TL;DR
- Disclaimer: This article combines confirmed details with industry speculation. We’ll update it regularly as new info or leaks emerge.
- NetEase is reportedly planning monthly hero releases starting in Season 3 (July 2025) and rapidly expanding the roster to 12 new heroes per year in 2026.
- Ultron is the only officially confirmed new hero so far, joining in Season 2.5 on May 23, 2025, as a Strategist.
- Blade and Professor X have been heavily teased through in-game lore and leaks, and are likely to arrive in Season 3 and Season 3.5, respectively.
- Over 20 additional characters have been datamined – including Valkyrie, Ghost Rider, and M.O.D.O.K – but aren’t officially confirmed.
- Jean Grey/Phoenix, Cyclops, and Deadpool are among the most anticipated leaked X-Men heroes.
- Expect even more Team-Up abilities and strategies as new heroes bring fresh synergies and multiversal chaos to the battlefield.
Marvel Rivals has been on our screens since December 2024 and already boasts an impressive roster drawn from all corners of the multiverse. NetEase is pulling from decades of new Marvel characters across comics, TV, and movies, with heroes from the Fantastic Four to the most iconic Avengers.
Following the release of Season 2 Hellfire Gala, there are now 38 heroes ready to play in-game, with Emma Frost as the most recent addition. But many players are already wondering who the next Marvel Rivals upcoming characters will be?
In this guide, we’ll go over the confirmed Marvel Rivals new characters, their roles, abilities, as well as potential leaks for some upcoming heroes, too.
Marvel Rivals: All new heroes (Teased & confirmed)
Currently, there’s only one upcoming hero that’s been officially confirmed by NetEase. Many of the other characters on this Marvel Rivals new characters list have been strongly hinted at through in-game teasers and datamined files.
It’s likely that upon release, new characters will shoot to the top of character tier lists as NetEase works on fine-tuning and balancing.
Note that the following combines confirmed details and industry speculation.
| Hero name | Expected release date | Description | Expected role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultron | Season 2.5 (May 23, 2025) | The sentient machine created by Tony Stark, hell-bent on evolution and domination through cold, calculated force. | Strategist |
| Blade | Season 3 (July 11, 2025) | The Daywalker – half-human, half-vampire – on a relentless crusade against the undead and supernatural threats. | Duelist |
| Professor X | Season 3.5 (August, 2025) | Founder of the X-Men and one of the most powerful telepaths alive, fighting for peace between humans and mutants. | Strategist |
| Jean Grey/The Phoenix | Unknown | A powerful telepath and telekinetic whose resurrection as the Phoenix makes her one of the most feared forces in the multiverse. | Duelist |
| Cyclops | Unknown | The disciplined leader of the X-Men, armed with deadly optic blasts and unwavering loyalty to mutantkind. | Duelist |
| Deadpool | Unknown | The regenerating degenerate – an unkillable merc who breaks the fourth wall and anything else in his way. | Duelist |
| Amaranth | Unknown | A former apprentice of the Scarlet Witch, possessing mastery over Chaos magic | Duelist |
| Angela | Unknown | Asgardian assassin and lost daughter of Odin, torn between realms and deadly with a blade. | Unknown |
| Armor | Unknown | A teen X-Man who can manifest a psionic exosuit, combining her raw power with defensive might. | Unknown |
| Beast | Unknown | A genius-level biochemist with acrobatic skill and strength, balancing intellect and raw animal instinct. | Unknown |
| Captain Marvel | Unknown | A cosmic powerhouse with Kree-enhanced abilities. | Unknown |
| Daredevil | Unknown | The blind vigilante of NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen, using his heightened senses and martial arts to deliver justice. | Unknown |
| Ghost Rider | Unknown | A fiery spirit of vengeance bound to a cursed motorcycle. | Unknown |
| Hit-Monkey | Unknown | A silent, sharp-suited assassin monkey with a vendetta. | Unknown |
| Hive | Unknown | Created to embody the HYDRA ideals, he is a parasitic hivemind driven by a collective will to dominate. | Unknown |
| Jubilee | Unknown | A mutant with flashy pyrotechnic blasts and teen side-kick to Wolverine. | Unknown |
| M.O.D.O.K | Unknown | Aka “Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing,” this villain has superhuman intelligence and powerful psionic abilities. | Unknown |
| Nightcrawler | Unknown | A teleporting swordsman who uses speed and agility to outsmart enemies. | Unknown |
| Quicksilver | Unknown | The son of Magneto and Marvel’s fastest mutant, able to outrun bullets. | Unknown |
| Rogue | Unknown | A mutant that can absorb superpowers, memories, and even lives with a single touch. | Unknown |
| Sprite | Unknown | One of the genetically-engineered Eternals, can change their appearance at will with illusion magic. | Unknown |
| Valkyrie | Unknown | An Asgardian warrior chosen to guide souls to the afterlife – and cut down threats to the living. | Unknown |
| White Fox | Unknown | Based on the Korean legend of the nine-tailed fox, she blends shapeshifting magic with martial arts. | Unknown |
Confirmed Marvel Rivals new characters
Ultron
Role: Strategist
Only one character – Ultron – has been officially confirmed to join the Marvel Rivals 38-hero strong roster. Despite his villainous nature, Ultron will be a Strategist with a hybrid kit of supporting allies with his robotic drones while also dishing out damage.
