Marvel Rivals: A Complete Guide to Heroes and Villains – Which Character is Right for You

If you’re looking for a complete guide to the heroes and villains of Marvel Rivals, look no further. In addition to covering the (currently) thirty-three characters, we’ll help you find which character is right for you. How? We’ll also cover tier lists, abilities, roles, and skins. This includes capitalizing on duelists, vanguards, and strategists. Learn which playstyles and team synergies work best for each character so you can dominate the Marvel Rivals like a champ.

How Marvel Rivals Works

Marvel Rivals is a shooter game featuring a team composition of six versus six (6v6). It (so far) features thirty-three characters from the Marvel Universe. These characters are split into three roles; Duelist, Strategist, and Vanguard. Each character offers their teammates unique abilities and playstyles.

The uniqueness of each character’s abilities and playstyles offer players dynamic gameplay possibilities. It thrives on unique team-up mechanics that allow heroes to combine their talents and use the map environment to their advantage.

Introducing the Marvel Rivals Character Roster

Each Marvel Rivals character has a primary attack and abilities with limited charges and cooldowns. Many also possess passives that create devastating combos when combined with active abilities. Each character has a powerful Ulitmate ability that charges up during gameplay and can dictate the course of the battle.

Listed in alphabetical order and categorized according to their roles, here are the 33 playable characters featured in Marvel Rivals and what makes them so special:

Adam Warlock (Strategist)

Affiliation: Guardians of the Galaxy

He is a cosmic support hero who keeps his allies alive. His Quantum Magic allows him to heal teammates while Soul Gem's abilities can turn the battle tide.

Black Panther (Duelist)

Affiliation: Intergalactic Empie of Wakanda

An agile melee fighter who applies Vibranium Marks to enemies and uses Spirit Rend to gain bonus health. Requires precise timing and positioning to be effective.

Black Widow (Duelist)

Affiliation: Red Room (formerly Avengers)

She is a precision sniper who excels in open spaces. Her Edge Dancer ability provides good repositioning options while her long-range capabilities can pressure enemy teams.

Captain America (Vanguard)

Affiliation: Avengers

He is a classic brawler tank who excels at close combat with his shield which can protect allies and engage enemies. However, he needs to manage his positioning carefully.

Cloak & Dagger (Strategist)

Affiliation: X-Men, New Warriors, Secret Defenders, Secret Avengers

A duo character that switches between offensive Cloak and a healing-focused Dagger. Mastering both forms is key to maximizing their potential.

Doctor Strange (Vanguard)

Affiliation: Avengers

Master of the mystic arts specializing in barrier protection and precise ranged attacks. His Shield of the Seraphim provides excellent team protection.

Groot (Vanguard)

Affiliation: Guardians of the Galaxy

A plant-based tank that excels at creating barriers and controlling space. He can effectively block flanks and make it difficult for enemies to advance.

Hawkeye (Duelist)

Affiliation: Avengers

Elite sniper capable of one-shot kills from vantage points. Exceptional neutral game and strong ultimate make him a top-tier damage dealer.

Hela (Duelist)

Affiliation: None

She is the Goddess of Death with powerful ranged abilities. This includes Nightsword Thorns and Queen of Hel abilities reward accuracy with massive damage.

Hulk (Vanguard)

Affiliation: Avengers

A mobile tank with powerful super jumps and close-combat abilities. The Hulk can transform into Bruce Banner when defeated for a second chance.

Iron Fist (Duelist)

Affiliation: Agents of Atlas

Melee combat specialist with exceptional mobility and close-range damage. He excels at diving backlines and taking out isolated targets.

Iron Man (Duelist)

Affiliation: Avengers

Aerial combat specialist who relies on Armor Overdrive for peak performance. Requires careful management of abilities and positioning.

Jeff the Land Shark (Strategist)

Affiliation: None

A unique healer with strong healing output and evasive abilities. Ultimate can remove enemies from the battlefield.

Loki (Strategist)

Affiliation: None

Trickster support with complex mechanics involving decoys and invisibility. Can copy other heroes' ultimates for strategic advantage.

Luna Snow (Strategist)

Affiliation: Agents of Atlas

She is a K-pop star with exceptional healing abilities and crowd control. She can freeze enemies and provide massive team healing.

