As Marvel Rivals ramps up for Season 8.5, players are waiting eagerly for the newest hero, Cyclops, to join the roster. What makes this character so special is that it’s Cyclops, AKA Scott Summers, the leader of the X-Men. Cyclops has been teased by NetEase for a long time, and now fans are more than ready to utilize his optic blasts on the battlefield.
Thankfully, Cyclops will finally be available as soon as Marvel Rivals Season 8.5 begins.
What time does Season 8.5 start?
Season 8.5 of Marvel Rivals begins on June 12, 2026. Past seasons have usually followed the same release time, so we can confidently say Season 8.5 will go live at 12pm CEST.
Marvel Rivals Season 8.5 Drops In:Across the world, Season 8.5 will start at these times:
- Pacific Time (PT) – 3am
- Eastern Time (ET) – 6am
- Central Europe (CEST) – 12pm
- India (IST) – 3:30pm
- China (CST) – 6pm
- Japan (JST) – 7pm
- Australia East (AEST) – 8pm
Who is the new hero or villain for Season 8.5?
Cyclops is officially confirmed to be the newest comic book character joining the fight in Season 8.5. He’s been teased for months and the trailer for Season 8 prominently features Cyclops battling Alchemax bots in Nueva York before he accepts capture to protect Moon Girl.
The only major question left for Scott Summers is what exactly his role in Marvel Rivals will be. While many fans have been eager to see Cyclops fill in the Vanguard class, the introduction of Devil Dinosaur in the first half of the season makes this possibility less likely (though not entirely impossible).
It seems most likely that Cyclops will be another Duelist, further ballooning that class, especially compared to the Strategist and Vanguard categories. His optic blasts do best fit the Duelist category, but with creative game design, he could fit in any class.
What else to expect in Season 8.5
Nothing official has been announced by NetEase about what players can expect in Season 8.5, besides the introduction of Cyclops as a playable character. The rate at which seasons in Marvel Rivals come and go is so incredibly fast that it should be no surprise if this half season doesn’t receive many changes or new maps.
Skin-wise, some leaks (which means take with a grain of salt) have suggested Rogue, Magik, and Psylocke will all receive new outfits with fun themes like 2099 or Alchemax. Since Season 8 brought some Savage Land themed skins (appropriately given the debut of Devil Dinosaur), players can reasonably expect more skins in that theme to come in the latter half of the season.
With Cyclops about to join Marvel Rivals, hopefully he and Jean Grey will have some couple costumes similar to Rogue and Gambit or Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman this season.
