The thing about Marvel Rivals is that it doesn't just need heroes; it needs icons that actually feel distinct in a crowded 6v6 hero shooter market. Enter the First Family. Fans have been asking since the first closed alpha when we’d see them. NetEase finally pulled the curtain back, and honestly, the Marvel Rivals Fantastic Four roster is probably the most mechanically ambitious addition to the game yet.
It’s about time.
For a long time, the Fantastic Four were sort of sidelined in Marvel media due to licensing headaches, but in 2026, they are the center of the universe again. In Marvel Rivals, they aren't just skins or secondary characters. They are core to the lore of the Timestream Entanglement. Reed Richards isn't just a smart guy in a lab; he’s a Vanguard who can literally wrap his arms around the entire enemy team.
Mr. Fantastic is Not Just Another Tank
Most hero shooters give you a "tank" who holds a shield. Boring. In Marvel Rivals, Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) redefines the Vanguard role by using elasticity as a spatial control tool. He’s weird. He’s stretchy. He feels like he’s playing a different game.
NetEase designers clearly looked at the source material. Reed can extend his reach to grab enemies from high ground, pulling them into his team’s line of fire. It’s a terrifying CC (crowd control) ability that makes snipers like Hela or Hawkeye sweat. His "Elastic Shield" isn't a physical wall, but a body-based projectile reflection. He literally bounces bullets back at the shooter.
Think about the skill floor here. It’s high. You can’t just stand there. You have to understand the physics of his movement. His "Coil Wrap" ultimate is a game-changer for objective play. He becomes a massive, living cage on the point. If you’re caught inside, you’re basically a sitting duck for a Punisher ultimate or a Thor strike.
It’s refreshing to see a developer lean into the "weirdness" of Reed's powers rather than just making him a generic puncher with long arms. The visual fidelity of his stretching—avoiding that "uncanny valley" noodle look—is a massive technical achievement for the team.
The Invisible Woman and the Meta of Silence
If Reed is the brawn (in a stretchy way), Sue Storm is the tactical nightmare. Every competitive game has that one character everyone hates playing against because they're too good. That’s probably going to be Sue.
In the Marvel Rivals Fantastic Four update, Sue Storm (Invisible Woman) fills a Strategist/Duelist hybrid role. Her invisibility isn't permanent, thank god. It’s a resource-based shroud. But her real value lies in her Force Fields.
She can place micro-shields on allies. These aren't huge barriers; they are temporary health buffs that explode when broken. It punishes aggressive dive comps. If a Black Panther leaps onto your healer, Sue bubbles them, the bubble pops, and Panther is stunned.
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Why Sue Storm is Essential
- Mass Stealth: Her ultimate, "Unseen Wave," cloaks everyone in a small radius. It’s the perfect tool for a "C9" (stealing the objective when the enemy isn't looking).
- Force Cage: She can trap a single enemy in a bubble. Imagine taking the enemy’s only healer out of the fight for 4 seconds. That’s a won team fight.
- Psychological Warfare: Just knowing a Sue Storm is on the map changes how you move. You stop taking shortcuts. You check corners.
The interplay between Sue and Reed also features unique Team-Up abilities. If Reed is nearby, Sue can use him as an anchor for her shields, creating a mobile, fortified front line that moves at the speed of a Vanguard. It’s a "first family" synergy that actually rewards lore-accurate grouping.
Human Torch and the Problem with Flying
Johnny Storm is a Duelist. Obviously. He’s fast, he’s loud, and he’s incredibly fragile. NetEase had a challenge here: how do you make a flying character that doesn't break the map?
They gave him a "Heat Meter." Johnny can't fly forever. He has to manage his temperature. If he stays "Flamed On" for too long without hitting enemies, he overheats and has to land, becoming a vulnerable target with a simple fire-bolt projectile.
His movement is buttery smooth. He feels faster than Iron Man but lacks the long-range precision. Johnny is a "dive" hero. You fly in, drop a "Nova Burst" (a massive AOE fire explosion), and try to get out before the enemy Spider-Man webs you to the floor.
