Marvel Rivals has a reputation for appealing to its players’ baser instincts: It had people saying ‘thick thighs save lives’ at one point, and Elie recently described the shooter as ‘digging its heels into the gooner dirt’ when it added a cache of new swimsuit skins. Despite my best efforts to escape this discourse, I’ve been drawn back in, as creative director Guangyun Chen has finally addressed Marvel Rivals’ reputation as a “gooner game.”
“Because our design, as mentioned earlier, is inspired by classic comic themes, including some very outstanding skins like Mantis, and also Psylocke’s Venegeance, these all come from classic comic designs,” Chen told the Rivals Assembled YouTube channel (via Kotaku) when asked for his response to people who call Marvel Rivals a ‘gooner game’. “We take those classic comic designs and create some more fashionable designs based on them, to gain players’ appreciation.”
Well, okay. I stopped buying comics in the late ’90s amidst some nonsense about Wolverine going on a quest for a magic potion to save Psylocke’s life or something (I don’t recall the details, just that I performed the equivalent of the Seinfeld “enough is enough” meme in the middle of Nutt’s comic shop) so I can’t claim to be hip to the scene now. But there’s certainly no question that, back in that era at least, comics were horny. For a few years Marvel put out annual “swimsuit editions,” which were basically just excuses for artists to draw their favorite characters in not-quite-porn poses, and fans to, well, leer at them in the privacy of their bathrooms or wherever the urge struck. Which is fine, let me be clear on that. But Chen sure seems eager to justify it as something more cerebral.
“As mentioned earlier with Squirrel Girl and the Krakoa Resort skin, these are actually designs based on real-world themes and the season’s storyline,” he continued. “For designs like these, we try our best to integrate the storylines from the season, including elements from Krakao, and also blend some popular elements from real life. We create new designs based on that, and I’m very grateful these designs have been well received by the majority of players.”
This guy sure did.
The thing is, though, it’s not just ‘superheroes in skimpy outfits,’ which is a long-standing staple of comics. While Chen bangs on about the game’s commitment to authenticity, the developers have rolled out a patch that, as we put it, “cakes up every male character in the game.”
And it’s not just for eyeballin’: Venom twerks.
NEW Venom Twerk Emote In-game đŸ”¥ #MarvelRivals pic.twitter.com/BMbQbk3tuZMarch 27, 2025
The women in the game have been similarly, uh, caked up. You may also recall the exciting appearance of Emma Frost, and more specifically the thighs that launched a thousand ships. Comic book characters are often inhumanly proportioned, I know, but even by that standard I’d say this is a little much. To borrow a phrase, when the White Queen walks into a room, her gams have already been there for two minutes.
And those swimsuit editions from the early 1990s? Yup, Marvel Rivals brought it back, giving us (among other things) Frank Castle in a Punisher speedo and flipflops.
So, what’s my point here? I suppose that as the top guy on the game, Chen may have felt obligated to provide a safe, sanitary response to the gooner question that wouldn’t ruffle feathers in corporate officers. But as someone who did not start reading comics and playing videogames yesterday, I feel likewise obligated to say, c’mon bud: ‘Storyline integration’ is some quick-on-your-feet thinking, but I don’t think anybody’s taking it seriously.
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