How Marvel Rivals can leverage Avengers: Doomsday in 2026

Marvel Rivals, developed by NetEase Games, launched in December 2024 to a huge audience that’s remained steady since, but Avengers: Doomsday could grow it even further. The free-to-play title has seen plenty of updates and new characters, bringing the roster to 45 at the time of writing. But a potential crossover could easily grow that number exponentially.

Set to arrive on December 18, as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the movie is rumoured to follow Dr Doom kidnapping some of the children of Earth’s mightiest heroes in order to create the universe in his own image. Despite one of its trailers being available to watch within Marvel Rivals, we can’t help but think that a Marvel Rivals Avengers event is inevitable soon. Here’s how it could work.

At the time of writing, a trailer for Avengers: Doomsday can be viewed within Marvel Rivals at Times Square. Rumours suggest that plans are afoot to debut several trailers over the next several weeks, leading up to a final one at February’s Super Bowl tournament, which may reveal the antagonist, Dr Doom, in all his glory.

However, with the powerful villain being a central part of Marvel Rivals’ storyline, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a big crossover with the movie in the next few weeks.

First off, it’s no secret that Marvel Rivals has been a success for NetEase Games. Approximately 40 million active players are enjoying the free-to-play title, thanks to its engaging gameplay, regular updates, and diverse characters that provide plenty of variety. 

But with a potential crossover for Avengers: Doomsday, the roster could expand massively by including characters like Ant-Man, Gambit, Beast, Cyclops, and others not currently in Marvel Rivals, complete with their movie appearances. This would be an easy way for the game to leverage the movie, but it shouldn’t stop there.

Maps inspired by confirmed and rumoured locations, like Dr Doom’s home, Latveria, or Professor X’s mansion, complete with its Danger Room, where enemies can be summoned to help players get to grips with the game’s 45 characters, would be great picks to honour a potential crossover.

But there’s also the factor of Avengers: Secret Wars, the next movie that follows Doomsday in 2027. Rumours allege that the heroes that are seemingly left by Dr Doom will be tasked to save the universe by being placed somewhere called ‘Battleworld’ by a character called The Beyonder. The crossover could spill into this, too, as a way to hint towards what’s coming next.

If a potential crossover occurs where new characters, levels, and hints toward Avengers: Doomsday are scattered until its December premiere, the impact on Marvel Rivals could be huge. At the time of writing, it’s the only free-to-play live-service game based on Marvel’s comic-book characters. With constant updates bringing new characters and refinements to existing ones, there could be a big spike in new players joining the title throughout 2026.

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are very curious to see how Dr Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr, will be portrayed. But it would be a great move if we heard the actor speak some lines within Marvel Rivals throughout the year. This alone could keep new and existing players engaged, thereby maintaining the significant increase in players across 2026.

There’s already huge anticipation for Avengers: Doomsday. It’s fair to say that the MCU has faltered in recent years, with flops like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Ironheart doing nothing to reach the highs of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. But with the first two trailers racking up over 16 million views each, it’s safe to say that Marvel Rivals has a huge opportunity to leverage the hype for the movie right away.

It’s fair to say that Avengers: Doomsday is one of the most anticipated movies of 2026. Not only are many heroes returning, but others, such as the X-Men, allegedly in comic-accurate costumes, are also appearing in the movie. It’s certainly going to tap into childhood nostalgia from the cartoons and other movies that many people grew up with, which is where Marvel Rivals can also benefit.

With over 16 million views for the first two trailers teasing what Avengers: Doomsday will entail, we’d be surprised if NetEase didn’t have plans in place for a crossover. With Dr Doom set to uproot multiple universes, rumoured to combine them into one as we head into 2027’s Secret Wars movie, there’s plenty of potential for the game’s playerbase to explode.

Nevertheless, we’ll be keeping tabs on what NetEase and Marvel may have planned for Marvel Rivals. We’re sure it’s going to be a big year for both companies, regardless.