Marvel Rivals has been quite a success since its launch last month. The NetEase hero shooter received primarily positive reviews and drew in 10 million players within the first 72 hours of its release. It’s no surprise that Marvel Rivals‘ combination of beloved characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Wolverine with an Overwatch-style PvP format piqued players’ interest. What is surprising is that this live service game garnered so much success before its first season has even started.
Marvel Rivals‘ Season 0 will end on January 10 according to the game’s current battle pass, meaning that Season 1 will start shortly after. The first full season is expected to bring new maps, characters, cosmetics, and modes — like the rumored Capture the Flag mode — to the game. After official artwork regarding upcoming characters was leaked earlier this week, Marvel Rivals confirmed that The Fantastic Four — Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and The Thing — will be added in Season 1. This is big news for Marvel’s often forgotten first family, but it could mean that one leaked villain is further off than fans were expecting.
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Marvel Rivals Needs A Party Chat Option Fast
Not everyone on my friends’ list uses Discord, and whenever I do end up in a match with a buddy or two, I’d much rather keep our comms to ourselves. I don’t want to bother other people with our wretched screeching, and given how the region I play supports a whole lot of different countries with different languages, a private party chat feature will be much appreciated.
How The Fantastic Four’s Confirmation Could Impact Ultron
It’s no surprise that The Fantastic Four is coming to Marvel Rivals. In addition to Mr. Fantastic being leaked as a playable character at the start of this past December, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is many fans’ most anticipated MCU release for this year. The Fantastic Four is also a great pick for Marvel Rivals‘ roster, as each character can lend a completely different playstyle to the game. Mr. Fantastic and The Human Torch could easily fill the game’s Duelist role. The Invisible Woman makes sense as a Strategist, and the Thing would be a perfect Vanguard to combat The Hulk. However, with the first season of Marvel Rivals seemingly being based around The Fantastic Four, the anticipated addition of Ultron to the game seems less likely for the near future.
Ultron’s Initial Marvel Rivals Leak
Posted on X by popular leaker RivalsLeaks, files in the game have already indicated that Ultron will be making an appearance in Marvel Rivals. The character is supposedly a Strategist with a two-star difficulty rating. He will have access to an energy beam attack, drones that can heal allies as well as damage enemies, and a flight ability similar to Iron Man’s. RivalsLeaks had stated that Ultron would be making his way to Marvel Rivals in Season 1, but his inclusion seems less likely with the season’s Fantastic Four theme.
Ultron’s Clash with The Fantastic Four
Though The Fantastic Four and Ultron are both some of Marvel’s more iconic characters, they don’t exactly mesh well together. Ultron is generally associated with The Avengers. His first full appearance in the comics was in issue 55 of The Avengers, and he was also the main antagonist of 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. While Ultron has crossed paths with The Fantastic Four before in the comic universe, it would be a stretch to call him a Fantastic Four villain.
This isn’t to say that Ultron won’t be coming in Marvel Rivals‘ Season 1, but it doesn’t seem as likely following The Fantastic Four’s announcement. Ultron would muddle a Fantastic Four theme, and his presence isn’t totally necessary since The Fantastic Four will already be adding four new heroes to the whopping 33 already in the game. Ultron might be more timely if Marvel Rivals had a mid-season event that was more appropriately themed for the character, but as of now, it would make more sense for NetEase to hold off and save the character for Season 2. More information on both Ultron and The Fantastic Four could be revealed in Marvel Rivals’ Season 1’s first trailer, which will release on January 6.
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