Marvel Rivals' Character Popularity and the Nexus Mods Controversy

Official game data reveals interesting character popularity trends in Marvel Rivals. In "quick play," Jeff reigns supreme, outperforming Venom and Cloak & Dagger. However, the competitive landscape shifts dramatically. On PC, Luna Snow, Cloak & Dagger, and Mantis dominate, while on consoles, Cloak & Dagger, Penny Parker, and Mantis lead the pack.

A surprising twist: Mantis, despite her popularity, is also the most frequently defeated hero in competitive mode, holding the top spot across both PC and consoles, surpassing Hela, Loki, and Magic. Consoles show a broader spread of success, with 14 additional characters boasting win rates over 50%.

Conversely, unpopular characters include Storm, Black Widow, and Wolverine in "quick play," while Nemore takes the bottom spot in competitive modes.

The game's recent surge in popularity, marked by over 500 mod submissions in a single month, has unfortunately sparked controversy. Nexus Mods, a popular modding site, removed modifications that replaced Captain America's head with images of Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Nexus Mods owner, TheDarkOne, addressed the situation in a private Reddit discussion, explaining the removal was to avoid accusations of political bias. Both Trump and Biden-related mods were removed simultaneously. This simultaneous removal was intended to demonstrate impartiality.

Curiously, this controversy remains largely unaddressed by YouTube gaming commentators.