Stream of the Day
New powers collide in ‘Marvel Rivals’ S2
Emma Frost and Ultron become playable characters in an update of the wildly popular game, themed around the Hellfire Gala, writes JASON BANNIER.
Hot on the heels of a triumphant first season, the team-based hero shooter Marvel Rivals is adding new heroes, team-ups, a map, gameplay updates, and a new battle pass with the launch of its new season.
When Season 1 commenced, the game achieved a peak of 644,269 concurrent players on Steam, making it the 14th highest game of all time by this metric. As of February 2025, according to NetEase, Marvel Rivals had attracted more than 40-million players.
The second season, titled Hellfire Gala, releases today (11 April 2025).
The story picks up after the events of season one, following the conclusion of the Eternal Night saga and Dracula’s defeat. Emma Frost, a new playable character, hosts a lavish celebration on the living island of Krakoa, inviting heroes to attend the annual Hellfire Gala in their finest attire.
“But as we all know, heroes never truly get a peaceful vacation,” says creative director of Marvel Rivals Guangguang. “The uninvited Ultron has crashed the party, and the attending heroes must spring into action to protect Krakoa’s greatest treasure from his grasp.”
Emma falls into the vanguard class. She can fire a psionic beam that deals increasing damage the longer it stays connected to a target. Using her Psychic Spear, she creates a sentience linked to an enemy – damaging this sentience causes the enemy to take mirrored damage, with an added burst when it’s destroyed. She can also summon a levitating barrier to protect allies.
Emma can shift into a diamond form. This changes her basic attack to become melee-based. In this form, she can perform a powerful slam or lunge forward to grab and damage enemies.
Her ultimate ability unleashes a psychic assault that stuns and damages opponents. If maintained, the ability gradually takes control of their movement, pulling enemies toward her.
Ultron, set to arrive later in the season, is expected to fall into the strategist class. The supervillain’s abilities have not been confirmed.
New team-ups
Certain character combinations unlock team-up abilities, and season two features several changes to these mechanics, including new pairings. Emma Frost teams up with Psylocke and Magneto to grant them an illusionary projection ability. Emma, in return, gains a 100-point increase to her health.
New pairings have been added for Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch, as well as for Captain America and Winter Soldier. Several existing team-up abilities have been rebalanced, with some adjusted and others removed entirely.
“As season 1.5 comes to a close, our analysis – backed by community feedback, epic battles from top-tier players, and hard data – reveals that our roster and lineup choices have remained dynamic and diverse,” says Guangguang.
View the full list of balance changes here.
New location and missions
A new map, Hellfire Gala: Krakoa, is included at launch, offering a vibrant setting filled with lush flora and dazzling fireworks.
Other features are updated daily and weekly missions, along with a new battle pass offering a range of character cosmetics and additional rewards. Developers have confirmed changes to the ranked format, including a new level requirement to unlock competitive mode.
Where to play?
Marvel Rivals, developed and published by NetEase Games, is free-to-play on PC and console.
* Visit the ‘Marvel Rivals’ website here.
* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and writer for Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @jas2bann.
