Marvel Rivals' Character Popularity and Mod Controversy: A Data Dive
Official game data reveals fascinating player preferences in Marvel Rivals. In "quick play," Jeff reigns supreme, outpacing Venom and Cloak & Dagger. However, competitive play paints a different picture. On PC, Luna Snow, Cloak & Dagger, and Mantis dominate, while console players favor Cloak & Dagger, Penny Parker, and Mantis.
A surprising twist: Mantis, while the most popular competitive character (across both PC and consoles), also suffers the highest defeat rate. She outperforms Hela, Loki, and Magic in this regard. Consoles show remarkable consistency, with 14 additional characters boasting win rates exceeding 50%.
Conversely, unpopular choices emerge. "Quick play" sees Storm, Black Widow, and Wolverine lagging, while Nemore takes the bottom spot in competitive modes.
The game's recent surge in popularity, with over 500 mods submitted in a single month, has unfortunately sparked controversy. Nexus Mods' removal of modifications replacing Captain America's head with Donald Trump and Joe Biden's images has ignited a firestorm of debate.
Nexus Mods' owner, TheDarkOne, addressed the situation in a private Reddit discussion, explaining the simultaneous removal of both modifications to avoid accusations of political bias. This action, however, has strangely gone largely unreported by YouTube gaming personalities.
