Marvel Rivals Goes Full Overwatch: PvE Marvel Zombies–Inspired Mode Drops For First Halloween Event With Five Playable Heroes

Marvel Rivals is doing the classic Halloween thing: break out a PvE horde mode. Yes, just like Overwatch did back in its early spooky days. The twist here is extra meta: it is Marvel Zombies-inspired and made with help from the animated Disney+ show’s creative team. Basically a collab with itself, which is amusing and very on brand.

So what’s actually happening?

NetEase says the game’s first-ever PvE mode lands October 23 as part of Marvel Rivals’ first Halloween event. Expect escalating waves of zombies to mow down and boss fights built around corrupted versions of existing heroes. Think Overwatch 2’s Junkenstein’s Revenge, but swap the robots for undead hordes and Junkrat for zombified Namor and the mysterious Queen of the Dead. I’m not spoiling who the Queen is; if you watched the show, you probably already know.

Who you can play as (and what’s different)

• Thor
• Blade – now whipping out bouncing moon blades
• Magik
• Jeff – yes, the land shark; he can bash into enemies while swimming underground
• The Punisher

The behind-the-scenes-y bit

This mode was built with input from the animated Disney+ Marvel Zombies team, per game producer Danny Koo and Marvel Studios head of streaming Brad Winderbaum. That is a neat, nerdy detail that should make the crossover vibes feel more legit than a basic Halloween reskin.

What we still don’t know

No word yet on how long you can keep squashing zombie brains before the run ends. A full trailer is "coming soon," and there’s already a quick peek floating around. Fingers crossed they go all-in with some rotten, gross-out skins to match.

Related: Daredevil is out here stirring the pot

Over on the promo side, the Marvel Rivals Daredevil actor is encouraging players to lean into their worst behavior. Subtle? Not even a little:

"The devil doesn’t switch off, even when he’s going negative"

Consider that your permission slip to play messy.