Marvel Rivals Season 3, “The Abyss Awakens,” lands on July 11 across all platforms. Two major fan favorites finally join the roster: Blade and Jean Grey (Phoenix).
And the theme? A full-blown war between Symbiotes and the Phoenix Force. It’s dark vs light, chaos vs control and it’s about to get wild.
New Villains, Skins, and Lore
Season 3 introduces two major villains: Hela, the Queen in Black, and Knull, god of symbiotes. The story setup? “The dark symbiote god promises power… and it’s calling. The Phoenix arrives to burn Klyntar to ash. When those forces collide, nothing stays untouched.”
Expect new cosmetics tied to this chaos. Hela gets a Queen in Black skin, while Blade, Wolverine, Magik, and Jeff the Land Shark are getting fresh Phoenix Force and Symbiote-themed skins.
Blade and Phoenix Join the Fight
Blade’s been teased since Season 1.5, and all signs point to him dropping mid-season in 3.5. Jean Grey (Phoenix) is first up, leaked a while ago, and now confirmed in the trailer. Her kit looks like a mix of telepathy and full Phoenix Force meltdown. Think control, AoE, and some serious burst potential.
Phoenix will headline the first half of the season. Blade’s likely to bring vampiric burst and close-range brawling when he joins later.
Huge Gameplay Shifts Incoming
This update’s not just about skins and lore. Blade and Phoenix are both meta-shifting characters, especially Phoenix. Old-school Marvel vs. Capcom fans remember — she turned the meta on its head. If that same energy carries over here, teams will have to rebuild from scratch.
That’s especially true with the first World Championship coming up in China, right after Sentinels dominated NA’s Season 2. Teams need to adapt fast.
What Else is Coming in Season 3?
According to Dev Vision Vol. 07:
- New competitive mode launches in Season 3.5
- Battle Pass changes: more Chrono Tokens, persistent Weekly Missions
- Accessories and Chroma Color variants coming soon
- Balance changes: Ultron’s on the dev radar; buffs for Scarlet Witch, The Thing, Venom, and others
- The Thing gets a new ability: Battle Blitz
And yes, more Team-Up Abilities:
- Primal Flame (Phoenix/Wolverine)
- Symbiote Shenanigans (Venom/Jeff/Hela)
Some older Team-Ups will be rotated out. No word yet on which.
Season 3 is shaping up to be Marvel Rivals’ biggest shift yet with new heroes, new villains, new balance. Blade and Phoenix alone are enough to shake things up.