If You're Only Focused On Marvel Rivals' Gameplay, You're Seriously Missing Out

Marvel Rivals may shine the brightest due to its gameplay and interesting mechanical features, but that's not all that stands out. While the story may not always seem like the main point of a hero shooter, Marvel Rivals has one that shouldn't be ignored. This is a huge benefit of leveraging the Marvel IP, making it easier to pull in players and create ideas from the historic franchise.

The next installment in Rivals is coming on April 11 with Season 2. The main draw of the season is the two new characters, Emma Frost and Ultron, waging war over the mutant homeland of Krakoa. However, Season 2 also comes with plenty of character and system changes that continue to evolve the game for the better.

What Is Marvel Rivals' Story?

A Game Of Chess Between Dooms

Marvel Rivals' story may not be complex, but it's an intriguing thread that brings together all aspects of Marvel. The Doom of the present day and his anti-hero counterpart Doom 2099 were both experimenting on controlling time, which led to making a Timestream Entanglement. This entanglement has forced numerous multiverses with different versions of iconic characters to combine and meet.

Doom is one of the smartest and most recognizable antagonists of the franchise.

Many of the "villains" of these seasons are working for their own goals or those of one of the Dooms. For example, Season 1's Dracula was working for present-day Doom. Early speculation points toward Ultron working with or for Doom 2099. This could be a major sign of what stories Marvel Rivals could tell in the future, especially if it already has long-term plans in place.

Why Rivals Story Works

Doing Just Enough Right

Characters depicted in Marvel Rivals Season 2 art, including Emma Frost and Ultron

For a game focused on PvP, the story doesn't have to be a large and complex tale. Even something like Fortnite, which has changed directions over the years, isn't inherently complex when following along. A good story for a PvP game simply needs to be engaging and appropriately strung together.

Captain America and Spider-Man in Marvel Rivals Comic Cover Art

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With Rivals being composed of Marvel characters that are already beloved, giving fans a way to see them interact in an easily accessible format is a boon. The villains are also a great touch. Doom is one of the smartest and most recognizable antagonists of the franchise, and having two variants of the character battle it out across seasons while using whomever they can is appealing. It also works perfectly from a gameplay aspect, as it introduces lore reasons for new characters.

The Future Of Marvel Rivals' Story

What The Future Holds For Our Heroes

Blade from Marvel Rivals chained up in the Central Park Map.

The wide range of characters that Rivals can use can lead the story in multiple ways. The most obvious way is a power tug-of-war between the two Dooms. After the Fantastic Four rising to stop Dracula and Emma Frost's leadership against Ultron in Season 2, there are a lot of opportunities to remix things in the future.

This raises the question of how other leaked Rivals characters will join. The most obvious is Blade, who has already been shown off in Season 1. While it was originally suspected he would lead Season 2, despite the theme mismatch, it is now confirmed he won't be a part of it. There's still a chance that Blade could be a surprise fifth character for Season 1, but if that is not true, fans will have to wait even longer than expected. When he does come, he could play a major role in the fight against Doom and his proxy villains.

The other aspect of the story to consider is whether Rivals can have the longevity of games like Fortnite or Overwatch. If it does, the story will likely need to move along at some point, as a continuous battle between two Dooms could eventually grow stale. Luckily, Marvel has plenty of large-scale villains that could take over the role if necessary, like Kang or Galactus. However, if the game does get to that point, it will likely have the massive support it needs to pivot in these new directions.

Doctor Doom powers up Dracula in Marvel Rivals

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Overall, while the story may not be the biggest draw, it is certainly a feature that should not be ignored. The tie-ins featured in content updates are significant, and the lore implications are just enough to hold interest. If you haven't been paying attention to the story of Marvel Rivals, now would be the time to look into the narrative so far to prepare for the interesting places it could go in the future.