Marvel Rivals has had an odd history with Marvel supervillain characters thus far. While fans have been desperate to see classic villains like Annihilus, Doctor Octopus, Thanos, Mysterio, Red Skull, or Taskmaster (a full Sinister Six lineup queuing as a comp would be incredible, for instance) become playable characters, it appears as if Marvel Rivals is more interested in featuring villains as themed NPCs representing the lore introduced with each season.
Marvel Rivals’ story-related villains include Doctor Doom/Doom 2099, Dracula, Ultron, Knull, the Grandmaster, Kingpin, and Tyler Stone. Ultron and Hela are playable characters, too, meaning it isn’t out of the realm of possibility for seasonal villains to become playable later on, which will hopefully be the case for the villain of Season 9: The Mystery of Thebes.
Marvel Rivals Season 9 is adding Jubilee to the game’s 6v6 hero shooter roster, with Season 9.5 adding the Hood. However, the overarching villain of this season is equally intriguing: one of the world’s first mutants, Apocalypse, whose actor was revealed recently by way of the actor confirming the role himself.
On YouTube, user Cinderkin—actor Terrance Addison—appeared in the comments section to say: “Hey! That’s me! So grateful to be Marvel Rivals’ APOCALYPSE.” Apocalypse’s richly guttural voice is wonderful in Marvel Rivals’ Season 9 trailer, which explains En Sabah Nur’s role in the narrative.
Indeed, even though it’s possible that Marvel Rivals’ Apocalypse could merely be a seasonal NPC villain and not a playable character, the character’s prominence in this trailer doesn’t seem to suggest that his role will be small. That said, due to Jubilee and Hood launching in their respective halves of Season 9, he can be expected to stay on the bench for some time.
Either way, fans are already singing this actor’s praises: “Well, you friggin’ killed it!” writes user snakesmcgee7640. Moreover, user BabysnagsY on Twitter/X hopes that Apocalypse becomes a Vanguard/tank character.
Bewilderingly, Apocalypse’s two-minute-long monologue might’ve gone on for longer if it wasn’t for him being stabbed by an unseen assailant. He’s struck and impaled by a sword, perhaps All-Black (implying that this could be our first official tease of Gorr the God Butcher debuting in Marvel Rivals), and it’s unknown if this is meant to confirm that he’s canonically been slain before the season has even begun. The official trailer’s description reads:
As Apocalypse journeyed across a collapsing timeline, destiny drove him to collide with enemies old and new. But as faith deals a deadly hand, no one truly knows who can be trusted.
Maybe Apocalypse will be licking his wounds for a couple of seasons before becoming a playable character like Blade, as user bidoofenshmirtz theorizes. This would be fantastic, as incredible talent and a profoundly significant Marvel villain should not go to waste in Marvel Rivals.
- Released
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December 6, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Violence
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
