NetEase Games announced on the 5th that Marvel Rivals will kick off Season 9.5 on August 7th, accompanied by a substantial update. This mid-season pivot continues the narrative arc of Season 9, 'Mystery of Thebes,' and introduces a new playable hero: The Hood.

The Hood, born Parker Robbins, is a well-known antagonist across Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this iteration, The Hood occupies the Vanguard role, tasked with shielding allies and holding the frontline. This gunslinger dances on the line between human and demon, using twin pistols to pepper the opposition with consistent direct fire. The Hood also wields a mysterious cloak imbued with the chaos energy of Oblivion to provide protective barriers for teammates. When unleashing the ultimate ability, The Hood transforms into a full-fledged demon, firing armor-piercing projectiles to dominate the battlefield.

The updates continue on the 13th with the second phase of the Summer Festival. Players can look forward to fresh summer-themed costumes, including a feature for the 'Lady Loki' outfit that allows for custom animation effects. Furthermore, the limited-time Krakoa Reel event returns, letting players enjoy a bit of fishing—a simple mini-game—to snag exclusive skins and various other rewards.

Additionally, this update brings a major overhaul to storage optimization. Through advanced texture compression techniques, the developer has managed to shrink the game's footprint without sacrificing visual fidelity. PC players can expect to reclaim about 40 gigabytes of space, while console users will save approximately 15 gigabytes.