Marvel Rivals hero tier list: Best characters ranked & explained

❘ Updated: 2024-12-12T08:49:56

Marvel Rivals cover for Tier List with Rocket

Dexerto/NetEase Games

Marvel Rivals boasts a wide roster of 33 characters on launch, an impressively large cast with a diverse set of abilities. Whether you want a melee assassin, long-range sniper, unkillable tank, or a reliable support who focuses on healing and supporting allies, there’s a hero for you.

It’s been an exciting launch so far, with the Season 0 battle pass bringing in some great skins and a monetization model that’s worth praising. However, it can be an intimidating game to get into if you’re just getting started.

In Marvel Rivals, heroes are divided into three classes: Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategists. These are akin to Overwatch’s Tank, Damage, and Support, respectively, and it’s more likely you’ll hear them referred to as such.

However, not all heroes are created equal. And, while some are much more effective than others based on just having better numbers or a flexible kit, other heroes are only good in very specific scenarios. Some directly counter others, so you can check out the best counters for every character.

Don’t be fooled by some heroes having a low-tier rating. Even someone like Peni Parker, who we’ve got pretty low, is effective when used properly. This tier list was formed based on playing in the closed beta, as well as experience in high-level matches on a curated, pre-release press version of the game. It has since been updated after the game’s opening days to get a more accurate meta read.

We’ve crafted a tier list based on those early impressions to give you an idea of who the best heroes are in Marvel Rivals. Here’s every hero in Marvel Rivals ranked and explained:

Marvel Rivals character tier list: Best heroes ranked

Tier	Characters
S	Venom, Moon Knight, Hawkeye, Magneto, Loki, Mantis, Hela, Cloak and Dagger
A	Star-Lord, Adam Warlock, Spider-Man, Jeff the Land Shark, Iron Fist, The Punisher, Winter Soldier, Doctor Strange, Psylocke, Luna Snow, Thor
B	Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Squirrel Girl, Magik, Peni Parker, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow
C	Storm, Black Panther, Wolverine, Namor

Our tiers explained

Here is a short-hand for how each tier breakdown:

S: The best characters in Marvel Rivals that are easy to use and most effective in any scenario.
A: Strong in most scenarios with good team-ups, or very good at countering one specific thing.
B: Decent, but often not the best choice in any given situation.
C: Niche picks. They’re either team-up reliant, specific counterpicks, map-dependent, or just not very good

S-Tier characters in Marvel Rivals

Venom

Venom is a true tank and one of the greatest Vanguard class characters in Marvel Rivals. This guy just does not die.

800 base health, high mobility between his swing and the ability to crash down from the air, CC, a primary fire that’s much more reliable than melee tanks, a shield that can give him up to 900 temporary HP to soak damage with, an ult that gives him even more shield: Anything you’d want from a tank, Venom has it. Well, almost anything.

His only weakness in the role is that he doesn’t have much in the way of being able to peel for his allies. If your team is getting dived, you may want to swap off. Outside of that, though, Venom is pretty much never a bad pick, especially considering how much Spider-Man gets out of his team-up.

Pros	Cons
Almost unkillable and very mobile	Decent players will stun you when you’re low and blow you up before you can shield
Very easy to play	Lacks peel and range, kind of has to dive to be useful
Great CC and decent damage	Heavily reliant on teammates following up, he can’t solo carry

Check out our guide if you’d like to see the best ways to play Venom.

Moon Knight

In a game so reliant on pinpoint accuracy, a hero like Moon Knight excels. His ability to toss out Ankhs and bounce projectiles off of them gives this hero an unreal amount of consistent burst that’s almost guaranteed to land.

On top of this, Moon Knight has a ton of tools to get and keep a height advantage like his grappling hook and built-in glide with his cape. And, not only do his Ankh’s bounce his projectiles around, they also pull enemies into their center. This, combined with a massive AoE ult that almost instantly kills makes Moon Knight very strong.

Just be aware that smart opponents will kill your Ankhs fast and deny your burst combos, so you’ll have to have your full combo ready after you throw it.

Pros	Cons
High burst and very consistent 1 shot combo on squishy targets	No real panic button, requires effort to stay alive and position properly
Can easily zone people away from objectives and hold chokes	Weak to healing centric team compositions that just heal through his projectile bouncing
Easy to play for the most part	Slow projectile speed makes him weak against flying enemies

If you’re looking to get the most from Moon Knight, you can check out our guide.

Hawkeye

If you’re looking for a hero who can dismantle the entire backline from a distance, Hawkeye’s your guy. Sure, he sort of lacks mobility. Sure, he may not have a whole lot of utility. But, if you’re a crack shot, he does so much damage.

