Kingsman265 Drama Explained: Here's Why Everyone Can't Stop Talking About a $40,000 Marvel Rivals Tournament

Whether you log successful to support up with the NBA oregon you’re conscionable a casual instrumentality of video games, chances are, you’ve seen a batch of speech astir contented creators Kingsman265, Cece, zazzastack, and an infamous $40,000 Marvel Rivals tourney recently.

What began arsenic a livestreamed spat betwixt esports teammates has since evolved into an inescapable beast of a trending taxable that rapidly broke containment successful the Marvel Rivals community. But who are these people? Why are thousands rallying down their favourite online personalities? And wherefore are the Atlanta Hawks posting TikToks astir a Marvel Rivals tournament?

The saga galore are calling the “Kingsman265 drama” began conscionable earlier this period and is transforming each day, truthful we did our champion to explicate the communicative truthful acold for those who request to cognize what’s got the net truthful worked up.

— BasimZB (@BasimZB) January 12, 2026

The Deadpool Creator Cup

NetEase Games’ Marvel leader shooter became the halfway of attraction erstwhile a comparatively tiny Marvel Rivals esports contented creator named Kingsman265 uploaded a YouTube video titled, “I was kicked from a $40,000 tournament…” connected January 17, 2026. That tournament, hosted by streamer BasimZB, was known arsenic the Deadpool Creator Cup, a somewhat tiny contention advertised to diagnostic 48 creators arsenic Deadpool joined Marvel Rivals. According to a fig of competitors invited to the tourney, the contention didn’t see a $40,000 prize excavation until aft invites had been sent retired and galore had already signed on.

“In this video I amusement each perspectives, POV's and precisely wherefore I was removed,” Kingsman says successful the video’s description. “With this being 1 of the biggest tournaments I've played in, and $40,000 connected the enactment with the prize excavation being $18,000 for archetypal place, AKA $3,000 per person.”

Most of Kingsman’s videos hover astir 25,000 views, with galore struggling to interruption 10,000 views arsenic precocious arsenic 8 months ago. At the clip of this piece’s publication, his upload covering the creator tourney has amassed 2.7 cardinal views. Kingsman says galore times, some successful and extracurricular of the video, that he’s a assemblage student, and that winning the $3,000 would spell a agelong mode toward helping wage his bills.

“It is an insanely large woody for idiosyncratic similar me,” his statement adds.

The Thumbnail for Kingsman265's Video Covering His Removal from the Deadpool Creator Cup.

The hour-and-17-minute upload is an edited signaling of a livestream showcasing a bid of pre-tournament scrimmage matches with his squad – squad skipper Cece, zazzastack, kayceeedilla, Fumiata, and collaborator, Luciyasa. It starts simply enough, with each subordinate preparing by speaking astir their respective competitory ranks arsenic Kingsman asks Cece if they tin “full effort hard for these scrims.”

“I request to triumph this s**t. Can we bash that? Please?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she replies. “I got you.”

Magik and Black Widow

Judging by what is shown successful edited clips, it seems the squad gets disconnected to a bully start, winning their archetypal lucifer arsenic zazzastack’s preferred character, Black Widow, nabs the MVP title. The laughs betwixt the radical rapidly slice arsenic Kingsman suggests the squad power from the theoretically balanced physique of 2 tanks, 2 harm per 2nd (DPS), and 2 enactment heroes to the existent favored meta creation that includes 3 supports. Other teammates occurrence back, telling him they did not program to utilize the meta comp during their scrimmage matches oregon for the tournament.

“OK, this is going to beryllium a hard tourney then,” Kingsman says.

Kingsman, who is seen by galore to beryllium 1 of the champion Marvel Rivals Magik players successful the world, appears to beryllium the archetypal to crook up the heat, arguing that different teams volition astir surely participate matches with the triple enactment program due to the fact that $40,000 successful winnings is connected the line. Others, including zazzastack, contend they shouldn’t “run a triple enactment with a quality that I don’t cognize however to play.”

The infinitesimal passes and tensions ease. Then, seemingly minutes later, the driving constituent of contention emerges erstwhile Kingsman calmly asks zazzastack if she would beryllium funny successful swapping from Black Widow’s sniper to a quality with assemblage power and displacement abilities similar Winter Soldier. She declines, calling Black Widow her “anti-dive” pick, making it wide that she has nary volition of switching from her preferred character.

Fans of leader shooters similar Marvel Rivals and Overwatch are surely alert of the value quality flexibility holds successful a each match, but squad chemistry tin sometimes beryllium conscionable arsenic important. Both elements were topics of treatment that day, arsenic Kingsman often overperformed arsenic Magik, portion zazzastack’s Black Widow proved to beryllium inconsistent.

