The Thunderbolts* is set to hit cinemas soon, and though only Bucky is the playable member in Marvel Rivals, NetEase should definitely bank in on cosmetics that could reflect characters that are going to be in the movie.
With the chance of alternate versions/spinoffs of heroes not becoming playable characters in the game (like Red Hulk), here’s a list of some skins of Thunderbolts members that could very well just be applied to existing heroes in the game.
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+ 7Yelena Belova (Black Widow)
Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova has every skillset a trained Black Widow agent has, so it would make sense if they would just release a skin that puts Yelena’s face on Natasha Romanoff’s body. At best she should come with a new face model and hair, but I wouldn’t object to her having completely original voice lines that sounded closer to Pugh’s voice
click to enlarge + 7US Agent/John Walker (Captain America)
One of three Captain America offshoots in the Thunderbolts lineup, a US Agent skin for Captain America would make sense. It would feature the blacked out shield and a black suit. Plus, John Walker is essentially a super soldier himself so it would make sense for him to have all of Steve Rogers’ abilities.
He should come with some meaner voice lines though.
click to enlarge + 7Red Guardian (Captain America)
Captain America offshoot No. 2 Red Guardian is also a no-brainer skin for Captain America. He has the same skillset, but a scruffier look and possibly a gut. He has his own Red Guardian shield and should also have different voice lines that are more ‘For Mother Russia!’-themed.
click to enlarge + 7Congressman Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier)
Lucky for Captain America offshoot No. 3, Bucky is his own playable character in the game. While his appearance for Thunderbolts* already looks pretty close to his default game skin, it would be great if they can give us Bucky in a suit which could also match Steve Rogers’ Hellfire Gala outfit.
click to enlarge + 7Taskmaster (Hawkeye)
MCU Taskmaster is best known for her ability to copy any fighting style, but in the comics he was always known to walk around with weapons. The sword and shield combo is probably his most iconic, but he’s also known to wield a bow and arrow—most of these come in Hawkeye’s arsenal.
While a lot of fans are sure that Taskmaster is definitely going to die in Thunderbolts*, it wouldn’t hurt to give the character a playable skin in the game.
click to enlarge + 7Ghost (Invisible Woman)
The Ghost is an Ant-Man villain who can turn invisible and phase through walls. Marvel Rivals has Sue Storm, and though she can’t phase through things, she can definitely run around the map unseen—which makes her a perfect base character for Ghost.
Funnily enough, with Ghost’s hacker abilities in the comics, she would actually make a better skin for Overwatch’s Sombra.
click to enlarge + 7Sentry.Void (Adam Warlock or Cloak & Dagger)
Probably the biggest stretch in the list, but Adam Warlock pretty much shares a silhouette with Sentry with the long blonde hair and flowing cape—making Adam the perfect base for a Sentry skin. With his OP powers, Sentry may never even come to Marvel Rivals, but it would be cool if we can see him in the form of Adam healing his team members.
If not Adam, the shifting nature of Sentry/Void would be perfect for a character like Cloak & Dagger who switch between each other in the game. If changing the body model for Dagger is too much, they can just give her a blue and yellow suit t match Sentry’s without needing her to actually be the character.
So far there haven’t been any hints at a Thunderbolts* cosmetic incoming, but May is still far off, and there’s plenty of time for NetEase to come up with at least one or two new MCU skins based on the film.
Thunderbolt* is set to hit cinemas on May 2. Marvel Rivals is now playable for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.
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