Marvel Rivals has begun its Season 2 with a sly and surprising twist—literally. While everyone was considering balance patches and the return of new characters or skins, something no one was expecting was a dramatic look-overhaul that has been colloquially known among the fandom as the “Marvel Rivals Butt Update.” The developers may not have explicitly said it in the patch notes, but the fans definitely did notice, and they’re talking about it.
What Is the Marvel Rivals Butt Update?
It wasn’t too long before the Season 2 update went live that players began to notice an unspoken change: male characters looked. different. Heroes like Wolverine, Moon Knight, Star-Lord, and even Mr. Fantastic suddenly had significantly more defined glutes—and, in a few cases, bulges.
This “butt update” hasn’t been formally acknowledged by the developers at NetEase, but fans on Reddit, Discord, and X (formerly Twitter) have confirmed what we’re all thinking: Marvel’s male heroes just got a visual upgrade. And it’s not just about cheeky aesthetics, it’s about parity. It especially got popular when a Reddit user posted about it.
Finally, Some Equality in Superhero Design
There has been a striking disparity for years between the representations of female and male characters in superhero games. Females will have more exaggerated, hyper-realistic body proportions, while male heroes, even as they are comically drawn out as immense musclebound, are generally toned down or glossed over in certain areas.
The Marvel Rivals Butt Update appears to level the playing field, applying equal comic accuracy to male heroes. As admirers have succinctly stated, “If the women are going to be out here in skintight suits with defined curves, the men should be, too.”
It’s a quiet but efficient detail, one that suggests a greater desire for equality in character modeling. Whether it was a conscious update or merely the result of improved texture rendering and model tweaks, the community adores it.
Community Responds: “Cheeky” Doesn’t Even Begin to Cover It
Social media blew up as fans began sharing side-by-side photos depicting the changes. “They buffed more than stats,” quipped one Reddit user. Another commented, “Why does Star-Lord suddenly look like he’s been squatting for weeks?”
Memes have inundated platforms, with gamers playfully analyzing which hero got the “biggest buff.” Moon Knight and Wolverine are currently top of that list. Although some gamers were left confused at first, the general reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, especially from gamers who appreciate visual detail.
In fact, this kind of organic community hype is exactly the kind of viral marketing most developers can only hope for, and NetEase has played along. If only by remaining quiet and letting the memes roll in.
Venom’s Twerk Emote Takes Things Even Further
If you didn’t think it could get any more exciting, think again. Along with the Marvel Rivals Butt Update, a seasonal delight came in the form of a twerking emote for Venom. Originally released as part of an April Fools’ prank, the emote was an accidental hit.
Venom, already notorious for his hulking frame and madcap mobility, now boasts an outright dance move that’s sending lobbies into hysterics. Fans have begun breaking out in-game dance battles, spontaneously forming circles around twerking Venoms as some sort of bizarre superhero flash mob.
What began as a simple, lighthearted emote has blossomed into a defining aspect of Marvel Rivals Season 2’s identity and a perfect counterpoint to the now notorious butt boosts.
A Lesson in Listening, Even Without Uttering a Word
What’s most amazing about the Marvel Rivals Butt Update is how closely it echoes the voice of the community, without ever being said directly. Developers didn’t need to make a statement or share it on their social feeds. Rather, they allowed players to discover for themselves, leading to real engagement and word-of-mouth promotion.
This kind of quiet, self-reflective design tweak helps to build trust among players. It shows that the company is hearing not just about game balance, but about representation, presentation, and sense of humor on the part of the community.
Marvel Rivals Isn’t Just Getting Better, It’s Getting Cheekier
Whether you enjoy it as a joke, as an evolution in design, or as a triumph of character equity, the Marvel Rivals Butt Update added something funny and surprising to the game. It has proven that sometimes even the least (or at least firmest) can yield enormous responses. And honestly? Sometimes, every one of us needs a pinch of comedy injected into games.
So the next time you dive into a match, take a moment to appreciate the view, that being your favorite heroes are pumping those glutes harder than ever. And who knows? Maybe this is just the beginning of even more light-hearted updates to come.
