Marvel Rivals boasts a wide roster of 23 characters available currently, each with their own unique abilities in the closed beta test and we’ve ranked every one of them based on their power level in the developing meta.
The highly anticipated Closed Beta Test of Marvel Rivals is underway, with players continuously on the lookout for codes and access to the game. Those who have access and are playing, on the other hand, are busy putting together combinations and deciding on the best team to defeat their opponents.
In Marvel Rivals, heroes are divided into three classes: Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategists. These are akin to Overwatch’s Tank, Damage, and Support, respectively. Because there are now 23 playable characters in the CBT, players are already rating their preferred characters according to their abilities.
We’ve got the perfect tier list to help you choose the best character the next time you play Marvel Rivals.
Marvel Rivals hero classes
Marvel Rivals heroes are divided into three classes. Here’s what they are and their role in a team:
- Vanguards – These are Tank heroes in a team boasting immense health and are usually the frontline of attack. They have abilities that can damage enemies easily and aid allies during their attack.
- Duelists – Duelists are DPS characters in the game who focus on disrupting the opposing team and draining the enemy’s health bars. Their abilities focus on aggressive attack as they’re able to deal most of the damage to the opponents.
- Strategists – They are support heroes and healers of the team, mostly playing from the backlines but can also step up to deal damage to enemies when required.
Marvel Rivals character tier list
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| S | Hela, Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, Luna Snow |
| A | Loki, Scarlet Witch, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Venom, Adam Warlock, Peni Parker, Spider-Man, Jeff the Land Shark |
| B | Mantis, Magik, The Punisher, Namor, Magneto, Storm, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor |
| C | Black Panther |
Our tiers explained
Here is a short-hand for how each tier breakdown:
- S: The best characters in the game that are easy to use and most effective in any scenario.
- A: Very good characters but require some skill training to master.
- B: There might be situations where these characters can perform well.
- C: Best to avoid unless you find yourself drawn to them.
Now, we’re going to do a deep dive into each character in our Marvel Rivals tier list, ranking them from the top to bottom.
S-Tier characters in Marvel Rivals
Hela
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Nightsword Thorn – Throw Nightsword thorns.
- Astral Flock (LShift) – Transform into a flock of Hel crows to glide forth, press again to undo the transformation.
- Soul Drainer (E) – Project an explosive Hel sphere to Stun nearby enemies.
- Piercing Night (Right Click) – Fire multiple Nightsword thorns that detonate after a delay.
- Goddess of Death (Q/Ultimate) – Soar into the sky and unleash Nastrond Crows from each hand at will.
- Nastrond Crowstorm (Passive) – Defeating an enemy will generate a Nastrond Crow, exploding after a duration.
- Hel’s Descent (Passive) – Hold Space to fall slowly.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Queen of Hel – When Hela lands a final hit in defeating an enemy, she can instantly resurrect Loki in the respawn phase. If Loki is alive, a Nastrond Crow will fly to him, granting blue armor.
Hela is the most powerful duelist in Marvel Rivals. She’s got incredibly high damage at long-range, making her lethal on any map. Her primary attack where she fires Nightsword Thorns deals some heavy headshot damage to players and eliminates them in just a couple of shots.
While there’s a learning curve in using Hela effectively in a Rivals match, once you get over it, she becomes an extremely tough hero to defeat. You can turn into a Crow and instantly teleport near the enemy team to deal damage or soar into the sky where you can grab a vantage point and fire energy pulses at enemies below.
Her ultimate abilities are extremely overpowered in Rivals that can turn the tables for a team and even with lower max health than most heroes, she fulfills her role as the Goddess of Death.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Hela, check out our guide.
Doctor Strange
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Daggers of Denak – Cast Daggers of Denak forward.
- Cloak of Levitation (LShift) – Ascend and then enter a brief state of sustained flight.
- Maelstrom of Madness (E) – Release Dark Magic to deal damage to nearby enemies.
- Pentagram of Farallah (F) – Open portals between two locations, enabling all units to travel through them.
- Shield of the Seraphim (Right Click) – Create a protective barrier against damage.
- Eye of Agamotto (Q/Ultimate) – Separate nearby enemies’ Souls from their bodies. Damage dealt to these Souls is transferred to their physical bodies.
- Price of Magic (Passive) – Dark Magic accumulates with every hit on an enemy. If Dark Magic is not released, Doctor Strange will enter a state of Anti-Heal.