His entire character is based around keeping your crosshair trained on targets and taking your shot at just the right time. Headshots are lethal. He’s also got a knockback, a double jump, and an ult that gives him guaranteed hits.

It’d be no surprise to see this hero dominate high-level play. He should be dived ASAP if you’re playing against him.

Pros	Cons
Marvel Rivals’ most consistent 1 shot kill	Requires accuracy and good tracking to take advantage of his passive
One of the best ultimates in the game, you literally cannot dodge his damage	Somewhat limited mobility and decent peel, still susceptible to dives
Shreds any target at any range with very high damage output	Struggles at close range unless you’re really, really good

For top tips and his best team comp, make sure you check out our Hawkeye guide.

Magneto

If you’re looking for a tank who doesn’t die but want someone a bit less about diving and a bit more about protecting allies, Magneto’s your man. Though he’s on the low end of tank HP at 650, he has so many tools to stay alive that it doesn’t really matter.

Between a front-facing shield that can block entire ultimates to a bubble shield that can be used on himself or allies, he’s really great for keeping your team alive and breathing. If you’re ever in a situation where you have to be the sole tank on a team, Magneto’s your man.

His ultimate is also a fantastic zoning tool that should be saved for when you really need to cap a point. Fighting into his ult is almost always a losing battle due to the fact that it soaks all projectiles. He’s a great, reliable all-rounder that’s able to act as a walking shield. Just be aware that he’s very, very slow.

Pros	Cons
Really, really hard to kill	Unbearably slow
Can shield allies and peel for his backline better than any other hero	Like, really really slow. So unbelievably slow. You can literally fly please move faster dude come on
Strong damage output and burst despite being a tank	Can be easily overwhelmed by melee heroes, his frontal shield only blocks projectiles

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Magneto, check out our guide.

Loki

Loki is the absolute highest-skill cap character in Marvel Rivals, bar none. He’s got a steep learning curve but can solo carry in the right scenarios. The most burst healing in the game if he stacks clones, a ton of DPS, the ability to stealth and teleport around, and the ability to transform into other heroes: In the right hands, Loki dominates.

However, he’s very hard to use. He only lives and does damage if he’s got his clones placed properly. Pretty much everything Loki does that’s good is based on his clones, so knowing how and when to use them is the key to success with him.

Not for the faint of heart, but very strong.

Pros:

Strong healing and damage, genuine solo carry potential
Can immediately change a teamfight by stealing an enemy hero’s ult
Hardest support hero to lock down

Cons:

Requires mastery and has a high skill floor, if you aren’t good with Loki he feels terrible

Pros	Cons
Strong healing and damage, genuine solo carry potential	Requires mastery and has a high skill floor, if you aren’t good with Loki he feels terrible
Can immediately change a teamfight by stealing an enemy hero’s ult	Reliant on clones, with enemies often being able to stack passives and damage buffs like they would from hitting normal heroes by killing clones
Hardest support hero to lock down	Can struggle to get into fights, requires a frontline

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Loki, check out our guide.

Mantis

Mantis is A-tier for one reason: Her Inspire. She lacks CC other than her sleep, which is kind of inconsistent in solo queue matches. Her primary fire is pretty decent and her ultimate is a strong heal, but not nearly as strong as something like Luna’s ult.

However, Inspire’s damage boost to herself and teammates is Mantis’ greatest strength. You’re going to want to use this damage boost as often as you can. Unless your teammate is on the brink of death, do not default to heal. If you are, you’re losing out on Mantis’ greatest strength.

Pros	Cons
Above average DPS and can 1v1 most DPS heroes with relative ease	Lacks CC outside of her sleep, which is very inconsistent in solo queue
Her damage boost breaks a lot of damage thresholds, turns some 3 shot kills into 2 shots etc.	No AoE damage, relies entirely upon landing shots
Ult makes her essentially unkillable while healing her allies and giving her full freedom to dish damage	No mobility outside of some bonus movespeed on her passive, susceptible to dives

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Mantis, check out our guide.

Hela

Hela was arguably the game’s strongest DPS in the beta, but a mix of balance changes and new heroes that have come along to dethrone her have pushed her a bit lower down the list. She’s still strong, but usually just worse than other options.

Looking for damage at range? Hawkeye and Widow have you covered. A DPS with immunity frames and the ability to quickly escape a fight? Scarlet Witch is much easier to use and has more effective mobility. Even Hela’s ult is, in a lot of ways, outclassed by other DPS heroes seeing as she has to stand still and be exposed in the middle of the sky to do anything significant.

Hela is still a great mid-long-range DPS choice, but there are better options out there.

