Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 launched on February 21, 2025, adding The Thing and Human Torch to the roster. The Thing’s first gameplay look had been reported on February 18. NetEase identified The Thing as a Vanguard built around close-range attacks and disruption, while Human Torch joined as a flame-wielding Duelist who can fly.
When did The Thing and Human Torch arrive in Marvel Rivals?
Season 1.5 began on February 21, 2025, as the second half of Marvel Rivals’ Season 1: Eternal Night Falls. The official version 20250221 patch notes, published February 20, said Season 1.0 would conclude at 08:00 UTC+0 on February 21, when Season 1.5 began. The game had previously announced on February 19 that both heroes would join on that date.
When Marvel Games and NetEase announced the season on January 6, they said Invisible Woman and Mister Fantastic would arrive in its first half, followed by Human Torch and The Thing in the second. The season was planned as two halves, rather than four simultaneous Fantastic Four additions.
When was The Thing’s first gameplay revealed?
GameSpot reported on February 18, 2025, that NetEase had shown the first gameplay look at The Thing. That is the contemporaneous reporting date for the reveal; it is distinct from the February 21 date when the character became playable.
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What does The Thing do in Marvel Rivals?
NetEase’s official Thing profile identifies him as a Vanguard. His listed kit focuses on brawling at close range, getting into fights, and disrupting opponents’ movement.
Punches and knockback
- Rocky Jab is a rapid forward punch.
- Stone Haymaker is a heavier blow that can knock flying enemies down.
- Clobberin’ Time launches enemies in front of him.
Charge and resistance to displacement
- Yancy Street Charge sends The Thing forward, launching enemies and leaving a zone that prevents mobility abilities.
- Unyielding Will, his passive, grants immunity to displacement effects.
The profile captured for the announcement-era materials listed 725 health and 6 m/s movement speed. Those figures are version-sensitive and should not be treated as current stats: balance updates may have changed them.
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Team-up interactions
The profile also lists two team interactions. Cosmic Fastball lets The Thing throw Wolverine. With Flying Thing, Human Torch lifts The Thing and slams him down, damaging and launching enemies while creating a zone that disables mobility abilities. These are documented mechanics, not evidence that either hero or the team-up is universally strong; their balance can change with updates.
How does Human Torch’s role differ?
Marvel Games’ Season 1 announcement and the later hero announcement describe Human Torch as a Duelist, with flame attacks and flight. The official materials cited for his arrival do not provide a full ability-by-ability kit, so specific cooldowns or other mechanics cannot be confirmed from them. In broad role terms, The Thing is the frontline Vanguard whose listed abilities emphasize punches and disruption; Human Torch is the damage-oriented Duelist whose announced style centers on fire and flight.
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What else was included in Season 1.5?
The update was more than a two-character drop. The February 20 patch notes listed the Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park Convergence map, costumes for The Thing and Human Torch, the Midnight Features II event, Twitch Drops, competitive-season rewards and rank handling, plus general and platform-specific adjustments.
The patch notes also specified support for NVIDIA DLSS 4 on GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs and AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 on RX 5000 Series or newer GPUs. Those are PC features with the stated hardware scope, not general changes for every platform.
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Central Park had been assigned to Season 1’s second half in the January announcement. The broader season plan also included three maps and the Doom Match mode; those were season-level plans and should not be confused with features all newly released in Season 1.5.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Sources and timing
The release timing and update contents are documented in the official patch notes; the roles and season plan appeared in the January season announcement and the February hero announcement. The Thing’s move list and team-ups are on his official profile. These are historical release materials: current availability, platform support, ability details and balance may differ from what was documented at launch.
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