green Arrow and not have them mirror Namor and Hawkeye.
DC’s Aquaman Would Never Escape the Watery Shadow of Marvel Rivals’ Namor
Marvel Rivals’ Namorhas proven to be fairly high-tier in Season 1. He’s not the most dynamic Duelist character players can choose from the roster, but his unassumingly powerful Monstro Spawns make up the brunt of his kit while he mainly hurls his trident and rises into the air with a protective bubble in a pinch. It’s a simple set of abilities that hone in on Namor’s character well, and if a DCMarvel Rivalsever came out and had an Aquaman on the roster it would be hard not to have his own abilities merely mimic Namor’s.
Of course, something DC could do is have Aquaman summon other underwater creatures to battle alongside him, though that would still reflectNamor’s Aquatic Dominion ability as well as his Horn of Proteus Ultimate.
Likewise, if Aquaman were able to submerge himself into the map and swim around speedily with a movement boost, that would then lean too heavily onMarvel Rivals’ Jeff the Land Shark. As a result, there isn’t much that DC could do to greatly distinguish Aquaman, which is unfortunate because his popularity and ubiquitousness would suggest that he’d have to play a role in an ensemble hero-shooter if DC ever decided to develop one.
DC’s Green Arrow Could Have a Trick or Two Up His Sleeve That Marvel Rivals’ Hawkeye Lacks
Marvel Rivals’ Hawkeyehasn’t been terribly broken in Season 1, but like Namor he’s quite high in many community tier lists. On paper, Green Arrow having a kit designed for a hero-shooter would have trouble avoiding inspiration from Hawkeye; however, while both characters share expertise with a bow and arrow as their weapon of choice, Green Arrow could triple down on another gimmick they both possess thatMarvel Rivals’ Hawkeye doesn’t indulge in much.
Hawkeye only has Blast Arrows as a trick arrow typeand instead has more utility with a katana and a wakizashi in his Crescent Slash and Ronin Slash abilities. In this case, a DCMarvel Rivalsgame would be able to possibly eclipse Hawkeye by giving its Green Arrow a few different trick arrows that enhance his gameplay.
Anything could be on the table between arrows that propel Green Arrow into the air for better traversal and arrows that require a large cooldown but create an AoE with a fun status effect. Either way, with no DC take onMarvel Rivalseven rumored,Marvel Rivalsdoesn’t have to share the limelight with anyone else butOverwatch 2at the moment.