Kingsman Calls Attention to zazzastack's Scoreboard.

Meanwhile, players usage scoreboards successful leader shooters arsenic a measurement of performance, but these tools seldom archer the afloat communicative and don’t relationship for things similar clip connected constituent oregon game-changing plays. Still, they tin beryllium utilized to observe symptoms of broader issues. One circumstantial round's scoreboard circulating online saw Magik carrying eliminations with 18 kills, 1 assist, and 2 deaths, portion Black Widow secured zero kills, zero assists, and 5 deaths. It’s besides worthy noting that zazzastack had a notably higher ping than her teammates, often reaching numbers arsenic precocious arsenic 170ms.

As Kingsman persisted, the tense backmost and distant astir strategy and doctrine yet took a crook for the worse. The video shows aggregate members of the squad siding against Kingsman, with players similar Cece and Luciyasa becoming 2 of the much vocal individuals coming to zazzastack’s defense. What galore online instrumentality contented with is the code and insults that followed, adjacent arsenic Kingsman offers to power to different characters to enactment a caller squad comp.

“That’s specified a bully point,” Cece replies with a sarcastic tone. “You’re truthful close astir that – and we’re inactive going to play Widow.”

“I’m conscionable present to judge that Kingsman is simply a meta slave,” she jabs again soon after.

Insults and calls to “shut the f**k up” are lobbed astatine Kingsman arsenic arguments advancement successful the video, with clips showing instances of Cece calling him a “loser” in-between matches connected her ain watercourse emerging later. One lucifer that takes spot aboriginal successful Kingsman’s video sees the squad calmly locomotion distant with a constrictive win, with everyone performing comparatively well. Just arsenic the “Victory” paper slides crossed the screen, a dependable tin beryllium heard, saying, “talk s**t to Kingsman now, zazza.”

— ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) January 22, 2026

Moments aboriginal and much than an hr into tourney prep, Kingsman departs, saying he’s going to spell queue ranked games, abstracted from his team. Cece leaves to instrumentality an “urgent” telephone from BasimZB, the squad goes their abstracted ways, and Kingsman shares a fewer words with his viewers.

“I’m conscionable present to triumph the tournament, you know? I request that money,” helium says. “I’m f**king broke. I similar money, and $40,000, which has a prize excavation for archetypal spot of 3 grand, is simply a batch of wealth for me. I could truly usage that to assistance wage my college.”

BasimZB aboriginal sends Kingsman a message, telling him helium has been kicked from the tourney without warning. Cece was banned connected Twitch – and frankincense kicked from the tourney – soon aft for a abstracted incidental that she has since said is related to her “saying thing toxic to my person successful chat,” violating the streaming site’s presumption of service.

Overtime

Kingsman and Cece’s erstwhile teammates went connected to enactment successful the tourney and landed successful seventh spot retired of 8 teams. All of the large players successful the communicative person since released abstracted videos and societal media statements successful an effort to wide disorder and stock their sides of the story, with everyone calling connected their fans to not harass anyone other involved.

Cece’s contiguous video effect alleges BasimZB kicked Kingsman solely due to the fact that of his tone, which she says was “making the squad uncomfortable” and perchance impacting squad performance. She says she had small engagement successful Kingsman’s removal from the tournament, sharing messages with BasimZB wherever helium says helium saw clips of Kingsman “saying disrespectful things portion muted” and “saying disrespectful things astir the tournament.” She adds, “in hindsight, possibly [Kingsman] should person gotten a warning.”

Cece, who has received a barrage of harassment online pursuing the Deadpool Creator Cup, besides took to X/Twitter to respond to questions astir her behavior, addressing comments she made some during and aft the archetypal incident. One much caller station issued to her followers sees her explaining the reasoning for her actions and apologizing to Kingsman for immoderate of her words, including calling him a “loser,” some connected her watercourse and her follow-up video.

I’m atrocious I failed to recognize that I request to instrumentality due accountability connected present arsenic well. Many of you saw my replies and they were defensive, deflecting, and argumentative. I was engaged warring to support myself and I’ve deleted them present due to the fact that I realized what you guys really…

— Cece (@cecefps) January 20, 2026

“Emotions were precocious and I failed to announcement which resulted successful maine snapping astatine Kingsman,” Cece says. “I apologize arsenic nary substance what, raising voices and instantly shutting down a teammate is not the close happening to do. I besides should person reprimanded the comments directed astatine Kingsman erstwhile the scrims were over. I needed to clasp everyone accountable.”

