After weeks of speculation over Loki's skin appearance Marvel Rivals plan, NetEase pulled back the curtain and confirmed that the Lady Loki outfit that players have been asking for for months is finally on its way. While there was initially some concern that this would simply be a Loki cosplay for Hela, fans were relieved when it was revealed that it would indeed be a Loki skin. As well as a feminine outfit, different body and longer hair, the lady Loki skin also boasts a completely different voice, with Abby Trott (Magik's actor) portraying the gender-bending Trickster. Marvel Rivals he went above and beyond with his Lady Loki appearance, and players naturally expect him to be the first of many.
Marvel RivalsThe Lady Loki skin also surprised players with its price tag. Due to the extra work that went into playing all the voice lines, players expected it to cost more, but instead it costs the standard 2,400 units (2,700 with the Lady Loki emote pack). It will be on offer between January 2nd and January 29th.
While NetEase certainly knocked it out of the park with Lady Loki, and there is likely interest in similar cosmetics, players shouldn't expect to see a store full of such skins anytime soon. There are several major reasons for this, so while Lady Loki is certainly a big seller that inspires similar cosmetics here and there, Marvel Rivals will likely be very selective with “echo warrior” like cosmetics. For anyone hoping for more huge changes like this one for Loki coming out tomorrow, here's why you should temper your expectations a bit.
Why Marvel Rivals' Lady Loki Skin Will Likely Stay Single for Some Time
First and foremost is the fact that adding a skin like Lady Loki is not an easy task. As opposed to throwing a voice changer on the hero, modifying the model to look like a wolf, or changing the costume, Lady Loki demanded that NetEase have another actor re-record all of the hero's voice lines. Teams, battle chats and so on are already confirmed, it remains to be seen if the pre-match conversations have been changed as well. Regardless, it's clear that NetEase wants to go above and beyond anything similar Injustice 2 Undoubtedly, it will take some time to premiere and re-examine all that dialogue.
Players naturally hope or expect that the store will be flooded with female versions of any man Marvel Rivals characters, or vice versa, should not get their hopes up. Not only will skins like this take some time to create, but NetEase will certainly be keeping a close eye on Lady Loki's sales to see if a similar cosmetic is even worth pursuing. Sure, a gender-swapped Loki has people talking, but if it doesn't actually sell, a similar cosmetic that fully transforms the hero roster wouldn't be worth the extra time and resources.
Reason 2: Too many skins like Lady Loki could create big missed opportunities
Even if Lady Loki turns out to be profitable and players will start seeing her in every lobby in the near future, NetEase is still unlikely to go overboard with skins like this. Sure, he'll start making more of them, but he won't want to limit his potential for brand new heroes. With an incoming character Marvel Rivals each month, NetEase must leave room for the list to continue to grow. Lady Loki works because she is still Loki, with the god of mischief simply changing form, as he often does. He has all the same abilities, the same fighting style and most importantly the same attitude.
This is why NetEase can't just add every female version of a Marvel hero and call it a day. Take Spider-Gwen for example. Not only does the punk rock version of Gwen have a much different attitude than Peter, but her fighting style is similarly different, with ballet-like movements and a focus on kicks. A similar case is Kate Bishop, whose personality is markedly different from Clint Barton's, not to mention her greater athleticism and swordsmanship. Having Kate say Clint's lines and act like him wouldn't be right. Jane Foster Thor is another example, as players would be missing out on her different approach and unique handling of Mjolnir. And why make Cleo a Doctor Strange clone when he can have a whole new arsenal of spells to play with? She-Hulk, Polaris, X-23, Ironheart – the list goes on.
The same logic applies to skins regardless of gender; why give Venom a Carnage skin when Carnage could have been his own hero, with different dialogue and abilities (like making weapons from the Symbiote)?
Marvel Rivals still has room to add a few skins like Lady Loki
While it's true that NetEase will have to be selective in choosing gender swap skins so as not to rob players of potentially fun heroes, they still have a few options available. Some of the best include:
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Lady Deadpool
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She-Venom
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Captain Carter
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Rachel Cole
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Gwenpool
Sure, NetEase could start randomly selecting gender-swapped characters from Earth-TRN454, where every character is gender-biased, if they want skins like Lady Loki to become a staple of the game. By the time it gets there, all of the options above would be better used because they are significant characters and are more likely to make them feel like natural additions. Although all signs point to Lady Loki being a guaranteed success, it's up to NetEase to determine that. If so, then similar cosmetics can be expected eventually – but players shouldn't expect them to come out quickly, nor should they expect characters that function as stand-alone heroes to waste skins. NetEase has already stated that characters like Miles Morales, War Machine, and Sam Wilson would be their own heroes and not skins, and the same logic applies to female spins on existing Marvel Rivals characters.
- Released
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December 6, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Violence
- Developers
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NetEase Games
- Publishers
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NetEase Games