- Team-Up Abilities: Gamma Maelstrom – Hulk charges Doctor Strange and Iron Man with gamma radiation. When Doctor Strange uses Maelstrom of Madness, he unleashes excess gamma energy. When Iron Man uses Armor Overdrive, he will initiate a gamma upgrade.
As the best Vanguard hero in the game, Doctor Strange’s abilities are quite the meta that players would absolutely enjoy using. He’s a powerful sorcerer who acts as the frontline to any team and deals lethal damage to enemies using his mystical powers and dark magic.
However, his Pentagram of Farallah ability triumphs over any other ability in the game. You can open portals from and to anywhere across the map, allowing your teammates to jump through them at any point, and you can also trick enemies into an ambush if placed correctly.
You can also fly around and even summon a shield that blocks incoming projectile damage which can prove quite useful early in a match.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Doctor Strange, check out our guide.
Star-Lord
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Element Guns – Shoot enemies with dual Element Guns.
- Rocket Propulsion (LShift) – Boost and soar forward.
- Blaster Barrage (E) – Fire a frenzy of shots, causing damage to enemies within range.
- Stellar Shift (Right Click) – Dodge in the direction of movement and swiftly reload.
- Galactic Legend (Q/Ultimate) – Engage in free-flight and lock onto enemies in sight.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Soul Perseverance – Adam Warlock enhances the rebirth power of Star-Lord and Mantis, granting them the power of cocooned revival.
Star-Lord is the perfect Duelist in the roster who’s a lethal damage dealer in the game. This is thanks to his Element Guns and jet boots, which enable him to be constantly on the fly. His ultimate ability is an absolute aimbot in the game as they lock on to the enemy while you fly by and are quick to dodge some incoming fire.
Because of his awareness, Star-Lord can easily identify a weak healer of the opposing team and lay waste to them while flying above them. He’s one of those characters who can easily escape a tricky situation to survive and plan his next attack.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Star-Lord, check out our guide.
Luna Snow
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Light & Dark Ice – Fire ice shots that damage enemies or heal allies.
- Ice Arts (LShift) – Fire ice shards for a short duration, damaging enemies or healing allies while restoring her own Health.
- Share the Stage (E) – Attach Idol Aura to an ally. Allies with Idol Aura also restore Health when Luna Snow is healing others.
- Absolute Zero (Right Click) – Cast a clump of ice to freeze the hit enemy and restore health.
- Fate of Both Worlds (Q/Ultimate) – Take center stage and start dancing! Toggle between two performances: Heal allies or grant them Damage Boost.
- Cryo Heart (Passive) – Automatically restore Health when casting Ice Arts or Absolute Zero.
- Smooth Skate (Passive) – Keep moving to start ice skating.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Icy Disco – Luna Snow infuses ice energy into Namor and Jeff the Land Shark, who then can tap into the ice energy to power up abilities at will.
Luna Snow is the most powerful healer on the Marvel Rivals roster. She can endlessly skate around the map and continue to heal teammates in a certain area on the move.
She also fires ice shards that damage enemies that can heal an ally you select at the same time. Furthermore, her ultimate ability either buffs team damage or heals them as they’re attacking the enemy team.
With Luna Snow, you’ll always be doing something on the map either healing or damaging, and her move-set is one of the best you’ll experience during your gameplay in Marvel Rivals.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Luna Snow, check out our guide.
A-Tier characters in Marvel Rivals
Loki
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Mystical Missile – Fire Mystical Missiles to heal allies or deal damage to enemies.
- Regeneration Domain (LShift) – Use Rune Stones to create a magical field that converts damage taken by allies within its radius into healing energy.
- Doppelganger (E) – Project an illusion that can cast some of Loki’s abilities.
- Devious Exchange (F) – Swap with the selected illusion.
- Backstab (V) – Pull out a dagger to stab enemies, dealing extra damage when attacking an enemy from behind.
- Deception (Right Click) – Become invisible and conjure an illusion to deceive enemies.
- God of Mischief (Q/Ultimate) – Shapeshift into a targeted ally or enemy hero and use all the hero’s abilities.
- Team-Up Abilities: Laufeyson Reborn (Passive) – When Hela lands a final hit in defeating an enemy, she can instantly resurrect Loki in the respawn phase. If Loki is alive, a Nastrond Crow will fly to him, granting blue armor.
Loki is one of the most interesting characters to play in Marvel Rivals, as he’s got a bag full of tricks to bamboozle players on the opposing team. His Strategist abilities can prove lethal to the enemy team, but only if the player using it has mastered Loki’s gameplay style.
