• Marvel Rivals Season 7.5 finally adds Black Cat as a Duelist
• Her character select pose has caused a stir for its awkward position
• Some players have suggested that the pose is a way to hide Black Cat's unnatural proportions

The latest Marvel Rivals seasonal update has finally arrived alongside and added new playable hero Black Cat, but it's her character selection pose that has players talking.

Season 7.5: The Hunt is On is now available, and in case you missed it, the long-awaited Duelist, Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat, is finally playable alongside a host of new features.

The elusive master thief is probably the most anticipated hero yet, but the reveal of her character select pose, which depicts her bent over in an awkward position, has rubbed some players the wrong way.

"Contender for the worst idle pose in the entire game," one user wrote on X/Twitter.

"The problem is she isn't 'striking a pose', she's holding it and just standing there awkwardly. This is a fine pose to do for a photo, but when she's just standing there holding it she looks like she's suffering from crippling back problems," a Redditor said.

Black Cat is typically characterized as a sultry, feline anti-hero, and players have pointed out that this pose references a comic book cover. Fair enough, but why is she permanently stuck in that position?

Wouldn't it make more sense to have it be part of her idle animation and then let her stand straight like the rest of the roster? An emote in a similar pose would even be better than this!

Some players have also suggested that the pose is a way to hide Black Cat's unnatural proportions, with videos circulating showing her elongated limbs in gameplay.

"Her torso is way too short and her limbs way too long. Her thighs alone are longer than her whole upper body. That’s why her running animation is so off and reminds everyone of Groot," another user said

Even if we ignore the obvious way NetEase Games tends to portray some of its female characters, not only does the pose seem uncomfortable for Black Cat to permanently hold, it just looks weird.

Not to mention the fact that you can't look at her pretty costumes while she's bent over. Want to purchase the new Black Cat skin? Okay, but you won't be able to see it! Her collectible Spider-Man accessory, which hooks onto the back of her belt, also can't be viewed properly because of the position she's in.

Please, NetEase Games, let Felicia Hardy stand up straight. I just know her spine is killing her!

Alongside the addition of Black Cat, version 7.5 introduces plenty of quality-of-life updates, the return of the Hellfire Gala, new team-up abilities, and costumes.

A new PvE mode entitled Blood Hunt, featuring an all-new storyline, four Boss battles, a fresh hero progression and trait system, and a new loot system, will also arrive with the April 23 update.

Season 8.0 is also expected to launch on May 15.

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Demi is a freelance games journalist who helps cover gaming news at TechRadar. She's been a games writer for five years and has written for outlets such as GameSpot, NME, and GamesRadar, covering news, features, and reviews. Outside of writing, she plays a lot of RPGs and talks far too much about Star Wars on X.