Marvel Rivals adds Thor and Jeff the Land Shark while sharing cinematic story trailer

It was a big weekend Marvel Rivals at San Diego Comic-Con, as developer NetEase not only kicked off the Closed Beta Test for the upcoming team-based shooter but also revealed two new characters and a cinematic story trailer.

Before we get into the details, let me first remind you that Marvel Rivals is an upcoming video game. More specifically it's a team-based shooter set in the Marvel Universe where teams of six players — comprised of various Marvel heroes and villains — compete across different game modes and dynamic maps. Think of it like Blizzard's Overwatch, but with a Marvel skin.

In order to justify all of these super heroes and villains coming together to fight one another, especially on teams that could mix them together, NetEase has to come up with an original storyline involving the Multiverse. Welcome, Doctor Doom.

The clash between tyrannical dictator Doctor Doom and his future counterpart from the year 2099 has resulted in countless universes to collide in the Timestream Entanglement, creating new worlds and crises unknown.

"Now, Super Heroes and Villains from across the multiverse must fight together and against one another as disparate groups each seek to best both Dooms before one achieves domination of these realities," the story synopsis reads. "Familiar faces become newfound foes while former enemies become the greatest of allies in Marvel Rivals!"

In addition to sharing the cinematic story trailer, NetEase has also introduced two new playable characters: Thor and Jeff the Land Shark. One of these characters I'm sure you're all familiar with.

Thor, the God of Thunder, is one of the most well-known Marvel characters to date.

But Jeff the Land Shark, well, he's probably someone — or something — you've never heard of. Introduced in October 2018 in West Coast Avengers Vol. 3 #6, Jeff the Land Shark was created and experimented on by M.O.DO.K. But after being liberated from his crazy creator, he joins the West Coast Avengers and is basically adopted by Gwenpool.

Jeff the Land Shark is more or less a regular shark, except he possesses legs and has the ability to breathe air. He also has super sharp teeth that can chomp through opponents.

As Marvel Rivals is primarily a shooter, NetEaes did give Jeff the Land Shark some ranged attacks. He is a support character so his basic attack, "Joyful Splash," heals his teammates. His other attack, "Aqua Burst," does ranged water damage. He's also got some fascinating abilities that play into his "shark"-ness.

Both Thor and Jeff the Land Shark are currently playable in the Closed Beta Test that's going on right now for Marvel Rivals. We still don't have a release date for the game, but it's possible it could be sometime this year. Marvel Rivals will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.