Marvel Rivals has delivered an ever-expanding roster of iconic heroes and villains, and with Season 1 kicking off, one name stands out: Mister Fantastic, the brilliant and elastic leader of the Fantastic Four. Known for his genius intellect and unique powers, Mister Fantastic enters Marvel Rivals as a versatile duelist who can adapt to almost any situation on the battlefield. In this guide, we’ll delve into his role, abilities, synergies, advanced strategies, and lore, helping you master Reed Richards to stretch your way to victory!
Mister Fantastic serves as a duelist in Marvel Rivals, blending survivability with utility. While his damage output may not rival some of the game’s heavy hitters, his ability to endure battles and disrupt enemy plans makes him a formidable foe. Reed’s tankiness and crowd control abilities allow him to dominate mid-range skirmishes, making him a linchpin in team compositions that require adaptability.
Mister Fantastic delivers a forward punch with his elongated arm to deal damage to enemies in a straight line. This primary attack is simple yet effective, making it a consistent option for applying pressure in mid-range combat.
This ability allows Mister Fantastic to stretch his arms and grab an enemy. Once latched, you can either pull them closer for follow-up attacks or knock them airborne into another enemy for crowd control. Use this to isolate high-value targets or disrupt enemy formations.
Gain a protective Shield while dashing to a selected target. This ability is versatile, as it can deal damage to enemies or provide support to allies by granting them a Shield upon arrival. It’s ideal for repositioning during intense fights.
Mister Fantastic’s passive ability absorbs a portion of incoming damage, storing it temporarily. Activate this stored energy to release it as a powerful counterattack in a targeted direction. Timing is crucial to maximize its effectiveness during enemy bursts.
Leap into the air and slam into the ground, dealing area damage and slowing enemies within the impact zone. If the initial hit connects, Mister Fantastic can leap again, making it a devastating ability for controlling the battlefield and turning the tide of team fights.
With each ability used, Mister Fantastic builds Elasticity, boosting his attack power. Reaching maximum Elasticity triggers an Inflated state, providing additional Shield and further increasing damage output. Managing this resource is key to maximizing effectiveness in prolonged engagements.
When paired with the Invisible Woman, this team-up ability channels her Psionic Might to fortify Mister Fantastic. It grants damage resistance and generates Bonus Health over time, significantly improving survivability in extended fights. This ability shines in coordinated plays focused on objectives or endurance battles.
Pairing Mister Fantastic with Invisible Woman creates a defensive powerhouse. Her deployable shields and stealth capabilities complement Reed’s crowd control and protective abilities, allowing them to dominate objectives together.
Scarlet Witch’s debuffing abilities amplify Reed’s control over the battlefield. Her chaotic AoE attacks synergize well with Mister Fantastic’s ability to group and isolate enemies.
Hulk’s frontline presence capitalizes on the disruptions Mister Fantastic creates. While Reed manipulates the battlefield, Hulk charges in to deal devastating blows, making them a fearsome duo.
Reed thrives in mid-range combat, so it’s crucial to position just behind your vanguards. This allows you to utilize your abilities without taking unnecessary damage.
Open with Distended Grip to displace a key enemy, follow up with Brainiac Bounce for AoE damage, and use Reflexive Rubber strategically to counterattack bursts.
Save Brainiac Bounce for team fights around objectives. Its extended range and damage output can swing engagements in your favor.
Engage high-damage duelists or vanguards to make full use of your passive. The reflected damage discourages enemies from focusing you.
Mister Fantastic excels in creating and exploiting opportunities. Always position yourself where your utility has the most impact, just behind your vanguards for optimal mid-range control.
Reed’s survivability relies on his ability to stay mobile. Avoid overcommitting to fights unless your team is there to support you, and always have an escape plan.
Mister Fantastic’s utility shines when paired with damage-dealing heroes like Iron Man or Moon Knight. Their output can capitalize on the openings Reed’s crowd control creates.
Use Flexible Elongation proactively to guard teammates during critical moments, particularly when securing objectives or surviving ultimates.
Reed’s durability is impressive for a duelist, but he isn’t invincible. Avoid diving too deep into enemy lines without support.
Timing is everything. Use Brainiac Bounce during pivotal team fights or critical moments to maximize its impact and avoid wasting it on inconsequential skirmishes.
Mister Fantastic’s full potential lies in team-oriented play. Always focus on team objectives and support rather than chasing personal glory.
Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic, is the leader of the Fantastic Four and one of the most brilliant minds in the Marvel Universe. His genius intellect, combined with his unique elastic abilities, has made him a cornerstone of countless heroic efforts. Whether it’s devising strategies, solving complex problems, or leading his team, Reed is always at the forefront of innovation and teamwork.
Reed's journey began as a pioneering scientist and engineer leading a mission to explore the cosmos. The mission took an unexpected turn when cosmic rays bombarded his team, granting each member extraordinary powers. For Reed, this meant becoming Mister Fantastic, a hero whose cellular elasticity lets him stretch beyond physical limits. In Marvel Rivals, Reed’s role is critical as he builds the Timestream Reintegration Device to restore balance to the multiverse, proving once again that his intellect is his greatest weapon.
Dr. Reed Richards - the renowned scientist and adventurer also known as the Mister Fantastic - stood in his laboratory in the Baxter Building, closely examining a small crystal that his best friend, Ben Grimm, had recovered on one of his many excursions into lower Manhattan. Reed had his own theories about the strange energy stored within the glowing shard, but even the most brilliant man in the universe needed a second opinion every now and then. And Reed knew exactly who he had to ask for one: The most brilliant woman in any universe — Shuri, the Princess of Wakanda.
Not long after the Timestream Entanglement erupted across the Multiverse, causing realities to collide and collapse, Reed had receyed an unexpected and urgent message from Wakanda. But it was not from the technologically advanced African nation that Reed and his fellow members of the Fantastic Four had long called their allies. Instead, this message came from a Wakanda located in another dimension, one where King T'Challa had taken his people to the edge of the universe and built a society that spanned the stars.
Much like in Reed's own reality, T'Challa's sister, Shuri, was the driving force behind the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda's scientific research. So it came as no surprise that she too had been tirelessly searching for a way to undo the damage caused by the Timestream Entanglement. Fortunately, she was not too proud to admit that she could not find the solution alone.
After her initial communication was received, Reed and Shuri began to compare notes and hypotheses, bringing other trusted allies like Tony Stark into their fold. Eventually, they were able to build a Timestream Reintegration Device that would theoretically be able to restore the damaged realities to their original state. Of course, finding an energy source potent enough to power the TRD would be nearly impossible, a topic which had since become the source of much debate between the device's creators.
Reed knew deep inside that these crystals - which had come to be known as Chronovium by those studying them - were the key. But when he compared the data he had acquired from scanning this shard with recent test results gathered by Shuri, things just weren't adding up. He had to get to the bottom of this... while there was still time left…
"You wanted to talk, Dr. Richards?" a voice said from the other side of the computer screen.
"Ah, Shuri," Reed replied, as the screen lit up to reveal the face of his interdimensional ally, "I'm glad you got my message."
"As always, when the Fantastic Four calls," Shuri said, "Wakanda answers."
"Good. Because answers are exactly what I'm seeking," Reed said, getting right to the point. "We have both previously surmised that Chronovium is a byproduct of the massive fluctuations in energy released by the Timestream Entanglement, correct?"
"Yes," Shuri responded, "In both of our realities, the second law of thermodynamics still holds true. Even chronal power seeks out the lowest energy state to stabilize itself - and these crystals have the lowest internal energy in either of our universes."
"But that's where the similarities end," Reed said. "According to our data, at the very onset of the Timestream Entanglement, I had reason to believe that all Chronovium across the Multiverse shared the same basic structure. But now that our realities have continued to shift in unexpected ways, the properties of the Chronovium found within them are shifting as well."
"The crystals I have recently analyzed here in Wakanda are proof of that," Shuri replied. "It seems the energy from the Vibranium Star at the heart of our empire has strengthened our form of Chronovium far beyond what was seen in earlier samples."
"The same goes for the Chronvium in my dimension," Reed added. "The dark magic that is holding New York City in a state of eternal night has permeated the Chronovium crystals found here. Tony has started calling it Blood Chronovium. It's a bit dramatic, but I suppose it gets the point across."
"Indeed," Shuri said. "And it makes me wonder how many other forms may be out there... in whatever universes still remain..."
"And that is one of the reasons why I called you," Reed said. "If we could begin to catalog how many other universes -"
"Chronoverses," Shuri interjected. "That is what we here in Wakanda are calling the fractured realities created by the Timestream Entanglement."
"Of course," Reed continued, "If we could catalog how many other Chronoverses there are out there, perhaps we could get a better understanding of the current state of the Multiverse, as well as the other types of Chronovium that might be at our disposal."
"I have identified at least one other alternate reality beyond our own," Shuri responded without hesitation. "Recently, Captain America arrived here in Wakanda seeking refuge..."
