NetEase Games has unveiled the villain Apocalypse in the announcement trailer for Marvel Rivals season 9, only for him to be fatally run through with a sword by an unseen attacker at the trailer's end. This sets up a season-long murder mystery, but fans believe they have already worked out the culprit, making the reveal significant for how the game's ongoing story and upcoming characters are being teased.

The trailer shows Apocalypse narrating his rise to power and his ambition to fight and steal strength from the gods in order to "transcend" and become one himself. Because he is killed mid-ascension, fans reason the assassin must be someone opposed to the gods, and point to Gorr the God Butcher, whose signature black weapon, All-Black the Necrosword, resembles the blade used. The theory aligns with season 10 leaks suggesting Gorr and Nightcrawler will be the next playable characters. Meanwhile, the vampiric hero Jubilee arrives when season 9 launches on 10 July.