Marvel Rivals’ Latest Character Shows Why The Hero Shooter Still Needs More Villains

Gorr the God Butcher is the latest character for Marvel Rivals Season 10, marking the arrival of a major Thor villain as a playable character. The events of the hero shooter’s shooter have culminated toward Gorr’s appearance, from his role in the death of Apocalypse in Season 9 to him killing Loki and knocking him out of the game’s roster. The impact Gorr has on Marvel Rivals‘ story makes him feel like a very impactful character to the game, with his unique status as a playable seasonal villain exciting players for who could come next.

There has not been a playable seasonal villain character in Marvel Rivals since Ultron in Season 2, and arguably The Hood back in Season 9. However, The Hood was not the main focus of Season 9, as that honor belonged to Apocalypse, the long-time nemesis of the X-Men and other mutant Marvel characters. For the longest time, players have been wanting the opportunity to play as the central antagonist to a Marvel Rivals Season again, with Gorr’s dominant power over All-Black the Necrosword being the perfect vessel for that ongoing desire.

Marvel Rivals Adds Gorr The God Butcher In Season 10 As An Impactful & Playable Villain

In the last few days since the launch of Season 10, Gorr the God Butcher has proven himself as one of the more interesting Duelists in the game, using unorthodox abilities compared to other characters in the role. Gorr uses a mixture of melee attacks and symbiote powers similar to Venom through his use of All-Black, the first symbiote created by the god Knull. With every symbiote spawning from All-Black, its form as the Necrosword is one of the most powerful weapons in the Marvel universe, and that is reflected in Marvel Rivals well.

Every time Gorr eliminates a target, the All-Black spawns a shadow minion, similar to the Team-Up Namor has with Hela with his squid turrets. The shadow minions use melee attacks to harm nearby targets, with Gorr’s Ultimate ability automatically spawning a number of minions based on enemies and allies nearby. Gorr can increase the attack speed of these minions and cause them to do launching uppercuts through his other abilities, manipulating the battlefield beyond his own skills.

Gorr can transform All-Black into a deadly scythe to deal greater damage for a limited amount of hits too, making him a dangerous character against enemy targets with low health. Using his minions, Gorr can teleport to any shadows he’s summoned too, creating a hit-and-run play style that can overwhelm opponents quickly. Overall, Gorr has a very sinister set of powers that easily convey him as a villain, which is a far cry from someone like The Hood or even Ultron. Unlike Ultron’s strange status as a Strategist, Gorr feels like a true villainous force.

Villainous Characters From Past Seasons Were Disappointing By Not Being On The Roster

Gorr’s focus as Season 10’s only character gives him more time to shine as the sole villain of Marvel Rivals until Season 11 drops. Not only does this make him an even stronger presence in the game’s ongoing story, but it also marks a character with a far different attitude than the clean-cut heroes who are typically the center of any Season. For example, Season 9 was mainly dominated by the bubbly hero Jubilee. Similarly, Black Cat and White Fox in Season 7 are definitely less villainous, just like Gambit and Rogue’s romantic relationship in Season 5.

With Season 1’s Fantastic Four, Phoenix, Blade, Deadpool, Cyclops, and other characters, Marvel Rivals has had a very positive or heroic roster throughout its existence. There hasn’t been anything “wrong” with this approach, but the arrival of characters like Ultron and Gorr to the playable roster help diversify the vibe of the game in significant ways. Instead of players constantly playing as good-natured Marvel characters, they can also embody the memorable villains who help establish those heroes as such memorable figures in their original comic stories.

This idea has made past Seasons somewhat frustrating, as Marvel Rivals has shown the capacity to adopt truly great Marvel villains into its seasonal stories, but never make those characters playable. The biggest examples of this include characters like Knull, Kingpin, and Dracula, who all appeared as the central focus of various Seasons. These characters could have easily been made into great Vanguards, Duelists, or Strategists, with unique abilities that make them strong roster additions. At this time, not even Doctor Doom or Doom 2099 is playable yet, marking yet another Marvel villain who fans want to see playable. 

Future Seasons Should Take The Same Approach As Season 10 More Often Than Not

Although Season 11 will likely return to Marvel Rivals‘ usual formula of two heroes, I believe that a villain should be more frequent in the hero shooter’s roster additions from this point forward. Gorr proves that a strong villain can carry a Season more when that villain is playable, as they both play a gameplay and story role some heroes might not be able to fulfill. Characters don’t need to be related to one another either, as Marvel Rivals has always done a good job creating connective themes between characters to fit a Season’s story.

Hopefully, rumors about Doctor Doom being added in Season 12 as a crossover with the MCU’s Avengers: Doomsday remains true as the end of 2026 draws closer. While Gorr the God Butcher isn’t the strongest character in the hero shooter by a long shot, he does stand out far more than past characters have. Fewer breaks between villain inclusions should be the standard of Marvel Rivals to keep its infinitely growing roster interesting, and with so many quality Marvel villains out there (Thanos, Green Goblin, The Leader, M.O.D.O.K., etc.), this shouldn’t be a difficult path.

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