Marvel Rivals Season 9 Launch Adds Jubilee, Thebes, and Major Balance Changes
Marvel Rivals’ Season 9 is now live, bringing the new playable Hero Jubilee, a fresh map called Thebes, and the next chapter of the Path to Doomsday event. The update also includes major changes to Team-Up Abilities and a full balance pass focused on Black Widow.
Release window, platforms, and edition notes
| Update item | Date / timing |
|---|---|
| Season 9 launch | Arrived with this update (no specific day listed) |
| Thebes map debut | July 23, 2026 |
| Path to Doomsday: Avengers: Age of Ultron mode | July 30, 2026 |
| Death of Apocalypse mini-game start | July 10 (year implied by surrounding Season 9 context) |
| 616 Vault availability ends | July 17, 2026 |
| Balance patch notes reference | July 10 Patch Notes page |
New Hero – Jubilee
Jubilee joins the roster as a Strategist. In combat, she can manipulate energy plasmoids to heal allies, while also damaging and blinding enemies. Her Ultimate fires off a large-scale firework display.
New Map – Thebes
A new Convoy map, Thebes, is scheduled to debut on July 23, 2026, though the update notes don’t include further specifics yet.
Path to Doomsday
After the update on July 30, 2026, the next Path to Doomsday installment—titled Avengers: Age of Ultron—goes live. The mode sends players into Avengers Tower and Ultron’s Data Space to take on Ultron and his army.
There are also themed events planned for the Times Square lobby, giving players something to explore between matches.
Season Event: Resurrection of the Horsemen
Complete event missions during Resurrection of the Horsemen to earn Units, Chrono Tokens, Sprays, a Nameplate, and additional rewards.
Season Event: Death of Apocalypse
Starting July 10, Death of Apocalypse begins as a mini-game built around investigation. You’ll be asked to sort through clues and piece together a chain of deception by uncovering a network of lies. Completing missions will grant Units, Gallery Cards, and more.
Team-Up Abilities Overhaul
Season 9 adds a major system change to Team-Up Abilities: every Hero now has two separate Team-Up Ability loadouts. The contents of these loadouts can differ—some entries are entirely new, while others replace abilities you previously had as part of the default kit.
Before you queue into a match, you can choose which loadout you want to use based on your preferred approach. If you decide to switch while the match is in progress, you can do it freely from the Spawn Room.
Each loadout includes a Base Effect and an Enhanced Effect. The Base Effect is the core Team-Up behavior, covering controls, mechanics, and visuals. The Enhanced Effect functions as a buff layered on top of the Base Effect, and some Enhanced options include extra variations. The Enhanced Effect only works while the Team-Up member is actively present in the match, while the Base Effect is enabled immediately by default.
All Team-Up abilities released since launch were reviewed to determine the best fit for the new structure, meaning a number of Team-Ups will return alongside a set of brand-new additions.
Black Widow Rework
Black Widow’s redesign aims to preserve her feel while addressing balance. The update removes ADS sniper mode from her normal state, and it also increases the fire rate of her primary attack. In addition, the charged electro-plasma blast previously tied to her Ultimate is now available as a standard option, where it deals damage and applies a slow on hit.
Her Ultimate now takes the role of the ADS sniper mode. It will remain active for a set duration or until Black Widow fires a specified number of bullets. Critical hits will no longer deliver one-shot damage, but the update compensates by greatly widening the sniper bullet hitbox. The bullets can also pierce through enemies. Shots that do not land as critical hits still deal very high damage, and the change specifies that there is no damage drop-off with range.
Black Widow’s sprint and super-jump no longer have stamina restrictions, though her spinning kick remains. A new airborne ability lets her launch toward a chosen spot and then slam down using her Widow’s Bite Gauntlets, dealing area-of-effect damage.
New Stories
- New Serial – The Mystery of Thebes
- New Jubilee Lore – Rise and Fall
New In-Store Items
The following items are now available in the in-game store:
- Rogue – Raider Prime Bundle
- Jubilee – Midnight Mutant Bundle
- Wolverine – Bloodless Berserker Bundle
- Jubilee – Cool Combustion
- Jubilee – Emoji Bundle
- Elsa Bloodstone – Primal Predator Chroma Silver Stalker/Jade Jaguar and Ultimate Ability VFX
- Deadpool – Dead Mummy Ultimate Ability VFX
- All-New Accessory: Shogo Bag
616 Day Extension
The 616 Vault has been extended and will stay available until July 17, 2026.
S9 Battle Pass
A new Battle Pass is available for Season 9. It includes 10 new costumes to unlock, featuring:
- Deadpool – Dead Mummy
- Elsa Bloodstone – Primal Predator
- Rocket Raccoon – Golden Artificer
Fixes & Optimizations
Heroes
- Resolved a bug where, if Loki used his Ultimate to transform into Angela and then activated Angela’s Assassin’s Charge right as the transformation timer ended, the camera could become stuck and stop rotating after Loki reverted back.
Balance Patch Notes
For a full rundown of the roster balance changes arriving with this Season, check the dedicated July 10 Patch Notes page.
Up Next: Marvel Rivals Characters
Top Guide Sections
- Marvel Rivals Season 9 Details and Patch Notes
- Marvel Rivals Characters
- All Marvel Rivals Team-Ups
- How to Get and Use Marvel Rivals Chrono Shield
