NetEase has kept its promise to the community by continually updating Marvel Rivals with new characters on a regular basis. After Emma Frost opened Season 2 and the Hellfire Gala with a bang that threatened to cause the internet to spiral, Ultron is opening Season 2.5, and the AI is coming with many features that break the rules. Ultron will be very different from the other Strategists already on the roster, and will justify the class' name after many were confused as to why Strategists weren't just called Healers or s. Ultron is here to do more than that.

While the villains of the other seasons have purely existed in the plot as a reason for the characters to fight each other on certain maps, Ultron is the first season-based villain to be playable. While players have been looking for scraps of Doctor Doom in the cinematics, and Moon Knight finally got his money back from Dracula, Ultron will be able to exact his terror directly in matches, and by the looks of his trailer, there will be a lot of terror to exact. Ultron could be the scariest Strategist for the enemy team to deal with.

Marvel Rival's Ultron Will Be A Strategist Who Can Hit Hard

Divers Need To Be Careful When Jumping Ultron

NetEase gave players a sneak peek of Ultron in his character trailer on YouTube, and it seems that Strategists finally have what they want: a dangerous character with high mobility. Ultron's flying seems similar to many duelists, like Iron Man and Storm, yet he has a quick dash, rather than increased speed like the other fliers. This gives him more get-away options compared to both the other Strategists and flying Duelists, which should make him the most difficult Strategist to dive at on a regular basis, since diving shouldn't stop him continuing to work.

Although created by Tony Stark in the MCU, Ultron is usually built by Hank Pym (Ant-Man) in the comics.

What makes Ultron interesting is how different he is to the rest of the Strategist roster, seemingly focusing on shielding and slow AOE healing over extreme single-target healing. He can heal a single target, especially with the incoming Iron Man team-up, but he seems to benefit from having a team close together, and getting shields on a dash will make him hard to take down in the dive-heavy meta of Season 2. It feels like he will be even more oppressive than the Invisible Woman and aid a team in taking space forward by giving allies a shielding drone.

Ultron's ult seems to be one of his best oppressive tools in his trailer, able to deal heavy splash damage to enemies while healing allies, a sort of buffed-up mode comparable to Luna Snow's Ice Arts, and while most of his abilities are AOE, with his beam in the Iron Man team-up able to pierce enemies, his primary fire is quite precise. If the trailer is representative of the final version, Ultron is going to hit hard, and unlike Adam Warlock, the way his primary fire works, along with his flying, is going to make aiming a lot easier.

Ultron s Mr Fantastic As Another Hybrid Character

And These Hybrid Characters Feel Unique To Marvel Rivals

With Ultron's damage output, an ultimate that hits as hard as it heals, and his high mobility only comparable to flying Duelists, it does feel like he's a Duelist in Strategist's clothing. His ability to position himself in the air and above enemies makes him more oppressive than Adam Warlock, while able to hit hard, and he isn't the only 'hybrid' character that Marvel Rivals has had. Sure, Adam Warlock and Mantis are also Strategists that can deal similar damage to Duelists, but it seems like Mr Fantastic is the best reference for this.

Many have joked about Adam Warlock's lack of mobility in Marvel Rivals, despite him being a flying character in the comics and MCU.

Mr Fantastic straddles the line between Vanguard and Strategist, able to hit hard, but his short range and toughness makes him an exceptional front lining character, especially since he can give allies shields as some Vanguards, like The Thing, are able to do. He hasn't got the burst damage of some Duelists, nor does he have the protecting capabilities of Vanguards, but his strange hybrid nature can make him effective in specific circumstances. Ultron will likely share this kind of role in the meta, being a great option for a closely packed team.

Like Mr Fantastic, it might take a while for the player to understand what situations Ultron thrives in, since the hybrid role doesn't necessarily make it easy to just drop these sorts of characters into a team build. It looks like Ultron won't have high healing output compared to to-go Strategists like Luna Snow, Rocket, and so on, so he could fit neatly in as a third Strategist to ensure that the overall damage still remains high. His playstyle will probably end up helping in the aftermath of the Strategist strike, though, given his high mobility and getaway options.

Ultron's High Mobility Will Make Him More Dive Resistant

And Possibly The Perfect Cure For Surviving Divers

Strategists have been suffering from the dive-heavy meta, but with the relatively short range most of them have, Ultron's flying and high mobility will make him harder to hit, and his damage means that he can fight back more effectively. Sure, flying isn't going to help much against Spider-man or a really motivated and accurate Magik, but when paired with Rocket, who tends to hide somewhere random, Ultron could help redefine the backline. Divers may have to look above for Ultron and in nooks for Rocket instead of in the open for Luna Snow.

Although he will likely be behind everyone, Ultron actively attacking and being in the air will mean players will have to deal with him as if he was a Duelist, changing the whole Duelist verses Strategist dynamic established in the game thus far. His hybrid nature could change a lot of dynamics if he ends up being immediately viable, unlike Mr Fantastic, who required some buffs and more time. His damage-heavy nature could also get more Duelists to play Strategist, similar to how many flocked to Emma Frost, although that was for different reasons.

Ultron looks fun, his kit is interesting, and his hybrid nature that blurs the line between classes continues a trend of rule-breaking in Marvel Rivals. Having a character straddle the line between Strategist and Duelist could have massive ramifications for the game, although there is a chance that Ultron won't make much of an impact if the right balance isn't struck. If he doesn't do either role well enough, it may take some changes and time to figure out where Ultron fits, similar to the situation Mr Fantastic found himself in at the start of Season 1.

Source: Marvel Rivals/YouTube