"Marvel Rivals" Season 7.5 "The Hunt Begins" Second Half Opens April 17! New Hero "Black Cat" Joins, New PvE Mode "Bloodhunt," "Hellfire Gala 2026," and More

Marvel Games and NetEase Games today officially announced that the second half of Season 7.5 "The Hunt Begins" for the team-based PvP shooting game "Marvel Rivals" will commence on April 17, 2026. This season will see the introduction of a new fighter, "Black Cat." Additionally, an update on April 23 will bring a brand new PvE mode called "Bloodhunt," featuring a new storyline, four powerful boss battles, a new hero growth & trait system, and a new route system. Furthermore, various events are planned, including the addition of new team-up abilities, various updates, and the return of the "Hellfire Gala." The latest information is also available in the released character trailer and the latest official developer talk program, "Dev Vision 16." ▶ "Marvel Rivals" Dev Vision Episode 16 https://youtu.be/Z6JC-ciabRg In Season 7.5, the new fighter "Black Cat" will join the roster. Black Cat is a mysterious and genius thief with exceptional combat skills and high mobility. She traverses the battlefield freely with wall climbing and double jumps, enhancing her combat power by stealing enemies' "luck" with her grappling hook, and dealing massive damage with enhanced claw attacks. Furthermore, using "Phantom Hunt," she can quickly approach any enemy's defenses and safely disengage. When her ultimate ability is activated, after sending a calling card to all enemies, she instantly closes in on any target like a ghost, dealing fatal damage. Moreover, by transferring the stolen "luck" to "Gilded Saint," she can retrieve rare treasures from the New York Thieves Guild's vault, such as the "Ring of Zona," "Helm of Hades," and the "Illusory Fish" once owned by Namor. These artifacts not only enhance Black Cat's own abilities but also provide unexpected tactical advantages to the entire team. ▶ "Marvel Rivals" Black Cat Character Trailer https://youtu.be/qn7a5F9oJwo Season 7.5 will implement the new team-up skill "Lucky Loan," featuring Black Cat, White Fox, and Captain America. With this, White Fox receives a special boost of life energy, and upon activation, transforms her vitality into the power of Kumiho (Nine-Tailed Fox), releasing multiple spiritual fox tails in all directions. These automatically detect surrounding targets, providing healing and increased movement speed to allies, and damage and slow effects to enemies. Meanwhile, Captain America's Vibranium shield also receives the blessing of luck, expanding its defensive range and gaining the ability to accurately deflect enemy projectiles in the aimed direction. <"Hellfire Gala" 2026 Opens April 23> After the April 23 update, "Hellfire Gala 2026" will officially begin! Luxurious themed costumes and exclusive cosmetics for Magik, Gambit, Moon Knight, Emma Frost, and Phoenix will be available. Additionally, the "Emma Frost - Glass Star" costume, chosen by community vote in the 2025 Hellfire Gala, will be distributed free to all players! At the same time, community voting for the next Hellfire Gala costume is also scheduled to begin. The hero who receives the most votes will receive an exclusive costume at next year's Hellfire Gala, which will again be available for free. <"Path to Doomsday" Phase 1 Begins April 30> After the April 30 update, "Path to Doomsday" Phase 1 will begin. In the new mode "Path to Doomsday: Avengers Mode," players can experience the thrill of asymmetrical combat as or against Loki. A linked event will also unfold in Times Square within the game. As part of the PC version optimization, this update will separate the high-resolution texture pack as an independent DLC. While it will still be automatically downloaded during game installation, players who wish to save storage space can free up approximately 35GB by individually uninstalling this HD pack. Moving forward, we will continue to deliver game update information, including the latest patch notes and hero balance adjustments. ■ About "Marvel Rivals" "Marvel Rivals" is a team-based PvP shooter played by over 40 million players worldwide. Superheroes and supervillains are continuously added, allowing players to choose their favorite characters to form an all-star team and enjoy battles utilizing their unique superpowers on dynamic, destructible maps across the "Marvel Multiverse." Follow "Marvel Rivals" on social media: X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/MarvelRivals_JP YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarvelRivals_JP Discord: https://discord.gg/marvelrivals Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marvelrivals Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marvelrivals/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marvelrivals Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/marvelrivals ■ About Marvel Marvel is one of the world's most prominent entertainment brands, built upon an unparalleled library of iconic characters and stories that have shaped pop culture for 85 years. The Marvel brand extends across various entertainment sectors, including film, television, publishing, licensing, games, live events, and digital media. For more details, visit marvel.com. © 2026 MARVEL ■ About NetEase Games NetEase Games, the gaming division of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES, HKEX: 9999), is a world-leading publisher and developer providing video game IPs across various genres and platforms. NetEase Games' publishing and development titles include "Marvel Rivals," "Knives Out," "Identity V," and "NARAKA: BLADEPOINT." They also partner with major entertainment brands such as Warner Bros. and Mojang AB (a Microsoft subsidiary). For more details, visit https://www.neteasegames.com/jp/. Follow on social media: Facebook: https://facebook.com/NetEaseOfficial X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/NetEaseGames_JP