Pros	Cons
Can stun and CC multiple targets, doing damage to all of them in the process	Very snowball-y and requires pinpoint accuracy
Strong primary fire, especially with a damage boost. It’s just shy of a 3-shot kill, any damage boost sends her there	Her ult is kind of awkward and leaves her stuck in a static position
Genuine lobby admin hero, hard carry you’d want to build a team around	Her mobility is a bit unwieldy and predictable

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Hela, check out our guide.

Cloak and Dagger

Cloak and Dagger suffer from a similar issue to Squirrel Girl in that their numbers are just a bit below where they need to be to truly shine. The vision obstruction wall is probably the best part of their kit, really helping you to break through heroes like Hawkeye and Black Widow and take them by surprise.

Their healing isn’t too bad either, but the actual damage on this hero is pretty underwhelming and can be easily healed through. There’s something to be said about Cloak and Dagger having better evasion than most support heroes, but they don’t have enough impact to carry them out of B-tier.

Pros	Cons
Strong survivability and AoE healing with Dagger, High DPS with Cloak	High skill floor, with knowledge of their stance swaps required to play the hero
Can blind enemies to push through chokes better than most heroes	No mobility and lacks self peel. Does alright in 1v1s against divers, but is easily overwhelmed by heavy dive
Brief immunity frames for allies that can be used to negate ults and change the game, but you have a very narrow window	Her only team-up is niche and has limited usefulness

To get the most from the deadly duo, check out our top tips to dominate as Cloak and Dagger.

A-Tier characters in Marvel Rivals

Star-Lord

Star-Lord is a great DPS character to start on if you’re still coming to grips with the mechanics of Marvel Rivals. Fairly easy to play, mobile, and forgiving, yet doesn’t lose much strength for having an easy kit.

Additionally, the fact that he flies around and shoots in every direction allows him to counter fast-moving melee heroes very well. However, he does have a hard time against long-range damage dealers who can shoot him out of the sky.

Star-Lord can dominate if he gets the opportunity to rule the skies and get into the backline, just beware of heroes like Hawkeye or Black Widow.

Pros	Cons
Easy to use with high impact on matches	Only does well at short/mid-range
Can keep melee heroes out of range while pelting them with bullets	Can be easily shot out of the sky by long-range heroes, generally slow flight speed
Ultimate makes it literally impossible for him to miss, making him great against mobile heroes	Several ultimates and defensive abilities nullify his ult entirely

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Star-Lord, check out our guide.

Adam Warlock

Adam Warlock has a lot of weaknesses. He’s slow, lacks CC, has pretty limited healing capabilities considering he’s only got two charges on that heal that recharge pretty slow compared to other heroes, and his ult is only useful if he isn’t the first person killed in a fight.

However, when you see Adam Warlock, you have to kill him first. Not only does he dish out a ton of damage with his primary and secondary fire, he also has the ability to negate most ults in the game with his damage-sharing ability that evenly distributes damage between allies. He doesn’t even need his ult to counter an entire team’s offense on his own.

What’s more, he has a revive on his passive to give him a second chance if he gets picked. He’s a very easily exploited character if he’s out of position, but this hero’s peaks make it impossible to place him any lower than A tier.

Pros	Cons
Basic abilities are a game-changer if used properly, can negate ults if used properly	Lacks CC entirely and requires accuracy to be useable. Don’t play Adam Warlock if you’re looking to healbot
Massive burst healing, some of the highest in the game. Can also self heal	No CC or self peel, very vulnerable to dives
Full team revive on his ultimate and a self-revive	His ult is only useful if the enemy team doesn’t immediately target you

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Adam Warlock, check out our guide.

Spider-Man

Spider-Man’s got a lethal mix of CC and mobility that’s just really, really hard to deal with. That really is the long and short of why this hero is good. He’s got enough damage to duel with most DPS characters, but where he really shines is shutting down support heroes.

Playing support against Spider-Man is like a legit horror movie. It’s so difficult to hit him with how unpredictable his web-swinging can be, and him killing you is more a matter of when than if when you’re isolated in the backline and your teammates don’t turn around to give you a hand.

What’s more, his ultimate is an absolute game-changer and can even shut down other ults considering it’s got a stun attached to it. He’s even better if you’ve got a Venom on your team, allowing him to CC and disrupt the backline on his own. This hero is damn good if you know how to play him.

Pros	Cons
More CC than most other heroes in Marvel Rivals	His mobility takes a bit of getting used to, high skill floor on using him without slamming your face into a wall
Unpredictable mobility that makes him really hard to hit	Lacks consistent DPS, has to get in to do damage and is reliant on cooldowns
Game-changing ultimate	Struggles against flying heroes

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Spider-Man, check out our guide.