According to leaks, these are what Ultron’s abilities will look like:
- Primary Weapon – Encephalo Ray: Fire a burning energy beam
- Passive – Algorithm Correction: Hold space to fall slowly while airborne
- Dynamic Flight: Dash in the direction of movement, then enter free-flight mode
- Imperative – Patch: Command a drone to follow an ally, healing all allies located within its radius with additional healing for the designated ally
- Imperative – Firewall: Summon drones to grant bonus health to nearby allies, centered on Ultron and the ally marked with Imperative – Patch
- Ultimate – Rage of Ultron: Summon Ultron drones to fire their own Encephalo Rays, which can damage enemies or heal allies
Leaked Marvel Rivals new characters
Dataminers have been busy, and they’ve uncovered information about some potential Marvel Rivals’ upcoming characters that could be added in the coming months.
💡 Take these with a pinch of salt – these upcoming Marvel Rivals characters are rumors based on leaks and datamined game files from multiple sources and have not been officially confirmed by NetEase Games. As such, they may not make it to the final game or may change upon release.
Let’s explore some of the most credible Marvel Rivals character leaks:
Blade
Likely Role: Duelist
Blade was a character teased throughout Marvel Rivals Season 1 and was freed from his shackles in Central Park – Empire of Eternal Night. Marvel Rivals Season 2 is scheduled to end on July 11, 2025, indicated by the BattlePass countdown, putting Blade in a prime position to be the face of Season 3, but what exactly is he capable of?
According to Blade leaks, he will have a dual-combat build: a katana for close-quarters combat and a shotgun for medium-range skirmishes. There’s also speculation that his Ultimate will add lifesteal mechanics to tie into his vampyric nature, although this hasn’t been confirmed in the game files.
Here are his leaked abilities, showing he can be added to Marvel Rivals at some stage:
- Passive – Bloodline Liberation: Blade can see enemies through walls and terrain.
- Stomp and Slash: A melee combo involving his katana.
- The Dark Knight Attack: A dash strike for closing gaps, mobility, or escaping.
- Fang Deflect: A defensive skill that deflects incoming attacks.
- Ultimate – New Moon: Temporarily transforms Blade into his full vampire form, likely boosting all his stats.
Professor X
Likely Role: Strategist
Ever the mastermind behind X-Men operations, Professor X is predicted to make his Marvel Rivals debut after Blade, since the new Season 2 Krakoa map shows his statue and in-game design at the Grove. If leaks are to be believed, he should be released in the Season 3.5 mid-season update, expected sometime in August 2025.
As a Strategist, Professor X will support allies – but not in the traditional way. His kit and abilities are rumored to focus on his telepathic abilities that may debuff enemies and possibly heal or shield teammates.
Professor X’s leaked abilities include:
- X-Men Collection
- Mind Projection
- Potential Stimulation
Cyclops
Likely Role: Duelist
We’re overdue for a new X-Men character in Marvel Rivals, and Cyclops would be a welcome sight.
