I've been playing Marvel's Avengers since the Beta event in August and have been having a blast, but even so, my playthroughs became a bit of a grind. I dropped the daily attempts once my team got up to a decent but not-at-all maxed out power level across the board. Like many players, I've been waiting for more content to return to the game and make our time feel more meaningful. That moment may be just around the corner.

During a surprise reveal and a special War Table today, Crystal Dynamics revealed the December 8th release date of the new, free update "Marvel's Avengers: Kate Bishop - Taking AIM." This new content, dubbed an Operation (which is the first of at least two coming to the game), introduces Kate Bishop to the game. Bishop, voiced by voice-acting veteran Ashly Burch, brings style, sass, and substance to the game in an all-new way. Her combo of archery and sword skills make for a great one-two punch when it comes to dispatching enemies, but it's her Intrinsic Energy traversal, teleporting abilities, and Support, Assault, and Heroic "supers" that are going to be really interesting to see in practice. (Oh, and those cosmetics look fantastic!)

All of that and more was shared in this deep dive into the new update, including a sneak peek at Clint Barton's own upcoming Operation ... which features a character you might not expect (unless you've been playing Marvel's mobile games). Take a look here:

Crazy, right? Especially that reveal of Clint's own Operation arriving in a post-apocalyptic future that's an alternate (and rather hopeless) timeline. Yep, Marvel's Avengers is tackling the "Future Imperfect" storyline that includes the Hulk alias, Maestro. We can't wait to see more!

But there's plenty to get excited about in Kate Bishop's standalone story, too. For example, we'll get to battle an Omega-level threat in the post-game replay of Kate's final level and battle against the Super Adaptoid. (Time for me to gear up again!) Additionally, next-gen console owners will be able to play Marvel's Avengers on their high-tech gear right now, though a full free upgrade is coming in Early 2021.

Here's more from Marvel and Crystal Dynamics themselves:

Kate Bishop is a world-class archer, adept swordswoman, and master of sarcasm and snark. As Clint Barton’s protégé who, like him, possesses no superhuman powers, she boasts an impressive skillset that has her able to stand toe-to-toe with the Avengers in protecting the world. You’ll meet Kate as she’s searching for her former mentor, Clint Barton, in her own story operation, Marvel’s Avengers: Kate Bishop - Taking AIM. She takes up the mantle of Hawkeye and joins the Avengers to get to the bottom of the mystery and save a world that doesn’t even know it’s in peril. After Kate’s story comes Clint’s story, both of which are intertwined with each other and each pieces of a larger puzzle. You’ll be able to play Clint Barton in early 2021!

• Decoy is Kate's Support Heroic: it spawns a hologram replica of her that shoots arrows of quantum energy at targets to distract them.
• Her Assault Heroic, Warp Arrow, allows her to teleport over long distances while triggering a large quantum explosion that lifts enemies into the air on her arrival.
• Quantum Overdrive is her Ultimate Heroic, which provides unlimited intrinsic energy, empowering her bow so she can fire quantum energy arrows with explosive results.