Marvel Rivals devs know exactly how popular Invisible Woman is, and say that "body shape or silhouette" add to a character's popularity in a way far more innocent than the internet deserves

You can compare Marvel Rivals to Overwatch in a lot of ways - including the unrelenting thirst many of the game's fans have for its cast. Never has that been more apparent than with the debut of Sue Storm and her thirst-trapping Malice skin, and the devs are well aware of just how popular they've made the character.

Rivals has presented a great opportunity to showcase "characters that have no limelight," according to Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo, speaking to GamesRadar+ during an interview at the Game Developers Conference. That includes the Fantastic Four, who despite effectively kicking off Marvel's whole superhero universe, have rarely enjoyed the same mainstream popularity as other Marvel mainstay.

"Invisible Woman - nobody knows who they are until we have that season launch," Koo continues, "and Google says she went up by a lot. Just, 'who's the Fantastic Four?'" In another interview with our friends at PC Gamer, he noted specifically that those Invisible Woman searches went up by 3000% when her debut trailer arrived, and judging by the Google data I'm privvy to as an online media writer, that number is not far off the mark.

Unleash Malice, the dark side of the Invisible Woman! Available on Marvel Rivals on January 10th! - YouTube

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You might raise your eyebrow at the specific reasons Invisible Woman in particular was such a breakout success, but Koo continued rather innocently in our interview. "Marvel Rivals is one of those rare games that you're able to showcase who the character is instantly," he told us. "Whether their body shape or silhouette, if you just look at them, you can tell what their powers are. That's the key."

Look. Giving characters such distinct silhouettes that they instantly stand out in a crowd is an essential part of design. That's true even outside of games, but it's especially essential in the chaotic context of a hero shooter. But, well... I think it's clear that "body shape" is perhaps an extra factor in Invisible Woman's popularity, and it's probably never safe to assume the internet's outsized interest in a female video game character is entirely innocent.

28 years after Final Fantasy 7 introduced a generation to the concept of waifus, Tetsuya Nomura says Tifa's popularity is "not just about appearance."