Marvel Contest of Champions V56.0 Release Notes: Blade, Ruby Thursday, Doctor Bong, and Battlegrounds Season 38

MCOC's V56.0 update adds Blade (Stellar-Forged), Ruby Thursday, and Doctor Bong, kicks off the PUMP IT UP! Saga, wraps up Act 9 Chapter 4, and ships a huge list of bug fixes including long-awaited Storm (Pyramid X) and Kraven Prestige corrections.

Marvel Contest of Champions has rolled out its massive V56.0 update, and Summoners have a lot to dig into. Three new Champions join the roster, a new Saga kicks off, Act 9 Chapter 4 closes out a sprawling storyline, and a list of bug fixes that stretches from Storm (Pyramid X) to Kraven's Prestige values is finally live.

Three New Champions

V56.0 adds three headline Champions to the Contest:

Blade (Stellar-Forged)

As Isophyne scoured the Battlerealm for a hero worthy of the Founders' ascendant strength, she discovered Eric Brooks — a legendary hunter of magical beings. When Blade's dhampiric physiology was imbued with the Founders' ancient power, his superhuman senses expanded to let him peer into the cosmos itself. He becomes the perfect weapon in Isophyne's plan to strike back against the godlike Eidols.

Ruby Thursday

The origin of Thursday Rubinstein's powers is unknown, but once she augmented her head with a mass of organic circuitry she joined the Headmen, a group of megalomaniac villains with very unusual heads. Ruby and the Headmen seek world domination — though, the devs note, "sometimes they do so through non-violent methods."

Doctor Bong

Once a mere mortal man, Lester Verde overcame trials both large and inconvenient to become the exactly as mortal Doctor Bong. A supervillain without parallel, Doctor Bong is also a super-genius with advanced knowledge of genetic engineering. Whether he's protecting his Bong Quintuplets (five miniature clones of himself) or chasing untold power via his Cosmic Bong, Doctor Bong's schemes inevitably end with him on top — or they would, if not for meddling do-gooders like Howard the Duck.

Titan Super Duper Shards

Max Sig 7-Star Dupes from the Titan Crystal now earn extra Super Duper Shards — an incentive for Summoners who push their rosters to the absolute limit.

New Saga: PUMP IT UP!

A new Saga arrives to celebrate ways to amplify Champion power. Chase America Chavez through the Multiverse to make your roster even stronger.

Double Track Event: Doctor Bong

Doctor Bong headlines the latest Double Track Event, bringing new and improved rewards on both the free and Platinum Pass tracks. Complete daily challenges and grab the Platinum Pass to earn up to a 7-Star Doctor Bong.

Act 9 Chapter 4: The Reckoning

The epic arc of Act 9 approaches its conclusion. Carina Tivan, daughter of Elders and leader of Heroes, gathers her forces for one final push against the time-and-space defying Chronoserpent.

New Story Progression Title: Elder

A new title lets Summoners show off their progress through Act 9 — and picks up some nice rewards along the way.

Event Quest: Bong Voyage

Howard the Duck and She-Hulk answer a mysterious call for help from the "Bar With No Name." Faceless foes, strange stages, and mysterious miscreants await as Ruby Thursday and Doctor Bong attempt to recruit villains. Will this plot become a wild goose (or duck) hunt?

Side Quest: Ring The Bell

Titania and The Champion have planned a rumble worthy of The Battlerealm — 21 Paths featuring 3 Defenders each, and 7 Fight Cards a week spread across 3 weeks.

Essentia Launch Limited Time Event

A 60-day event that hands out daily allotments of Essentia for defeating opponents or clearing Special Solo Objectives.

The Apex Coliseum

The Solo Coliseum experience is being rebranded as the Apex Coliseum, with custom-selected options grouped into new tags. Summoners can also expect new Arduous Coliseum prompts.

Alliance Coliseum

In the Alliance Coliseum, players will tackle a new Boss and Tag set to earn Solo and Alliance Event rewards — including Alliance Peak Milestones, Ranked Rewards, Solo Peak Milestones, and a piece of Blade (Stellar-Forged) for climbing high.

Battlegrounds Season 38

Battlegrounds Season 38 is shaking up the meta. Kabam is cutting the "Attacker HP remaining" points to test new meta shifts, and players who reach the Gladiator Circuit will be rewarded with America Chavez Action Figures usable in the Saga store, plus a new "Howard Shaking Fist" Emote.

Bug Fixes and Improvements

V56.0 ships a huge stack of fixes. A selection of the highlights:

• Fixed Battlegrounds match history incorrectly displaying previous Pre-Season matches.
• Fixed the "Immune System (Non-Damaging Debuff)" node buff skipping the "Non-" part and matching Damaging Debuffs instead.
• Fixed the "Adrenaline" Stat Focus not applying correctly.
• Fixed 7-Star Isophyne's info page containing duplicate strings despite no duplicate abilities.
• Fixed the "Consistent Combos" node buff incorrectly punishing certain Heavy Attacks, after what the devs describe as "a strongly worded letter from Hyperion."
• Fixed the Special 3 minigame on PC slowing down when pausing rapidly and repeatedly.
• Fixed Combat Power Reroute reducing the owner's Combat Power Rate when the Opponent gained enough.
• Fixed Doctor Strange's synergy with Symbiote Supreme.
• A long list of Storm (Pyramid X) fixes — Tempest descriptions, Immunities, Glancing Counter-attacks, Special 2 Instant Shocks, Defensive Combat Power Rate reductions, and more.
• Fixed various issues with Jabari Panther and her synergies.
• Fixed rare issues with Captain America (Sam Wilson)'s synergies.
• Fixed Dazzler and Prowler attempts to make Opponent Special 3s miss (which, yes, was never going to work).
• Fixed Guardian's Rampant Evolution buff incorrectly increasing his Special 2 Shock Debuff threshold.
• Clarified The Hood's ability descriptions and protected several abilities from unintended Ability Accuracy modification.
• Updated Isophyne's Marked ability from her Signature to be non-stacking.
• Restored Kraven's Prestige to intended levels, with a public apology to KarateMike, Nagase, and the other three players in their Prestige 30.
• Fixed Luke Cage's Indestructible cooldown not pausing while the Opponent was Stunned.
• Fixed Madelyne Pryor not accelerating Passive Parry Stuns.
• Fixed Maestro's timers not accounting for pre-existing Atrophy effects.
• Fixed the Green Goblin Battlecast not increasing Damaging Debuff potency at all.
• Fixed the Hulk Battlecast not dealing extra damage for Defensive: Tank Champions.
• Fixed spectre effects not responding to Debuff potency increases (especially Anti-Venom's Signature Ability).
• Added new Easter Egg callouts to various Champions for Easter.

Why V56.0 Matters

V56.0 is one of the deepest single updates Marvel Contest of Champions has shipped in 2026. Between three new Champions, the closing act of a multi-chapter storyline, a brand-new Battlegrounds Season, and a bug fix list that finally settles several long-running grievances (looking at you, Kraven Prestige), there is a lot for veteran Summoners to chew on. And with Alliance War Season 66 kicking off immediately afterward, the roadmap heading into the rest of April looks packed.