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Nearly halfway through its first full season, Marvel Rivals continues to dominate the competitive multiplayer scene. Season 1 surpassed 560,000 concurrent players on its first day, and has made several popular additions to the game. Besides new maps, game modes, and cosmetics, Season 1 will add a total of four characters to Marvel Rivals‘ original roster of 33 Marvel heroes and villains.
The first two characters added to the game in Marvel Rivals Season 1 were Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. The Thing and the Human Torch are already confirmed to arrive in the next wave of characters on February 21, which marks Season 1’s halfway point. The wide array of playable characters from all throughout Marvel history is Marvel Rivals‘ biggest draw. Not only can players take on the roles of popular heroes like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Wolverine, but the game has also introduced non-comic fans to lesser-known Marvel characters like Jeff the Land Shark, Luna Snow, and Cloak & Dagger. Given the popularity of its more obscure characters, Marvel Rivals should go all in on one of the wackiest characters from Marvel Comics.
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The Origin of Howard the Duck
First appearing in Marvel Comics’ Journey Into Fear #19 back in 1973, Howard the Duck was written by Steve Gerber as a comedic character whose adventures would parody other popular comics at the time. Howard is a 3-foot tall bipedal duck from an alternate dimension of anthropomorphic animals who found himself stranded on Earth-616 due to some cosmic hijinks involving a demon. Despite his cynical nature, Howard decided to put his skills to use in the mainline Marvel universe and become a hero. His escapades have put him up against some of the world’s weirdest villains, such as Doctor Bong, Bessie the Hellcow, and Kidney Lady.
Howard the Duck’s Appearances in Other Media
Though Howard the Duck’s first adaptation outside of comics — Willard Huyck’s 1986 Howard the Duck movie — was less than stellar, the cult hero has made somewhat of a comeback in recent years. After appearing as a cameo in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, Howard was featured as a minor character in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Endgame, and What If…? It’s unknown if or when Howard will make his next MCU appearance, but in the meantime, his next adaptation should be in Marvel Rivals.
Why Howard Would Be a Great Fit For Marvel Rivals
Many of Marvel Rival‘s upcoming characters — from officially announced characters like the Thing and the Human Torch to leaked characters like Blade and Ultron — are fairly straight forward. They’re all popular characters with powers and skills that are easy to adapt to an action game like Marvel Rivals. But with Marvel Rivals‘ comedic dialogue and the positive reception to goofier characters like Jeff and Squirrel Girl, a meme-worthy character like Howard seems like the perfect addition.
There are many directions that the Marvel Rivals team could go with Howard the Duck. He likely wouldn’t be a vanguard — though that would be quite the sight — but his diminuative stature could make him an ideal strategist like Rocket Raccoon. Given the current triple healer meta in Marvel Rivals, a team with three tiny, nimble strategists like Howard, Rocket, and Jeff would be a simultaneously hilarious and dangerous combo. Then again, Howard’s penchant for firearms and his proficiency in Quack-Fu could make him the game’s wildest duelist — not that the game necessarily needs another one. Whatever form he takes, Howard is a character that NetEase may want to add to its road map.
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“}]] Given the popularity of its more obscure characters, Marvel Rivals should go all in on one of the wackiest characters from Marvel Comics. Read More