There’s a learning curve before a player can perfectly put Loki’s abilities to use – like casting multiple projections of himself across the map or even copying an enemy’s powers to use against them. Regardless, Loki is quite the stellar addition to any squad that needs heroes to thwart the plans of the enemy team and lead them astray.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Loki, check out our guide.
Scarlet Witch
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Chaos Control – Use Chaos Magic to attack enemies and restore Chaos Energy.
- Mystic Projection (LShift) – Enter the Projection state for free-flight. Press again to exit early.
- Dark Seal (E) – Land a hit on a target or the scene, or press again to generate a Force Field that periodically Stuns enemies within range.
- Telekinesis (Space) – Space Hold Space to fall slowly.
- Chthonian Burst (Right Click) – Consume Chaos Energy to fire explosive magic missiles, damaging enemies.
- Reality Erasure (Q/Ultimate) – Engage in free-flight while charging energy, then unleash it to deal massive damage.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Chaotic Bond – Scarlet Witch can infuse Chaos Energy into Magneto to enchant his greatsword. Upon receiving the Chaos Energy, Magneto can unleash its full force, striking down enemies with his enchanted greatsword.
Scarlet Witch is a real glass cannon in Marvel Rivals. Despite her low defensive capabilities, she’s the most overpowered character on the roster when it comes to offense. She can deal insane amounts of close-range damage using Chaos Magic and freely fly while being invisible across the map to trick enemies.
However, she becomes a real threat to the enemy when she unleashes her ultimate ability, Reality Erasure, and wipes out an entire team in seconds, much like her overpowered self in the Marvel Universe. She summons Dark Magic, unlike any other sorcerer on the roster.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Scarlet Witch, check out our guide.
Groot
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Vine Strike – Launch vines to attack enemies.
- Thornlash Wall (LShift) – Target a location and grow a Thornlash Wall. When Awakened, it strikes nearby enemies attacked by Groot and his allies.
- Ironwood Wall (E) – Target a location and grow an Ironwood Wall. When Awakened, it grants Bonus Health to Groot when nearby enemies take damage.
- Spore Bomb (Right Click) – Throw an explosive Spore Bomb that splits into multiple small explosive spores.
- Strangling Prison (Q/Ultimate) – Fire a massive vine cluster that pulls nearby enemies to its center and Imprisons them.
- Flora Colossus (Passive) – Wooden walls near Groot will Awaken, activating an extra effect.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Friendly Shoulder – Rocket Raccoon can ride on Groot’s shoulders, receiving Damage Reduction.
Another Vanguard hero on the Marvel Rivals roster, Groot is used best to create walls that act as barriers to give your teammates some time to strategize their attack or heal when pressured. His healing abilities are quite underwhelming, but Groot can take incredible amounts of hits and dish out some serious damage to enemies.
While Groot’s ultimate traps enemies in a vine cluster that gives your team some extra time to deal damage to the opponents, his powers are best put to use to summon walls continuously and block enemies from charging toward your team as they strategize their attack.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Groot, check out our guide.
Rocket Raccoon
Abilities:
- Normal Attack 1 (Left Click): Bombard Mode – Fire energy projectiles that deal damage.
- Normal Attack 2 (Right Click): Repair Mode – Shoot bouncing spheres to heal allies.
- Jetpack Dash (LShift) – Dash forward.
- B.R.B. – Battle Rebirth Beacon (E) – Deploy a Rebirth Beacon that revives a fallen ally and periodically produces armor packs and rocket jet packs.
- C.Y.A. – Cosmic Yarn Amplifier (Q/Ultimate) – Deploy a Cosmic Yarn Amplifier that grants allies a Damage Boost.
- Wild Crawl (Passive) – Hold Space to run on a wall.
- Flying Ace (Passive) – Hold Space to fall slowly.
- Team-Up Ability 1 (C): Old Friends – Rocket Racoon can ride on Groot’s shoulders, receiving Damage Reduction.
- Team-Up Ability 2 (Z): Ammo Invention – Rocket Raccoon throws an Ammo Overload Device in the target direction. Upon entering the device’s range, The Punisher receives the buffs of Infinite Ammo and Faster Firing.
Rocket Raccoon’s compact size is extremely fun to play with in Marvel Rivals. He carries a huge gun around which has an insane damage output. However, it works best when you’re on Groot’s shoulder and are damaging enemies on the move.
His support abilities to replenish The Punisher’s ammo and healing teammates are useful during gameplay, though he does not add much to a team’s winning chances. Regardless, if you’d like a character in your team that’s only supporting other teammates rather than staying on the offense, rely on Rocket and his brilliant tech.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Rocket Raccoon, check out our guide.
