COSM-GAME
Marvel Rivals Season 9.5 Adds The Hood
Marvel Rivals Season 9.5 went live on August 7, 2026, adding The Hood as the game's newest Vanguard hero. Parker Robbins brings demonic gunslinging and a two-state combat system to the roster, and is voiced by WWE wrestler Damian Priest. The update also introduced the Creed of Akabba season event, a new Pick Your Own store bundle format, and a texture compression overhaul that reduces the game's installed size across all platforms.
Game summary
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The Hood joins as a new Vanguard
The Hood is the 53rd hero added to Marvel Rivals and the new Vanguard for Season 9.5. Parker Robbins is voiced by WWE wrestler Damian Priest. His kit is built around a passive resource mechanic called Ruinous Pact, which charges Demonic Energy through ability use. Reaching 100% Demonic Energy triggers his transformation into a half-demon state.
In his default form, The Hood fires rapid pistol shots that generate Demonic Energy on hit, with attack speed increasing when Demonic Energy is above 50%. In his half-demon state, his weapon switches to Leaded Transformation, a sustained barrage with lifesteal, unlimited ammo, and bonus health generated from damage dealt. He also has a new Team-Up ability with Cloak and Dagger.
Season 9.5 story
Following the events of Season 9, The Hood was held in custody after murdering Gambit. He volunteered to help unlock the Tablet of Death and Entropy, an artifact that communicates with the dead. Moon Knight used the tablet and heard the testimonies of billions of souls, all pointing to the atrocities of Apocalypse and revealing that a new wielder of All-Black, the Necrosword, may be the true architect of the season's murders. Two new hero lore comics arrive with the patch: The Hood — Carved in Stone and Moon Knight — Faces of the Moon.
Creed of Akabba event
The season event for Season 9.5 is Creed of Akabba. Completing event missions earns The Punisher's Sandstorm Soldier costume for free. Some premium event rewards can also be purchased directly with Units. The event runs through September 11, 2026.
Times Square screening and Twitch Drops
A limited screening runs at the Times Square in-game location through August 27, 2026, cycling clips from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron at the top of each hour. Watching continuously for two minutes unlocks an exclusive Spray.
Twitch Drops for Season 9.5 run from August 7 to September 4, 2026. Watching participating Marvel Rivals streams earns the Elsa Bloodstone — Will of Galacta costume along with related bundle content.
New PYO store format
The store introduces a Pick Your Own bundle format this update. Instead of fixed bundles, players choose which specific costumes and Emote Emojis to include and the price adjusts to match. NetEase confirmed the adaptive price is the same as the equivalent content would have cost under the previous standard bundle structure. Launch items in the format include new costumes for The Hood, Iron Fist, and Moon Knight.
Storage size reduction
Season 9.5 includes a full texture compression overhaul that repackages all assets without reducing visual quality. The initial update download is larger than usual, but the final installed size drops by approximately 40 GB on PC, 20 percent on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and 7 percent on PlayStation 4 after the download completes.
Bug fixes
Several hero and map bugs were resolved in Version 20260807:
- Peni Parker: Fixed an incorrect KO icon showing when defeating enemies with Cyber-Web Cluster during the Black Panther Team-Up.
- Rocket Raccoon: Fixed Repair Mode charges abnormally refilling after using the Planet X Pals Team-Up ability.
- Cloak and Dagger: Fixed Emma Frost's Ultimate Ability control effect still applying after using the Frozen Haven Team-Up to freeze themselves.
- Namor: Fixed Monstro Spawns incorrectly detecting Vitality Acorns released by Rocket Raccoon.
- Cloak: Fixed a bug where selecting The Hood Team-Up occasionally prevented Cloak from using Terror Cape.
- Thebes map: Fixed Angela occasionally getting stuck in a corridor and becoming unable to move.
- Times Square: Fixed Team-Up statuses being incorrectly removed after exiting a team in a party state.
Trailer, screenshots, and media
FAQ
5 questionsThe Hood is Parker Robbins, a criminal who wields a mystical cloak tied to demonic power. In the Season 9.5 story, he was held in custody after the murder of Gambit, and volunteered to help unlock the secrets of the Tablet of Death and Entropy, an artifact that communicates with the dead. Moon Knight used the tablet and heard testimony from billions of souls about Apocalypse's atrocities, while also discovering that a new wielder of All-Black, the Necrosword, may be the true killer.
The Hood is a Vanguard who switches between two states. His default form uses Accursed Pistols, which rapidly fire bullets that build Demonic Energy on hit and increase attack speed above 50% Demonic Energy. Reaching 100% Demonic Energy triggers his half-demon state, enabling Leaded Transformation: a sustained barrage with lifesteal, unlimited ammo, and bonus health gained from damage dealt.
Creed of Akabba is the Season 9.5 event pass. Players complete missions to earn The Punisher's Sandstorm Soldier costume for free. Some premium rewards in the event can also be purchased directly with Units.
PYO stands for Pick Your Own. Rather than buying a fixed bundle, players select which specific costumes and Emote Emojis they want, and the price adjusts automatically based on the selection. NetEase stated the adaptive price matches what the same content would have cost under the previous standard bundle format.
The update included a texture compression overhaul that repackages all assets with no reduction to visual quality. After the initial Season 9.5 update downloads, the installed size decreases by approximately 40 GB on PC, roughly 15 GB on PlayStation 5, and roughly 15 GB on Xbox Series X/S.