Let me tell you, folks, the current state of Marvel Rivals is absolutely bonkers. We've got a whole roster of heroes and villains, each with their own bag of tricks, but there's one fiery lad who's been living rent-free in my nightmares since Season 2: Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. Back in the day, he was about as threatening as a wet match. But oh boy, a few little "tweaks" from NetEase and now he's the Final Boss of every match I queue into. It's gotten to the point where seeing him on the enemy team is an instant mood killer—I just want to Alt+F4 and go touch some grass.

The root of all evil, my friends, is his movement. Or should I say, his lack of a hitbox? Watching a skilled Human Torch player is like trying to swat a hyper-caffeinated mosquito with a sledgehammer. You swing, you miss, and you just feel stupid. This image perfectly captures the essence of the problem—he's just a blur of fire and frustration. Players have discovered some next-level tech that involves weaving melee attacks between shots. This isn't just smooth gameplay; it's an exploit that makes his character model spaz out like he's having a seizure, teleporting his hitbox all over the screen. Good luck landing a shot on that!

Now, let's talk about the meta abominations this enables. A competent Human Torch is never alone. Oh no, he comes packaged with the most annoying support cast imaginable:

• The Jeff Speed Boost: Slap a Jeff the Land Shark bubble on him, and he goes from "fast" to "breaking the sound barrier." Catching him is a fool's errand.

• The Ultron Drone Bodyguard: A little drone follows him around like a loyal puppy, soaking up damage meant for him. It's like trying to shoot a ghost while someone throws rocks at your head.

• The Invisible Woman Shield: For the pièce de résistance, a Sue Storm player puts a giant, unbreakable barrier in front of him. So now you have to hit a microscopic, jittering hitbox through a wall. It's beyond unfair; it's a bloody circus.

This combination creates what we in the community call the "Unholy Trinity" of cheese. It turns Johnny into an unkillable, hyper-mobile DPS monster with zero reliable counters. The best Hela or Punisher in the world can't do squat if they can't land a hit. The community's sentiment is best summed up by a legendary Reddit post where someone simply asked, "how the f do you hit that?"* My brother in Christ, we've all been asking the same question.

Here’s a quick breakdown of why he's a perma-ban in high-tier play compared to other strong picks:

Character	Ban-Worthy Reason	Counterplay?
Human Torch	Exploitative movement tech, unkillable with support, zero consistent counters.	Basically none. Pray.
Emma Frost	Strong mind controls and team disruption.	Stay spread out, focus fire.
Wolverine	High sustain and dive potential.	Crowd control, burst damage.
Black Panther	Insane single-target burst (also needs a nerf, just saying!).	Shield break, keep your distance.
Luna Snow	Area denial and crowd control.	Mobility to avoid her zones.

As you can see, everyone else has a plan. For Human Torch, the plan is "hope he messes up." It's clear NetEase has been, to put it politely, a bit clueless. They've tried nerfing his damage here and there, but that's like putting a band-aid on a broken leg. The problem isn't how hard he hits; it's that he hits you a thousand times without you ever getting a chance to hit back. The community is screaming for just two things:

1. A hard nerf to his aerial agility. Make him commit to his flight paths.

2. Removing the animation-cancel tech that's clearly an unintended exploit.

With Season 4 supposedly on the horizon for 2025, this is the make-or-break moment. If they don't address the core issue—his broken movement—then the meta will remain stale and frustrating. We need a patch that shows the devs actually play their own game at a high level. So, NetEase, if you're listening: for the love of all that is holy, fix the Torch. And hey, while you're in the code, maybe take a look at Black Panther's damage numbers too? Just a thought from your friendly neighborhood try-hard. This game has so much potential, but it's hard to have fun when one character breaks the fundamental rules of engagement. Let's get back to balanced, skill-based matches where the best team wins, not the team with the jankiest, most exploitative flying man.