Marvel Rivals Gave Me a Team of Superwomen—And I’m Never Logging Off

Like a lot of gay kids in the early 2000s, I didn’t want to be Wolverine. I wanted to be Jean Grey—floating mid-air, eyes glowing, holding an entire building in place with pure telepathy and melodrama. I wanted to be Storm, riding the wind like an actual goddess. I wanted to be Invisible Woman, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, and Wanda Maximoff.

So when Marvel Rivals gave me a full roster of powerful, high-heeled women to play with, it wasn’t just exciting—it was personal.

After just a few minutes in the training room, I was hurling psionic spheres as Invisible Woman—one of my childhood favorites. I flashed back to being a closeted tween watching Jessica Alba play Susan Storm in the Fantastic Four movies with total awe. I admired her bravery, her elegance, her infallible kindness. And now, finally, I could fight as her—commanding invisible force fields, saving the team, and hearing her quiet confidence in every line. It wasn’t just fan service. It felt like wish fulfillment.

Marvel Rivals/NetEase Games

The X-Men have long held a special place in queer fandom, thanks in large part to Chris Claremont’s legendary comics run. His writing brought layered themes of identity, otherness, and found family to the forefront—all without needing to name the thing out loud. Being a mutant meant being different, being feared, being told to hide but also finding strength, solidarity, and community. For many LGBTQ+ readers, the X-Men weren’t just superheroes—they were a mirror.

So stepping into the high-heeled shoes of Storm or Emma Frost in Marvel Rivals doesn’t feel like just playing a game—it feels like claiming something I never had before. These were the women I looked up to, the ones I secretly wanted to be, long before I had language for any of it. Now I get to be them—lightning bolts, telepathy, stilettos and all. I’m not just reading queer-coded power anymore. I’m controlling it.

When Emma Frost and the Hellfire Gala Season 2 was announced, I just about fell out of my chair. This thick-thighed, busty Vanguard is made for the gays. Her original costume is full drag—oversized blue crystal shoulderpads, diamond-encrusted boots and kneepads, and enough contour to scare a Sentinel. Playing as this 5’10” power top with a chokehold slam and face-kick ability makes me feel like the most unstoppable twunk this side of the Pride parade.

But the real joy isn’t just in the aesthetics—it’s in the agency. I’m not watching these women from the sidelines anymore. I’m on the battlefield with them, commanding the space, holding the line, pushing the payload. When I pick Sue Storm, it’s not just a strategic choice. It’s an act of self-love.

And when the MVP screen hits—and there she is, floating in all her glory, with my name beside her? Yeah. That feels right.

(And where in gay hell is Rogue, devs?)