The Punisher is a playable hero in NetEase’s mega-successful Overwatch clone, Marvel Rivals. He might be the most basic character in the game and is one of the first characters you play as in the tutorial. He’s also maybe my favorite hero to play as, and I’m sorry to everyone I’ve killed as Punisher. I’m so sorry.
Released in December 2024, Marvel Rivals has quickly become a massive hit thanks to it being free-to-play and starring a huge roster of famous Marvel characters. The hero-based shooter plays a lot like a third-person Overwatch, but with a lot more destruction and chaos. And over the last few weeks the character I’ve gravitated toward more than anyone else is the Punisher, and I hate myself for that.
The Punisher’s kit is very basic. He has an assault rifle, a shotgun, a zipline tool, a smoke bomb, and the ability to place a turret, and his ultimate is just more (and bigger) guns. He is basically a Call of Duty character dropped into a world filled with superheroes, gods, aliens, and monsters. The Punisher shouldn’t stand a chance. And yet, he holds his own. It turns out having guns with good damage and range and the ability to place a powerful turret anywhere you want is a deadly combo.
One of my favorite strategies with Punisher is to use my zipline to find a nice, out of the way spot that I know the enemy will be running through soon. I get up there, pop my turret ability and wait for the prey to arrive. Even when the team pushes, perhaps trying to cap a point, I wait. I let them think they are safe. And then I unleash a barrage of bullets on them. I always focus on the healers, too. That makes it harder for the team to survive and fight back.
Assuming they don’t have a skilled Hawkeye or Hela (enemies of Punisher who can snipe him), I usually get a few kills before I bail, smoke bomb, and escape. And if my ult charges before I leave the area, I turn around, go behind the enemy team, and kill them all again. Yes, I’m an asshole. I’m sorry. But I just can’t help it. I love playing as this shitty gun man.
That’s not to say I don’t play anyone else. I love Namor! I’m really good with Black Widow, Venom, Captain America! And I play a lot of matches as healers Jeff the Landshark, Mantis, and Invisible Woman. Yet, I find myself returning to Punisher whenever I’m annoyed by some opposing Iron Man player hovering around, or when my team’s attackers aren’t doing anything. In these moments, the Punisher becomes a siren, calling me back.
When it was announced in the first patch notes that the Punisher’s guns would be improved, I felt so dirty. The last thing this dudebro asshole needs is a weapon buff. But I’ll gladly take it. Because sometimes when faced with a problem, like losing a match of Marvel Rivals, it’s nice to have a dead simple but effective option to pull out of the tool box. And that’s the Punisher. He’s my hammer and all of you are nails. And I’m sorry. So sorry.
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