Venom
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Dark Predation – Unleash tentacles forward to attack enemies
- Venom Swing (LShift) – Launch webbing forward, allowing for a singular swing in the desired direction.
- Symbiotic Resilience (E) – Generate Bonus Health against damage. The lower Venom’s Health, the greater the Bonus Health generated.
- Frenzied Arrival (F) – Dash to the target location from a certain height. Upon landing, damage nearby enemies, knocking them back towards the landing point.
- Cellular Corrosion (Right Click) – Unleash tentacles to slow enemies within reach. Enemies unable to break free in time will suffer damage.
- Feast of the Abyss (Q/Ultimate) – Burrow underground for free movement. After a duration or by pressing Left Click to devour enemies above and generate Bonus Health.
- Alien Biology (Passive) – Press Space to wall crawl, and while crawling, press Left Click to sprint.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Touch of Klyntar – Venom shares a part of his symbiote with Spider-Man and Peni Parker, activating their symbiote abilities. Spider-Man and Peni Parker can convert the symbiote into explosive spikes that inflict harm on nearby enemies and relentlessly drive them back.
Venom is a true tank and one of the greatest Vanguard class characters in Marvel Rivals. He has a fantastic kit that makes ideal use of his Symbiote skills to disrupt the enemy team’s attack.
You may trap enemies within reach and use your tentacles to harm them while your DPS teammates strategize a full attack. Venom’s goal in the game is straightforward: close up on opponents to disrupt their attacks and drain their health, allowing your Duelists to strike the finishing blow.
His healing boosts and swinging skills allow him to endure longer than other Vanguards, perhaps leading your side to victory.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Venom, check out our guide.
Adam Warlock
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Quantum Magic – Launch quantum energy to deal damage.
- Soul Bond (LShift) – Unite the souls of allies in a bond, granting them healing over time and distributing damage taken across the bond.
- Avatar Life Stream (E) – Target an ally for a bouncing stream of healing energy, which also heals himself upon casting; self-targets if no ally is selected.
- Cosmic Cluster (Right Click) – Gather quantum energy into a cluster and then swiftly launch it at the enemy.
- Karmic Revival (Q/Ultimate) – Awaken the karma of allies to revive them. Allies revived have lower health but enjoy a brief period of invincibility.
- Regenerative Cocoon (Passive) – Once his body perishes, Adam can freely move as a soul and reforge his body at a chosen spot.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Soul Perseverance – Adam Warlock enhances the rebirth power of Star-Lord and Mantis, granting them the power of cocooned revival.
Adam Warlock is a sharpshooter in Marvel Rivals who excels as a Strategist class hero. He can deliver significant headshot damage with his Quantum Magic strikes, and much more after his Cosmic Cluster ability is refreshed.
However, Warlock is a true healer because of his resurrection skills, which allow him to return to combat if he is killed by a DPS enemy. Furthermore, he may be quite useful if you have Star-Lord or Mantis on your squad because he can resurrect them when they are out, allowing you to keep the action going for them.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Adam Warlock, check out our guide.
Peni Parker
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Cyber-Web Cluster – Launch forward a Cyber-Web Cluster.
- Bionic Spider-Nest (LShift) – Generate a Spider-Nest at a targeted area, periodically spawning Spider-Drones and creating Cyber-Webs.
- Arachno-Mine (E) – Deploy Arachno-Mines that can be concealed within the confines of a Cyber-Web.
- Cyber-Bond (F) – Shoot a web strand that links to the targeted area or Cyber-Web. If stretched too far, it will trigger a pullback.
- Wall Crawl (Space) – Hols Space to crawl vertical surfaces.
- Cyber-Web Snare (Right Click) – Cast futuristic webbing that immobilizes enemies upon impact and creates a Cyber-Web upon hitting the scene.
- Spider-Sweeper (Q/Ultimate) – Enhance the SP//dr suit, Knocking Back enemies in its path and deploying Arachno-Mines, Spider-Drones, and Cyber-Webs repeatedly.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Touch of Klyntar – Venom shares a part of his symbiote with Spider-Man and Peni Parker, activating their symbiote abilities. Spider-Man and Peni Parker can convert the symbiote into explosive spikes that inflict harm on nearby enemies and relentlessly drive them back.
Peni Parker is best suited as a fragger on a Marvel Rivals team and she’s quite good at it. While she belongs to a Vanguard class and boasts 600 health, thanks to her SP//DER armor, her core lies in laying traps across areas where most enemies would spawn or rotate to.
