Avengers Doomsday’s Teasers Are Proof That The Best Marvel Rivals Hero is Still Missing — And It’s Obvious When They’ll Be Coming

As Marvel Rivals continues to thrive and represent the brand in the gaming scene, Disney is gearing up to release Avengers: Doomsday at the end of the year. Following a few rocky years of oversaturation and projects varying in quality, the MCU has slowly been rebuilding momentum, with Doomsday being a test to see if Marvel’s efforts to right the ship have paid off. To build hype for the film, different Avengers: Doomsday teasers have been attached to the front of James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, with each preview focusing on a different hero or group. The first confirmed the return of Captain America, the second saw Thor praying to his father Odin, and the most recent footage featured Namor, the Wakandans, and The Thing. However, it’s the third teaser that resulted in the most hype, as it featured FOX’s X-Men and ended with an incredible shot of Cyclops.

It says a lot that Cyclops letting loose with his optic blasts as a Sentinel marches behind him has caused more uproar than seeing Steve Rogers with a child, but it shows just how desperate fans are to see the true leader of the X-Men done right. After FOX fumbled Cyclops multiple times, making him a punching bag for Wolverine and a character unworthy of respect, it seems like the MCU is finally doing him justice. In the teaser, the leather suit is gone, replaced with his iconic blue and yellow attire, and the teaser ending with a shot of Scott Summers suggests he’ll finally have a big role and be more than just Jean Grey’s love interest. With such a promising showing for Cyclops, his fans will surely be wanting to play as him Marvel Rivals, and it’s easy to predict when that will happen.

Cyclops Feels Like a Lock For Marvel Rivals in 2026….

image via netease

Cyclops feels like a shoo-in for Marvel Rivals for a very obvious reason: he was in attendance for the wedding of Gambit and Rogue. To celebrate the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 5, NetEase released a trailer for the new content, showing the reception for the bride and groom. Cyclops was briefly shown (wearing a suit and tie instead of his hero getup, so it remains to be seen how NetEase will modify his costume), confirming that he’s an active member of the X-Men in the Marvel Rivals universe. This was a great sign for “Cyclops Was Right” believers everywhere, as it’s as close as one can get to a promise from NetEase that he will eventually be playable.

Image via Marvel Studios

As for what role Cyclops could be, he’d fit anywhere, but Duelist arguably makes the least sense for him given his background. As a Strategist, he could provide buffs for his team, inspiring them through commands and creating an area-of-effect boost for them like Rally, the Ultimate ability of Overwatch 2’s Brigitte. As a Vanguard, he could be at the frontlines, acknowledging his leadership qualities and letting him take a beating for his team. When it comes to his attacks, acknowledging Scott’s skill as a melee fighter would be nice, as he’s more than just his laser blasts from another dimension. Those blasts ARE pretty cool, though, so using different firing patterns and beam sizes would be a good way to utilize them to theirfull effect. While there’s plenty of potential for Cyclops’ kit, and he’ll seemingly be releasing sooner rather than later, his fans will likely have to wait a little longer.

…But Expect the X-Men Leader Closer to the End of the Year

With Marvel Rivals’ Season 6 characters confirmed, as Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone set to come to the hero shooter, the earliest Cyclops could come to Marvel Rivals is Season 7. However, Blade is proof that NetEase likes to play the long game with any characters it teases but doesn’t add immediately, so fans of the Mutant Leader may not see him join the roster for several months still. Like Blade, he could start to be teased in upcoming maps and gallery cards without actually being added until further down the road. For those seeking a more concrete estimate, though, late 2026 appears to be a likely release window for Scott Summers, given the movie that is making him even more desirable.

Image via NetEase

With Avengers: Doomsday releasing on December 18, 2026, whichever Marvel Rivals Season ends up aligning with the film’s debut can be expected to fully capitalize on its hype. Many are expecting Doctor Doom to go from looming background threat to playable character around that time, but with Marvel Rivals adding two characters per Season now, why not make Cyclops the other addition? The film will seemingly raise his stock significantly, so letting players take control of not just the MCU’s big bad, but what will seemingly be the coolest member of the redeemed FOX X-Men team, would be a winning play.

While it’s just a prediction, as there’s certainly a chance Cyclops comes sooner than that (perhaps being timed with the full Doomsday trailer release instead), leaning into the Avengers hype with a well-timed addition makes perfect sense for Marvel Rivals. Being able to leave the theater blown away by Cyclops and Doctor Doom, then return home to play them in Marvel Rivals, could be a boon for the hero shooter’s player count and skin sales.

Released

December 6, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen // Violence

Developer(s)

NetEase Games

Publisher(s)

NetEase Games