Now that the dust has settled, I’m constantly trying to figure out what’s next for Marvel Rivals. Which superheroes are coming? What maps are we getting? What will the next season’s theme be? There are plenty of theories for each, but the latest in-game tease has just given us our biggest clue yet. Season 2 is starting in just a few months, and we might already know what to expect.
As part of the current Season 1.5, NetEase Games is running a second Midnight Features event. Over time, new challenges and rewards arrive for us to unlock, and the latest may very well tell us the theme of Marvel Rivals Season 2. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but the third Midnight Features 2 unlockable is the ‘Plans Within Plans’ gallery card, which expands the lore of the multiplayer game, alongside the story of the main villain Doctor Doom.
As shared by ‘DynamiteDynamo10’ on Reddit, the last line of this gallery card reads: “Now, if you will excuse me, Doom has a gala to attend…” To many, including myself, this can only mean one thing: Marvel Rivals Season 2 is going to focus on the Hellfire Gala.
In Marvel Comics, the Hellfire Gala is an annual event and the biggest mutant celebration in the universe. Marvel itself calls it “an official state dinner, the election of a new X-Men team, a celebrity-packed party, and a showcase for mutant high fashion” all in one. The gala is a big part of the X-Men and mutant mythos, with Emma Frost playing a key role in proceedings.
Frost’s involvement in the comic storyline could also indicate that she’s going to be one of the next Marvel Rivals characters, but there’s no telling who NetEase Games has picked just yet. Frost is one of the many, many heroes to have shown up in datamines, but there’s no telling if or when she’s coming to Rivals. The plan right now is for two heroes per season, and with Blade already playing a key role in Season 1, I could see him and Emma Frost spread across Season 2 as new characters.
The Hellfire Gala has always been a chance for Marvel’s artists to give the world’s mutants a high-fashion glow-up, too, so if it is the official theme of Season 2 we can easily expect some stunning Marvel Rivals skins in the battle pass. Season 1 will come to a close in early April, so I’d expect we’ll learn more about the official theme and new characters sometime in March.
While we wait for Season 2 make sure you check out our Marvel Rivals tier list for Season 1.5, alongside a breakdown of exactly how Marvel Rivals ranks work.
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