The mid-season update for Marvel Rivals Season 7: The Hunt is On has been confirmed, and it is bringing one of the most requested characters in the game’s history. Black Cat, also known as Felicia Hardy, officially joins the Marvel Rivals roster on April 17, 2026, as the 49th playable hero in NetEase’s free-to-play team-based shooter.
A World-Class Thief Joins the Fight
Black Cat has been teased since Season 7 launched on March 20, and the community has been buzzing with speculation about how her kit would translate into the game’s fast-paced hero shooter format. Now we have answers. Felicia Hardy arrives as an agile, stealth-focused character built around high mobility and disruptive plays. Her abilities lean heavily into her comic book identity as a master thief and acrobat, with wall-running, smoke bomb deployment, and enhanced aerial maneuvers forming the core of her toolkit.
Her probability-altering luck powers also make an appearance, adding a layer of unpredictability to engagements that should make her a nightmare to pin down in team fights. Early previews suggest she will fill a flanker-style role, harassing backlines and creating chaos in the enemy formation before slipping away.
Season 7 Has Already Been Massive
Season 7 launched with White Fox, a South Korean superhero with shapeshifting abilities who fills the Strategist role. The season’s theme revolves around a heist narrative, and Black Cat’s arrival as the mid-season addition fits perfectly into that storyline. Together, White Fox and Black Cat round out what has been one of the most content-rich seasons since the game’s launch.
The roadmap for the rest of the season includes more than just the new hero. Before Black Cat’s arrival on April 17, players can expect a cosmetics drop on April 10 featuring new skins for Deadpool, Jeff the Land Shark, and Iron Fist. These skins are part of the ongoing seasonal battle pass, and early leaks suggest at least one of them ties into a crossover event that NetEase has been teasing on social media.
What to Expect From the 7.5 Update
The Season 7.5 update is expected to follow the standard rollout pattern, going live around 3:00 AM PT on April 17. Alongside Black Cat, the update is likely to include balance adjustments for existing heroes, quality-of-life improvements, and potentially a new or reworked map. NetEase has been steadily improving the game’s map rotation throughout 2026, and mid-season updates have historically been a time when the studio introduces environmental changes or limited-time modes.
Marvel Rivals continues to hold a strong position in the hero shooter space, consistently drawing millions of players across PC and consoles. The addition of Black Cat should give the game another bump in engagement, especially given how vocal the community has been about wanting the character since she was first datamined several seasons ago.
Free-to-Play and Ready to Pounce
As with all new hero additions in Marvel Rivals, Black Cat will be available to all players for free. No purchase or battle pass tier is required to unlock her. Players will simply need to update the game on April 17 and she will be ready to go. Marvel Rivals is available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