Jeff the Land Shark

Jeff the Land Shark isn’t quite S-tier, but he’s close. He’s a simple, easy-to-play Strategist hero that can fit into almost any team composition. The fact that his bubbles amplify healing combined with him having some of the best AoE healing in the game make him invaluable, especially considering he’s been buffed up in the final version of the game in comparison to the beta.

And, though he’s still vulnerable to damage while in Hide and Seek, Jeff is so hard to hit that it doesn’t matter much outside of trying to get away from melee characters. Not to mention that Jeff’s ultimate, when combo-ed properly, is one of the best in the game. And also one of the most troll ones if you’re into sending the entire enemy team (and your team) into the abyss.

Yes, Jeff may look like kind of a meme character, but he’s genuinely really strong and pairs well with Luna Snow as one of the best support duos in the game.

Pros	Cons
Arguably the most impactful ultimate in the game	Arguably the most impactful ultimate in the game (can accidentally save the entire enemy team from a burst combo)
A ton of healing, pairs well with other supports due to boosting all healing on allies	Doesn’t do a ton of damage
One of the easiest heroes to play mechanically	Huge and very easy to hit headshot hitbox, even with his passive he just takes so much damage from people with high headshot multipliers

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Jeff the Land Shark, check out our guide.

Iron Fist

Iron Fist is one of the newer additions to Marvel Rivals, someone who wasn’t playable in previous versions of the game. And, though he lacks any sort of range, he’s meant for the kind of player who likes dancing on a knife’s edge. Or I guess fist in this case.

Out of the entire cast of heroes in this game, Iron Fist is one of the only characters with a self-heal. He’s also got some CC on his roundhouse kick, a quadruple jump, the ability to parry and actively counter incoming hits, and the ability to throw hands like no other.

He’s one of the highest skill cap characters in the game considering his reliance on strong movement and countering hits from his opponent, but he’s also incredibly rewarding and great in a solo queue environment.

Pros	Cons
One of the only heroes who has self-healing, very self-sustaining dive hero	Reliant on parry timings to survive, can be easily bursted if he uses his abilities incorrectly
Too many dashes and jumps to count	Vulnerable to hard CC and peel
Survivability and parry mechanics that reward reading the opponent	Lacks any ranged poke whatsoever, very all-in hero

You can get the most from Iron Fist by checking out our guide.

The Punisher

The Punisher is the Call of Duty/Soldier 76 type character people who don’t typically play hero shooters will love. A good rifle, a shotgun, a turret that’s got a bulky health bar, and an ultimate that kills pretty much anything in front of it, The Punisher’s game plan is straightforward and effective.

Considering how mobile and difficult to hit many of the heroes in Marvel Rivals are, having a simple and easy-to-use hitscan weapon is effective beyond just learning the game. There are DPS picks out there that are much more effective than The Punisher when it comes to doing one specific thing very well, but he’s so strong in most situations that he justifies an A-tier placement.

Pros	Cons
If you’re looking for consistent DPS, this is your hero	Gets outtraded at range by heroes like Hawkeye
An ult that does enough damage to shred through pretty much anything in front of it	Very immobile and stationary during his most powerful abilities
Good against divers due to having a shotgun to swap to	Lack of burst makes him vulnerable to heal-heavy team comps

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Punisher, check out our guide.

Winter Soldier

Winter Soldier may not feel very strong at first. He’s got a fairly low ammo capacity in his gun, and he doesn’t exactly have the highest damage in the game. Hitting his hook on some of the game’s more mobile heroes is also a tall order, even if it’s much faster than, say, Roadhog’s hook. Marvel Rivals is a very different game.

However, Winter Soldier covers two bases at once with his kit: He can dive and use his abilities to play aggressively, but he’s also got incredible single-target lockdown that can be invaluable when trying to keep your supports alive. He’s got a dash with an uppercut at the end that knocks up an enemy, but this ability is just as effective for getting in as it is for yoinking someone out of your backline and locking them down for a one-shot combo.

Winter Soldier is an invaluable part of almost any team composition, and knowing how to use him well can prevent a lot of frustration against dive comps. However, his lack of consistent DPS and cooldown-reliant burst combos keep him out of S-tier.

Pros	Cons
Some of the best counter-dive in the game	Awkward primary fire with small clip size and slow projectile speed
Strong single-target lockdown and burst damage	Very high skill floor, requires weaving abilities in with shots to do anything whatsoever
Can run through an entire team with his ult	Lacks consistent DPS, all about burst

To master the super soldier, check out our Winter Soldier guide.

