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Are you having fun with the addition of the Fantastic Four family and new maps in Marvel Rivals? Well, the fun is only just starting as we approach Season 2: Hellfire Gala on April 11, 2025. Many players are eagerly awaiting the new Heroes to be introduced in the upcoming season. The season is themed around the Hellfire Gala from Marvel Comics, an annual event where the mutant nation of Krakoa opens its doors to celebrate.
A host of new content, heroes, and other leaks have surfaced. We’ll discuss them all here, along with what to expect.
When is Marvel Rivals Season 2 Coming Out?
Marvel Rivals Season 2: Hellfire Gala - Starts on April 11 UTC!
It’s the most glamorous night of the year, darling - Emma Frost herself invites you to the Hellfire Gala on Krakoa!
Once a year, this sovereign Mutant island opens its gates, welcoming both friend and rival alike to shape a brighter future. Now stranded in the year 2099 by a raging temporal storm, the fate of Krakoa hangs in the balance, its ecosystem suffering from dangerous chronal energy.
Can a night of glittering festivities bring unity over fine dining and dazzling conversation? Who among the attendees possesses ulterior motives or solely seeks to party? And who is the uninvited guest?
Dress your best, step through the gates, and join us for an unforgettable evening of elegance, intrigue, and power.
The Hellfire Gala begins April 11th UTC- don’t be fashionably late!
Marvel Rivals Season 2 will launch on April 11, 2025 at 9 AM UTC along with a new BattlePass, also on the in-game countdown timer.
This date will also mark the end of the Season 1 Battle Pass and Galacta’s Cosmic Adventure, so you should finish collecting any remaining rewards before they become legacy items.
Marvel Rivals Season 2 New Heroes
It's worth noting that Season 1 was described by developers as having "roughly double the content of a regular season.". Season 2 is more modest in scope, with just two new characters total rather than the four that were added in Season 1.
From Season 3, seasons will be 2 months long and new Heroes will drop every month. Check out the roadmap for more information on upcoming seasons.
Emma Frost
With in-game references to the Hellfire Gala storyline from Marvel Comics where Doctor Doom is “attending a certain Gala.”, Emma Frost will be joining the Hero roster starting Season 2 as Vanguard.
You can check everything you need to know about Emma Frost here.
Ultron
Mentioned in leaks since December, Ultron has appeared on official merchandise. According to datamined information, he will be a Strategist class hero who uses drones to support allies. He is confirmed to be added in the second half of Season 2 (Season 2.5).
You can check everything you need to know about Ultron here.
More Upcoming Heroes
This means that although Blade was teased throughout the game (an NPC prisoner in the Empire Of Eternal Night: Central Park map, trailer), he will not yet be introduced in Marvel Rivals, along with other characters rumored for future seasons such as Captain Marvel, Angela, Jean Grey, Deadpool, Daredevil, and a long list of X-Men heroes like Cyclops, Gambit, Rogue, and Nightcrawler.
The latest leaks have revealed that Professor X might be introduced sooner than we thought. You can check Professor X leaks and gameplay prediction here.
Balance Updates
There will be a total of 25 Heroes being buffed, nerfed, and changed in this season. You can check out the details of the patch notes and all balance changes here and our analysis.
Team-Up Abilities
New:
- Mental Projection: Emma Frost, Magneto, Psylocke
- Stars Aligned: Captain America, Winter Soldier
- Arcane Order: Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch
Changed:
- Ammo Overload no longer includes Winter Soldier
- Dimensional Shortcut no longer includes Psylocke
- Chilling Charisma no longer includes Namor
- Gamma Charge now includes Namor, but no longer includes Doctor Strange
Removed:
- Metallic Chaos - Magneto and Scarlet Witch team-up
- Voltaic Union - Thor, Storm, and Captain America team-up
You can check the details of the new Team-up Abilities here.
Maps
New Map added to the Season 2 competitive Map rotation:
Retired Maps from the Season 2 competitive Map rotation:
Arakko (the terraformed Mars) may be added in Season 2.5.
