Image: NetEase Games
Marvel Rivals previews its latest playable Marvel hero: Hawkeye.
NetEase Games has announced Marvel Rivals’ newest playable hero: the bow-wielding sharpshooter Hawkeye, who is styled after his samurai-like ‘Ronin’ alias from Marvel Comics. In addition to the hero’s big reveal, the game has announced a slew of launch content. This includes a Wakandan map, more cosmetics, and details for Season 0.
Here’s the Hawkeye trailer:
Marvel Rivals announces new playable character Hawkeye
Hawkeye (Clint Barton, not Kate Bishop) is officially joining Marvel Rivals’ launch roster as a long-ranged Duelist. The sharpshooter is modelled in-game after his brief stint as Ronin in Marvel Comics, wherein Barton took up the sword and hood to fight enemies in secret. That means Hawkeye is a little edgier than usual here, and plays like a cross between Overwatch 2’s Genji and Hanzo.
Hawkeye can fire arrows at long range in combat to take down enemies caught unaware or out of position, but he can also charge up his arrows for devastating effect if he manages to get a headshot. Alternatively, he can take enemies on at close range using his sword, which comes with a knockback effect to boot. The sword can also be used to deflect enemy projectiles.
Marvel Rivals announces new map and Season 0 roadmap
In a post on the official Marvel Comics website, it was announced that Marvel Rivals would also feature a new map called Birnin T’Challa at launch. This is the futuristic city of the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, which is one of this game’s many twists on familiar Marvel locations. Players will notice familiar Wakandan imagery like Bast statues and Afrofuturistic takes on African tribal architecture, represented in Vibranium statues, holograms, and high-rise skyscrapers.
Marvel Rivals has also announced its launch season of content, titled Season 0: Dooms’ Rise. This season will last for a month, consisting of 33 heroes, and nine maps. Despite being just one month long, the season will still feature a battle pass – with half the content of a full seasonal battle pass – along with an in-game cosmetic store. A new Imperial Protocol series of character skins is also coming to the game, specifically for Black Panther, Captain America, Mantis, and Hawkeye.
28 playable characters have been confirmed for Marvel Rivals, which means that we have five more character reveals coming before the game launches on December 6, 2024.