You can summon spider bots, lay mines, or even recall your last position by laying web strands just to get to a safe area when under threat. With the Closed beta patch, her primary attack ability received a buff where she can fire her webs faster at enemies, which works best when they’re caught in her Bionic Nest and are receiving damage from the mines laid by her.
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If you’d like to see the best ways to play Peni Parker, check out our guide.
Spider-Man
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Spider-Power – Swing fists forward to strike, dealing extra damage to the enemy with a Spider-Tracer.
- Web-Swing (LShift) – Shoot a strand of webbing to swing.
- Get Over Here! (E) – Shoot webbing to reel in the hit enemy. If the enemy is tagged with a Spider-Tracer, Spider-Man will get pulled to them instead.
- Amazing Combo (F) – Launch an enemy upward, dealing extra damage to the enemy with a Spider-Tracer.
- Thwip and Flip (Space) – Perform a double jump.
- Web-Cluster (Right Click) – Shoot a Web-Cluster that deals damage and attaches a Spider-Tracer to the hit enemy.
- Spectacular Spin (Q/Ultimate) – Launch Web-Clusters all around to damage and Stun enemies.
- Spider-Sense (Passive) – Give a warning of enemies that have been around.
- Wall Crawl (Passive) – Press Space to crawl on vertical surfaces, and Press Left Click to run on them.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Touch of Klyntar – Venom shares a part of his symbiote with Spider-Man and Peni Parker, activating their symbiote abilities. Spider-Man and Peni Parker can convert the symbiote into explosive spikes that inflict harm on nearby enemies and relentlessly drive them back.
While several Marvel Rivals heroes are being slammed for their lack of mobility, Spider-Man aces in that aspect. He’s incredibly fast and fun to play with, as you can swing endlessly across the map and hit enemies with a lethal blow.
Spider-Man’s abilities also trade punches between several enemies in quick succession and can web up opponents in an entire area. You’ll basically want to use him like a hit-and-run character to trick the rival team. He can also team up with Venom to blast Symbiotes at enemies where he can disrupt the rival DPS and healers.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Spider-Man, check out our guide.
Jeff the Land Shark
Abilities:
- Normal Attack 1 (Left Click): Joyful Splash – Unleash a healing splash.
- Normal Attack 2 (Right Click): Aqua Burst – Launch a high-speed water sphere that bursts upon impact, dealing damage to enemies within range.
- Hide and Seek (LShift) – Dive into the ground with only his dorsal fin exposed, granting himself a movement boost and the wall-crawl ability.
- Healing Bubble (E) – Spit out a bubble that heals the ally who collects it, boosting all healing for that ally.
- It’s Jeff! (Q/Ultimate) – Deep dive into the ground and resurface to swallow both enemies and allies within range, activating Hide and Seek for a brief duration before ejecting the swallowed heroes forward.
- Passive: Oblivious Cuteness – Reduce damage taken from critical strikes.
- Team-Up Ability 1 (C): Frozen Spitball – Luna Snow infuses ice energy into Jeff the Land Shark, who then can tap into the ice energy to power up their abilities.
- Team-Up Ability 2 (Z): New Friends – Jeff the Land Shark can ride on Groot’s shoulders, receiving damage reduction.
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.
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 comboed properly, is one of the best in the game. As long as you don’t accidentally kill your teammates.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Jeff the Land Shark, check out our guide.
B-Tier characters in Marvel Rivals
Mantis
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Life Energy Blast – Fire an energy thorn and regain one Life Orb after a critical hit.
- Spore Slumber (LShift) – Throw a spore to Sedate the nearest enemy.
- Allied Inspiration (E) – Consume Life Orbs to grant allies a Damage Boost.
- Natural Anger (F) – Consume Life Orbs to grant herself a Damage Boost.
- Healing Flower (Right Click) – Consume Life Orbs to grant allies Healing Over Time.
- Soul Resurgence (Q/Ultimate) – Release energy around her while moving, providing Healing Over Time and Movement Boost for surrounding allies.
- Nature’s Favor (Passive) – Receive a Movement Boost when not injured and Healing Over Time when consuming Life Orbs.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Soul Perseverance – Adam Warlock enhances the rebirth power of Star-Lord and Mantis, granting them the power of cocooned revival.
While Mantis is primarily a healer in Marvel Rivals, her ability to absorb Life Orbs and use them to heal allies or buff their damage makes her a Strategist you’ll want by your side. What makes her powers more lethal is that you can continue to spam her shots endlessly, as they have little to no cooldown.
