April 17 is a big day for Marvel Rivals as its midseason update arrives, alongside Black Cat as the newest playable Duelist hero. Nearly a month after Season 7 kicked off, adding White Fox into the game’s massive roster, the Lower Manhattan map, as well as other features like the Album System, NetEase is readying the game’s next major 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 midseason 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 damage-dealing dualist character, using her claws and agility to get the drop on unsuspecting opponents. However, this version of Felicia Hardy also comes with a unique relic where she can spend the currency she gains by defeating opponents to use an ability reminiscent of other characters, like placing Dr. Strange portals. Her ultimate sees her throw her calling card to nearby enemies, rushing at them and dealing lethal damage.
Marvel Rivals is Looking to “Move Beyond” Standard 6v6
Marvel Rivals plans to move 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 Rivals, adding new stories, content, events, as well as additional game improvements. In fact, on Marvel Rivals Times Square social hub map, players can now send Duel invitations for the Clobberin’ Club directly through the player menu. In addition, 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 the Random mode. Private Duels can also be initiated while waiting for matchmaking as well.
In addition to the patch, NetEase also released a new roadmap for Marvel Rivals to help fans have a better understanding as to 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 called Blood Hunt, which releases next week on April 24. Similar to the popular Zombies mode, players will team up to battle four new bosses, with a revamped progression and trait system as well.
There’s also a new special event which is now live called ESU Open Day, with a mix of free and premium rewards to unlock for participating. Players simply need to complete various missions in-game to progress through the reward pass and includes a free Black & Gold costume for Mantis, as well as premium outfits for Squirrel Girl and Psylocke.
April 24 also sees the 2026 return of the 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 the shop for all the details.
Drag weapons to fill the grid
Drag weapons to fill the grid
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May 1 also sees Marvel Rivals kicks off its Path to Doomsday event as well by adding a new PvP Avengers Mode to the game. Not much is known about this specific detail yet, but it represents a larger part of NetEase’s plans to tie into the MCU’s upcoming Avengers Doomsday film. NetEase is planning to add new modes and events every couple of months through October, with the studio teasing a big in-game content release in December to celebrate the movie’s release.
Marvel Rivals Update 20260417 Patch Notes
New Hero
Black Cat is officially joining the Marvel Rivals roster! Get ready for some purr-fect heists!
New Stories
– New Black Cat Lore – Good Fortune
– New Spider-Man Lore – Message Received
New Event: ESU Open Day
Welcome to the ESU Open Day! Complete event missions to score the Mantis – Black & Gold costume for FREE! Other rewards include the Squirrel Girl – Maureen Allene: The Programmer, Psylocke – Chouko Takahashi: The Prodigy, and more!
Event Duration: April 17th, 2026, 09:00:00 to June 12th, 2026, 09:00:00 (UTC)
New In Store
- Spider-Man – Peter Parker: The Photographer Bundle Limited Time: April 17th, 2026, 09:00:00 to May 15th 2026, 09:00:00 (UTC)
- Blade – Starlit Shadow Bundle
- Black Cat – Urban Predator Bundle
- Black Cat – Gilded Shadow
- Psylocke – Chouko Takahashi: – The Prodigy Chroma: Sporty Tea & 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: April 17th, 2026, at 9:00:00 (UTC).
- Season 2 Battle Pass: Flower Of Krakoa returns in Season 7.5 Available from: April 17th, 2026. 09:00:00 to April 30th, 2026, 09:00:00 (UTC)
Twitch Drops
As Season 7.5 kicks off, get ready for a new round of Twitch Drops. Watch your favorite streamers to earn sweet rewards.
This round’s drops include the Daredevil – Will of Galacta costume along with related bundle content.
Drops Period: April 17th, 2026, at 12:00:00 (UTC) to May 15th, 2026, at 09:00:00 (UTC)
As the Ignite Series Elimination Stage officially begins, the ultimate showdown is imminent! We’re offering even more viewership perks! Simply accumulate the required viewing time to claim your rewards.
The drops include the Gambit – Will of Galacta costume and emote.
Drops Period: April 19th, 2026, at 15:00:00 (UTC) to May 17th, 2026, at 15:00:00 (UTC)
Rank Rewards
Reach 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 invitations 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 rule for the Random mode: Mirror Type. Options include Full Mirror, Role Mirror, and No Mirror.
- You can now initiate Private Duels while matchmaking. The Duel will automatically interrupt when a match is found.
- Added a queue info guide screen at the entrance of the Clobberin’ Club.
All Platforms
- Esports Optimization: The player page now supports visual crosshair displays! You can view the visual effects of a pro player’s Favorite Reticle directly on their homepage and copy it for your own use.
Other
- Mantis Makeover: Fixed an issue where the eyebrows on the Mantis – Oceanic Harmony costume were displaying incorrectly. Even an empath needs her brows on point!
- Chat Decoded: Fixed an issue where messages containing special characters might not display correctly in chat. We’ve successfully translated the runes back into readable text!
- Released
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December 6, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
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NetEase Games
- Publisher(s)
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NetEase Games
