Marvel Rivals Releases Midseason Update Patch Notes and New Content Roadmap

April 17 is a big day for Marvel Rivals when its mid-season update arrives, along with Black Cat as the latest playable Duelist hero. Almost a month after Season 7 launched and added White Fox to the game's massive roster, the Lower Manhattan map, as well as other features like the album system, NetEase is preparing the game's next big update. As the studio has already teased, Marvel Rivals fans will have more content to dig into as well as a massive patch to further change things up.

With the mid-season update scheduled to arrive on April 17, NetEase gave fans an early look at Black Cat for Marvel Rivals. As the second character to join the roster in Season 7, Black Cat is a damaging dualist character who uses her claws and agility to take down unsuspecting opponents. However, this version of Felicia Hardy also comes with a unique relic where she can spend the currency she wins by defeating opponents to use an ability reminiscent of other characters, such as placing Dr. Strange portals. Her ultimate sees her throw her calling card at nearby enemies, dashing towards them and dealing lethal damage.

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Marvel Rivals is looking to “Move Beyond” Standard 6v6

Marvel Rivals plans to go beyond its standard 6v6 PvP and expand into new arenas for players to enjoy, explore and compete.

For Season 7.5, NetEase is also releasing a new update for Marvel Rivalsadding new stories, content, events, as well as additional gameplay improvements. In fact, on Marvel Rivals Times Square social hub map, players can now send Duel invites to the Clobberin' Club directly from the player menu. Additionally, new rules have also been added, including being able to customize a list of available heroes for the duel by role type, as well as a mirror option for random mode. Private duels can also be initiated pending matchmaking as well.

In addition to the patch, NetEase also released a new roadmap for Marvel Rivals to help fans get a better understanding of when certain content and events will arrive in Season 7.5. As expected, NetEase is releasing something new every week before Season 8 launches on May 15, including the next PvE mode for Marvel Rivals is called Blood Hunt, which will be released next week on April 24th. Similar to the popular Zombies mode, players will battle four new bosses, with a revamped progression and trait system as well.

There's also a new special event now live, ESU Open Day, with a mix of free and premium rewards to unlock for participation. Players simply need to complete various in-game missions to progress through the rewards pass and include a free Black & Gold outfit for Mantis, as well as premium outfits for Squirrel Girl and Psylocke.

April 24 also sees the return of the 2026 Hellfire Gala, with NetEase also releasing new Magik and Gambit outfits to celebrate the event. Elsa Bloodstone, Loki, Iron Man, Winter Soldier, and Venom are all getting new costumes through May as well, so players will want to check out the store for all the details.

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May 1 also sees Marvel Rivals is also kicking off its Path to Doomsday event by adding a new PvP Avengers Mode to the game. Not much is known about this specific detail yet, but it represents a major part of NetEase's plans to tie into the MCU's upcoming Avengers Doomsday movie. NetEase plans to add new modes and events every two months until October, with the studio releasing a major in-game content release in December to celebrate the film's release.

Marvel Rivals Update 20260417 Patch Notes

New hero

Black Cat officially joins the Marvel Rivals roster! Get ready for some spinning heists!

New stories

– New Black Cat Lore – Good Fortune

– New Spider-Man Lore – Message received

New event: ESU Open Day

Welcome to ESU Open Day! Complete event quests to score the Mantis – Black & Gold costume for FREE! Other rewards include Squirrel Girl – Maureen Allene: The Programmer, Psylocke – Chouko Takahashi: The Prodigy and more!

Event duration: April 17, 2026, 09:00:00 to June 12, 2026, 09:00:00 (UTC)

New in store

Spider-Man – Peter Parker: The Photographer Bundle Limited Time: April 17, 2026, 09:00:00 a.m. to May 15, 2026, 09:00:00 a.m. (UTC)
Blade – Starlit Shadow Bundle
Black Cat – Urban Predator Bundle
Black Cat – Gilded Shadow
Psylocke – Chouko Takahashi: – The Prodigy Chroma: Sporty tea and cobalt charm. – Ability VFX – Ultimate Ability – Customizable Components – Headwear, Protective Gear, Shoes
Spider-Man – Friendly Perch Emote
Black Cat Accessory – Symbiote Spider-Man Plush. Available from: 17 April 2026, 9:00:00 (UTC).
Season 2 Battle Pass: Flower Of Krakoa returns in Season 7.5 Available from: April 17, 2026. 09:00:00 to April 30, 2026, 09:00:00 (UTC)

Twitch Drops

As Season 7.5 kicks off, get ready for another round of Twitch Drops. Watch your favorite streamers to get sweet rewards.

This round's drops include the Daredevil – Will of Galacta costume along with related pack content.

Drip Period: April 17, 2026 at 12.00 (UTC) until 15 May 2026 at 09:00 (UTC)

As the Ignite Series Elimination Stage officially begins, the ultimate showdown is imminent! We offer even more viewing benefits! Just collect the required viewing time to claim your rewards.

The drops include the Gambit – Will of Galacta costume and emote.

Drip Period: April 19, 2026, at 15:00:00 (UTC) to May 17, 2026, at 15:00:00 (UTC)

Rank rewards

Reach the gold rank to unlock the brand new Black Cat – Beguiling Blue costume!

Fixes and optimizations

Clobberin' Club

In the Times Square chat channel, you can now send Duel invites directly via the Player menu.
Added a new rule for all duel modes: [Assign Selectable Roles]. You can now customize the list of available heroes by role type.
Added a new random mode rule: Mirror Type. Options include Full Mirror, Roll Mirror and No Mirror.
You can now start private duels while matching. The duel is automatically canceled when a match is found.
Added a queue information guide at the Clobberin' Club entrance.

All platforms

Esports optimization: The player page now supports visual crosshair displays! You can see the visual effects of a pro player's favorite cross right on their website and copy it for your own use.

Other

Mantis Makeover: Fixed an issue where the eyebrows on the Mantis – Oceanic Harmony costume were displayed incorrectly. Even an empath needs her eyebrows on point!
Chat Decoded: Fixed an issue where messages containing special characters might not display correctly in chat. We have successfully translated the runes back into readable text!

Released: December 6, 2024
ESRB: T for Teens // Violence
Developer: NetEase Games
Publisher: NetEase Games