However, Mantis’ own damage count is not quite on par with heroes more powerful than her. Regardless of that, her role as a support hero feels satisfactory unless you don’t have an enemy team full of deadly Duelists and Vanguards.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Mantis, check out our guide.
Magik
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Soulsword – Slash forward with the Soulsword.
- Stepping Discs (LShift) – Jump through a Stepping Disc, teleporting a short distance in the direction of movement.
- Umbral Incursion (E) – Dash forward and launch an enemy upward.
- Eloritch Whirl (Left Click) – Spin while swinging the Soulsword after exiting a Stepping Disc.
- Magik Slash (Right Click) – Strike forward an air slash.
- Demon’s Rage (Right Click) – Summon a Limbo demon that attacks enemies after exiting a Stepping Disc.
- Darkchild (Q/Ultimate) – Transform into Darkchild, gaining enhancements to all her abilities.
- Limbo’s Might (Passive) – Convert damage inflicted on enemies into Bonus Health to herself.
- Team-Up Abilities (C): Disc Master – Magik opens a portal. Black Panther can use the portal.
Magik is another sorcerer who’s an ideal Duelist, dealing deadly damage with her huge Final Fantasy 7-esque sword. She is an aggressive hero who upon dealing damage to an enemy gains health as well which is an added bonus to her playstyle.
She relies on her sword mainly for melee attacks, hence good positioning is key and that’s where her ability to summon discs and step on them becomes extremely useful for quick teleportation. Magik can escape tricky situations, but she is still vulnerable to long-range duelists like Luna Snow or Hela.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Magik, check out our guide.
The Punisher
Abilities:
- Normal Attack 1 (Left Click): Adjudication – Fire at enemies with Adjudication, his Automatic Rifle
- Normal Attack 2 (Left Click): Deliverance – Fire at enemies with Deliverance, his Shotgun
- Vantage Connection (LShift) – Launch a hook to generate a cable that enables Punisher to move rapidly by pressing F.
- Culling Turret (E) – Deploy a Culling Turret that grounds Punisher while dealing massive damage.
- Scourge Grenade (Right Click) – Throw a Smoke Grenade forward to Obscure enemy vision.
- Final Judgement (Q/Ultimate) – Unleash two gatling guns and missiles to attack enemies.
- Warrior’s Gaze (Passive) – Retain vision of enemies that disappear from view for a short duration.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Infinite Punishment – Rocket Raccoon throws an Ammo Overload Device in target direction. Upon entering the device’s range, The Punisher receives the buffs of Infinite Ammo and Faster Firing.
The Punisher is one of the most tactical characters to play with in Marvel Rivals. His weapons arsenal includes a Shotgun, Machine Gun, and a Smoke Grenade (which honestly should last longer). He offers strong support to a team’s attack line as a Duelist, but he fails to outperform higher-tier heroes.
His ultimate ability however – where he deploys a turret – is incredibly fun to use as it can wipe out enemies that have just returned off spawn. He’s usable in most situations but ideal in none.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Punisher, check out our guide.
Namor
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Trident of Neptune – Toss the trident forward, reducing Aquatic Dominion’s cooldown upon enemy impact.
- Blessing of the Deep (LShift) – Summon a protective barrier while flying upwards, shielding Namor while disabling movement and skills use during its duration.
- Aquatic Dominion (E) – Summon a Monstro Spawn that can autonomously attack enemies.
- Wrath of the Seven Seas (Right Click) – Launch the trident forward to damage nearby enemies, then direct all Monstro Spawn to perform an enhanced attack on the nearest hit enemy.
- Horn of Proteus (Q/Ultimate) – Summon Giganto to leap atop enemies within range.
- Team-Up Abilities (C): Frozen Spawn – Luna Snow infuses ice energy into Namor, who can then tap into the ice energy to power up abilities at will.
Namor is another hero in Marvel Rivals who feels incredibly underpowered. This isn’t just because he’s a god of the oceans, but because his Aquaman-style Trident doesn’t deal much damage. However, once you’ve activated his ultimate ability and summoned some sea creatures, they work effectively together when spammed at an enemy team.
Even though Namor is not as powerful as a standalone hero, when he activates his team-up ability with Luna Snow, he’s quite lethal when using ice energy in his Trident shots.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Namor, check out our guide.
Magneto
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Iron Volley – Fire a volley of magnetic orbs forward.
- Metallic Curtain (LShift) – Change the magnetic field around to form a metallic curtain, blocking all flying projectiles.
