Marvel Rivals Is Adding a Surprising Version of Psylocke

The X-Men favorite is coming to Marvel Rivals, but with a twist!

By Marc Deschamps

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games has revealed Psylocke as a new playable character. The reveal took place on the Marvel Rivals discord over the weekend, following a trivia event. In an interesting twist, this version of the character is not the longtime X-Men team member Betsy Braddock, or even the current version Kwannon. Instead, this version is Sai, an alternate universe take on Psylocke that was first introduced in Demon Days: X-Men. That version was created by Peach Momoko, and the writer/artist's influence can be seen in the brief glimpse provided so far. 

An image of Psylocke's in-game design can be found below. 

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(Photo: Marvel, NetEase)

So far, reception to this Psylocke design has been quite positive, with a lot of fans sharing their enthusiasm on social media. As of this writing, NetEase has not offered much else in the way of details regarding Psylocke, or how she'll play in the game. Hopefully that means we'll get a gameplay trailer sometime in the near future, outlining more details. The one thing we do know is that Sai will be voiced in the game by Alpha Takahashi. Following a tease from the Marvel Rivals X/Twitter account, Takahashi wrote "guess who's joining the Marvel Universe." The voice actor has previously had credits in games like Cyberpunk 2077, Starfield, and Killer Instinct. 

Psylocke has a long history in video games, appearing as a playable character in titles like Marvel vs. Capcom and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. While those versions were specifically based on the Betsy Braddock version of the character, it makes sense for Sai to show up in Marvel Rivals. After all, the multiverse plays a role in the game's narrative, and we've already seen some alternate versions of characters confirmed, including Peni Parker. Given the convoluted nature of Psylocke's backstory, it actually makes a lot more sense to go with this specific take on the character. It will be interesting to see if this leads to more interest in Demon Days, and if it results in this version of Psylocke appearing in more media! 

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Are you planning to check out Marvel Rivals when it releases later this year? How do you feel about this version of Psylocke showing up in the game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: Miller Ross on X/Twitter]

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