Doctor Strange

If you’re good at Dr Strange, he can be a solo carry. He’s one of the better solo tanks you can run, and he doesn’t want for damage despite having a pretty chunky health bar. Additionally, he can use his shield to negate most projectiles, much like Magneto. He also has more in the way of self-peel than other tanks, making him strong against heroes like Wolverine.

However, he also requires a ton of resource management, and doing this improperly can result in either accidentally anti-healing yourself. Also, his two-way portal is a two-way street. Placing this portal can win the game for your team, but also accidentally throw it in the trash.

A good Dr Strange is a massive threat. I won’t soon forget bogur absolutely washing me with this hero in the early access press version of this game. However, Dr Strange’s success is so directly tied to the player’s skill level and game knowledge that it’s hard to put him in S-tier just yet.

Pros	Cons
Has solo carry potential with a ton of survivability and damage	Can accidentally debuff himself and has to use his ability rotation properly
Great utility and ways to sort of break the rules of the game with portals	His portal tanks everyone’s framerate in most matches, get 2 Doctor Strange players in a game to make someone’s computer crash
Strong self peel and the ability to deal with melee divers well	Can also throw matches for his team if played incorrectly

If you’d like to see the best way to play Doctor Strange, check out our guide.

Psylocke

Psylocke is so, so close to S-tier, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her hit S on most early tier lists for the game. High mobility, consistently strong DPS, stealth, and an ult that makes her almost impossible to 1v1 and gives her an extended duration of full damage and CC immunity. On paper, she’s kind of ridiculous. In practice, she has issues.

For one, her stealth has a generally short duration and gets eaten when she grabs a health pack. Her range is also pretty short considering her shotgun-like primary fire, and her best team-up ability in Recall requires running Magik, a character who’s generally low-tier. Psylocke is going to have some insanely good one-trick players who can take advantage of her kit to its fullest, but she’s not quite S-tier.

Pros	Cons
Rewards accuracy and good ability rotations with her primary fire’s ability CD reduction	Heavily telegraphed ultimate that does almost nothing if used on a grouped up team
Strong burst damage, with her combo being able to almost 1 shot tanks if she does it properly	Suffers at long ranges and can struggle to get through chokes
Ult gives her complete damage and CC immunity	Her mobility is a key part of her burst, making her a very all-in hero

Check out our Psylocke guide to get the most from her.

Luna Snow

If you can aim, Luna Snow is incredibly effective. A ton of healing, strong damage, a passive that lets her move around faster than most other supports out of combat, and some essential CC make her a strong pick with every team composition.

It’s a bonus if you can get someone to pick Jeff with you, but team-ups aren’t required for Luna to be good whatsoever. In a game where DPS players are constantly looking to dive and kill supports, you’re going to want her stun to keep people off of you and burst down key targets before they can react.

Pair all of that with an ultimate that makes Luna essentially unkillable as she heals/amps her allies, and you’ve got a winning formula.

Pros	Cons
Good healing and consistent damage all at once	Not much self peel once her stun is down
One of the game’s best and most reliable hard CC abilities	Requires good accuracy, if you miss shots your allies aren’t getting healed
Very strong team-ups	Less self healing than most other supports

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Luna Snow, check out our guide.

Thor

Thor is one of the most complex characters in Marvel Rivals. Don’t let that 2-star difficulty rating fool you; learning how to play Thor is no small task. He doesn’t shield teammates or tank a bunch of damage like other tanks, he’s all about dishing out damage and dashing around the battlefield.

And, while there will likely be some Thor specialists who know the character inside and out, making Thor work is hard. Know that the A-tier ranking is for those who really understand how to use him. He isn’t bad, he’s just clunky.

In the hands of a beginner, he really struggles. For those who learn how to play him, though, he’s one of the best solo carries in the game.

Pros	Cons
Mobile, flexible, great at being a nuisance in the backline	Every ability gives him a three-second global cooldown, keeping him from combo-ing in rapid succession with his abilities
Strong burst if you can land his combos	Some abilities of his just aren’t very good while others are broken, very uneven hero
Has a ton of self-shielding and is impossible to kill in a drawn-out fight, he has to be focused and bursted down	Difficult to use and requires good decision-making under pressure

Check out our Thor guide for some top tips and the best team comp.

B-Tier characters in Marvel Rivals

Groot

Groot has his uses, but he’s not nearly as strong or flexible as other tank heroes. Because of how mobile other heroes are and how open and destructible maps are, his walls have some limited usefulness. And higher DPS heroes like Punisher will shear right through them without too much worry.

Additionally, his primary fire has a bit of a strange delay on it and takes some getting used to for hitting targets. Groot also lacks self peel, an issue made even worse by his team-up linking him directly with certain support heroes. If you get caught out, your support is also up a creek without a paddle.

