Season 9 brings two fresh faces to Marvel Rivals, and they arrive on a staggered schedule rather than dropping together. Jubilee headlines the update as a new Strategist, while The Hood follows a little later in the season. Both are tied into the season’s darker Age of Apocalypse storyline, which pushes the roster toward Egyptian mythology and a fight over divine power.
Quick answer: Jubilee is the first new hero, a Strategist who launches with Season 9 on July 10, 2026 at 9 AM UTC. The Hood arrives afterward as the season’s second addition, expected to play as a Vanguard.
Season 9 new heroes and their roles
NetEase confirmed that Jubilee debuts first and The Hood comes second, so you won’t have access to both the moment servers come back online. Here’s how the two shake out.
| Hero | Role | Arrival |
|---|---|---|
| Jubilee | Strategist | Season 9 launch (July 10) |
| The Hood | Vanguard | Later in Season 9 |
Jubilee, the new Strategist
Jubilee is a support-focused Strategist rather than a straight damage dealer. She sets off fireworks across the battlefield, and those explosive energy blasts do double duty. They heal allies caught in the effect while still dealing meaningful damage to enemies.
Her kit leans on a firework theme, including a large explosive skill nicknamed the “Atomic Bomb,” ranged fireworks attacks, healing effects, and the potential to blind enemies as a form of crowd control. Story-wise, she sides with Apocalypse because she’s trying to cure her transformed son, Shogo, which is why she turns her fireworks against former allies.
The Hood, the season’s second hero
The Hood has been sitting in the game files for months, and Season 9 is where he finally becomes playable. He’s set to be a Vanguard, but an unusual one. His toolkit centers on dual pistols with an overheat mechanic, a magical defensive shield, and the ability to spawn clones that can then explode.
His ultimate reportedly turns him into a demon. In the season’s story, he obtains the Cloak of Oblivion and ends up opposing Apocalypse rather than joining him, positioning him as one of En Sabah Nur’s biggest challengers.
Note: The Hood’s exact abilities are still prototype-stage and could shift before he goes live, since heroes are often tuned between their file appearance and their actual release.
Season 9 release date and launch times
Season 9 goes live on July 10, 2026 at 9 AM UTC, when Season 8.5 ends and the game enters scheduled maintenance. Downtime usually runs two to three hours, so servers typically reopen a bit after the listed time. Here’s when that lands in major regions.
| Region | Launch time |
|---|---|
| US Pacific | 2:00 AM PDT |
| US Eastern | 5:00 AM EDT |
| UK | 10:00 AM BST |
| Central Europe | 11:00 AM CEST |
| India | 2:30 PM IST |
| China | 5:00 PM CST |
| Japan / Korea | 6:00 PM JST / KST |
| Australia | 7:00 PM AEST |
How to know the new heroes are live
Once maintenance finishes and you log back in, Jubilee should appear in the hero select roster under the Strategist category. If you still see the maintenance screen, the update hasn’t finished rolling out yet, so waiting until servers fully reopen is smoother than trying to log in early.
The Hood won’t be selectable at launch. He becomes available at a later point during Season 9, so don’t expect to find him in the roster on day one alongside Jubilee.
Beyond the two heroes, Season 9 is a large update in its own right. Black Widow gets a full rework into an aggressive flanking Duelist, the team-up system is overhauled so every hero carries two team-up options chosen in the spawn room, and a new Regenerative Shield mechanic reshapes how dive characters survive. If you’re returning specifically for the new roster additions, Jubilee is the one to log in for first, with The Hood worth circling back for once he drops.
