Marvel Rivals Gallery Card Seemingly Teases Hellfire Gala Theme and Characters for Season 2

Keen-eyed Marvel Rivals players have spotted an in-game reference that seems to suggest that Season 2’s theme and characters will revolve around the classic Marvel comics storyline, the Hellfire Gala.

Information on what NetEase Games could be planning for its next seasonal content drop was first spotted and shared by Reddit user DynamiteDynamo10. Their post includes a screenshot of the “Plans Within Plans” Gallery Card included in the in-game event page in Season 1, containing dialog and story details tied to the current season. It’s a lengthy entry in what is already a game brimming with lore, but what’s interesting is how it ends.

“Now, if you will excuse me, Doom has a gala to attend,” the post concludes.

It’s not exactly an all-out reveal that Season 2 will follow a story set around Marvel’s well-known gala event, but it is at least a suspicious mention that you’ll need to dig to find. Meanwhile, other players are using Doctor Doom’s gala reference as fuel to the fire that are the rumors that X-Men regular Emma Frost will soon join Marvel Rivals.

Seemingly leaked Emma Frost voice lines were shared online by X0XLeak this past weekend, kicking off speculation that the diamond-skinned character could be added sooner rather than later. She also happens to play a part in the original Hellfire Gala storyline along with a laundry list of other Marvel icons. Voice lines like this are suspicious on their own, so coupled with the reference to the gala, these details have some players already plotting out how Emma Frost could break apart the current Marvel Rivals meta.

While the development makes sense for many, others are saying the reference isn’t enough to confirm which Marvel names will join the Marvel Rivals roster in Season 2. If the next content drop, which is expected to arrive mid-April, is truly set to add content themed around the Hellfire Gala, then the Gallery Card is the first time NetEase has said anything official on the matter. So, even if we assume Season 2 centers around the Hellfire Gala, the story could include Emma Frost or go a different path completely.

Meanwhile, so many other players have spent the entirety of Marvel Rivals Season 1’s vampire-themed romp expecting to see Blade join as the next playable character following multiple in-game appearances. Some have suggested that this could mean we see the Daywalker join for one half of the season while Emma joins in another, while others theorize that Emma may not join until Season 3. At the least, NetEase has said it plans to deliver at least one new character every half-season, so Season 2 is sure to surprise players one way or another.

All of these details are based purely on speculation; we won’t know what NetEase has planned for at least another few weeks. Until the team has more to share about the future of Marvel Rivals, you can check out how it chose to include a reference to an infamous Moon Knight meme as part of its mid-season update. You can also read up on some of the other rumored heroes and why NetEase had to tell fans that it isn’t actually planting leaks.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).