Groot could be really good with Rush comps (not dive comps, there is a difference) and has the potential to do well with the right team around him or against certain heroes. However, he’s got a lot of weaknesses.

Pros	Cons
Strong ultimate when paired with other ults/AoE burst	Awkward primary fire and limited range
Can hold chokes very well and take advantage of people overextending	His walls can unintentionally mess with his teammates
Gives teamed-up supports a ton of damage reduction and a way to get to the frontline safely	Easily overwhelmed, much harder to stay alive than other tanks

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Groot, check out our guide.

Rocket Raccoon

Rocket Raccoon does have a lot going for him. Great and easy to use healing, an incredible movement passive that makes his already small character model even harder to hit, a revive that can keep allies in the fight, a damage boost ult that’s really hard to use. In a typical hero shooter, he’d be great.

However, Rocket Raccoon severely lacks damage. His primary fire’s low DPS and slow projectile speed makes him a significantly weaker damage dealer than pretty much any other character in the game. If it wasn’t for his fantastic team-ups and strong support abilities, he’d be lower. Characters who don’t do damage in Marvel Rivals are easy pickings for backline divers, and Racc’s evasion only does so much.

Pros	Cons
Easy-to-use heals with a wide AoE	Terrible damage and no CC
Hard to hit with high mobility and a small character model	Revive mechanic is easily countered and has limited usefulness
Some of the best team-ups in the game	A walking team-up buff with a heal essentially

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Rocket Raccoon, check out our guide.

Bruce Banner/Hulk

Hulk has his upsides, and you can feel that he’s been buffed between the beta and release. Decent shielding for himself and allies, one of the best CC abilities in the game, decent ranged poke, some of the best mobility in Marvel Rivals, and an ult that makes him nigh unkillable. But he’s also got a lot of problems.

If you revert into Bruce, you’re going to die almost instantly. There are almost no situations where getting taken out of Hulk form doesn’t result in a swift death. Once you die in Hulk mode, consider yourself dead. D.Va he is not.

Additionally, using Hulk’s ult to lock someone down still leaves him vulnerable to damage. In most cases, it’s best not to use the ability tied to his ult in order to keep yourself alive. On top of all this, his damage is pretty limited on his melee attacks, and he’s not as good at sticking to targets as other melee tanks like Thor and Captain America.

Pros	Cons
One of the most mobile heroes in the game	Bruce is legit useless, falling out of Hulk form means death
Very good with dive comps due to his AoE shield and CC	Using his ult’s grab leaves you very vulnerable
Decent ranged poke if you can aim it	General low damage, even for the tank role

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Hulk, check out our guide.

Iron Man

A decent Iron Man is an absolute pain to deal with. Against a melee-heavy team composition, he really does shine as someone who hangs out in the sky and just pelts your team from above. He’s the sort of hero who can really force people to swap and mess with their game plan.

However, the rate at which he flies is pretty slow in comparison to a lot of other heroes. He’s a bit of a sitting duck unless he plays around tall buildings and cover. Additionally, Iron Man’s ult has been significantly nerfed in comparison to the beta, robbing him of one of the key reasons you’d pick him. Decent, but just be aware that he’s better as a counterpick.

Pros	Cons
Very oppressive from the air and good at controlling melee heroes	Ult has been drastically nerfed since beta, it’s just ok now
Strong and easy-to-use primary fire	Moves fairly slow in the sky, he’s a sitting duck against hitscan
High AoE damage that can hit multiple targets	Isn’t great against other flying heroes due to slow projectiles

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Iron Man, check out our guide, as well as how to get the free Armor Model 42 skin.

Captain America

Captain America is one of the most skill-expressive and mobile heroes not just in the tank role, but in the entire game. With ranged shield throws being mixed into his melee combos and him being so reliant on movement and a small yet potent shield to survive, Cap is your guy if you’re looking for high-octane tank gameplay.

However, dive tanks are generally underpowered in Marvel Rivals due to how strong dive characters are in the DPS role. In the way the game exists currently with role queue, there isn’t much reason to pick Captain America over either a better frontliner or a better diver. Running him with a good Thor player is a ton of fun, but it’s not the most viable setup.

Still, he’s got his merits, and the fact that he can so effectively 1v1 certain projectile-reliant DPS heroes so effectively does give him a leg up.