New Skins and Costumes
- New skin re-colors: Starting with Season 2, an initial selection of some of the more popular skins will receive new color options to allow for further customization and player individuality.
- Gifting: Starting on April 11th at the launch of Season 2, Marvel Rivals players will be able to gift costumes and other in-game store items to their friends.
- New free Mantis costume from event Cerebro Database
- 10 new costumes and cosmetics from the BattlePass: Flower of Krakoa
- New Store Bundle for Emma Frost and Star-Lord
- Earn the Scarlet Witch Chaos Gown Costume simply by playing matches
You can check all you need to know about the new skins and costumes here.
Competitive
- Ranked reset: All players will drop 9 competitive divisions when Season 2 starts on April 11th. That means if you're in Diamond 1, you'll find yourself in Silver 1.
- Pick/Ban now starts at Gold 3
- Eternity+ players barred from queuing competitive in teams larger than 2 people; duo and solo queue ONLY
- Points earned/lost now more closely reflect individual performance
- Minimum level raised to 15
Greeting Message
The leaked opening message in the game is as follows, which mentions Hellfire Gala and Emma Frost.
There's no doubt about it—the Krakoan Era is legendary, a treasure trove of countless masterpieces and brilliant creative sparks. We still believe it stands as one of the greatest comic narratives of our time. Its storyline is so captivating that when we reached the endings of House of X and Powers of X—watching Charles and Erik stand side by side on the Carousel at the shore of destiny, gazing skyward as fireworks burst into life—we were moved to our core. It was our love for that breathtaking moment that unified our resolve to introduce Krakoa and its limitless potential into Marvel Rivals.
It was the Dawn of X—and now, the dawn of Season 2 of Marvel Rivals.
After the inaugural Hellfire Gala, the Mutants' meticulously crafted fireworks show once again left us awestruck. Emma Frost's telepathic projections seemed to materialize right before our eyes, as the barren landscape of Mars transformed into a thriving sanctuary housing Krakoa’s sister: Arakko. In that electrifying moment, we decisively welcomed both the Hellfire Gala and Arakko into Marvel Rivals, ushering in a plan for new heroes, epic maps, and an entirely fresh series of costumes.
While we were passionately and tirelessly preparing every detail for the Hellfire Gala more recently, we had scarcely realized that the Krakoan Era had spanned five years. Although we felt deep regret as it ended, that era closed with a perfect finality.
We count ourselves incredibly fortunate to carry on the beloved story of Krakoa in Marvel Rivals—where the stunning visions of true creative geniuses have been transformed into heroes you can truly control and battlegrounds you can explore. At the same time, we felt an immense weight of pressure, knowing we might not single-handedly capture a Krakoan story of "true Krakoan caliber."
We even sensed an echo of that bittersweet comic narrative—the fall of Krakoa at the hands of a mechanical menace—as we planned for the invasion of the fan-favorite Super Villain. We once again breathed in that sorrow. In Season 2, we endeavor to keep the spirit of Krakoa alive in our game and remain determined to continuously optimize Marvel Rivals, delivering ever more content and an even better gaming experience.
Krakoa is the homeland of Mutants, and on the day of the Hellfire Gala, its gates swing wide open to any and all invited guests. We extend our heartfelt invitation to every player—wherever you may be— as today, Krakoa eagerly awaits your arrival.
We hope that everything we've done within Marvel Rivals and across the Chronoverses will keep the flame of Krakoa burning bright. This living, breathing island yearns for new residents, the Hellfire Gala beckons new guests—and we are thrilled to welcome back those long-time friends as well.
Tonight at 11:45 PM, during the scheduled fireworks show at the Hellfire Gala, when the sky ignites with shimmering light and the hall overflows with celebration, we hope that together we can echo those very words that once shook us—and inspired the creation of the Hellfire Gala season. The words that Magneto and his steadfast friend proclaimed at the Dawn of X:
"Just look at what we have made."
Conclusion
As the April 11 launch date approaches, NetEase will likely reveal more official details about Season 2. Until then, you can enjoy the remaining time in Season 1 and prepare for the exciting new content coming to Marvel Rivals.
