NetEase Has Silently Upgraded All These Marvel Rivals Skins; Check What's Changed

NetEase quietly rolled out a series of updates on some of the various Marvel Rivals skins, and the fans spotted them through comparisons of old and more recent versions. Those upgrades were first spotted on the playtest on May 10, 2024, and continued on the live servers in 2025. A YouTube video from Dejuna | Marvel Rivals helped bring attention to those details, confirming what many had already spotted. They range from cosmetic updates to voice effects and movement routines, and it does leave one speculating on what they'll do for future cosmetics in the game.

The Upgraded Marvel Rivals Skins

The upgraded Marvel Rivals skins have many heroes, and each one shows different changes when comparing old to new builds.

Spider-Man (default suit):

Looking back to May 10, 2024, Marvel Rivals alpha playtest, his outfit was looser and colours were not so strong. Now it is tighter and more saturated. The chest spider logo has a sharper shape, the whole body design looks smoother, and the foot details, plus overall tone, move to the brighter side.

Groot (Symbiote Skin):

On July 4, 2025, early access, Groot’s skin was bluish, a bit uneven, and lacked much detail. But after July 11, 2025, live server in Season 3, the skin becomes darker, sharper, and much more detailed in look.

Hela (Queen in Black):

On August 8, 2025, the cloak of Hela shows a neon blue tint, which looks strange. After the update on August 14, 2025, it turned cherry red instead, making her design appear more dangerous and fitting.

Doctor Strange (In the Multiverse of Madness):

The April 18, 2025, build had him speaking in a flat voice like a normal human, and his movements were also human-like. After the April 30 update, the voice changed to a distorted tone with Venom-type edge, animations also with sudden, fast head shakes, making the skin feel more infected and creepy.

Thor (Lord of Asgard):

In the April 4, 2025, build, Marvel Rivals Thor’s fur cloak was too big and messy. By April 30, it becomes shorter and more arranged, giving a sharper appearance.

Jeff (Sunshine):

At the start, Jeff didn’t have any unique sound. After the update, his movement now creates a funny “Dun dun dun dun” effect, giving him a more playful layer.

Spider-Man (Scarlet Spider):

First time shown May 31, 2024, as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, this suit had a darker tone with orange eye lens and bluish chest highlights. By December 6, 2024, launch, the lens changed to red, and the outfit had become a more vivid red colour scheme.

All these changes, small or big, are showing how NetEase is trying to make Marvel Rivals skins look more immersive and closer to each hero's identity.

Community Takeaways and Industry Context

Upgraded Marvel Rivals skins represent just how impactful cosmetic changes can be in live-service games. In a Statista report this year, indicating character skins in fee-based multiplayer games alone generated around $50 billion globally, this shows how impactful updating and changing cosmetics can be in terms of engaging players.

Well-known games across the gaming industry, like Fortnite, Apex, and League of Legends, have paved the way for gameplay enhancement through altered visual assets, while NetEase appears to be riding the coattails of that momentum. Small changes that come at little or no cost, like Doctor Strange's scarier-looking zombie animations or Hela's blacker cloaks, reinstate some earlier exciting sold aspects of the skins by providing a more authentic representation of the characters in the game, that players can be invested in as per the game lore. You can check out our Marvel Rivals Guide to learn more about the game itself.

Much of the impact has not been lost on the community that has shared comments saying that Strange's new zombie look "feels scarier and more like a real infection," and that Hela's cloak's new colour "fits her Queen in Black theme much better." It is clear that although the changes may be minimal and subtle, committed fans of the game notice and appreciate updates.

As Marvel Rivals continues to unfold with its seasonal road-map, to continue to bring cosmetic refinements, it shows players that NetEase is in it for the long haul to provide players the best experience as possible, as it relates to each Marvel Rivals skin. NetEase's commitment to providing players the most polished and lore-certified versions of their favourite comic book character turned cosmic video game avatar possible through skin updates.