The Marvel Rivals Season 1 update is set to bring a host of new characters, including the Fantastic Four, as well as plenty of buffs and nerfs to the existing roster.
Marvel Rivals has got off to a flying start in Season 0, attracting millions of players and emerging as a worthy competitor to Overwatch 2. Now, developer NetEase is gearing up for its first major update, which is due to introduce a ton of fresh content.
So, here’s everything we know about Marvel Rivals Season 1, including the release date.
Marvel Rivals Season 1 start date
The Season 1 update is due to arrive in Marvel Rivals on Friday, January 10, 2025. This is based on the in-game timer for the Season 0 Battle Pass and confirmed by Marvel Rivals on X.
It’s possible that there could be a period of downtime before the update arrives, but leaks have also suggested that January 10 will be the release date, so you should be able to dive straight into the action without delay.
Fantastic Four confirmed for Season 1
Players were no doubt expecting that Marvel Rivals Season 1 would bring a couple of new heroes, but it appears that we’re actually getting at least four. On January 2, the devs announced that the entire Fantastic Four lineup is coming to the game, including Mr Fantastic (Reed Richards), Invisible Woman (Sue Storm), Human Torch (Johnny Storm), and The Thing (Ben Grimm).
A full reveal is planned for January 6, where we’re likely to find out more about each hero’s role, abilities, and team-ups.
Ultron leaked
While the Fantastic Four are the only new characters confirmed for Season 1, leaks have also claimed that Ultron will join the roster. However, nothing has been officially announced at the time of writing.
But not being confirmed, ‘Rivals Leaks’ was able to reveal the iconic villain’s full line-up of abilities. He will reportedly be a Strategist who can spawn drones to heal allies, with an ultimate that lets him spawn additional versions of himself.
It remains to be seen if Ultron will arrive at the start of Season 1 alongside Reed Richards and co., or if he is scheduled to come later in the season.
Dracula villain
Dracula’s arrival in Marvel Rivals Season 1: Eternal Night marks a new chapter for the game.
Known as Marvel’s infamous Lord of the Vampires, Dracula teams up with Doctor Doom to disrupt the moon’s orbit, casting New York into eternal darkness.
This cataclysm unleashes hordes of vampiric creatures upon the city. Dracula’s powers in Marvel lore include superhuman strength, speed, and the ability to hypnotize and control minds, alongside the power to turn others into vampires, so it’ll be interesting to see what his role will be like in the game.
Buffs and nerfs
As you’d expect from a new online shooter, balancing has been a major talking point ever since launch. Certain powerful characters have dominated the early meta, such as Jeff the Land Shark, Iron First, and Hawkeye, and Season 1 is the first chance for some much-needed adjustments.
It hasn’t been confirmed exactly what changes are planned for the update, but leaks have revealed that the following characters are due for buffs and nerfs:
Buffs
- Captain America
- Cloak and Dagger
- Storm
- Venom
- Wolverine
Nerfs
What else to expect
On top of everything else we’ve mentioned, you can also expect the following content in Marvel Rivals Season 1:
- Season 1 Battle Pass
- New maps
- New modes
- In-game events
That was everything we know about the first full Marvel Rivals season so far, we’ll be sure to update this page with a full breakdown of what to expect once it’s been announced.
In the meantime, you can take a look at all the other leaked characters coming to the game, as well as our tier list of the meta heroes.