Pros	Cons
Very mobile and good at diving/sticking to targets	Doesn’t have much in the way of teamplay, can’t defend his teammates well or peel multiple targets
Can deflect any projectile with his shield, even ultimates. Surprisingly good at countering top-tier heroes like Hela with this	Generally low damage, doesn’t have enough to solo someone if they’re getting constantly healed
Doesn’t require a whole lot of aim and can hit multiple targets just by using his kit normally	Shield bounces are somewhat inconsistent, giving him bad poke

Squirrel Girl

Squirrel Girl is the closest thing this game has to a grenade launcher hero, with her having some powerful yet slow-moving projectiles that deal a ton of damage. And, while she also has some nice CC and one of the better movement abilities in Marvel Rivals, she has some problems.

One, she struggles against flying heroes. Considering how strong melee characters like Iron Fist and Wolverine are, you’re better off playing them and shredding the backline. Additionally, Squirrel Girl has one of the most underwhelming ultimates in the game, with her squirrel stampede getting shrugged off by most heroes.

She could be really strong with some buffs, but for now, she’s B at best.

Pros	Cons
Strong AoE damage that works well in choke points	Has no way to reliably shoot down flying enemies
Hard to kill and dangerous to dive, she wants you to try and kill her	One of the worst ults in the game
Decent CC made a whole lot better with Spider-Man’s team-up	Her root is slow moving and has an inconsistent hitbox

Check out our top tips on how to play as Squirrel Girl to get the most from her.

Magik

Magik is one of the most fun heroes in Marvel Rivals, truly. Hopping through dimensions, summoning demons, and swinging a big sword around is a great time. Unfortunately, she doesn’t make the cut in terms of heroes that are actually good. Outside of a few uses, that is.

For a hero who’s so reliant on melee, she’s extremely slow and clunky while also being fairly weak. Her portals do give her I-frames, but they also don’t let her travel very far. Her dash with a knockup slash at the end has a paper-thin hitbox, leading to you often whiffing the move. Magik’s ult is cool in theory, but it’s pretty common to get blown up before you take full advantage of her enhanced abilities.

She is, however, very good at countering dive comps. If a bunch of melee heroes are trying to dive your supports, her long-range swings and high damage are a great deterrent. This is the only time you’d want to pick Magik over other heroes.

Pros	Cons
Large, sweeping attacks that hit multiple enemies	Slow, clunky, and generally awkward to play
Immunity frames on a very low cooldown	Struggles to get into fights and deal with mobile threats
Very difficult to lock down	Ult is very hit or miss, she can be easily bursted the moment she activates it

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Magik, check out our guide.

Peni Parker

Peni Parker is about the closest thing Marvel Rivals’ Vanguard class has to an outright DPS character. She’s just not meant to be a solo frontliner, and is only good if she’s able to place her spider nest around a wall and get those mines out onto the battlefield.

Don’t let the C-tier placement fool you into thinking Peni’s bad. She’s actually really, really good, just situationally. If she isn’t already on top of an objective, then she has a very hard time getting in without ult. She has some of the highest damage potential in the game, but only on her turf and her terms.

She’s worth playing with the right team composition on the right map, but in those situations only. And, considering she’s a specialist character on top of that who only excels in the hands of someone who understands how to best play her, she’s not worth the effort unless you’re really dedicated to making her work.

Pros	Cons
Great at holding chokes and objectives	Terrible at attacking or getting through chokes unless she has ult
Her ultimate makes her an immediate threat that has to be focused down	Limited and awkward mobility
Very solid ranged poke and DPS	Reliant on her spider nest and is much worse if it gets focused down early in a fight

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Peni Parker, check out our guide.

Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch may not have a huge amount of burst damage, but she’s got a ton of tools you’d really want in a DPS if you’re playing into a dive comp. Between not having to aim to deal damage, brief immunity that allows her to escape tough situations, and a stun to keep people from diving her, she’s got more utility than most DPS heroes.

However, she also lacks burst. With how strong healing is in this game, not having burst is a huge weakness. Her ult is also very telegraphed, leaves her vulnerable for an extended period of time and is easily countered by some heroes. The higher the level of play you get to, the worse Scarlet Witch is.

Pros	Cons
Consistent damage that doesn’t require good aim	Lacks burst damage and has a hard time out-DPSing meta heroes
A ton of survivability and self-peel	Her stun is kind of inconsistent and awkward to use in comparison to other CC abilities
An ult that can kill the entire enemy team	Her ult is very easily countered and telegraphed

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Scarlet Witch, check out our guide.

Black Widow

Fortunately for those who despise playing against one-shot snipers (looking at you, Widowmaker), Black Widow doesn’t one-shot headshot. If she did, she’d definitely be an S-tier.

Does she do a ton of damage and a great job of pressuring out backliners? Yes. Does she have a super fast rechamber time on her rifle that allows her to kill fast if she lands an accurate follow-up. Also yes.

