Michael Rooker Talks About Yondu Joining Marvel’s Contest Of Champions

Yondu, the blue-skinned Ravager from Guardians of the Galaxy, is one of the latest Champions to join the growing roster of Marvel Contest of Champions, the mobile fighting game that features many of the most recognizable characters from the Marvel universe. And in a recent interview with Marvel.com, Michael Rooker, the actor who portrayed Yondu in both Guardians of the Galaxy and the more recent Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Rooker gave some insight on what it was like to see his character be represented in Marvel Contest of Champions.

“It feels great to see that handsome devil make an appearance in such a popular game!” Rooker said when Marvel.com asked how it felt to see his character in the game and if the portrayal was true to his character. “The folks working on Contest of Champions did a great job capturing the essence of Yondu. It’s almost like looking in the mirror, except I’m still more handsome.”

Released in the game on Thursday, Yondu boasts an array of special attacks that make good use of his iconic Yaka Arrow as it zips around the arena. His specials, shown in the spotlight video above, include Quick Draw, A Little Help From My Friends, and Yaka Attacka. Aside from using his Yaka Arrow and a bit of outside help, Yondu still isn’t afraid to throw some punches.

“Yondu doesn’t need to get his hands dirty to take down a whole army of enemies; just some well-pitched whistles and his arrow does the job!” Rooker said when asked about Yondu’s preferred method of fighting in the game. “His punches and kicks are a good nod to his Ravager brawling skills. He also calls for an airstrike from his crew when he’s tired of hand-to-hand combat.”

The basic abilities Yondu utilizes include Bleed, Armor Break, Heal Block, and Precision. It’s apparent that Yondu makes good use of debuffs in his fighting style, making him a difficult opponent for dense Champions such as Colossus.

“Yondu’s big into Debuffs; his Yaka Arrow, which he uses both in his Special Attacks and as part of his base combos, causes Bleed, even if you Block it,” said Kabam Character Designer Simon Cameron about Yondu’s abilities. “It also causes Armor Breaks if used against someone Immune to Bleed. Then not being above kicking someone while they’re down, Yondu also reduces the amount of Power his opponent gains based on the number of Debuffs he’s managed to put on them.”

Rooker closed out the interview by insisting that Yondu would of course still have it out for Star-Lord in the game but that he’s sure the Ravager wouldn’t mind having some of the Guardians fight with him, too. Yondu currently receives Synergy bonuses when pairing up with Rocket Raccoon and Star-Lord as well as when he pairs up with Ronan, Nightcrawler, and Beast.

Marvel Contest of Champions is available for iOS and Android devices. The full interview from with Rooker and Cameron can be read here.