Honestly, if you’ve been spending any time in the NetEase hero shooter lately, you know the community is basically obsessed with what’s coming next. We just saw the launch of Season 6—"Night at the Museum"—on January 16, 2026, which finally gave us the Merc with a Mouth himself, Deadpool. But even with Wade Wilson cracking jokes in the lobby, everyone is looking past him at the internal game files.
Dataminers have been busy. Really busy.
The latest Marvel Rivals leaked models and character IDs have essentially mapped out the next several months of content. While NetEase likes to play things close to the chest, the "Chrono-Shatter" incident in the lore seems to have mirrors in the real world: the game's code is leaking like a sieve. We aren’t just talking about names in a text file anymore; we’re talking about active ability kits and model references that suggest certain heavy hitters are much closer to release than we thought.
The Big Ones: Who Is Actually in the Files?
Let’s get the "confirmed but not out" stuff out of the way first. We know Elsa Bloodstone is right around the corner. She’s been paired with Deadpool in the promotional teasers and the January 2026 roadmap, likely arriving as a Strategist or Vanguard to balance out Deadpool’s Duelist chaos.
But the real juice is in the X-Men.
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If you’ve seen the Season 5 "Grand Garden" leftover assets or the subtle teases in the newer maps, the X-Men '97 vibes are everywhere. Rogue and Gambit are the ones everyone is waiting for. Their internal IDs (often cited as 1051 and 1052 by dataminers like X0XLEAK) have been updated recently with specific animation hooks. Rogue's gameplay model allegedly includes a "power steal" mechanic that actually changes her UI based on who she touches. That’s a nightmare to code, which is probably why she’s been "coming soon" for what feels like an eternity.
The Leaked Hero Shortlist (January 2026 Update)
- Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers): This one is basically an open secret. References to her "Binary" state and photon blast VFX are all over the current build. Expect her to be a high-mobility Vanguard.
- Professor X: Yeah, Charles in a hoverchair. Leaks suggest he’s a Strategist who provides shields and "mental link" buffs to allies.
- Human Torch (Jack of Hearts variant): While Johnny is already in the game, a specific Jack of Hearts-themed model was leaked recently, suggesting a major cosmetic crossover or a very deep-cut skin.
- Nightcrawler: Kurt Wagner’s "BAMF" teleportation effects were spotted in a dev build. He’s looking like a Duelist that will make Magik mains very jealous.
What’s the Deal with the "Fake" Models?
NetEase isn't stupid. They know we're looking. There’s been a lot of talk in the Discord circles about "honeypot" files. Basically, the devs might be dropping dummy names like "Paste Pot Pete" or "Howard the Duck" into the code just to see which leakers bite.
However, you can usually tell what’s real by the level of detail. A text string is easy to fake. A collision mesh for a 3D model? That’s a lot of work for a prank. The model for Ultron that leaked late last year was way too detailed to be a joke. It showed multiple drone units, which supports the theory that he’ll be a "pet" class hero—possibly a Strategist who heals by sending out mini-sentries.
Then there's the Black Cat tease. If you look at the Times Square-inspired map, there are literal posters for her. Dataminers found a grappling hook mechanic tied to a female character model that isn't Black Widow. It’s almost certainly Felicia Hardy.
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Is Ghost Rider Actually Coming?
This is the one that causes fights on Reddit. We’ve seen "The Hood" mentioned in files, and for a while, people thought he was a Ghost Rider variant. But the newest 2026 leaks suggest Johnny Blaze (or maybe Robbie Reyes) is his own separate Vanguard entry.
People want that Penance Stare ultimate. The leaked interaction lines for Season 6 actually have a character (potentially Punisher or Blade) mentioning a "spirit of vengeance" being "on the way." If that isn't a confirmation, I don't know what is.
Why These Leaks Matter for the Meta
Leaked models don't just tell us who we're playing; they tell us how the game is changing. Right now, the flying meta is pretty dominant. Characters like Iron Man and Thor can stay airborne and just rain hell.
The leaked models for Quicksilver and Cloak & Dagger suggest NetEase is trying to pull the fight back down to the ground. Quicksilver’s kit is reportedly built around "hit and run" tactics that punish players who are out of position, while Cloak & Dagger (the first "two-in-one" hero model leaked) seem to be focused on area denial and "shadow" ports.
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Actionable Insights: How to Prepare
If you're a competitive player or just a skin collector, these leaks should change how you spend your resources.
- Save Your Units: With Rogue and Gambit likely dropping back-to-back in the next two months, you're going to want enough currency for their launch bundles.
- Learn the Counters Now: If Nightcrawler is coming, high-tracking characters like Namor or Peni Parker are going to become essential. Start practicing those "tether" abilities now.
- Watch the "Dev Vision" Vlogs: NetEase has been surprisingly cheeky lately. They often hide "leaked" models in the background of their developer update videos. The last one had a very blurry silhouette of what looked like Black Panther's Shuri variant.
- Ignore the "Thanos" Rumors: While his name is in the files, the current consensus among reputable dataminers is that he’s a boss for a future PvE event, not a playable hero for the 2026 roster. Don't get your hopes up for an Infinity Gauntlet ultimate just yet.
Keep an eye on the patch notes for the 20260116 update (the Season 6 balance patch). Usually, when a big update drops, the devs accidentally leave "ghost files" from the staging environment in the public build. That's usually where we get our best look at the high-fidelity models for the next season.
Whether you're waiting for the X-Men or hoping for more obscure picks like Elsa Bloodstone, the 2026 roadmap for Marvel Rivals is looking incredibly dense. Just remember: until you see the "Hero Selected" screen, everything in the files is subject to change. But man, that Gambit model looks clean.