Marvel Rivals Season 1 Breakdown & Dev Talk
January 07, 2025
Season 1 of Marvel Rivals kicks off January 10 at 07:00 UTC, bringing a dark twist to New York City and introducing Marvel's first family to the roster. This three-month season splits into two distinct chapters, with Sue Storm and Reed Richards arriving first, followed by Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm later.
A catastrophic event called the Timestream Entanglement has thrown New York City into chaos. Doctor Strange vanished into the Entangled Astral Plane, and though Scarlet Witch managed to rescue him, the scattered pages of the Darkhold created an opportunity Dracula couldn't resist. Working with Doctor Doom, Dracula used Chronovium to halt the moon's movement, casting the city into permanent darkness.
Three battlegrounds await players in this transformed New York: the mystical Sanctum Sanctorum and the monster-filled streets of Midtown arrive with the season's launch, while a corrupted Central Park joins the rotation mid-season.
In the first half of the season, Sue Storm steps in as a strategist, using her invisibility and force fields to protect allies while conducting daring rescue missions in vampire-controlled territories, as Reed Richards brings his elastic abilities to the duelist role, stretching both his body and mind as he works to build a device capable of ending the dimensional crisis.
During the second half of the season, Johnny Storm blazes onto the scene as a second duelist, his flames proving particularly effective against Dracula's nocturnal forces, while Ben Grimm takes his place as Marvel Rivals's newest vanguard, using his rocky exterior and golden heart to protect the city from its supernatural invaders.
A new Doom Match mode throws 8-12 players into faction-based free-for-all combat. Players score points by eliminating opponents, with the top half of participants claiming victory.
Players can dive into the Midnight Features seasonal event to unlock exclusive rewards, while Twitch Drop campaigns starting January 11 offer special items like the Hela: Will of Galacta costume.
The Eternal Night Falls Battle Pass packs twice the content of Season 0, featuring 10 new costumes with matching cosmetics for 990 Lattice, with 600 Lattice being returned via unlocks.
The season brings significant hero adjustments, focusing on mobile vanguards like Captain America and Venom. These changes aim to improve their frontline presence, while Wolverine and Storm receive power boosts to keep up with other duelists.
About the author
A true OG of gaming since the very earliest days of the Atari 2600 and ZX Spectrum, Sacrilege is a passionate and driven content creator. A fan of creating 3D animations and skits, he's perhaps best known for building and running some of the most successful gaming community resources for titles such as Infinite Crisis, Predecessor, and now Marvel Rivals. You'll typically find him playing a strategist.