Marvel Rivals’ roster of nearly 37 characters is astounding and showcases how expansive the Marvel pantheon’s breadth is. Equally as thrilling, though, is the handful of mapsMarvel Rivalscurrently features and the iconic Marvel settings they represent. Anyone familiar with Marvel lore will surely be familiar with Asgard and Hydra, while a bit more deep-diving may be needed to learn about Klyntar.
One ofMarvel Rivals’ newest maps, Midtown, is easily its most recognizable yet with landmarks in a packed New York City referencing characters such as Daredevil and Dazzler. Funny enough, Midtown has a Fisk Tower skyscraper and its prominence would otherwise suggest that Kingpin himself might one day be introduced as a playable character. It’s entirely plausible that Dazzler or Daredevil could make their way intoMarvel Rivals’ roster at some point in the future, but the same may not be said for Wilson Fisk, a character whose supreme lack of any distinguishable qualities beyond being wide and unassumingly tough would make adapting him a nightmare.
Marvel Rivals’ Fisk Tower Easter Egg Could Tease Kingpin’s Arrival in the Future, But Should It?
HavingDaredevil inMarvel Rivalswould be exceptional and seems inevitable if NetEase truly intends to release a brand-new character every one-and-a-half months. That’s a tall order regardless of how many Marvel characters there are for the studio to draw out of a hat and it’ll be exciting to see which are revealed after the entire Fantastic Four has launched.
It’s possible NetEase’s well could run dry in a year or two and be forced to develop characters who aren’t as immediately intriguing, but Kingpin arguably wouldn’t make for an incredibly entertaining addition unlessMarvel Rivalsstretched its creative muscles in unprecedented ways.
Indeed, it would presumably be hard to flesh out Kingpin with a kit when Fisk is basically a spongy grappler without a defining quirk or hook to his character, let alone any actual reason as to why he’s as strong as he is. Kingpin is far more capable of being menacing in narratives where he’s orchestrating organized criminal activity and playing the role of a dutiful, stoic public figure.
There are countless other antagonist characters in Marvel lore that NetEase will hopefully consider before Kingpin, especiallyother colorful and zany Spider-Man villains, and ifMarvel Rivalschose to erect Fisk Tower in Midtown it is maybe as a way to include an Easter egg for a character it wants to pay tribute to but never plans to add.
Marvel Rivals Would Need to Be Quite Creative to Make Kingpin Entertaining
Kingpin has long held his own in combat and the fact that he can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Spider-Man is undoubtedly impressive. Nonetheless,Marvel Rivals’ characters all have a uniqueness to their abilities and kitsthat Kingpin wouldn’t have. Kingpin often wields a cane, for instance, but whatever gimmicks it could contain wouldn’t be enough to justify releasing him as a playable character alone.
Kingpin could employ external means at his disposal that could be representative of his crime lord status and wealth, butMarvel Rivalswould find greater favor in plumbing Marvel’s darkest depths for obscure characters before ever landing on Kingpin. One of the only reasons why Kingpin would be a neat character to have added inMarvel Rivalsis so that players could witness Fisk’s interactions with Spider-Man or Punisher, and if NetEase took liberties with him it’d be neat to see how he could contribute toMarvel Rivals’ overarching lore.
Beyond that, it’d require quite a leap to give Kingpin enough moves and abilities to fill out a kit. Even asa Vanguard inMarvel Rivals, Kingpin would not be terribly unique and NetEase would probably need to make him overpowered at launch if it wanted players to choose him over the much more popular Doctor Strange, Groot, and Venom.
