From Symbiote Jeff to Phoenix King Namor, here’s where you’ve seen these looks before.
Marvel Rivals is diving deep into the multiverse—and the longbox. With Season 3: The Abyss Awakens launching July 11, NetEase’s hero shooter is introducing not only Blade and Phoenix (Jean Grey), but a full-on cosmetic blowout that draws from decades of Marvel Comics canon… and a few speculative fever dreams.
There are at least 14 new skins rolling out, and while some are faithful recreations of classic arcs, others feel like what happens when the writers at Marvel get bored on a Friday and ask: What if Squirrel Girl went full Venom?
Below, we break down every confirmed Season 3 skin—and where it first emerged from the Marvel-verse.
Symbiote Spider-Man
You know this one. The sleek black suit with the white spider? Straight out of Amazing Spider-Man #252 (1984), where Spidey first tangled with the alien symbiote that would later become Venom. It’s iconic, it’s ominous, and yes, it’s finally here in Marvel Rivals.
Phoenix King Namor
During 2012’s Avengers vs. X-Men, Namor becomes one of the Phoenix Five—a group of heroes possessed by fragments of the Phoenix Force. The result? Oceans rise, tempers flare, and Wakanda gets flooded. This skin isn’t very faithful, but it’s unique (and surely he’ll get some great firey VFX for his ultimate).
Weapon Phoenix (Wolverine)
Yes, Wolverine has been a Phoenix host—twice. In Avengers (2018) #42, Logan briefly bonds with the Phoenix during a battle to determine its next avatar. But the real deep cut? Thor (Vol. 5) #5, where in the far future, he appears as “Old Man Phoenix”—a grizzled, cosmic-powered version of Logan wielding both claws and fire. This is pretty clearly based on the first one, but here’s hoping we get an Old Man Logan skin sometime too.
Phoenix Diamond (Emma Frost)
Another nod to AvX. When Emma was possessed by part of the Phoenix, she became a fiery, telepathic powerhouse wrapped in diamond skin. The original look was more gold armour (and more skimpy), plus her hair wasn’t curled like a 60s housewife— it’s giving Betty Draper, who’s actress coincidentally played Emma Frost too.
Symbiote Jeff the Land Shark
Jeff did go full Venom, just not like this. In Extreme Venomverse #5 (2023), the bite-sized fan favorite bonded with a symbiote and somehow remained adorable while helping heroes survive a Zombiote outbreak. That issue alone makes this skin a canonical delight.
King in White (Adam Warlock)
This one’s less canon, more fanfic. Adam Warlock hasn’t been part of the “King in Black” storyline, but he has been likened to a King in White in his Blood Soul skin. King Baldwin IV was a crusader king and features in Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, and it’s clear that somene on the team is a fan.
Golden Panther (Black Panther)
There’s no one definitive comic this skin pulls from, it could be a White Wolf reference, or it could just be a cool recolour.
Symbiote Rocket Raccoon & Groot
Rocket first bonded with the Venom symbiote in Guardians of the Galaxy (2013) #22, turning his arsenal into living weaponry. He returned as “Venom Rocket” in Venomverse, where his symbiote doubled as a weapons cache.
Groot got the symbiote treatment in the same Guardians run and again in Venomverse, where a venomized Groot from Earth-18197 joined the fight—before being tragically consumed by a Poison.
Queen in Black Hela
Hela’s dramatic new look in the season trailer is confirmed to be coming as a skin too, but it’s not a comic reference. Hela has been venomised but never Knullified. It’s the only knullified skin so far, so hopefully NetEase decides to let Knull run wild this season so we get a handful more Knullified skins too.
Symbiote Squirrel Girl
Maybe not be canon in the strictest sense, but if Symbiote Jeff exists, who’s to say Squirrel Girl couldn’t become a big bad people eater with that monstrous tail? What If?
Phoenix Emerald Flame & Chaos Phoenix (Jean Grey)
Jean has worn many Phoenix outfits—from the gold-and-green OG to the X-Men yellow & blue to the Dark Phoenix’s crimson. Emerald Flame echoes her A.X.E.: Judgment Day Vol 13 cover, while Chaos Phoenix is a new skin that mixes in Scarlet Witch’s chaos powers.
Phoenix Force Magik & Darkchild
With Magik rounding out the Phoenix 5 team, the only two left are Collossus, and Cyclops.
Will of Galacta (Hawkeye)
And of course, Hawkeye’s Will of Galacta skin is just a Twitch tie-in. There’s no comic where Hawkeye eats planets, but hey, maybe there should be.
Extras
And based on the story page leaks, there are more Phoenix Force members on the way. All in all, Marvel Rivals Season 3 feels like a love letter to both Marvel’s biggest crossover events. Some skins are ripped right from the panels, others are clever mashups, and a few—like The Symbiote Squirrel—might be auditioning for their own What If…? episodes.
So: Which corrupted, flamin’ hot version of your favorite character do you want to see next?