Marvel Rivalshas always had its finger on the pulse of its playerbase when it comes to Spider-Man. Knowing when and where to debut something new for the wall-crawler has been a specialty of NetEase’s, and makingSpider-Man one ofMarvel Rivals’ hardest characters, or at least one of the characters with the highest skill ceiling, is still one of the game’s best design choices half a year later. Spider-Man remains a competent dive duelist, and Season 3’s imminent arrival is not only going to reiterate how iconic and beloved he is as a Marvel character but also reinforce some of his strongest capabilities in gameplay.
Marvel Rivalsonly recently revealed Spider-Man’s Future Foundation costume and made it available in the store. Accompanying this skin is an emote dubbed Identity Overhaul that inverts the suit’s colors, giving it a predominantly black appearance, and was, for a short period, the closest thing players had to a black-suited Spider-Man. Now, with Season 3 indulging in a symbiote theme, it only makes sense that NetEase would take this opportunity to introduce its take on Spider-Man’s black symbiote suit and buff the character ever so slightly as a new era ofMarvel Rivalscommences.
Marvel Rivals Season 3 Honors One of Spider-Man’s Most Precious Costume Eras
Marvel Rivals’ Season 3 content creator preview gave viewers their first look at the game’s upcoming BattlePass, titled “Powers of the Phoenix.” In it, it was revealed that Spider-Man has a dedicated BattlePass page that debuts aKlyntar Warriors-themedMarvel Rivalscostume, simply called Black Suit, that is intended to be an original yet faithful interpretation of the black symbiote Peter Parker mistakes for an ordinary costume replacement.
Like its swelling anticipation inInsomniac’sMarvel’s Spider-Manseries, the black suit is too iconic to have been tossed intoMarvel Rivalscarelessly, and a symbiote-themed season with symbiote skins for various other characters and a brand-new Klyntar map has offered the black suit and Spider-Man an ideal time to shine. Plus, an emote titled ‘Evil Dance’ accompanies Spider-Man’s Black Suit that has him perform Tobey Maguire’s infamous dance sequence from Sam Raimi’s polarizing yet seminalSpider-Man 3.
Marvel Rivals’ MVP cinematic for Spider-Man’s Black Suit references the cover ofSecret Wars(1984) #8, while the Black Suit skin does note that it’s inspired by the skin that first appears inThe Amazing Spider-Man(1963) #252.
Marvel Rivals’ Season 3 Spider-Man Packs a Fiery Wallop
Moreover, Spider-Man is receiving a handful of positive changes inMarvel RivalsSeason 3. According to patch notes for Season 3 balance adjustments, Spider-Man mains will enjoy the following buffs:
Spider-Man’s Team-Up with Squirrel Girl, ESU Alumnus, is being removed fromMarvel Rivals. However, Spider-Man will be receiving a brand-new Team-Up with Human Torch, the Team-Up’s anchor, called Ever-Burning Bond. This Team-Up gives Spider-Man a “flaming web […] dealing area damage and applying a Burn-Tracer,” “triggering an explosion for extra burn damage” when ‘Get Over Here!’ is used to zip to an enemy with a Burn-Tracer.
Plus, with Spider-Tracers and Burn-Tracers simultaneously in play, Spider-Man’s combat versatility potential may be extraordinary in Season 3, so long as Human Torch is around. It’ll be fascinating to see how Spider-Man folds himself into Season 3’s meta; either way, players are sure to queue with him for one reason or another. Spider-Man’s popularity is likely to soar to even greater heights with Season 3’s new skin, emote, and buffs, especially when Spider-Man and Venom will soon be able to dance together—the former with the Evil Dance emote and the latter with the Symbiote Boogie emote.
