Marvel Rivals’ New Blade Detail Feels Like a Glimmer of Hope

It is now clear that NetEase hasn’t forgotten about Blade in Marvel Rivals, as the character has received an update. The Daywalker hasn’t been added to the roster yet, but his in-game lore has progressed further. Since the Marvel Rivals Season 2 update launched on April 11, players can find Blade resting in the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda map. He’s present in a chamber to the side of Team B’s spawn, if they want to look for him. That alone is proof that his story hasn’t ended.

Adding this Blade detail has more implications than what seems apparent at first glance. For starters, him resting right now means, logically, at least, that he may still become playable in time, since he’s on NetEase’s mind. Numerous Marvel Rivals leaks nudged the community into believing he could be added to the roster in Season 2 — him getting freed in Season 1.5 certainly helped that — but it’s now known that the earliest he could be seen is Season 3.

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Why Marvel Rivals’ Blade Release Date May Be On The Horizon

As fans may remember, Dracula captured and imprisoned Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 1’s Central Park map. In the end, the former was defeated and the Daywalker freed. Given this point, and the leaks that have been swirling around for months, it was widely believed that Blade would become playable next. Instead, the spot has gone to Emma Frost, and Ultron will take his place come Season 2.5.

Although Blade missed his debut in Marvel Rivals Season 2, his presence in the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda map shows that NetEase hasn’t forgotten about him and is likely getting him ready for a second round. Moreover, given that Emma Frost has joined as a Vanguard and Marvel Rivals’ leaks claim Ultron will be a Strategist, it isn’t far-fetched to believe the next addition may be a Duelist, and there aren’t many who can be better in that role than the Daywalker.

Starting with Season 3, all seasons will be two-months long, and will add two characters at the start and midpoint. Given that fans may see six new Marvel Rivals’ heroes in 2025 post-Ultron, it’s highly unlikely that Blade won’t be among them.

Marvel Rivals’ Secret Map Change Shows There’s Always More To The Story

Blade’s appearance in Marvel Rivals Season 1 wasn’t the same as this time around. Now, he’s in a place that players might never think to check: a chamber to the side of Team B’s spawn on the Wakanda map. This detail implies that some lore progressions may not be advertised as heavily as others are, and fans may need to really pay attention to everything going on if they want to discover things themselves.

Aside from that, the Marvel Rivals Season 2 map change shows that one map isn’t set in stone just because it’s old or its storyline has technically played out. It’s natural for live-service games to streamline and balance their maps over time, but adding a detail as potentially significant to lore as this isn’t particularly common. Given NetEase’s dedication and overarching thought of adding him to Wakanda, it seems like the lore will only deepen with time.

Why Blade’s Impact In Marvel Rivals’ Roster May Be Bigger Than Fans Realize

There may be a world of difference between Marvel Rivals’ Blade and the comics and MCU’s versions, but the character will be among friends (allies, at the very least) in the game. For starters, he has teamed up with multiple heroes over the years:

Blade teamed up with Doctor Strange, King, and Wong to take on Dracula in Doctor Strange (1974) #62.
He fought alongside the Friendly Neighborhood Superhero in Peter Parker: Spider-Man (1999) #7, where he was bitten by Morbius and became the Daywalker.
Blade fought Dracula’s son Xarus alongside the X-Men in X-Men (2010) #1 and beyond.
He became a part of the Ultimate Avengers to take on vampires in Ultimate Comics: Avengers 3 (2010), and later stayed on to join Nick Fury’s Black Ops team.

These are but a few of his most popular team-ups, easily showing that NetEase has a lot of room to play around with when it comes to Blade’s inclusion in the overall plot and his interactions with other characters.

On the gameplay side, Marvel Rivals’ Blade leaks have claimed that the character will be able to see through walls like The Punisher, which may be a passive ability. His artwork clearly shows that he wields a sword, and it has been claimed that he has a shotgun as well. Leaks have also claimed that the Daywalker will be able to completely transform into his vampire form (likely the Ultimate ability), where his slash attack will change. As Emma Frost’s recent addition has shown, strong melee characters often take the cake in combat.

This leak is naturally unofficial information that is subject to change. However, given the way that many previous leaks have come true, Blade’s kit and character lore in Marvel Rivals will likely make a big splash if/when he does officially join the roster.