Reed paused for a moment as Shuri spoke. The Captain America he had known had fallen in battle not long ago, and the entire world was still reeling from the loss. Logically, Reed was well aware that every reality likely had its own variant of Steve Rogers, but knowing that one was currently residing in Wakanda offered a sense of hope that Reed hadn't felt in far too long.
"Unlike the Captain America that both my father and my brother proudly fought alongside over the years," Shuri said, "this Steven Rogers claimed that he had been frozen durina World War Il and had not been reawakened until the year 2099."
"That's not the first time I've heard that date mentioned," Reed noted. "Our Spider- Man told me that he was visited by one of his alternate reality counterparts, a young woman who calls herself Spider-Zero. She claimed to be from the year 2099 as well, and asked for his help to repair a dimensional nexus point known as the Web of Life and Destiny."
"Fascinating," Shuri said, taking notes as she talked. "Based on Captain America's intel, we also believe that this future timeline may be a gathering point for Mutants whose home realities have ceased to exist. His ally, Wolverine, claimed he resided on a time- displaced island nation called Krakoa."
"Curious," Reed muttered as he pondered Shuri's words. "Our Krakoa vanished without a trace when the Timestream Entanglement hit us. Could the living island in that Chronoverse be one and the same?"
*I will see if the Captain or his allies can coerce Wolverine into sharing any further information," Shuri said.
"Allies?" Reed asked. "Steve brought along friends?"
"Not quite," Shuri said. "My own Chronoverse has been facing a number of its own challenges of late, including a growing darkness that is spreading rapidly across the star systems. I had initially sent the Guardians of the Galaxy to investigate its origin point on a distant planet called Klyntar, but I have lost contact with them. In order to prepare for whatever may be coming our way, T'Challa and I asked Steven gather some trusted allies from across time and space. Including a few from your own timeline - Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier."
"Interesting," Reed said. "Tony had told me that they both went missing after an incident at a remote Hydra base. He'll be glad they made it out alive."
"I certainly was," Shuri responded. "I believe they will prove to be valuable allies in the days ahead. I fear this darkness is already tainting Wakanda. Even the gods themselves are not safe from its corruptive influence..."
"Speaking of the gods..." Reed said as Shuri's words trailed off. "..the Asgard in my timeline has become something entirely new. Their World Tree, Yggdrasill, has grown and merged with the golden realm to create Yggsgard. And, according to reports, Loki is already trying to take advantage of the situation."
"No surprise there," Shuri said.
"But the Asgardians aren't the only pantheon in disarray," Reed continued.
"Stephen Strange recently returned from a trip through the Astral Plane, where he says he communicated with heroes from yet another dimension - one where powerful deities were locked in an endless war for omnipotent power and total control."
"So that gives us at least four Chronoverses then?" Shuri said, examining her notes.
"That we've identified thus far, yes," Reed replied. "And as they continue to collapse and intertwine, I have a feeling that they will start to become ever more dependent upon each other for survival."
"With so few timelines left," Shuri said, "we cannot risk losing any of them.
That is exactly why my brother chose to pay a visit your world. I hope his delivery proved useful in your efforts."
"T'Challa... came here...?" Reed said, clearly puzzled. "When?"
"He left Wakanda a week ago," Shuri said, her usual calm and collected expression suddenly giving way to one of deep concern. "I calibrated our cross-dimensional teleporters myself. I am certain he arrived safely in the New York of your reality."
"Arrived safely, perhaps," Reed said, dismayed, "but anything could have happened after that. Our city isn't exactly as safe as it used to be, after all.
The curse that locked us in a permanent nocturnal state allowed certain factions that had formerly been relegated to the shadows the opportunity to seize power."
"Vampires," Shuri said, fully aware of the problem. "T'Challa had hoped to offer you a sample of our own Heart-Shaped Herb as a means of developing a cure to this plague. But if he has fallen victim to it... then..."
"Don't worry, your majesty," Reed responded. "Like you said, we're in this together. And when Wakanda calls, the Fantastic Four answers, too."
"I just pray to the Orisha that we are not too late.." Shuri said solemnly, "...for all of our sakes..."
Mister Fantastic is a versatile and rewarding hero in Marvel Rivals, offering a blend of durability, crowd control, and utility. By mastering his abilities, positioning strategically, and working synergistically with your team, you’ll dominate the battlefield and lead your squad to victory. Whether you’re a seasoned duelist or a newcomer to the game, Reed Richards promises an elastic experience like no other!
So, suit up, Rivals, and stretch your way to success!