BasimZB initially stood by his determination to footwear Kingsman but yet reversed people aft watching the full bid of scrimmages. He has since apologized to Kingsman, saying that helium has already spoken to him and that helium “def got played by a batch of people.” He has besides commented connected the “hate” he’s received from users criticizing his handling of the Marvel Rivals tournament, saying, “the radical who travel successful here, erstwhile they hate, they are justified successful what they’re saying.”

Luciyasa, who has been known to collaborate and “duo” with Kingsman successful the past, has besides faced disapproval for her relation during the scrimmage matches and for comments she made later. She has clarified that immoderate of her words were said “at incorrect times,” though she stands by telling Kingsman to “shut the f**k up” due to the fact that of however it was affecting zazzastacks. While it’s unclear if she has spoken with her erstwhile Marvel Rivals partner, she has expressed involvement successful speaking with him offline.

Zazzastack has besides been bashed online contempt saying comparatively small during the confrontation with Kingsman. In her follow-up post, she apologizes for shifting to a “stern” code aft helium continued to propulsion her to power characters, adding that she is “taking accountability for not swapping disconnected Widow erstwhile I should have.”

“I was ne'er erstwhile rude to Kingsman successful the VODs (video connected demand) adjacent erstwhile asked to speech my s**t,” zazzastacks said. “I volition instrumentality accountability for getting stern aft a portion of being asked the aforesaid question implicit and implicit and bash apologise for that arsenic I decidedly could’ve had much patience, nevertheless I inactive don’t judge that I insulted him successful immoderate way. If Kingsman is astatine each offended by immoderate of my actions past I americium profoundly atrocious to him.”

Kingsman

Kingsman yet shared a papers containing nonstop messages betwixt helium and Cece called "The Cece Files." It covers a speech betwixt the 2 feuding creators that took spot aft the scrimmage matches and aft Kingsman had uploaded his video.

He appears to person hoped to support a competitory cognition upon learning of however it could assistance wage for his acquisition but lone coiled up removed from the tourney without a dime to amusement for it. That’s the communicative the net has rallied behind, and the effect is far, acold much than $3,000 for the Magik player.

Kingsman’s latest YouTube video hitting astir 3 cardinal views whitethorn gain him a spot of cash, for example. In summation to what appears to beryllium a maturation of hundreds of thousands of subscribers connected the Google video platform, helium has seen an summation of much than 220,000 followers (up from 1,000 January 16) arsenic his mean viewers skyrockets (via TwitchTracker). Kingsman has besides seen a drastic summation successful subscribers and assemblage donations, arsenic helium besides alleges that 1 anonymous donor outright paid him the $3,000 helium had hoped to gain successful winnings.

Kingsman265 was talented in-game units to acquisition premium skins.
W dev squad @MarvelRivals pic.twitter.com/3eC0znyu6X

— Trending Now ON X (@TrendingNowVidz) January 22, 2026

We can't archer conscionable however overmuch wealth helium has made successful the aftermath of his removal from the Deadpool Creator Cup, but arsenic viewers caput to remark sections crossed the net to connection their support, it’s harmless to accidental he’s got astatine slightest a small much currency to assistance wage for college. Meanwhile, Kingsman says the Marvel Rivals squad astatine NetEase has besides stepped in, gifting him in-game credits known arsenic Units to, arsenic helium says, “purchase Magik skins.”

NBA squad the Atlanta Hawks got successful connected the drama, too, showing their enactment for the competitory gamer with a station connected TikTok. Even Straight Outta Compton prima and lad of Ice Cube, O’Shea Jackson Jr., commented connected the events of the past fewer weeks, simply sending retired a station mentioning his name.

— SN | Avataryaya (@avataryaya_) January 21, 2026

The Kingsman265 play began arsenic the benignant of statement leader shooter players find themselves successful each time and transformed into what could stay arsenic the biggest gaming play of the year. For now, it appears each sanction progressive volition proceed playing, streaming, and competing successful Marvel Rivals events, careless of the sides they took. Kingsman didn’t travel adjacent to winning the Deadpool Creator Cup, and it doesn’t similar helium would person if helium hadn’t person been kicked, but astatine this signifier of the drama, it seems the net is doing its champion to enactment him connected top.

“I was looking done my aged clips, and I recovered a video of myself being like, ‘I’ve lone ever made $90 from Twitch successful 4 years of streaming, but I’m going to support streaming anyway,’ and… beatified s**t,” Kingsman said during a caller watercourse arsenic his livestream chat asks him to crook connected ads. “You guys truly privation ads? OK, bro.”

“How bash I adjacent crook connected ads? I virtually don’t know,” helium adds.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).