Blade and Phoenix are finally coming to Marvel RIvals. 

NetEase Games has officially unveiled Marvel Rivals Season 3: The Abyss Awakens. The new season will launch on 11 July, 2025 with symbiote-themed content, a new battle pass, and previously-leaked new playable heroes Phoenix and Blade. Apart from that, the new season also adds various balance changes and new Team-Ups.

Here’s the reveal trailer for Season 3:

Marvel Rivals Season 3 adds Phoenix and Blade to the game

Marvel Rivals Season 3: The Abyss Awakens’ official trailer confirmed that Phoenix and Blade will star as this season’s new playable heroes. The duo arrive on the symbiote planet of Klyntar to stop a symbiote-infected Hela, before it is revealed that the symbiote god Knull is stirring within the planet’s depths. 

Phoenix (Jean Grey)’s arrival has been expected in-game ever since NetEase began rolling out Phoenix Force-themed skins for its heroes, while Blade has been spotted in various in-game maps before a recent patch had him disappear entirely. Notably, both heroes were leaked to join the roster earlier this week, by Twitch of all things.

Phoenix will headline the first half of Marvel Rivals Season 3, while Blade joins the game in Season 3.5. 

More gameplay changes in Marvel Rivals Season 3

Following the reveal of Marvel Rivals Season 3, NetEase Games released a Dev Vision Vol. 07 video to detail a few of the game's upcoming changes and additions. First of all, Season 3 is set to introduce a brand-new type of competitive mode in the back half of Season 3.5. In the meantime, battle pass owners can look forward to the same amount of content (10 skins), but with more earnable Chrono Tokens and removed Daily Missions next season. 

This is to ensure that the amount of time players spend unlocking rewards next season matches its shortened two-month runtime. Weekly Missions will also be persistent, instead of expiring on a weekly basis. A new type of cosmetics called “accessories” will also be introduced to the game, allowing players to attach small bits of jewellery to their favourite heroes. New Chroma Color variants are also in the works. 

As for quality of life changes, players will soon be able to mix and match various MVP animations without being limited by equipped hero skins. Additionally, team lobby backgrounds will now reflect their equipped hero skins, and match results are getting a UI update. 

Marvel Rivals Season 3 hero balance changes

And now for the part that will affect most competitive players: balance changes. While more detailed patch notes will likely drop within the next week, NetEase specifically mentioned that heroes like Ultron, Star-Lord, Loki, The Punisher, Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, and Emma Frost are being looked at for changes. 

Meanwhile, Scarlet Witch, The Thing, Venom, Mantis, Invisible Woman, and Namor are getting buffed in various ways. For example, The Thing’s kit is expanding with an all-new ability called Battle Blitz. This allows him to leap upwards towards a target and deliver a haymaker, knocking flying heroes out of the sky. That finally allows him to counter heroes like Iron Man and Ultron. 

Additionally, more Team-Ups are coming. Primal Flame will allow Phoenix to gift Wolverine’s Feral Leap with lifesteal and fire damage. Ever-Burning Bond will see best friends Human Torch and Spider-Man team up for a burning web that both deals damage and applies a tracer. Venom, Jeff, and Hela can now team up for Symbiote Shenanigans, while Iron Man, Ultron, and Squirrel Girl can now team up for the Stark Protocol. 

On the other hand, Storming Ignition (Storm and Human Torch) and ESU Alumnus (Squirrel Girl and Spider-Man) are being removed from the game. 

Marvel Rivals Season 3 officially launches on 11 July, 2025.