- Metal Bulwark (E) – Conjure a metal shield around a chosen ally. Damage taken will transform into rings on Magneto’s back.
- Mag-Cannon (Right Click) – Convert the iron rings on Magneto’s back into a Mag-Cannon and launch a metallic mass forward. Higher stacks of rings increase damage, and full stacks Knock Back enemies.
- Meteor M (Q/Ultimate) – Alter the magnetic field to draw in matter and projectiles and forge a massive iron meteor, delivering catastrophic damage to the targeted area upon impact.
- Magnetic Descent (Passive) – Hold Space to fall slowly.
- Team-Up Abilities (C): Metallic Fusion – Scarlet Witch can infuse Chaos Energy into Magneto to enchant his greatsword. Upon receiving the Chaos Energy, Magneto can unleash its full force, striking down enemies with his enchanted greatsword.
Magneto is an extremely powerful Vanguard who can easily take lethal hits and spam enemies with his primary attack to eliminate them in mere seconds. He can blast his abilities to overthrow the duelists on the opposing team.
He can easily close in to alter an area’s magnetic field and launch a meteor that deals catastrophic damage to the enemies there. Furthermore, Magneto’s shield can effectively block incoming fire, but reduces his mobility which falls short in some situations.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Magneto, check out our guide.
Storm
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Wind Blade – Launch forward-piercing Wind Blades.
- Weather Control (LShift) – Switch the weather to empower allies: Tornado grants a Movement Boost; Thunder grants a Damage Boost.
- Goddess Boost (E) – Channel the power of the weather to empower Storm; Tornado grants a Movement Boost; Thunder grants a Damage Boost and summons lightning to inflict damage.
- Bolt Rush (Right Click) – Unleash a lightning bolt forward.
- Omega Hurricane (Q/Ultimate) – Transform into a hurricane to draw in nearby enemies and deal damage.
- Team-Up Ability (Passive): Thunderous Deity – Thor infuses Thorforce into Storm, granting her an electrifying enhancement. With this enhancement, Storm can unleash a lightning barrage.
While Storm is one of the most powerful mutants on the X-Men team, her powers and abilities are quite disappointing in Marvel Rivals. She’s a Duelist in the game, but Storm’s gameplay feels more like that of a Strategist who is mainly ideal for supporting allies and boosting their damage and movement speed in an area.
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.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Storm, check out our guide.
Bruce Banner/Hulk
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Heavy Blow – Swing fists forward to punch enemies
- Hulk Smash! (Q) – Unleash stored gamma energy, transforming from Hero Hulk into Monster Hulk for a limited period.
- Indestructible Guard (LShift) – Generate gamma shields for Hero Hulk and nearby allies, absorbing and converting damage into energy for HULK SMASH!
- Radioactive Lockdown (E) – Emit gamma energy to place enemies in quantum void that renders them immobilized and immune to all ability effects.
- Incredible Leap (Space) – Hold Space to perform a charged leap that allows Hero Hulk to Knock a flying enemy to the ground.
- Gamma Burst (Right Click) – Emit gamma-ray bursts to inflict damage.
- Team-Up Abilities (Passive): Gamma Boost – Hulk charges Doctor Strange and Iron Man with gamma radiation. When Doctor Strange uses Maelstrom of Madness, he unleashes excess gamma energy. When Iron Man uses Armor Overdrive, he will initiate a gamma upgrade.
Hulk is a strong Vanguard hero in Marvel Rivals with a lot of health and impressive brawler abilities. You can leap around and smash enemies in your way to make a path for your Duelists to carry out an attack.
However, his ultimate ability where he turns stronger and picks up an enemy to smash them is underwhelming, as you’re stuck for a few seconds before you can move around again. His restricted mobility is also a letdown since there’s a cooldown before you can leap higher.
While the idea of smashing everyone on the map sounds fun, it falls short when you’re actually just chasing people around to damage them and get turned into Puny Banner in the process with just 200 HP.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Hulk, check out our guide.
Iron Man
Abilities:
- Normal Attack 1 (Left Click): Repulsor Blast – Fire nano pulse cannons forward.
- Normal Attack 2 (Right Click): Unibeam – Fire a unibeam forward.
- Invincible Pulse Cannon (Q) – Fire a devastating pulse cannon in the targeted direction, delivering catastrophic damage to the targeted area upon impact.
- Hyper-Velocity (LShift) – Activate Hyper-Velocity state for swift forward flight.
