Marvel Rivals Season 1: Start date, Fantastic Four, buffs and nerfs, Dracula & more
NetEase GamesThe 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, Competitive changes, and new villain.
Marvel Rivals Season 1 start date
Marvel Rivals Season 1 begins on Friday, January 10, 2025, at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM GMT.
The devs confirmed the start date and time on X, but it was also the same day the Season 0 Battle Pass was scheduled to end.
Fantastic Four confirmed for Season 1
Players were no doubt expecting that Marvel Rivals Season 1 would bring a couple of new heroes, but 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).
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.
We don’t know all of the changes planned for the update, but both the developers and leaks have revealed that the following characters are due for buffs and nerfs:
Buffs
- Captain America
- Cloak and Dagger
- Storm
- Venom
- Wolverine
Nerfs
- Hela
- Hawkeye
- Jeff the Land Shark
Check out all the buffs and nerfs revealed so far for the full details.
Competitive rank reset & Celestial rank
Not uncommon in competitive games, Marvel Rivals Season 1 will see players ranks reset at the start of the new season. You’ll be dropped by seven divisions and will have to climb back up through the season.
Here’s a breakdown of where you’ll drop to depending on your current rank:
- Grandmaster 1 and above –> Platinum 2
- Diamond 1 –> Gold 2
- Platinum 1 –> Silver 2
- Gold 1 –> Bronze 2
- Gold 2 and below –> Bronze 3
There’s also the new Celestial Rank that sits between Grandmaster and Eternity. Being the third-highest rank it won’t be easy to reach but will be another goal for the top players.
YouTube: Marvel RivalsWhat 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 skins
- New maps
- New modes
- In-game events
While you wait for Season 1 to kick off, 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.