Marvel Rivals Gets a Musou-Style Marvel Zombies PvE — Thor, Blade, Magik & More Battle Endless Hordes Oct. 23

Marvel Rivals is getting its first PvE mode, and it’s riding the undead wave from the recent Marvel Zombies animated miniseries. The new mode drops just in time for spooky season and brings five playable heroes, sweeping crowd‑control combat, and two series-specific bosses.

1. Marvel Zombies mode overview
2. Heroes and their new abilities
3. Gameplay feel and bosses
4. Release date and platforms
5. Remaining unknowns

Marvel Zombies mode overview

Marvel Rivals has teamed up with Marvel Animation to add a new PvE mode called Marvel Zombies. This is the game’s first PvE mode, and it follows the animated miniseries that recently concluded on Disney Plus. Moreover, developer comments describe players facing large numbers of undead enemies rather than typical player-versus-player matches.

Heroes and their new abilities

There are five heroes confirmed for the mode: Thor, Blade, Magik, Jeff, and the Punisher. Each gets a special ability tailored for fighting hordes.

Notable ability details

For example, Jeff can charge through hordes. Blade uses bouncing Moon Blades. Magik can remain in Darkchild form indefinitely, and similarly, Thor can stay in his Awakened state for that mode. These changes are aimed at improving crowd control and sustained combat against many enemies at once.

Gameplay feel and bosses

The trailer shows heroes using wide, sweeping attacks against waves of enemies, which gives the mode an almost musou quality compared to standard Marvel Rivals matches. As Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo put it, players will face “endless waves of zombies.”

In addition to regular waves, the mode includes two bosses taken from the Marvel Zombies miniseries: zombie Namor and the Queen of the Dead, aka zombie Wanda Maximoff. Koo also warns that both are “tough” adversaries to beat.

Release date and platforms

The Marvel Zombies mode arrives on Oct. 23. It will be available on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. Meanwhile, Season 5 of Marvel Rivals — the competitive hero shooter — is slated to begin on Nov. 14.

Remaining unknowns

Some details remain unspecified. For instance, it’s not yet clear how the mode will tie into in‑game rewards or future events. Similarly, information about round length and the exact triggers for boss encounters has not been released. Players will find out more once the mode launches on Oct. 23.