The arrival of Phoenix (also known as Jean Grey) in Marvel Rivals not only sees a powerful new DPS burn the meta to the ground, but also kicks off the faster pace going forward. From now on, we'll see a new character every single month, and there's no better way to start than with Phoenix, one of the most anticipated characters since she was leaked a while back.
Phoenix is the 40th Marvel Rivals character, an incredible feat considering the game isn't even a year old yet—and hopefully one that doesn't backfire and become a balancing nightmare. I dread picturing how gargantuan our Marvel Rivals tier list will be by this time next year.
Marvel Rivals Phoenix release date
As the first hero coming in Marvel Rivals Season 3: The Abyss Awakens, Phoenix is available on Friday, July 11, 2025, after server downtime—which starts at 2 am PDT / 5 am EST / 10 am BST—has finished. NetEase has confirmed it'll take two to three hours, so you won't be waiting too long. Alongside this fiery new hero will be a wave of new balance changes, which you can find out about in our Marvel Rivals Season 3 patch notes guide.
Marvel Rivals Phoenix abilities
- Role: Duelist (DPS)
- Health: 275
- Difficulty: Three-stars, though I'd argue she's a little easier than that providing you have good aim
Phoenix is a Duelist hero that plays almost like Moon Knight mixed with Hela, in that she excels at AoE damage, but needs to hit precise shots first. By landing primary fire attacks, Phoenix can apply Spark stacks to eventually cause explosions and chain reactions, which are perfect for softening up the enemy line. With excellent mobility, moderate health, and even self-healing with each Spark explosion, Phoenix can be a very aggressive hero, flanking close-knit teams and lining up fiery chain reactions before getting to safety—if there's even anyone left alive.
After putting Phoenix's kit to the test first-hand, she's certainly a strong hero, especially if you're accurate. Here are Phoenix's abilities:
Name/Type |
Input |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Cosmic Flames |
Left click |
A ranged attack that deals moderate damage. Each hit adds a stack of Spark to the target, which causes them to explode once at three stacks, dealing AoE damage that applies a Spark stack to other enemies in the blast radius and gives Phoenix healing over time. Critical hits apply two Sparks. |
Telepathic Illusion |
Shift |
Instantly teleport in any direction and leave behind an illusion that explodes to apply one Spark stack to any enemy in the blast. |
Dark Ascent |
E |
Jean Grey merges with Phoenix, gaining free flight for a short duration with bonus movement speed and ammo regeneration. This ability has a resource, meaning it can be used so long as the meter has enough charge. |
Telekenesis Burst |
Right click |
Unleashes a volley of fiery blasts. The first attack stuns enemies, while the second two inflict slows on the target. Enemies hit by this attack gain one Spark stack. |
Endsong Inferno |
Q |
Phoenix leaps into the air before crashing down onto a target area, dealing moderate damage to enemies in the blast and applying one Spark stack to each target. This attack also creates a shockwave that destroys enemy summons, shields, and removes bonus health. |
Mind's Grace team-up ability |
N/A (Wolverine gains the benefits) |
Wolverine gains the Phoenix Force. When he activates Feral Leap (renamed to Phoenix Warrior), it will burn nearby enemies over time for a percentage of their health, and add lifesteal to all of his attacks. |
Best Marvel Rivals Phoenix team compositions
Phoenix looks to be a versatile enough hero to slot in basically anywhere, similar to Moon Knight, though there are still some teams she's better suited for, particularly due to her team-up with Wolverine. I highly suspect Wolverine will be the most banned hero in Season 3, or at least one of the most common bans, so you'll likely need to rely on different strategies.
Hero |
Role |
|---|---|
Doctor Strange |
Versatile tank, with strong mobility, high damage, and a shield |
Phoenix |
High AoE damage Duelist to counter grouping |
Wolverine |
Great for singling out enemy tanks, especially with the Primal Flame team-up |
Mantis |
Versatile support, able to hand out healing over time and damage boosts to mobile DPS |
Adam Warlock |
While his healing can be inconsistent, he brings lots of survivability to the team |
Rocket Raccoon/Invisible Woman |
The main healer, with either option bringing a great deal of additional utility |
Hero |
Role |
|---|---|
Doctor Strange |
Versatile tank, with strong mobility, high damage, and a shield |
The Thing |
A brawling tank, now with anti-flier capabilities |
Phoenix |
High AoE damage Duelist to counter grouping |
Hawkeye |
Incredible single-target damage and bonus utility thanks to Luna Snow |
Luna Snow |
Fantastic burst healing, and can give her snowflake to Phoenix, as well as a powerful team-up for Hawkeye |
Invisible Woman |
High burst healing and utility, alongside a strong team-up with The Thing |
Marvel Rivals Phoenix skins
Like every new hero that has been released so far, Phoenix launches with a default skin, a recolour, and a premium skin. However, the Marvel Rivals ranked reward skin for Season 3.0 also happens to be for Phoenix, as was the case with Invisible Woman's launch at the start of Season 1, and Emma Frost at the start of Season 2.
- Chaos Phoenix (legendary)
- Emerald Flames (rare)
- The Return of Jean Grey (rare)
- Phoenix (default)
