Season 9 of Marvel Rivals is almost here, and NetEase is keeping the pace it has set all year: fast, aggressive, and packed with new characters. The current season ends July 10, 2026, and Season 9 picks up immediately. Two new heroes are already teased, the Age of Apocalypse arc is kicking into gear, and the meta is about to shift again. Here's everything confirmed so far.
When does Marvel Rivals Season 9 start?
Based on the Season 8.5 roadmap, Season 9 launches on July 10, 2026. NetEase has kept its seasonal cadence tight throughout 2026, with each split running roughly four weeks. Season 9 follows that same pattern, dropping the moment Season 8.5 closes out.
The new season is always the busiest time to be in the game. Every player is hunting the new heroes, rank resets send everyone scrambling, and the meta takes a few days to settle into something readable. If you want to play the new characters on day one, queue up early because the lobbies will be packed.
Season 9 hero select roster
Marvel Rivals Season 9 global start times
NetEase typically rolls out new seasons at 3:00 AM PT. Based on that pattern and the confirmed July 10 date, here are the expected launch times worldwide:
What new heroes are coming in Season 9?
Jubilee and The Hood are all but confirmed as the two new heroes arriving in Season 9 and its mid-season split. The reveal came through the final Gallery Card of Season 8.5, which included two very specific character hints in its text.
The card references "a man wearing the cloak of Oblivion" and "a wise-cracking enemy-turned-ally desperate to find a cure for her son's unique ailment, even if it means turning her fireworks against her former friends." The cloak of Oblivion points squarely to The Hood, and the fireworks description is unmistakably Jubilee.
Jubilee's firework abilities
As for their roles, current leaks suggest The Hood will be a Vanguard and Jubilee will be a Strategist. If accurate, Season 9 would be the first season in a while to add zero new Duelists, which would be a welcome change given how Duelist-heavy the roster has become.
One caveat worth noting: some leaks suggest Jubilee may appear as her vampire variant from the comics rather than her classic version. That detail hasn't been confirmed, and reactions to a vampire Jubilee in an Apocalypse-themed season would be mixed at best.
What is the Season 9 story about?
The overarching narrative is moving into the Age of Apocalypse. The Season 8.5 Gallery Card establishes Apocalypse as the central villain, with Jubilee and The Hood both drawn into that conflict in different ways. The Hood's connection to the cloak of Oblivion and Jubilee's desperation to cure her son fit neatly into the moral grey zones that define Age of Apocalypse stories in the comics.
NetEase has been building its seasonal storylines with more consistency lately, using Gallery Cards and in-game lore drops to seed upcoming arcs. Whether the execution lands depends on how well the new heroes' abilities reflect their narrative roles, which won't be clear until the patch notes drop closer to launch.
How does Season 9 fit into Marvel Rivals' release schedule?
NetEase has maintained a consistent two-heroes-per-season structure throughout 2026, with each season split into a main launch and a mid-season .5 update. Devil Dinosaur arrived in Season 8, Cyclops followed in Season 8.5, and Season 9 looks set to split Jubilee and The Hood across its two halves in the same way.
For context on how the current season played out, the Season 8.5 release date guide covers Cyclops' arrival and the exact global times for that update. If you missed Season 8's opening and want to understand the full arc before Season 9 hits, the Season 8 patch notes break down every balance change and what shifted in the meta when Devil Dinosaur launched.
For a full breakdown of everything happening in the current season before the reset, the Season 8 roadmap has every event, update, and costume drop dated out. Check our full Marvel Rivals guide collection for hero-specific tips and meta breakdowns to carry into Season 9.