Marvel Rivals’ Peni Parker Could Feel Very Familiar to Overwatch Fans

Since NetEase Game’s 6v6 shooter, Marvel Rivals, was revealed on March 27, comparisons to other popular hero-shooters are all but inevitable. Many have noticed parallels between Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2, and it’s undeniable that the gameplay showcased in the recent trailer is reminiscent of both Overwatch 2 and Smite. However, dismissing Marvel Rivals solely as a derivative work would be premature.

Marvel Rivals isn’t the first game to capitalize on the rising popularity of hero-shooters over the years. Considering Overwatch was inspired by games like Team Fortress 2, it’s clear this trend of inspiration turned innovation is continuing with NetEase’s latest project. However, while Marvel Rivals is primed to be a fresh iteration in the genre, one character in particular could feel quite similar to Overwatch fans: Peni Parker.

Peni Parker Shares A Lot of Similarities With Overwatch’s D.Va

Peni Parker Made Her First Appearance Two Years Before D.Va

Despite predating Overwatch by two years, Peni Parker flew relatively under the radar until the 2018 film Spider-Man:Into The Spider-Verse. Inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion, Peni, a Japanese-American teenager from Earth-14512, pilots a giant mech suit as a Spider-Man variant. Interestingly, Peni and D.Va share striking similarities. Like Peni, D.Va pilots a powerful mech suit to defend her home, which in her case, is a future version of Earth. With both characters combining youthful enthusiasm with impressive piloting skills, the two are an interesting parallel across two different franchises.

Marvel Rivals Needs To Be Careful With Peni Parker

With Peni Parker and D.Va’s personalities already so similar, Marvel Rivals will need to portray her carefully. For instance, though it hasn’t been confirmed, screenshots from the game imply that Peni has aged a few years. The Official Announcement trailer also revealed that Peni is donning a skin-tight suit reminiscent of the aforementioned MEKA squad character.

The limited gameplay footage of Peni available reveals that she’ll be able to traverse the map while in her SP//dr mech. Though she can be seen dashing across the map, perhaps with a movement ability similar to D.Va’s boosters, her abilities are still quite mysterious. The gold glow emitted from Peni’s mech while she’s running appears similar to a matrix barrier, almost like she’s invincible during her dash, also similar to Mauga’s Overrun ability from Overwatch 2. It also seems that she’ll be a tank character, based on the fact that she is shown to have 950 health, in comparison to Iron Man’s 250hp.

However, there are a few key differences that should alleviate any possible worries from Overwatch 2 fans. Given the radioactive spider bite that led to Peni’s awakening as a superhero, many of her abilities will presumably be based on arachnids. For instance, during the trailer, Peni’s mech is seen extending spider-like limbs. The spider legs appear to jab at enemies, so it seems the superhero will be better suited for melee-focused combat than D.Va.

Whether Peni will be able to exit her suit remains to be seen. If so, she might be a bit too similar to D.Va for Marvel Rivals‘ own good. Hopefully, as Marvel Rival‘s Closed Alpha Test rolls out in May, more information regarding Peni’s abilities will be revealed.

Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 hero-shooter from NetEase that features a roster of classic Marvel characters, iconic maps, and destructible environments.

Franchise

Marvel

Developer(s)

NetEase Games

Genre(s)

Shooter