Human Torch and The Thing Ignite Marvel Rivals in Major Update

Marvel Rivals’ latest patch, launching February 21, 2025, completes the Fantastic Four roster with Johnny Storm (Human Torch) and Ben Grimm (The Thing), while introducing a new map, balance tweaks, and technical optimizations.

New Heroes and Cosmetics

Human Torch and The Thing join the fight with abilities true to their comic roots. Johnny Storm specializes in aerial mobility, using flame dashes and area-denial fire trails, while his “Nova Burst” ultimate scorches enemies in a wide radius. The Thing thrives as a brawling tank, leveraging seismic slams and rock throws, with his “Clobberin’ Time” ultimate boosting armor and melee damage. Both heroes debut with “First Family” costumes, alongside additional variants: The Thing’s trench-coat look and Human Torch’s “Negative Zone Gladiator” armor.

New Map and Gameplay Adjustments

The update adds Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park, a Convergence map pitting heroes against Dracula’s forces. Key gameplay tweaks include:

• Overtime Grace Period: Extended by 0.5 seconds to prevent abrupt match endings.
• Quick Match Substitutes: Disabled near match conclusion to streamline sessions.
• Ranked Season 1.5: Splits the current season, retaining player ranks from S1.0. New rewards include Invisible Woman’s “Blood Shield” and Human Torch’s “Blood Blaze” costumes. Top-tier players (Diamond III+) gain a “Hide Own Name” feature to mask identities temporarily.

Technical and Balance Fixes

PC Enhancements:

• NVIDIA DLSS 4 (RTX 50 Series) and AMD Anti-Lag 2 (RX 5000+) support for reduced latency.
• Smoother AMD FSR3 frame generation.

Console Tweaks:

• Xbox Series S sees optimized “Model Detail” settings for stability.
• Refined aim assist mechanics for intuitive crosshair control.

Hero Fixes:

• Spider-Man: Wall-crawling abilities no longer glitch during falls.
• Hulk: Seamless detection during Banner transformations.
• Doctor Strange: Portals no longer break during Midtown map rewinds; ultimate visuals and control effects fixed.
• Mister Fantastic: Elastic attacks now align with reticles, and bounce range previews ignore Cloak’s Phased state.
• Venom/Moon Knight: Ultimates reliably deal damage.
• Loki: Illusionary ultimates vanish upon defeat.

Quality-of-Life Upgrades

• Career System: Stats now separate S1.0 and S1.5 data.
• AFK Detection: Pauses during respawn waits.
• Account Deletion: Added to settings for player discretion.
• Reticle Customization: Auto-saves to cloud storage.

Events and Rewards

The Midnight Features II event kicks off alongside Twitch Drops, offering sprays, emotes, and a mystery mid-season costume. Battle Pass purchasers can convert excess Chrono Tokens to Units.

Marvel Rivals is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The update goes live February 21 at 8:00 AM UTC with no downtime. Flame on, clobber freely, and watch out for Dracula’s hordes.