With all the constant leaks of heroes and villains that will the Marvel Rivals roster later down the line, it is good to finally have some kind of timeline about who will be added and when. So many bizarre and obscure characters have been leaked, such as the likes of Hit-Monkey and Angela, that it is brilliant to see Marvel's First Family ing the already massive hero shooter roster. The Fantastic Four has been officially announced, with a trailer showcasing all four dropping on January 6 at 8 am PST /4 pm UST.

The Fantastic Four is one of the original teams in not just Marvel, but all superhero fiction, being the first team made by the legendary Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They have always been a popular group as far as Marvel is concerned, with Reed Richards, in particular, often at the center of many multiverse ending stories. Their addition to Marvel Rivals is an exciting yet not surprising one and is rather orthodox compared to the likes of Luna Snow, Cloak & Dagger, and especially Jeff the Land Shark.

The Fantastic Four Are The Next To Marvel Rivals

Marvel's First Family Will Likely Help Open Season One

The official Marvel Rivals' X ed some promotional art showcasing the first official look at The Fantastic Four and announcing that there will be a trailer showcasing all . Interestingly, all four will likely be dropped at once at the start of Season 1, given that hero shooters like Overwatch have traditionally added one hero at a time. Marvel's First Family will be the first to be added to Marvel Rivals after its launch, and although NetEase hasn't always gone the comic-accurate route with its characters, The Fantastic Four looks very comic-accurate.

The Fantastic Four made their first appearance in a comic series of the same name, first released in 1961.

The Fantastic Four are shown in front of their famous home, the Baxter Building in New York, while flying in the Fantasticar (that is somehow the actual name), all with matching white and blue uniforms. The general look of the group is modern yet comic-accurate, with both Sue and Johnny Storm being blonde, Reed having the classic gray sideburns, and The Thing being made of orange-hued rocks. This is in contrast to someone like Marvel Rivals' Psylocke, who has her comic design as a skin, but her default design is more ninja-like.

Marvel Rivals Will Help The MCU

The Fantastic Four Could Be The Face Of Marvel Again

Before the MCU skyrocketed the popularity of the Avengers, the most recognizable Marvel characters tended to be Marvel Rivals' Spider-Man, the X-Men, or The Fantastic Four. It seems like the MCU will be defaulting back to this, given that the X-Men and mutants have been hinted at in the 616 Universe, Spider-Man 4 is apparently in the works, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to release later this year. Starting the year with The Fantastic Four in Marvel Rivals seems like the perfect thing to get Marvel's First Family back in the limelight.

The Fantastic Four famously gained their powers due to exposure to cosmic rays during an outer space mission.

It shouldn't be overstated how popular Marvel Rivals has become. The title reached 20 million players in about a fortnight, with memes and leaks seemingly taking over the internet. With the sheer number of players about to use The Fantastic Four, it is the perfect promotion to get people excited about their movie later in the year, especially with inconsistency often ruining the hype of many MCU projects. An eventual MCU tie-in skin will likely help, especially if The Fantastic Four are well-received in the game. With NetEase's track record, they will at least be talked about.

The Fantastic Four Could Be The Face Of Marvel In 2025

The Fantastic Four And Doctor Doom Are Always Linked

Marvel Rivals' Season 0 is titled Doom's Rise and is about two Doctor Dooms from different timelines battling each other, making it appropriate that The Fantastic Four should be added at the start of Marvel Rivals' Season 1. With the MCU turning to Robert Downey Jr. and Doctor Doom to be the big bad of the universe after the mess with Kang, it could mean that The Fantastic Four could be the face of the MCU and the main force that viewers follow. If they end up being meta, they could also be the faces of Marvel Rivals.

A lot is riding on The Fantastic Four as far as Marvel is concerned, but with how well Marvel Rivals has handled many of the heroes and villains thus far, adding the group to the game feels like an easy home run to get fans excited about the characters again. Their success in the MCU depends on how well the movie does, but getting more eyes on the characters, especially with how popular Marvel Rivals has become, is an important first step. There's no denying that their addition to Season 1 will only help the MCU project.

Source: Marvel Rivals/X