It looks like the next playable character for Marvel Rivals is going to be revealed very soon. During an IGN gameplay video for Moon Knight, a hint at an unrevealed character was briefly shown in the kill feed. As noted by leaker Miller Ross, it appears that Hawkeye will be the next playable character announced. At this time, nothing has been officially confirmed, but NetEase has been slowly pulling back the curtain on new playable characters for the roster in a similar manner. At this point, it’s just a matter of time before Hawkeye gets a full reveal for the game.
From the tiny image shared online, we can tell that this will be the Clint Barton version of Hawkeye, as opposed to the Young Avenger Kate Bishop. Clint is the original and the one best known to audiences, but the developers of Marvel Rivals have made some interesting choices with the game’s roster, bringing in unexpected takes on Marvel favorites. Interestingly enough, it looks like Clint’s design might borrow some elements from The Ultimates 3. In that series, artist Joe Madureira gave Hawkeye a much different look than we’d seen in the past, with a purple mask that covered his mouth and much of his face. However, it looks like the Marvel Rivals version is missing the target on his forehead, as well as his red sunglasses.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Hopefully Marvel Rivals will give us a full Hawkeye reveal soon, in terms of both his character design and his in-game move set. While Clint is best known for using arrows, the character has shown a proficiency with several other weapons, including swords and guns. It’s possible the character’s gameplay could lean entirely on various trick arrows, or we could see him utilizing multiple weapons instead. The former could make him a great pick for those that prefer ranged combat, but the latter could offer more versatility.
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Marvel Rivals is set to launch on December 6th. At this time, it’s unclear whether Hawkeye will be a day one release, or if he’ll be added to the game at some point down the line. So far, the launch roster is looking pretty stacked, with a wide range of characters spanning the Marvel multiverse. While much of the cast is based largely on the 616 versions of these characters, the game’s multiverse concept has allowed the developers to bring in some fun variants, such as Peni Parker, or the version of Psylocke introduced in Demon Days: X-Men. As such, this Hawkeye could be the sarcastic, frequently bandage covered character we’re used to seeing from the current comics, or the grim, brooding Ultimate version. One way or another, we’ll probably know a lot more in the near future!
Are you happy about Hawkeye joining the roster for Marvel Rivals? Would you have preferred to see Kate Bishop over Clint Barton? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!