Marvel Rivals Hawkeye can't follow in his Overwatch counterpart's footsteps

Marvel Rivals is just around the corner, and the pace of major announcements has increased accordingly. Of course, the addition of new heroes will undoubtedly be some of the most exciting news. Last, Marvel Rivals has revealed Hawkeye as the next playable character to join the game's roster.

Marvel RivalsThe full roster will include 33 playable characters when it launches on December 6th. With the recent reveal of Hawkeye, the number of characters officially revealed has now climbed to 28. Hawkeye bears a natural resemblance to Hanzo from Monitoringbut this connection can have some troubling consequences Marvel Rivals should really try to avoid.

Marvel rivals should not let Hawkeye become the next Hanzo

Some Marvel Rivals heroes should feel familiar to Overwatch fans

Marvel Rivals has already released some heroes that seem to be inspired by some counterparts in the Monitoring. More precisely, since the two games are in the same genre, there are simply some popular character archetypes that will reappear. Namor may have a “tower” build style similar to Torbjörn, but he has a completely unique identity otherwise. The same can be said about Marvel Rivals' Hulk design compared to D.Va from Monitoringand so on and so forth.

In this regard, Hawkeye is no exception. Of course, as the designated archer of the cast, Hawkeye was always going to draw comparisons to Hanzo. However, this comparison may become a cause for concern. After all, Hanzo was very often a formidable opponent, even to the point of becoming an early and ongoing controversy for Monitoring.

Hanzo's place in Overwatch's Meta could be a cautionary tale for Marvel rivals

Hanzo is a sniper in the vein of Widowmaker, and this role is truly a double-edged sword. Players who can fight from a distance or take on airborne opponents will always be necessary in the hero shooter genre. On the other hand, they can often prove to be a nuisance, regardless of how good or bad they are in a particular patch. Unfortunately, Hanzo's place in Monitorings meta was only a small part of a large and volatile picture, with many other characters moving in and out of the meta.

Hanzo has an exceptionally solid kit that not only gives him the ability to deal significant damage, but to provide support to his team at all times. As Monitoring Classic has recently reminded everyone, the original game was practically the wild west when it came to balancing. Hanzo has been relatively less problematic in Overwatch 2s longevity, although he has also been less relevant. This suggests the balance Marvel Rivals should try to strike with Hawkeye, or risk falling into the same pitfalls as the first days of Monitoring.

Hawkeye feels familiar yet fresh in Marvel Rivals

Hawkeye may look similar to Hanzo at first glance, but his kit has more than enough unique features to set him apart. For example, two of Hanzo's defining abilities are his Wall Climb and Sonic Arrow, both of which Hawkeye has no match for. More importantly, some of Hawkeye's own abilities are completely original and could help him avoid meeting the same fate as Hanzo.

A particularly interesting case is Hunter's Sight, which allows Hawkeye to visualize afterimages of his opponents. Hitting the afterimage will deal direct damage to the corresponding enemy, which should definitely help Hawkeye stop any enemies trying to escape. Also, Hawkeye has a few different melee moves, meaning he's encouraged to play in more vulnerable situations than Hanzo is. Hawkeye's Skyward Leap is remarkably similar to Hanzo's Lunge, but this simply shows the strength of their shared archetype.

Ironically, the greatest similarity between the two heroes is also the source of their greatest difference. Both Hawkeye and Hanzo use a bow, but the mechanics of Hawkeye's archery have an important difference. Hawkeye can only get a full charge on an arrow when aiming directly at an opponent, preventing players from keeping maximum damage stored at all times. This is a reasonable nerf for all DPS, and it shows Marvel Rivals Developers may have already anticipated the kind of reputation that Hawkeye needs to avoid.