NetEase has revealed that the remaining members of the Fantastic Four, the Human Torch and the Thing, along with a mid-season rank reset, will join Marvel Rivals on February 21. These two superheroes will accompany their Fantastic teammates, Reed Richards and Sue Storm, who were introduced during the season’s first half.

As expected, the Thing and the Human Torch will function as a tank and a DPS respectively (referred to as a ‘Vanguard’ and ‘Duelist’ in-game). This aligns perfectly with the game’s design: how else could you translate a “big rock guy” and a “fire blast man” into gameplay?

The mid-season update will also feature a rank reset, moving every player down four divisions. For example, Gold I players will be dropped to Silver II, necessitating a climb back up. If this sounds harsh, future resets may instead implement a drop of six divisions, suggesting a strategy aimed at enhancing player engagement.

Despite potentially contentious rank reset mechanics, Marvel Rivals has consistently remained among Steam’s top three games by concurrent player count, in close competition with Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. Since its launch in December, the game has introduced four new heroes and multiple maps ahead of the February 21 update. NetEase appears to focus more on player experience rather than concentrating heavily on esports viability, which we’ll observe as the game evolves.