Introduction

Marvel Rivals has launched with an impressive roster of 33 characters, ranging from the Avengers and X-Men to cute characters like Jeff the Land Shark. Choosing the right character can be overwhelming, but our comprehensive tier list will help you navigate the game's diverse cast.

Character Roles Explained

Marvel Rivals divides its characters into three crucial roles:

Vanguard

The frontline heroes with massive health pools. These space-makers protect their team through shields, walls, and the ability to absorb massive amounts of damage. They control the battlefield and create crucial defensive positions.

Duelist

Damage-focused "glass cannon" characters who might have lower health but can obliterate opponents with precise and powerful attacks. Some have temporary health abilities or such high damage output that they can quickly turn the tide of a battle.

Strategist

The support characters who are the backbone of any team. They provide critical healing, buffs, and utility that can revive teammates, boost damage, and fundamentally change team dynamics.

Tier List Breakdown

S Tier: The Most Powerful Characters

Hawkeye (Duelist)

Currently the most dominant Duelist in Marvel Rivals, Hawkeye has unparalleled damage potential. His ability to secure one-shot kills from across the map makes him a terrifying opponent. Players who master Hawkeye can single-handedly carry games with precise shots that eliminate enemies before they can react.

Hela (Duelist)

Hela is a menace in every match. Her hit-scan primary attack allows for devastating damage from across the map. Her ultimate is particularly game-changing, instantly activating and granting her 1000 health, making her incredibly difficult to take down and a truly scary character to verse.

Psylocke (Duelist)

Psylocke has exceptional carry potential. Though she can be tricky to master, her ultimate makes her invincible. The mobility from her dashes and ability to become invisible makes her an exceptional flanker who can tear through enemy backlines with ease.

Mantis (Strategist)

Mantis represents the best of both worlds - a support character who can also deal significant damage. She can buff herself and allies, heal allies while healing herself, and provide crucial crowd control. Her Spore Slumber ability can easily stun pesky flankers, and her ultimate is invaluable in team fights.

Magneto (Vanguard)

Magneto offers incredible team protection with his shields and ultimate. He can effectively shut down Duelists' plays and protect allies. His ability to control the battlefield makes him a top-tier Vanguard.

A Tier: Strong and Versatile Heroes

Adam Warlock (Strategist)

Adam has many game-changing abilities. His self-resurrection and ultimate allow him to turn team fights completely. The ability to split damage between himself and allies makes him hard to kill and shutsdown the enemies plays. This makes Adam a constant threat that enemies have to focus to take out of the team fight early.

Doctor Strange (Vanguard)

Doctor Strange is the quintessential barrier tank, he provides massive shield protection and incredible battlefield control with his portal ability that can reposition his team. His abilites make him quite deadly and his ultimate team fight winning.

Groot (Vanguard)

Groot is a defensive powerhouse who can reshape the battlefield with his walls. His ability to control space and block off escape routes makes him one of the most defensive Vanguards available.

Luna Snow (Strategist)

Luna Snow brings consistent healing and team fight potential. Her ultimate can flip the team fight instantly, and her ability to freeze enemies while providing substantial healing makes her an incredibly impactful support.

The Punisher (Duelist)

The Punisher a versatile hit-scan damage dealer. His assault rifle, shotgun, smoke grenades, and deployable turret and ability to reposition with his zipline make him a threat. When powered up by team abilities like Rocket Raccoon's, he becomes downright devastating.

Rocket Raccoon (Strategist)

Rocket brings an incredibly varied support kit with his deployable armor pack producing and reviving beacon, healing projectiles, and damage boost ultimate. His machine gun packs a surprising punch, and his jetpack dash provides excellent mobility. He's surprisingly easy to play while offering essential team support.

Thor (Vanguard)

Thor feels like he functions best as an off-tank, his health is lower than typical Vanguards, and his ability cooldowns are restrictive. requiring significant team support to maximize his potential, but can dish out a lot of damage.

Captain America (Vanguard)

Captain America is a brawler who provides solid shielding and moderate damage, but lacks exceptional team protection. He requires careful positioning, as overextending can leave him isolated and ineffective. While iconic, he struggles to make a consistent impact in high-level play.

Moon Knight (Duelist)

Moon Knight's power revolves around his strategically placed Ankhs, which can devastate grouped-up teams when his primary bounces between them. He can completely turn fights if enemies don't quickly destroy his Ankhs. However, his effectiveness diminishes once opponents learn to clear these quickly. His movement can be somewhat limited, with his Moonlight Hook taking time to activate and his ultimate being relatively easy to avoid.

Cloak & Dagger (Strategist)

Coak & Dagger are unique with their ability that allows switching between Cloak (offensive) and Dagger (healing). Mastering when to be aggressive or focus on healing can dramatically impact team fights. Their ability to output significant damage while providing crucial support makes them a versatile and powerful pick.

