Marvel Rivals’ ‘New Era’ Already Has a Perfect Blueprint in Season 3’s Dual Themes

One of the greatest reassurances about Marvel Rivals is that it’s not afraid to rapidly change to meet shifting expectations and standards. Not every change made will be in favor of every individual player, of course, but NetEase being so perpetually iterative of its own design formulas means that a semblance of balance will be struck nevertheless. Marvel Rivals Season 3 will last for two months, for example, with subsequent seasons likely inheriting that same structure unless a new method of content delivery is deemed better.

It’ll be fascinating to experience a more condensed season in Marvel Rivals with two new playable characters, Blade and Jean Grey’s Phoenix, alongside a brand-new Klyntar map and two warring themes: a Klyntar/Symbiote theme and a Phoenix theme, as represented in many of Season 3’s upcoming character costumes. Thus, if each season from Season 3 onward is stretched across two months, two themes representing original lore and map environments may provide a satisfying blend of aesthetics, regardless of who each season’s new playable characters are.

Marvel Rivals' Season 3 Characters Are Fine, But Miss One Golden Opportunity

Marvel Rivals’ Season 3 Characters Are Fine, But Miss Another Golden Opportunity

Marvel Rival’s upcoming new characters have been a long time coming, but they may not be the best choices to introduce this season.

Two Months May Still Be Quite a Long Time in Marvel Rivals

Every decision made in Marvel Rivals will have pros and cons, but shortening seasons from three months to two months is arguably agreeable due to how long and dry seasons could become. Season 3 arrives in a little over a week now, and even two months for its duration may prove to be lengthy, depending on how dense its BattlePass is, how many Combat Chest-esque events there are, and how many of Marvel Rivals’ Gallery Card serial panels there will be to collect.

However, two months already seems like it’d be an appropriate amount of time for Marvel Rivals to properly digest two unique themes in its cosmetic materials, with Symbiote- and Phoenix-related skins already abundantly teased for Season 3 content. Marvel Rivals’ Season 3 BattlePass, titled “Power of the Phoenix,” boasts three Symbiote-themed costumes on its cover—Rocket Raccoon, Jeff the Land Shark, and Squirrel Girl—while only one Phoenix-themed costume graces it—Emma Frost. Otherwise, like Captain America’s recently revealed Captain Klyntar skin, more costumes from both themes will undoubtedly appear in the store throughout the season.

Marvel Rivals’ Season 3 Phoenix and Symbiote Themes Represent Original Lore

As Marvel Rivals has demonstrated with Season 2 and now Season 3, themes and playable characters will not be mutually exclusive, though at least one new playable character is likely to affect one theme introduced in their respective season. Having a Phoenix theme makes perfect sense due to Jean Grey debuting in Marvel Rivals, for instance, and yet Blade doesn’t necessarily naturally belong to either the Phoenix or Symbiote themes in Season 3.

That’s where Marvel Rivals’ original lore comes into play—Season 3’s themes are arbitrary at face value, but anyone paying attention to the game’s surprisingly rich lore will know why these two themes have been chosen and why they marry well for the purposes of the season’s narrative.

If for no other reason, it’s great that Blade will finally be playable after having been teased for so long. Plus, even though Knull is not a playable character, it’s fantastic to see him and Klyntar playing continuously large roles in Marvel Rivals’ ongoing Timestream Entanglement story.

As such, players paying any mind to Marvel Rivals’ lore, let alone reliable leaks and datamines about the game, may already have an idea of what characters or themes have been teased. Only time will tell if each new season will adopt dual themes in relation to whatever story is being told via Gallery Cards, but Season 3’s framework would be terrific to see more of with any combination of diverse and engaging Marvel themes, particularly as they encompass different characters and settings.