The Human Torch also has a Team-Up with Namor—a nod to their Golden Age rivalry/friendship. When they are on the same team, Johnny’s fire attacks can create "Steam Clouds" when they hit Namor’s water-based zones, obscuring vision for the enemy. It’s these kinds of environmental interactions that make Marvel Rivals feel deeper than its competitors.
The Thing is a Unstoppable Force
Ben Grimm is the anchor. If you want a Vanguard that simply refuses to die, you pick The Thing. His passive, "Rock Solid Skin," grants him natural damage reduction that scales as his health gets lower.
He’s the ultimate counter to high-frequency attackers. Characters like Tracer or Star-Lord struggle against him because their low-damage, high-rate-of-fire bullets barely tickle his armor.
Ben’s "Clobberin' Time" is a transformation ultimate. He loses his range (not that he had much) and gains massive movement speed and leap distance. He becomes a heat-seeking missile made of orange rock. Watching a Thing player leap across the Tokyo 2099 map to smash a flying Iron Man out of the sky is one of the most satisfying sights in the game.
The Baxter Building Map and Environmental Destructibility
The inclusion of the Marvel Rivals Fantastic Four didn't just bring heroes; it brought one of the most complex maps in the game: The Baxter Building.
This isn't your typical three-lane map. It’s vertical. You’re fighting through Reed’s labs, through the Negative Zone portal room, and out onto the rooftops. The destructibility here is dialed up to eleven.
You can literally punch through the floor of the upper labs to drop onto an unsuspecting team below. This favors the Fantastic Four’s kit. Johnny can fly through the vertical shafts, Reed can reach up through holes in the ceiling, and Ben can just... make new doors.
Map Highlights:
- The Negative Zone Portal: A central hazard that periodically pulses, pulling players toward the center. If you’re not careful, you’re gone.
- H.E.R.B.I.E. Stations: Small interactable droids that provide minor healing bursts if you can hold the position.
- Reed’s Lab: Filled with "unstable experiments" that act as explosive barrels, but with varying effects like gravity distortion or freezing.
Navigating the Meta: Are They Overpowered?
Honestly? Maybe.
In the current 2026 meta, mobility is king. The Fantastic Four kit is built entirely around controlling or exploiting movement. A coordinated "F4" stack is almost impossible to break without a specific counter-dive.
The limitation is their reliance on each other. While they are strong individually, their Team-Up bonuses are so significant that players feel forced to pick all of them or none. This can lead to a "stale" hero select screen where four slots are automatically locked in. NetEase is already looking at balancing the "Family Synergy" buffs to ensure that solo-queue players don't feel disadvantaged for picking just one member.
The biggest counter to the Fantastic Four right now is Doctor Doom. Which makes sense. Doom’s ability to nullify shields and grounded movement directly targets the core strengths of Reed and Sue. It’s a classic rivalry played out in high-stakes competitive play.
Practical Steps for New Players
If you’re jumping into Marvel Rivals to play the First Family, don't just pick Johnny Storm and expect to carry. He’s the hardest to master because of the Heat Meter.
Instead, start with The Thing. He’s forgiving. You have a lot of health, your abilities are straightforward, and you provide immediate value to your team just by existing on the front line.
- Practice the "Reed Reach": Go into the training room and learn the maximum distance of Reed’s grab. Pulling a healer out of position is the fastest way to win a match.
- Don't Overstay as Johnny: The moment your Heat Meter hits 80%, start looking for an exit. If you overheat in the middle of the enemy team, you are dead.
- Sue’s Bubble Timing: Don't just spam Sue’s shields. Wait for the enemy to commit to an ability. If you see a Hulk start his leap, that’s when you bubble his target.
The Marvel Rivals Fantastic Four update is a massive win for the game's longevity. It proves that NetEase isn't just churning out clones of existing hero archetypes. They are taking risks with weird, lore-heavy mechanics that reward team coordination over raw aim. Whether you're a fan of the 1961 originals or the modern MCU iterations, these characters feel like the definitive versions of the First Family in the gaming space.
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Focus on learning the verticality of the Baxter Building map first. Knowing the shortcuts through the laboratories will give you a massive advantage over players who are still trying to play the game like a 2D shooter. Mastery of the environment is just as important as mastery of the hero.