You’ve probably seen it by now. That spiky, jet-black leather outfit with the domino mask and the "I’m about to dismantle your molecules" energy. In Marvel Rivals, the Sue Storm Malice skin isn't just another cosmetic you grind for to look edgy in the MVP screen. It’s a deep-cut reference to a time when Marvel's most famous mom basically lost her mind and decided to mop the floor with her own family.
Honestly, it’s kinda wild that NetEase chose this specific look. Most people know Sue Storm as the "heart" of the Fantastic Four. She’s the one keeping Reed from forgetting to eat and stopping Johnny from burning the house down. But the Malice skin represents the exact opposite of that. It’s what happens when you take the most powerful member of the team and remove her "no-kill" rule.
The Twisted Origin of the Malice Persona
Let’s get the history straight, because it’s darker than you’d expect for a 1980s comic. Back in Fantastic Four #280, legendary writer John Byrne decided Sue had been through enough. She had recently suffered a devastating miscarriage, and her grief made her vulnerable. Enter Psycho-Man and the Hate-Monger. These two creeps used a "hate-ray" to amplify Sue's repressed anger and inverted her entire personality.
The result? Malice, the Mistress of Hate. She didn't just get a wardrobe change; she became a tactical nightmare. She used her force fields to trap She-Hulk (who was filling in for The Thing at the time) underground and nearly suffocated her own husband. It took Reed Richards realizing that the only way to snap her out of it was to make her hate him even more—specifically by taunting her until her psyche reached a breaking point—to bring the real Sue back.
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Why the Marvel Rivals Malice Skin Is Causing a Stir
In Marvel Rivals, the Malice skin is part of the Season 1 "Eternal Night Falls" update. You can usually grab it in the shop for around 1,400 units, or as part of a bundle that includes a "Malicious Whirlwind" MVP animation.
But the design itself is what has everyone talking on Discord and Reddit.
- The Aesthetic: It keeps the spiked collar and the "Mistress of Hate" vibe but updates it with high-fidelity textures.
- The VFX: Instead of the standard blue or white force fields, Malice Sue throws out purple-tinted, jagged energy.
- The Controversy: Some fans think the skin is a bit too "sexy" for a character whose origin involves intense trauma and a miscarriage. Others love it because it finally acknowledges that Sue is a powerhouse who shouldn't be messed with.
Basically, it’s the "Dark Phoenix" moment for the Fantastic Four, but with more leather.
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Is Malice Actually More Powerful Than Invisible Woman?
In terms of raw lore, yes. Absolutely. When Sue became Malice, she stopped holding back. Usually, Sue uses her force fields for protection or to gently move things. Malice, however, realized she could put a tiny force field inside someone’s lungs and expand it. Or she could create microscopic needles of invisible force and fire them like a railgun.
In the Marvel Rivals gameplay, the skin doesn't actually change your stats (that would be pay-to-win, and nobody wants that), but the psychological effect of seeing that dark purple energy coming at you is real. It reminds players that Sue isn't just a support character; she’s the one who can end a fight before you even see her coming.
Beyond the Game: The Legacy of the "Invisible Woman" Change
One thing most casual fans miss is that the Malice incident is actually why Sue changed her name. Before this story arc, she was "The Invisible Girl." After she regained her senses and realized the sheer scale of the power she’d unleashed, she dropped the "Girl" forever. She became the Invisible Woman. It was a declaration of maturity and a recognition that she had a dark side she needed to control.
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If you’re looking to unlock the skin, here’s the reality:
- Check the Season Pass: It’s often tied to higher tiers (40+) or specific event milestones.
- Keep an eye on the shop rotations: Like most "hype" skins, it disappears and reappears based on the current meta.
- The Bundle is usually better: If you’re going to spend the units, the extra 200 for the MVP animation and nameplate is usually the better "value" than buying them separately later.
What to Do Next
If you’ve just picked up the skin or you’re thinking about it, don’t just play her as a backline healer. Use that Malice energy. Start practicing your aggressive bubble placements.
- Study the original John Byrne run (specifically issues #280-#284) to see the move set that inspired the skin’s visual effects.
- Master the "Bubble Trap" combo in the practice range; Malice is all about area denial and making the enemy feel claustrophobic.
- Check your settings: Ensure your VFX quality is set to high, otherwise that signature Malice purple glow looks kinda muddy on lower-end PCs.
It's one of the few skins in the game that actually tells a story, so even if you aren't a Fantastic Four superfan, it's worth having in the collection just for the history.
Next Steps for You: You can dive into the Marvel Rivals Training Room to test if the purple VFX on the Malice skin makes your force fields harder for enemies to track in dark maps, or you can go check out the Fantastic Four #280 digital issue on Marvel Unlimited to see the actual panels that inspired this legendary look.