Black Cat has been revealed as the next Marvel Rivals hero, but nobody cares about her abilities or gameplay. And that’s a big issue.

Black Cat is arriving on April 17th as part of Season 7.5, a duelist that can climb walls, pounce on people, and slash them with her claws. All while having her butt right in your face! The entire trailer was overtly sexual, with Black Cat pulling off very sultry poses and the camera always positioned below her buttcheeks as she climbed.

In the game, Black Cat continues to have a very over-the-top bent-over pose in the hero selection menu. It’s just not a natural way for someone to pose and appears to pander to gooners even more than past female characters.

Black Cat Is the Most Overtly Sexual Marvel Rivals Hero Yet

In the past, NetEase has denied that it’s purposefully making gooner content after esports fans started getting sexual TikTok ads of Marvel heroes in their bikinis. But I’m not sure what else you would really call this.

“They literally are creating and supporting porn addict men that will not think of women as people and will push unrealistic, harmful stereotypes onto them,” said one X user. They pointed out that showing the male characters being goofy and showing their bum is not the same due to societal structure, the patriarchy, and the nature of the overall treatment, where Venom being sexy is meant to be comical, versus Black Cat being bent over is meant to make people go “awooga.”

Added another X user: “Literally like I get black cat is a seductive femme fatale type character, but this is legit just softcore porn at this point, and it’s so uncomfortable.”

they literally are creating and supporting porn addict men that will NOT think of women as people and will push unrealistic harmful stereotypes onto them. no venom shaking ass is not that same and doesn’t make this game any better btw https://t.co/m2dd3ofBlm

— 𑣲 angelic (@peachypuffi) April 16, 2026

Of course, men were quick to defend developers’ pose, claiming that it’s just how she stands in the comics and saying that it’s not a crime for male audiences to want hot women in their games. Of course, this misses the points, but this is how the conversation has always been derailed.

There are definitely images of her bent over in the comic. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to exaggerate source material to keep a character’s oversexualization alive decades later. Just because something was seen as acceptable in the past doesn’t mean you just perpetuate it during a totally different time. And let’s be real, that was considered overly sexual gooner content as well, and I’m sure there were some people who pointed that out.

You can say she’s a succubus or a cat or whatever you want, but those were purposeful qualities she was given to allow comics to create a female character who crawls around in that way.

“None of these are very similar to what she’s doing. She’s climbing up the ledge, sneaking out like Santa, landing a hero pose, and hanging off a building. These have a purpose. She has no purpose doing idk… a sorority squat?” one person pointed out on X.

It’s an ongoing argument that doesn’t seem to be over any time soon. Marvel Rivals is far from the only game that does this; it’s just one of the most overt. Women have constantly questioned the need for upskirt shots, jiggling breasts, and skimpy outfits on female characters in a wide range of games. And men have constantly argued that they don’t want “ugly” female characters, completely not understanding how this perpetuates sexism in a male-dominated space, and are unable to see how it fits into an overall conversation on how sexualizing women can be harmful to an already oppressed gender.

I’m almost sick of even discussing it.

Even Overwatch, which prides itself on being inclusive and diverse, has been guilty of this same kinda stuff. Who remembers the argument over Tracer’s over-the-top butt pose? Or Widowmaker’s broken spine as she arches her back in most visuals? Over in the FGC, a man recently wasted his time studying every detail of Chun-Li’s body to explain if she is still at her peak as a middle-aged woman.

It all seems harmful on its own. Maybe even funny. But you have to ask yourself why this is even a thing in the first place.

Marvel Rivals can be overtly sexual because the esports space allows for it. The vast majority support it, so NetEase can capitalize on it. These skins will probably sell like crazy just because Black Cat is bent in a tight outfit. It’s easy money. The same men who feel superiority over women and like they “won” something by getting their gooner content are wasting all their money buying skins from the guys who created them.

Black Cat already has her first in-game skin: Urban Predator. She’s wearing a tiny mini skirt and a crop top. It’s perfect for stylish gooners who can’t help but throw their money at a digital image of a woman bending over, hoping to see her crawl up buildings with it on.

It’s nothing new. Just figured I’d point out that Marvel Rivals is getting weirder and weirder because they can.