Marvel Games issued the following:
The Hood Joins the Battle as Marvel Rivals Season 9.5: The Mystery of Thebes Launches August 7
Update Includes Summer Festival Vol. 2 with Brand New Swimsuit Special Costumes, Customizable Lady Loki Animations and the Return of the Krakoan Reels Event
The Hood Voiced by WWE Superstar Damian Priest (a.k.a. Luis Berrios)
Guangzhou, China and Los Angeles, California, United States, August, 4, 2026 – Today, Marvel Games and NetEase Games have unveiled full details for Season 9.5: The Mystery of Thebes, launching August 7 for Marvel Rivals. The award-winning and critically-acclaimed Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter lets players assemble an ever-evolving all-star squad of Super Heroes and Super Villains battling with unique powers across a dynamic lineup of destructible maps from across the Marvel Multiverse. Parker Robbins, The Hood, will join the ever-expanding roster for Season 9.5 as a Vanguard. This next update will also introduce a brand-new wave of swimsuit special costumes and cosmetics, customizable animations for Lady Loki, and increased storage optimizations for PC, PS5, and Xbox.
Full details and features for Season 9.5 in Marvel Rivals are below and in the latest Dev Vision.
The Hood (Vanguard) – A dynamic gunner who walks the razor’s edge between mortal mobster and demonic powerhouse, flexibly switching between human and demon forms. Parker lays down relentless frontal cover fire with his twin pistols. Utilizing his mystical cloak he can channel the chaotic energy of Oblivion, and manifest protective shields for his allies, while hurling dark magic orbs that warp into barriers, sapping the strength of incoming enemy fire. For his Ultimate Ability, The Hood fully surrenders to the darkness, entering Full Demon State, transforming into a fully-realized Gun Demon, using high-impact piercing rounds that completely punch through shields and enemies alike, all while radiating dark energy that grants bonus health to nearby teammates! The Hood is voiced by Damian Priest (a.k.a. Luis Berrios), best known for WWE SmackDown.
Following the update on August 13, Vol. 2 of the Marvel Rivals Summer Festival kicks off with a brand-new wave of swimsuit special costumes and cosmetics. Additionally, the Goddess of Mischief is getting a flair upgrade. The Marvel Rivals team is rolling out exclusive, toggleable movement and ability animations for Lady Loki that players can customize directly in the costume menu. Finally, the fan-favorite Krakoan reels event is returning for Volume 2!
The final addition coming to Marvel Rivals with season 9.5 is a massive texture compression overhaul. Without losing a single pixel, the game’s footprint on hard drives is shrinking. PC players can expect a reduction of roughly 40GB, while PS5 & Xbox versions are expected to decrease by 15GB.
In addition to the above, players can continue to get all the latest information from the Game Update featuring full Patch Notes and Hero Balance adjustments.
About Marvel Rivals
In Marvel Rivals, players can look forward to choosing heroes split into three distinct roles based on their unique power inclinations: Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategist. They’ll be free to pick their preferred role and hero, teaming up with allies to create a versatile and dynamic lineup for battle. But that’s not all, as they’ll be able to reach a whole new level of team play collaboration with Team-Up Abilities, unleashing joint superpowers with their allies, tearing down the battlefield to win in exciting fights! Marvel Rivals is in development by a NetEase team composed of global talent that share a profound love for the Marvel universe and characters who previously worked on hit shooter franchises played by millions of players worldwide.
For more information about Marvel Rivals please visit www.marvelrivals.com. Follow Marvel Rivals on Discord | X | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
About Marvel
Marvel is one of the world’s most prominent entertainment brands, built on an unparalleled library of iconic characters and stories that have shaped pop culture for 85 years. The Marvel brand spans entertainment, including film, television, publishing, licensing, games, live events, digital media, and more.
For more information, visit marvel.com. © 2026 MARVEL
About NetEase Games
NetEase Games, the online games division of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX: 9999), is a leading global developer and publisher of video game IP across a variety of genres and platforms. NetEase Games’ development and publishing slate includes titles such as Marvel Rivals, Where Winds Meet, Knives Out, and Naraka: Bladepoint, and partnerships with major entertainment brands such as Warner Bros and Mojang AB (a Microsoft subsidiary). For more information, please visit https://www.neteasegames.com/.
This marks another venture outside of WWE for the pro wrestling star, as last week Damian Priest was announced for cast of Netflix’s animated film ‘Steps’.
