The Thing and the Human Torch Join Marvel Rivals This Friday

The Marvel Rivals team shared a video outlining the game's next update, which will introduce a new map and two new heroes: The Thing and the Human Torch.

Matt Buckley

February 18, 2025 11:57

Source: NetEase Games

Today, NetEase revealed the release date and time for the second half of Marvel Rivals Season 1, which will introduce the other two members of the Fantastic Four to the popular free-to-play game. The Thing will serve as a new Vanguard hero, while The Human Torch will be a new duelist. Season 1.5 will also include balance changes to several heroes and introduce a few new features. The update is scheduled for February 21st at 8am (UTC +0).

Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 introduces the remaining Fantastic Four members

Marvel Rivals has continued to grow in popularity since its launch in early December. This free-to-play hero shooter brings together a huge cast of Marvel Comics characters, 35 currently with two more on the way at the end of this week. The game has been compared to another massively popular hero shooter, Overwatch 2, since its debut, but has quickly overtaken the competitor, at least in Steam player count. Though Overwatch 2’s director recently called the competition “exciting.”

A new video from the Marvel Rivals YouTube channel shared the details for the upcoming mid-season updates. The Thing and the Human Torch are mentioned in this longer video, but they each have their own shorter videos that showcases their gameplay. The Human Torch flies through the air, slinging flame at range and then diving forward to catch enemies in a fiery explosion. Meanwhile, The Thing remains much more grounded, and melee focused, charging forward, punching opponents, and able to toss teammates like Wolverine into the fray.

This new update will also include a new map, a version of New York City’s Central Park that has been overtaken by Dracula’s castle. The goal will be to save Ratatoskr, an Asgardian squirrel god, who is being held captive by Dracula. It will be interesting to hear if Squirrel Girl, a playable hero, has anything to say about that.

The developers discussed several balance changes for various heroes but put special emphasis on a popular team composition that involves using three strategist archetypes. Apparently, players are able to use the shorter recharge time of the strategist’s ultimates to more easily shut down duelists and vanguards. In an effort to remedy this and keep battles from drawing out too long, the developers are lengthening the recharge time of some strategists and shortening that of some other heroes.

When this new update launches for Marvel Rivals on Friday, it will be exciting to see how it impacts the game. Marvel Rivals has been on top for two months and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. If the development team can keep up the pace of these meaningful updates, including new heroes and maps, the players will likely stick around much longer.