- Armor Overdrive (E) – Activate Armor Overdrive state, enhancing damage of Repulsor Blast and Unibeam.
- Micro-Missile Barrage (F) – When Hyper-Velocity or Armor Overdrive is used, Iron Man can launch a missile bombardment.
- Team-Up Abilities (E) Gamma Overdrive – Hulk charges Doctor Strange and Iron Man with gamma radiation. When Doctor Strange uses Maelstrom of Madness, he unleashes excess gamma energy. When Iron Man uses Armor Overdrive, he will initiate a gamma upgrade.
Iron Man is one of the Marvel Rivals characters you’d expect to deliver as promised. However, Tony Stark’s armored self falls short when it comes to eliminating powerful heroes on the enemy team. While you can consistently fly around the map and damage opponents with your Repulsors and Unibeam, you might be vulnerable to quicker duelists like Hela or even Scarlet Witch.
However, Iron Man’s ultimate ability does release a pulse that damages enemies in an entire area significantly, but even then his defense mechanisms and time to kill an enemy are quite disappointing as compared to higher-tier heroes.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Iron Man, check out our guide.
Thor
Abilities:
- Normal Attack 1 (Left Click): Mjolnir Bash – Wield Mjolnir to strike enemies. When Awakened, Thor can launch lightning arc waves to deal damage.
- Normal Attack 2 (Right Click): Hammer Throw – Throw Mjolnir forward that then returns.
- God of Thunder (Q/Ultimate): Soar upwards and smite the ground after charging for a duration, inflicting damage upon enemies in range.
- Storm Surge (LShift): Hold to spin Mjolnir before dashing forward and knocking back enemies.
- Lightning Realm (E): Summon lightning to restore Thorforce based on the number of hit enemies.
- Awakening Rune (F): Consume Thorforce to enter the Awakened state, granting bonus Health and enhancing Mjolnir Bash.
- Passive: Thorforce – After using any ability, casting Mjolnir Bash grants one point of Thorforce.
- Team-Up Abilities:
- Passive: Odinson Reborn – When Hela lands a final hit in defeating an enemy, she can instantly resurrect Loki and Thor in the respawn phase, or grant bonus health if still alive.
- Passive: Thunderous Deity – Thor infuses Thorforce into Storm, granting her an electrifying enhancement. With this enhancement, Storm can unleash a lightning barrage.
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 Vanguards, 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 currently just not worth the effort in most scenarios. He isn’t bad, but he is clunky.
For instance, using his Storm Surge triggers a global cooldown on all of his abilities that lasts for 2 seconds, making it difficult to get anything out of engaging the enemy. If you don’t choose the right time to engage, you’re going to immediately die. If you live, you’ll run through the entire enemy team.
Thor can be worth playing, but the level of execution required in comparison to other Vanguard characters makes him a worse choice than other, easier heroes in most cases.
C-Tier characters in Marvel Rivals
Black Panther
Abilities:
- Normal Attack (Left Click): Vibranium Claws – Slice Vibranium Claws forward.
- Bast’s Descent (Q) – Summon Bast, pouncing forward, dealing damage, and attaching a Vibranium Mark to hit enemies.
- Sprint Rend (LShift) – Lunge forward and deal damage to enemies. Hitting an enemy afflicted with a Vibranium Mark produces bonus Health and refreshes the ability.
- Spinning Kick (E) – Spiral forward and attach a Vibranium Mark to hit enemies.
- Subtle Step (Space) – Hold Space to run on a wall; perform a jump after detaching from the wall.
- Spear Toss (Right Click) – Toss a Vibranium energy spear forward, creating a Vibranium Force Field and attaching a Vibranium Mark to enemies in its radius.
- Panther’s Cunning (Passive) – Deal higher damage when at low Health.
- Team-Up Abilities (C): Djalia Disc – Magik opens a portal. Black Panther can use the portal.
As much as we’d want to love using Black Panther, it’s a real letdown given his melee abilities are merely useful while using his ability to mark enemies as he lunges forward at them. Even though his agility and speed are nearly identical to that of Spider-Man, his attacking prowess falls short against heroes with immense long-range damage.
As a Duelist, Black Panther fails to deliver and contribute as a teammate, however, you can still put his powers to use to strike an enemy the first time before another hero comes and finishes the opponent for you.
If you’d like to see the best ways to play Black Panther, check out our guide.
That’s our Marvel Rivals tier list with the best characters you can use. Be sure to check out how to play custom games, how to fix network errors, and PC requirements. To stay in the loop on upcoming content in the game, we’ve got everything you need in our main hub.