Marvel Rivals dropped a bombshell announcement with the reveal of Human Torch and The Thing's explosive new team-up ability. The "First Steps" move launches July 24 and has already split the community between excitement and serious balance concerns.
The ability lets Human Torch launch The Thing through the air like a flaming projectile. Players can lift, slam, and disable enemies with what might be the loudest, most chaotic combo the game has seen. The move comes with voice lines like "Buckle up, hot shot. Time to take flight… and land with impact," showing NetEase isn't taking itself too seriously with this one.
Support Mains Are Panicking
The announcement hit different player groups in completely different ways. Support players are freaking out about how they're supposed to keep their teammates alive when Thing mains can suddenly rocket into enemy backlines. The traditional pocket healing strategy goes out the window when your tank becomes an airborne missile.
Thing players, on the other hand, are celebrating what they're calling a fantastic start to the season. The character gets unprecedented mobility options that could completely change how frontline engagements work.
Most players are caught between wanting to see the spectacle and worrying about what happens when they're low on health and spot a flying rock monster heading their way. The fear factor alone might shake up positioning strategies across the board.
NetEase Faces Balancing Criticism
The developer's approach to implementing First Steps has drawn fire from multiple angles. Some players think the ability looks overpowered, while others are questioning why NetEase held back from making it a guaranteed kill. Community feedback suggests this reflects ongoing tension between making abilities feel impactful and keeping competitive play stable.
The bigger concern revolves around update frequency. Players are drawing comparisons to Overwatch's constant changes and warning that too many meta shifts could hurt the game's long-term health. The worry is that Marvel Rivals might be moving too fast with major gameplay changes.
Direct Movie Tie-In Opens New Possibilities
First Steps directly recreates a scene from the upcoming Fantastic Four film, releasing July 24, 2025. Human Torch lifting The Thing as an aerial battering ram isn't just inspired by the movie - it's a shot-for-shot recreation of actual film footage.
This represents a new level of MCU integration for Marvel Rivals. The game has done thematic tie-ins before, like Guardian Revival where Adam Warlock anchors a team-up with Star-Lord and Mantis, giving them cocooned revival powers. But First Steps takes it further by copying specific movie moments frame by frame.
The success of this movie-to-game translation could mean more direct film references in future updates. With the MCU's packed release schedule, NetEase has plenty of source material to work with.
Community Demands More Features
The First Steps announcement triggered a wave of feature requests from the community. Players want the Spider-Man and Venom team-up brought back, showing interest in expanding beyond Fantastic Four content. Platform requests include Nintendo Switch 2 support and cross-progression functionality for account continuity across systems.
These demands highlight how major announcements become rallying points for broader community wishlist discussions. Players use high-visibility moments to push for features they've been wanting.
Meta Implications Could Be Massive
First Steps threatens to disrupt established positioning strategies in competitive play. Support players need to rethink pocket healing when their targets can launch across the map without warning. Backline safety becomes questionable when tanks gain instant aerial mobility.
For Thing mains, the ability represents a complete tactical overhaul. Traditional ground-based tanking expands into aerial assault options. The character gains strategic flexibility that didn't exist before.
Healing rotations face the biggest challenge. Support players must account for unpredictable teammate movement and extended engagement ranges. Standard positioning guides might need complete rewrites.
What's Coming Next
Season 3.5 arrives August 8 with Blade joining the roster. Reports suggest he'll be part of a Lunar Force team-up with Cloak & Dagger, potentially gaining temporary invisibility. While Blade's abilities might not reference movie content directly, his addition continues Marvel Rivals' aggressive roster expansion.
Additional cosmetic content drops August 1 with Phoenix-inspired skins for Magik and Black Panther. The steady content pipeline suggests NetEase plans to maintain momentum beyond the Fantastic Four spotlight.
The development team's response to First Steps feedback will likely determine how aggressively they pursue movie tie-ins going forward. Community reaction suggests players want spectacle but not at the expense of competitive balance.
Marvel Rivals has committed to its most ambitious cross-media experiment yet. Whether First Steps enhances the game or breaks it depends entirely on how the community adapts and whether NetEase can balance spectacle with playability. July 24 can't come soon enough for players eager to see flying rocks in action.
