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# How Marvel Rivals Turns Decades of Comic History Into Game Characters

**[80 LEVEL](https://daily.dev/sources/80lv)** · 12 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

The Marvel Rivals art team (Art Director Dino Ma, Art Supervisors Dongyang and Weitai Luo, Lead Character Designer Yuzhen Zhang, Lead 3D Character Artist Zhen Li, Lead Animator Zhuo Yuqi, and Lead VFX Artist Peng Weifeng) describes the full character pipeline, using Cyclops as a case study. Topics covered include reference gathering from comics and other media, preserving recognizable visual anchors, a custom NPR/PBR shading model blending 2D brushstroke style with realistic texture, a shattering/destruction system using simulated rather than physically calculated debris, cross-platform asset tiering for performance, alternate costume design philosophy, and how VFX reinforce each hero's identity during entrances and MVP highlights.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://80.lv/articles/inside-marvel-rivals-character-art-vfx-destruction-pipeline>

## Questions this post answers

### How does Marvel Rivals simulate destructible environment debris without hurting performance?

Debris drops are simulated through visual effects rather than physical calculations, letting designers control the rhythm of falling debris while integrating smoke, tiles, and glass details. An automated building-cutting tool and fragment segmentation algorithms produce natural-looking concrete and wood debris shapes while still supporting gameplay cover needs.

_Developers exploring destructible environment tricks can follow more game art breakdowns like this on daily.dev._

### What rendering approach does Marvel Rivals use to blend stylized characters into realistic environments?

A custom character shading model combines Non-Photorealistic Rendering (NPR) with Physically Based Rendering (PBR) highlights, letting artists control color tendencies and stylized highlight shapes while keeping realistic textures with a 2D, flat brushstroke feel. Additional rendering features manage direct and ambient light brightness and automatic exposure so characters keep sharp outlines against realistic backgrounds.

_Technical artists weighing NPR versus PBR tradeoffs can find similar shader breakdowns on daily.dev._

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---

Tags: [#game-development](https://daily.dev/tags/game-development), [#game-design](https://daily.dev/tags/game-design)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/how-marvel-rivals-turns-decades-of-comic-history-into-game-characters-m53aywgam)

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