Additionally, she does decent in melee range and has tools to keep divers off her back. She doesn’t have an advantage up close, but she does have a chance. Black Widow isn’t nearly as good as Hawkeye, but she’s still a strong pick in the right hands.

Pros	Cons
Great damage at range, not quite 1 shot but close	Doesn’t 1 shot without a damage boost
Her ult is one of the strongest slows in the game, and it’s got a huge AoE	Requires strong awareness and can be easily ambushed, doesn’t do well when fighting multiple people at once
Decent self peel and mobility, a leg up on Hawkeye	Low DPS in general, not worth picking over other heroes unless paired with divers that can chunk HP

Check out our Black Widow guide if you’re looking to take full advantage of Black Widow’s weapons and abilities.

Black Panther

Black Panther is the most execution-reliant hero in Marvel Rivals. Either you hit your full ability rotation on a target and run through the enemy backline, or you miss and die. That really is the long and short of this hero.

And, while he can do well in the hands of a master, other melee heroes are just more effective and consistent in pretty much every scenario. However, this may not be a bad thing. There’s a place for a hero like Black Panther in Marvel Rivals, someone who demands a high level of execution.

If you’re up for the challenge, Black Panther is there for you.

Pros	Cons
Gets bonus health from landing his abilities and hitting his full combo on an opponent	If you miss, you die. It’s that simple. Don’t miss.
Very rewarding to play and capable of bursting down most squishy heroes	Not particularly great at shredding tanks
Extremely mobile	More difficult than other melee options without a huge upside

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Black Panther, check out our guide.

C-Tier characters in Marvel Rivals

Storm

Storm is really cool in theory, and, if there weren’t so many hitscan characters who can shoot you out of the sky, she’d be incredibly strong. The ability to buff herself and her teammates is a fun hero design, but one that isn’t overly useful considering how quickly she dies in fights.

Even Storm’s ultimate ability – where she turns into a hurricane – is only effective in a specific area. That limits her mobility and speed compared to other heroes who are much quicker and deal more damage overall.

She’s slow, easy to kill, doesn’t do a whole lot of damage, and lacks any real reason to pick her.

Pros	Cons
Buffs herself and other allies with damage or movement speed	Disappointing damage outside of her ultimate
Has a game-changing ultimate that you won’t want to be anywhere near	Easy to shoot out of the sky, she’s extremely slow
Can fly indefinitely	Completely lacks self peel or ways to protect herself

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Storm, check out our guide.

Wolverine

Wolverine lacks a lot of utility in comparison to other melee characters in Marvel Rivals, with him not even having any kind of ranged poke or harass. However, because he attacks so quickly and becomes tankier the more he hits, he’s really hard to kill if he does get going.

Additionally, he’s got some high mobility that’ll let him get where he needs to go and hit who he needs to hit without too much issue. However, he’s very reliant on landing his initial slew of abilities. He’s very all-or-nothing.

Wolverine’s an absolute tank shredder and wins every 1v1 against heroes who can’t zone him out, but he suffers against both CC and high mobility. When it comes to raw damage output, he’s one of the best heroes in the game. But he gets outpaced by other divers like Spider-Man and Iron Fist in most scenarios.

Pros	Cons
Damage. Just a whole lot of damage. If he’s on top of a target, that target will die	Very hit-or-miss, either ramps up his passive or dies trying
Hard to kill when he’s got his passive up	His passive has a long cooldown and is surprisingly flimsy while it’s down
High mobility that’s got CC attached to it, Wolverine flying at you is scary	Very easy to peel when compared to other melee heroes, has a hard time getting in

Check out our Wolverine guide to take full advantage of the X-Man.

Namor

Namor has his uses, but he’s basically a worse version of Loki with less damage and no healing. That’s a bit reductive considering he’s got shields and some other valuable utility, but this character still feels underpowered despite being buffed since the beta.

If he has a wall of turrets, he can do a great job of holding down a point. And, considering just how much space his ultimate creates, he does have ways in. However, his usefulness is limited, and there tend to be better options than Namor in most circumstances. He’s not unplayable by any means, just not great.


High DPS when he’s got all his turrets down	Terrible DPS without turrets
Can shield himself and is pretty resistant to dives	His turrets are incredibly flimsy and easy to kill
His ult shuts down mobility entirely, leaving a lot of meta heroes vulnerable	His ult is very telegraphed and slow to launch

If you’d like to see the best ways to play Namor, check out our guide.

That’s our Marvel Rivals tier list with the best characters you can use. Be sure to check out the Season 0 battle pass rewards, how to fix network errors, and the PC requirements.

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