Alternate skins are common in hero shooters and Marvel Rivals is no different, with some proving to be better than the base skins.
Marvel Rivals: Top 10 Alternate Skins
In the newest PvP hero shooter, Marvel Rivals, gamers have many Marvel heroes and villains to play as, and the closed beta features an alternate skin for every character. Some costumes provide a simple change of color, while others give the hero a new look from head to toe. Thanks to the stylized visuals of Marvel Rivals, even costumes from the comics are given an overhaul to match the fantastical style of the game. Though most designs look good, some are better than others and even manage to look as good as, if not better than, the base designs for characters.
10. Peni Parker - Olive Skimmer
A Simple Palette Swap Does Wonders. Straight out of the Spider-Verse, Peni Parker in Marvel Rivals wears her father's mechanized SP///dr suit and charges into battle, making her into a powerful Spider-Hero. Her base design features the more traditional red and blue color scheme, but the alternate design sports a sleek green and yellow. Somehow, the simple palette swap for Peni Parker's suit gives her a more imposing look in battle. The green also harkens back to another cyberpunk-like design for Peter Parker with the Big Time Spider-Man suit, showing that Peni and Peter have many similarities as well as differences.
9. Mantis - Knowhere Corps Skin
The Guardian Looks Like A Fantasy Elf. In Marvel Rivals, Mantis features her classic design with dark hair and green garb, but her alternate design gives her a drastically different look. With green skin, vines, and crystalline sleeves, Mantis' Knowhere Corps skin provides a more sci-fi/fantasy aesthetic that works for a healing support character like herself. The Knowhere Corps skin makes Mantis resemble an elven character rather than her typical Guardian self, yet it still manages to fit a Marvel adventure. The design is simple and elegant in style, thus showing the potential for other playable Guardians Of The Galaxy such as Star-Lord and Raccoon to receive Knowhere Corps variants.
8. Rocket Raccoon - 1872: Bounty Hunter Skin
Straight Out Of A Sci-Fi Western. Of all the characters to give a skin that looks like a cowboy gunslinger straight out of a Western video game in Marvel Rivals, it would be Rocket Raccoon. However, NetEase Games did more than just put Rocket in a cowboy hat and call it a day. His Gatling gun, jetpack, and overall design were all enhanced with steampunk technology. Rocket Raccoon is known for his rashness and guns-blazing attitude, so the bounty hunter skin matches his character and is brought to life rather well by the Marvel Rivals art style. While Marvel has delved into steampunk before, this is an original design by NetEase Games.
7. Doctor Strange - God Of Magic
The Archetypal Video Game Mage. Marvel Rivals has drawn many comparisons to Overwatch, and one of the best examples is with the God Of Magic skin for Doctor Strange. Stephen Strange goes from looking like a solid middle ground between the comics and the movies to resembling a mage from Blizzard's WarCraft games, which is not to its detriment. Not only does Doctor Strange look powerful in the skin, but he also looks unique from head to toe. The design originates from the comics in Doctor Strange #384 and translates to Marvel Rivals well, especially with the flowing white cape and Sanctum Sanctorum symbol on his belt.
6. Hela - Ultimate
A Striking Change In Color. In a case where simple color changes can go a long way in Marvel Rivals, Hela's base design is rather close to her MCU counterpart with a lot of green and black. However, the Ultimate Hela skin swaps out green for red and gives her yellow eyes, making the Goddess Of Death live up to her title. As the name might suggest, the Ultimate Hela stems from the now-long-gone Ultimate Marvel universe in Ultimatum #2. The red helps make her magic and armor resemble the blood of her enemies, almost akin to a villain from a Diablo game.
5. Spider-Man - 2099: Spider-Punk
NetEase's Original Design. A simple yet novel concept is to take two Spider-Man variants from the Spider-Verse and fuse them together: Spider-Punk and Spider-Man 2099. The result is a version of Peter Parker who looks like he just swung out of the streets of Night City in Cyberpunk 2077. There are so many versions of Spider-Man in gaming, that it was expected that NetEase Games would make an original design. With the LED helmet and the glowing spikes on a punk vest, it takes the aspects of both Spider-People and creates a properly balanced design.
4. Thor - Herald Of Thunder
The Modern God of Thunder. Taken straight out of the 2020 run of Thor comics, the Herald Of Thunder skin is a well-executed variant that is a far cry from his much older base design. Marvel Rivals managed to bring the design to life faithfully with the art style while still having their own unique spin on certain elements. Even Thor's signature hammer, Mjolnir, is given a redesign with the Herald Of Thunder skin, with a more fantastical look to the hilt and pommel. Little details such as the Nordic patterns on the armor plates go a long way in making the skin familiar but fresh.
3. Venom - Cyan Clash
Symbiote Abilities Change To Match. Blue and purple are often used to illustrate lighting on darker characters, such as the lethal protector named Venom. As a throwback to this stylistic choice, the Marvel Rivals beta features an all-blue version of Venom named Cyan Clash in the free Season Pass. The vibrant blue is not just a change to Venom's skin; it also changes the colors of all Venom's symbiote abilities. It may be a simple change of palette swaps, but it is well-designed and worth the grind in Marvel Rivals to unlock.
2. Iron Man - 1872: Steam Power
Tony Stark Becomes A Steampunk Automaton. In the same vein as the Rocket Raccoon skin, Iron Man also features a steampunk-themed costume. The 1872: Steam Power skin, however, is based loosely on a suit from the aptly titled Marvel 1872 storyline which depicted Marvel heroes in an alternate 19th-century universe. Marvel Rivals takes the concept in its own way, with the Steam Power armor resembling a furnace with giant exhaust pipes. In a way, the Steam Power armor fits the name Iron Man far more than his traditional ones. Iron Man is known for having a plethora of suits, and Marvel Rivals created another that fans are sure to love.
1. Punisher - Thunderbolts
The Punisher's Most Striking Look Yet. In Marvel Rivals, The Punisher already has one of the most unique designs in the character's history, but the Thunderbolts costume takes it to another level. Resembling a character from the Gears Of War franchise, Punisher's body armor is decorated with red plates that make up the signature skull design. In the comics, the Thunderbolts design that came out in 2012 was nothing more than a palette swap of the iconic Punisher suit. In Marvel Rivals though, NetEase Games put their own spin on the concept, making it more detailed, intense, and superhero-esque than most Punisher suits out there.
author Melody MacReady