Marvel Rivals’ closed beta is rapidly reaching its conclusion, but we’ve potentially been given a sneak peek at a future character with the leak of a popular name—and players already know the role they want them to fill.
Eyebrows were raised with the first look at the Marvel Rivals roster as there were some glaring omissions, but that is set to change, with Captain America rumored to be coming to the title in a future update.
Shared on Reddit on Aug.4, the leaked design of Captain America shows an apparent futuristic approach to a hero whose origins stem back to the Golden Age of comics and World War Two. This fresh take isn’t surprising, though, given the creativity Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games has shown so far.
Opinions on the design, which include an Iron Man-style gauntlet and the lack of a shield, are split. One agreement players have, however, is that Captain America should fill the Specialist role.
Though Captain America may traditionally be thought of as a Vanguard, blocking enemy attacks with his shield, the absence of Cap’s iconic piece of equipment suggests the shield may not be as prominent as we’ve seen in other forms of media.
The shield will still likely appear in some capacity, perhaps as a hologram, as we’ve already seen in the comics, but the shield not being front and center suggests Rivals’ Cap could lean into player hopes that he’s a Strategist.
The desire for Captain America to be a Strategist comes from two angles, the first being that the other members of the Avengers’ big three, Iron Man and Thor, are already in the game with the Duelist and Vanguard roles, respectively. Having Captain America as something different would, therefore, be welcomed.
There’s also a push for Captain America to be a Strategist because, so far, Strategists are the most underrepresented role in Marvel Rivals with only four options: Loki, Luna Snow, Mantis, and Rocket Raccoon.
NetEase Games hasn’t confirmed Captain America is the next hero joining Marvel Rivals, however, so this leak design should be taken with a pinch of salt.
