"They need to fix it": Marvel Rivals' adorable new comic book character is undeniably cute, but he's also "terrible for game health and balancing"

Marvel Rivals character Jeff the Land Shark, a creature appearing as a half-dog half-shark animal wearing a pink collar with a gold tag — (Image credit: NetEase Games)

Jeff the Land Shark has just joined the ever-expanding roster of Marvel Rivals characters, and he's already causing chaos with his powerful ultimate ability.

The new Marvel Rivals closed beta entrant's cute looks prove deceiving, as the Deadpool favorite is already making rounds online thanks to his unique ultimate. Much like Nintendo's own Kirby can, Jeff is able to swallow both allies and enemies alike as long as they're within range before spitting them out elsewhere.

Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make! from r/marvelrivals

Unsurprisingly, beta players are abusing this ability - some are ejecting enemies off the map's edge, while others are propelling them back into spawn. "I can see this being used in a toxic way," writes a fan on a Reddit thread highlighting how Jeff can send friends and foes flying to their deaths with ease. "Yeah, that ultimate needs to go," says another. One comment just calls Jeff "the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my life" - and I agree.

As someone else jokes, "being that cute he deserves to be broken." His precious puppy eyes aren't enough to convince most fans, though - another post showing Jeff eject players back into spawn proves as much. "They need to fix it before release," a reply reads. Another calls the "broken" ultimate ability "terrible for game health and balancing." Multiple comments also offer "easy" fixes: "Make him ineligible to enter spawn with people in his mouth."

So Jeff can spit out enemies in the spawn room, blocking them in there.. from r/marvelrivals

This isn't the first time a character has used a seemingly overpowered ability to lock others in spawn - Doctor Stranger players cheesed their way to victory in a similar fashion just a few months ago. There's no telling yet how developer NetEase Games will change Jeff ahead of Marvel Rivals' full release, but it's likely that fans won't be able to spawn-lock enemies in the future with the charming shark's ultimate.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.