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Marvel Rivals Season 9.5: The Mystery of Thebes launches on August 7, adding The Hood as its latest playable hero alongside new cosmetics, customizable Lady Loki animations, and a major reduction to the game’s storage requirements.
Parker Robbins joins the roster as a Vanguard capable of switching between his human and demonic forms. He is voiced by WWE superstar Damian Priest, whose real name is Luis Berrios.
In his human form, The Hood uses a pair of pistols to provide sustained covering fire. His mystical cloak also allows him to channel the energy of Oblivion, create protective shields for teammates, and launch dark magic projectiles that transform into barriers capable of weakening incoming enemy fire.
His Ultimate Ability sees him fully embrace his demonic powers and enter Full Demon State. This transformation turns him into what NetEase describes as a “fully-realized Gun Demon,” equipped with piercing rounds that can pass through both shields and enemy heroes.
The Hood also radiates dark energy while transformed, granting bonus health to nearby teammates and giving Marvel Rivals players another aggressive Vanguard capable of protecting a team while dealing considerable damage.
The character’s arrival continues a growing crossover between Marvel Rivals and professional wrestling. Damian Priest is best known for his appearances on WWE SmackDown and previously held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Season 9.5 will be followed by the second volume of the Marvel Rivals Summer Festival on August 13. The event introduces another selection of swimsuit costumes and cosmetics, while the Krakoan Reels event will also return.
Lady Loki is receiving some additional attention as part of the update. Players will be able to select exclusive movement and ability animations for the costume, with the optional animations managed directly through the costume menu.
Perhaps the most welcome addition, especially for anyone running short of storage space, is a significant texture compression overhaul.
NetEase says the changes will reduce the PC version of Marvel Rivals by approximately 40GB. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox versions are expected to shrink by around 15GB, with the developer claiming that the compression will not result in any loss of visual quality.
Full patch notes and hero balance changes will be published alongside the Season 9.5 update.
Marvel Rivals Season 9.5: The Mystery of Thebes launches on August 7, with Summer Festival Vol. 2 beginning on August 13.
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