Colleen O’Shaughnessey, the voice actress for Mantis in Marvel Rivals, faced a unique challenge when creating her version of the character. The game’s developer, NetEase, specifically told her not to imitate Pom Klementieff’s portrayal of Mantis from the Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
As a big Marvel fan who was familiar with the MCU, I found this a tough task for O’Shaughnessy. However, she managed to create a distinct voice for Mantis, which received positive feedback from both the developers and players.
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O’Shaughnessey has a history with Marvel, having voiced several characters in different shows and games, most notably the Wasp in Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. While this experience helped her understand the character better, it didn’t directly influence her work on Marvel Rivals because of the specific instructions from the developers.
Although she doesn’t consider herself a serious gamer, she was happy to see the game received well after its launch. Player feedback suggests that her version of Mantis played a big role in the game’s popularity.
In Marvel Rivals, Mantis is a Strategist character who mainly acts as a healer. While the developers wanted to create a different version of her than what was shown in the MCU, they still included some familiar elements for fans. Mantis’ backstory in the game involves being imprisoned by the Collector, similar to events in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
Players can also unlock skins for Mantis that reflect her looks from the MCU films. This mix of O’Shaughnessey’s unique voice work and recognizable visual cues helped connect the game’s version of Mantis with the established MCU character.
By giving Mantis a separate vocal identity, different from the MCU, the game highlights the challenges of adapting known characters in new formats. NetEase wanted to create an original take on Mantis while acknowledging the MCU’s influence on how people view her.
O’Shaughnessey’s ability to deliver this unique performance shows her talent as a voice actress, and the game’s positive reception indicates that the decision to diverge from the MCU portrayal was successful. The developers achieved a nice balance between familiar elements and new creative choices, resulting in a well-liked character in Marvel Rivals.
Source: CB
