Not many have gracedMarvel Rivalsas of yet, but there are bound to be new super-villain characters following Ultron’s debut in Season 2. However, while it’d be fascinating to see more proper antagonists such as Bullseye, Carnage, or Juggernaut, there are countless Marvel ne’er-do-wells who’ve often only resorted to crime or been a victim of unfortunate happenstance. In the latter case, Lizard, a popular recurring Spider-Man ‘villain,’ could possibly be a wonderful addition toMarvel Rivals’ roster of characters.
LikeHulk, Lizard isn’t always ‘Lizard.’ Mild-manneredDr. Curtis Connors becomes Lizardwhen he takes a serum he created, which was originally developed in the hopes of wielding reptilian DNA to grow back his arm. There are so many iterations of Connors and Lizard now with a string of inconsistencies barely tethering them all together, but a new interpretation inMarvel Rivalswould be refreshing to learn more about. Plus, considering how Connors goes from man to lizard-man and back again, his gameplay and kit could echo Hulk’s to the same effect, though that’d run the risk of the two characters being too egregiously similar.
Hulk’s Design in Marvel Rivals is the Best of Both Worlds
A lesser hero shooter might’ve boiled Hulk down to his muscular, green physique and gamma-charged rage and called it a day, but notMarvel Rivals. Instead,Marvel Rivalsappropriately represents Dr. Bruce Banneras an integral and inseparable half of the character, despite Banner being the far more underwhelming and uninteresting half on paper.
Hulk’s not a terribly fascinating Marvel character regardless, and yet gameplay potential for Banner versus Hulk is a no-brainer with Hulk winning that battle. Still,Marvel Rivalswas able to make Banner significant by having him be the foundation of the character with a ‘Q’ Ultimate at the ready for players to immediately ‘Hulk-Out’ at the beginning of a match.
Hilariously, players can ironically choose to beBruce Banner mains inMarvel Rivalsand refuse to Ult. This isn’t advisable since all they’re left with as Banner is a Gamma Ray Gun and a Gamma Grenade, neglecting the tank/Vanguard role they’ve committed to, but Hulk players should be comfortable playing as Banner, too, as they’ll have to whenever their Hulk’s health is depleted.
Marvel Rivals’ Hulk seemingly takes his Banner/Hulk states fromOverwatch’s D.Va, whose mech ejects her into pilot form and leaves her stranded when it’s destroyed, even though it would seem as if Peni Parker’s design aligns more closely with D.Va’s aesthetically.
A Playable Lizard Deserves His Own Hulk-Like Ultimate in Marvel Rivals
Hulk is a one-of-a-kind character inMarvel Rivals, but if anyone else was worth reheating Bruce Banner’s nachos for it’d be Curtis Connors’ Lizard. Indeed, just like how a Hulk with no Banner would feel shorthanded now inMarvel Rivals, so would it be if the game had a Lizard with no Connors. Planting that premise into the character’s kit so indelibly was a stroke of genius, even if it was scalped fromOverwatch, and could now also make a playable Lizard more three-dimensional than he’d ever be as only the ‘Lizard.’
Marvel Rivalsappropriately represents Dr. Bruce Banner as an integral and inseparable half of the character.
Going as far as to have a second Ultimate-related form with a hulking Lizard a laMarvel Rivals’ Monster Hulk would probably be less inspirational and more facsimile, but having a Connors who turns into the Lizard would be perfectly reasonable and as dynamic as Banner turning into Hero Hulk. That’s all before imagining what Connors and Lizard gameplay might actually look like; either way, there’s a ton of potential for Lizard so long asMarvel Rivalsdoesn’t mind double-dipping in its own sauce.