B Tier: Situational but Powerful Heroes

Loki (Strategist)

Loki is arguably the most complex support character in Marvel Rivals, his unique kit allows him to turn invisible, place decoys, and teleport, and immortality makes him incredibly difficult to pin down. While his healing output is modest, skilled players can dramatically increase his effectiveness through clever decoy placement. His ultimate is a game-changer, allowing him to copy and immediately use another hero's ultimate - potentially turning the tide of battle in an instant.

Jeff the Land Shark (Strategist)

Jeff brings surprising utility to the team. His right click provides excellent group healing, and his speed-boosting bubbles offer crucial mobility. His ultimate is particularly powerful, capable of consuming and ejecting enemies from the map. His survivability and game-changing ultimate make him a solid pick.

Scarlet Witch (Duelist)

Scarlet Witch offers powerful and straightforward gameplay. Her primary fire provides easy 1v1 potential without requiring pinpoint accuracy. Her shift ability gives her excellent escape potential. However, she struggles at range and can be whittled down before closing distance. Her ultimate, while strong is easy for opponents to counter or avoid.

Star-Lord (Duelist)

Star-Lord excels in movement and short-range combat. His primary fire and mobility make him accessible to learn but challenging to master. Proper cooldown management is crucial, as poor positioning can quickly lead to a quick death. In skilled hands, he becomes a game-changing flanker with one of the most impactful ultimates in the game and ability to avoid most ultimates with his right click.

Venom (Vanguard)

Venom excels at pestering backlines his E ability allows him to generate bonus health based on missing health, making him incredibly annoying to fight. He can dive into enemy lines, apply pressure, and then disappear just as enemies try to focus him down. While tanky, he requires careful positioning to maximize his potential.

Winter Soldier (Duelist)

Winter Solider offers incredible burst potential with combos that can eliminate opponents before they can react. His ultimate is particularly feared, capable of haunting enemies' nightmares. However, he requires significant skill to master, with limited mobility making positioning critical to his success.

Spider-Man (Duelist)

Spider-Man represents mobility personified in Marvel Rivals. His web-swing, double-jump, and wall-crawl abilities make him incredibly hard to pin down. With devastating combo potential, sometimes completely dominating matches, other times struggling against well-supported teams. Mastering Spider-Man requires significant practice but offers immense reward.

C Tier: Challenging but Viable Heroes

Iron Man (Duelist)

Iron Man currently struggling due to strong counters, he requires smart play and positioning. His E combined with his secondary fire can melt opponents, but the long cooldown forces conservative play. Characters like Punisher, Winter Soldier, and surprisingly, Iron Fist, keep him in check.

Hulk (Vanguard)

Hulk is one of the most mobile, yet cumbersome Vanguards in Marvel Rivals. His super jumps allow for great movement, but his brawler playstyle requires getting up close to punch enemies. Keeping his jump charged can be taxing and can be difficult to hit precisely, but his shield and high health pool help him withstand significant punishment. When he runs out of HP, Hulk gets a second chance as Bruce Banner, though this leaves him very vulnerable. In the right hands, Hulk's mobility and sheer size make him a fearsome frontline presence.

Black Panther (Duelist)

Black Panther brings high mobility and a unique mechanic involving his marks and bonus health generating abilities, but missed attacks leave him incredibly vulnerable. In the hands of a skilled player, he can be devastating, but the skill ceiling is remarkably high.

Magik (Duelist)

Magik like Black Panther, is a melee-focused character, delivering slow but powerful attacks with her Soulsword. Her variety of moves, including a dashing uppercut and a wide spinning slice, offer combo potential, but these can be incredibly difficult to pull off effectively, can be punished easily and has a decent skill ceiling to learn them.

Namor (Duelist)

Namor with his Monstro octopi turrets, excels at defending points and can put out significant damage with good aim. Skilled players can surprise opponents with his versatility.

Storm (Duelist)

Storm struggles to make an impact, currently suffering from multiple strong counters, her limited maneuverability and lack of damage make her challenging to play effectively. While her team buffs can be useful in coordinated play, solo players will find her frustrating. Her ultimate can be game-changing but charges incredibly slowly.

D Tier: The Most Challenging Heroes

Wolverine (Duelist)

Wolverine hasn't found his footing in Marvel Rivals. As a melee Duelist, he struggles against ranged opponents but really he struggles against most characters. His damage reduction is minimal, and his passive becomes difficult to utilize when low on health. His leap feels unwieldy, making him the most challenging hero to consistently perform well with.

Black Widow (Duelist)

Black Widow may not be the menace some expected, but she's still a formidable Duelist in the right hands. In the open spaces and long sightlines of Marvel Rivals, she thrives as a sniper, while she is weaker than Hawkeye, her accuracy and mobility can still make her a significant threat, especially when paired with Hawkeye for their team-up.

Conclusion

Remember, while this tier list provides a comprehensive overview, Marvel Rivals is a complex game where player skill, team composition, and individual mastery can elevate any character. These rankings are early thoughts, and as players become more experienced, the meta will undoubtedly evolve.

Pro Tip: Don't just pick S-Tier characters. Find a hero that matches your playstyle, practice, and you'll find success regardless of their current ranking.