While his abilities haven’t been officially confirmed, leaks provide a reasonable idea of what his Cyclops’ kit could look like, playing like a grounded version of Iron Man:
- Snapshot Blast
- Optic Stream
- Ricochet Blast
- Wide-Angle Blast
- Optic Recoil
- Ultimate – Visor Off
Jean Grey/Phoenix
Likely Role: Duelist
The rise of the Phoenix is expected to come sooner rather than later. Jean Grey, aka the Phoenix, is another X-Men character set to join Marvel Rivals in 2025. She’s anticipated to be a Duelist with two forms: Human and Phoenix, with these abilities found in the game files:
- Human Form: Psychic Explosion, Telekinetic Explosion, Telekinetic Transfer, Psychokinetic Transfer, Shattered Star Impact
- Phoenix Form: Phoenix Shadow, Phoenix Ray, Phoenix Punishment, Phoenix Wings, Phoenix Elegy.
Leaks imply that activating Jean Grey’s Phoenix abilities may not be as simple as pressing a button. Staying true to Marvel lore, her Ultimate seems to be resurrection-based, requiring Jean Grey to fall in battle with her Ultimate fully charged to trigger her automatic rebirth as the Phoenix.
Her Phoenix activation may burn the ground before respawning as she rises from the ashes. This will make her a higher-difficulty hero as her death will require strategic thinking and precise timing.
Deadpool
Likely Role: Duelist
Deadpool was datamined from multiple sources around December 2024 alongside 15 other characters including: Angela, Blade, Captain Marvel, Emma Frost, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mister Fantastic, The Thing, Ultron, and more. Since the Fantastic Four have since been released onto Marvel Rivals, it stands to reason that this leak is legit and we will see Deadpool in the game at some stage.
There are also leaked voice lines from Spider-Man referencing “the loosest cannon” joining the squad, aka Deadpool, solidifying this claim.
Other leaked Marvel Rivals new characters
These are dozens more leaked Marvel new characters found in the game files thanks to XoXLeak, but that’s all we have; just their names, with no specific abilities, roles, or release dates tied to them – yet.
For some of these characters, we can guess at what their roles would be based on their lore in Marvel. For example, Armor will likely be a Vanguard hero, while Quicksilver could be a Strategist.
- Angela
- Armor
- Beast
- Captain Marvel
- Daredevil
- Ghost Rider
- Hit-Monkey
- Hive
- Jubilee
- M.O.D.O.K
- Nightcrawler
- Quicksilver
- Rogue
- Sprite
- Valkyrie
- White Fox
Consider the above Marvel new characters as informed predictions, not facts. Some may be ‘red herrings’ and never make it into the game. We will update this list if/when new Marvel Rivals leaks are revealed, so watch this space.
Conclusion
Marvel Rivals is still in its early days, but the future’s looking bright with all the potential Marvel Rivals upcoming characters we’ve outlined here. Fans are always eager to see Marvel’s new characters join the fast-paced hero shooter, especially with NetEase’s commitment to dropping one new hero per month.
With Ultron confirmed for Season 2.5 and heavy hints pointing to big names like Blade and Professor X, it’s clear that NetEase has major plans to expand the game’s hero lineup and keep the meta fresh. And each new addition brings unique Team-Up abilities, fresh combos, and even more ways to climb to the Celestial rank.
Whether you’re a die-hard Avengers fan or into the X-Men, chances are your favorite hero is on the way.
FAQs
As of May 2025, there are currently 38 heroes in Marvel Rivals. The 39th new addition is set to be Ultron as a new Strategist.
Yes, more new Marvel characters will gradually be added to Marvel Rivals as time goes on. NetEase has promised to release a new hero every month starting with Season 3, so we can expect a steady stream of new Marvel characters for the rest of 2025.
With over 70 years of Marvel comic books to draw inspiration from, NetEase has plenty of choice in the new Marvel characters joining the hero-shooter. So far, Ultron is the only confirmed new addition for Season 2.5. There are also speculations surrounding Professor X and Blade as the Marvel Rivals new characters coming in Season 3.
The latest Marvel Rivals character is Emma Frost, who dropped alongside Season 2: Hellfire Gala on April 11, 2025.
References
- https://marvelrivals.fandom.com/wiki/Ultron (Marvel Rivals fandom)
- https://marvelrivals.gg/blade/ (Marvel Rivals)
- https://marvelrivals.fandom.com/wiki/Professor_X (Marvel Rivals fandom)
- https://marvelrivals.gg/cyclops/ (Marvel Rivals)
- https://marvelrivals.gg/phoenix/ (Marvel Rivals)
- https://thegamepost.com/all-marvel-rivals-leaks-characters-maps-modes/ (The game post)
- https://x.com/RivalsLeaks/status/1894797650068676787 (X)
- https://x.com/X0X_LEAK (X)