Marvel Rivals Dev Officially Confirms Wild New Hero for Season 8

Regardless of your stance on Marvel Rivals—whether you view it as a derivative of Overwatch or simply criticize its overtly provocative character designs—you have to credit NetEase Games for its ambitious commitment to the roster. The developers are bringing a dinosaur from a parallel-universe Earth into the fray. This Tuesday, the studio officially confirmed that the prehistoric powerhouse, Devil Dinosaur, will join the ranks as a new Vanguard hero in Season 8.

Marvel Rivals Season 8, titled Sins of Alchemax, arrives on March 15, bringing Devil Dinosaur into the fold alongside a host of fresh content. Players can look forward to the new “Alchemax Headquarters” Doom Match map, various cosmetic accessories, improvements to PC storage optimization, and more. However, the centerpiece is undoubtedly the new hero, whose mechanics are detailed below.

“As a Vanguard, Devil Dinosaur brings raw, primal power to the roster, always ready to tear the opposition to shreds,” says Marvel Rivals creative director Guanguang. “In combat, he relies on his massive physique and a forcefield shield to brawl on the frontline, using his primal bites to inflict a continuous bleeding effect on targets. When smashing through enemy defenses, he ramps up the aggression. Devil can shred exposed prey and temporarily clamp his massive jaws around bleeding enemies, taking them out of the fight with a controlling hold.”

“Upon activating his Ultimate, Devil Dinosaur transforms into an unstoppable behemoth. He charges forward, mercilessly trampling all enemies in his path, completely shattering enemy backlines to lead your team to victory.”

In the cinematic debut trailer for Marvel Rivals Season 8, X-Men stalwart Cyclops takes center stage while attempting to shield Devil Dinosaur’s partner, Moon Girl, from incoming danger. We are offered only a fleeting glimpse of the dinosaur reacting to the threat against his companion.

The timing of Devil Dinosaur’s introduction is strategically aligned with the premiere of Marvel Television’s Punisher: One Last Kill. Within the game, Devil Dinosaur and The Punisher share a unique synergy. Specifically, Frank Castle can mount his T. rex companion as part of one of the newly confirmed “Team-Up” abilities.

By executing the “Primal Punishment” Team-Up move, The Punisher leaps onto Devil’s back. While mounted, Frank Castle is restricted to his primary attacks—Adjudication and Deliverance—as well as his Scourge Grenade. To compensate for this limitation, he benefits from significant damage reduction and shares any incoming healing with his prehistoric mount.

For tank mains eager to see how this colossal addition will disrupt the meta, NetEase Games has also released a gameplay showcase highlighting the dinosaur’s capabilities in active combat.

Devil Dinosaur was originally conceived by the legendary Jack “The King” Kirby in 1978 for a planned animated series centered on a primitive boy, Moon Boy, and his dinosaur ally from “Dinosaur World,” an alternate version of Earth. Following a brief initial run, the duo made sporadic appearances across the Marvel Comics canon. The character saw a resurgence in 2016 with an ongoing comic series, followed by a two-season animated adaptation that debuted in 2023, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

Marvel Rivals is available on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Source: Polygon