Magik (Duelist)

Affiliation: None

A mystical warrior who can create portals and summon demons. Her Soul Sword allows for devastating close-range combat while maintaining good mobility.

Magneto (Vanguard)

Affiliation: None

Master of magnetism who can control the battlefield. Excels at area denial and can manipulate enemy positions with magnetic powers.

Mantis (Strategist)

Affiliation: Guardians of the Galaxy

An empathic support hero who can heal allies and put enemies to sleep. Her ultimate can turn the tide of battle by incapacitating multiple opponents.

Moon Knight (Duelist)

Affiliation: None

He is a versatile fighter who gains different abilities based on his multiple personalities. He can adapt his combat style between ranged and melee depending on the situation.

Namor (Duelist)

Affiliation; None

Aquatic warrior with powerful mobility in water. He can switch between ranged and melee combat styles while maintaining high survivability.

Peni Parker (Vanguard)

Affiliation: None

A teenage pilot who controls the SP//dr mech suit. Combines technological prowess with spider-powers to control the battlefield.

Psylocke (Duelist)

Affiliation: None

Psychic assassin with powerful telepathic abilities. Her psi-blade and mental powers outmaneuver and eliminate targets.

(The) Punisher (Duelist)

Affiliation: New Marvel Knights

Heavy weapons specialist with high sustained damage output. He can rig defensive positions and control chokepoints effectively.

Rocket Racoon (Strategist)

Affiliation: Guardians of the Galaxy

Technical genius who deploys various gadgets and traps. He excels at area control and can deal massive damage with his ultimate ability.

Scarlet Witch (Duelist)

Affiliation: None

Reality-warping mage with powerful crowd-control abilities. She can alter the battlefield and disable multiple enemies simultaneously.

Spider-Man (Duelist)

Affiliation: Web-Warriors

Agile web-slinger with excellent mobility and crowd control. He can quickly traverse the battlefield and set up team plays.

Squirrel Girl (Duelist)

Affiliation: None

Unconventional hero who commands an army of squirrels. She possesses incredible power with unique mechanics and great mobility.

Star-Lord (Duelist)

Affiliation: Guardians of the Galaxy

A versatile fighter who combines gunplay with tactical abilities. His Element Gun provides various effects for different situations.

Storm (Duelist)

Affiliation: X-Men

She manipulates weather to control battlefield zones. She’s excellent at area denial and team support with her weather effects.

Thor (Vanguard)

Affiliation: Avengers

Norse mythology-themed thunder god with powerful area damage abilities. He can control space with lightning and Mjolnir throws while being quite durable.

Venom (Vanguard)

Affiliation: None

Symbiote-powered anti-hero with incredible strength and regeneration. Can web-swing and consume enemies to restore health.

Winter Soldier (Duelist)

Affiliation: (formerly) Hydra

An expert marksman with cybernetic enhancements. Specializes in sustained damage output and battlefield control.

Wolverine (Duelist)

Affiliation: X-Men

Legendary mutant with a healing factor and adamantium claws. Excels at close-range combat and can sustain heavy damage.

Explaining the Marvel Rivals Roles

Duelist, strategist, and vanguard are the three roles Marvel Rivals characters are categorized into. Each role contributes to the team composition. Let’s dive into these deeper.

Duelists

These characters dish varied damage to pressure opponents and eliminate important targets. Listed from the easiest duelist characters for players to manage to trickiest are:

• Squirrel Girl
• The Punisher
• Scarlet Witch
• Namor
• Star-Lord
• Winter Soldier
• Wolverine
• Magik
• Moon Knight
• Storm
• Black Widow
• Hawkeye
• Iron Fist
• Iron Man
• Black Panther
• Psylocke
• Spider-Man

Strategists

They serve as support characters who provide healing and buffs to allies. Despite their supportive roles, they can effectively handle themselves in combat. Listed from the easiest strategists to manage to the most difficult are:

• Mantis
• Rocket Racoon
• Jeff the Land Shark
• Luna Snow
• Adam Warlock
• Cloak & Dagger
• Loki

Vanguards

These characters serve as the tanks of Marvel Rivals. They possess large health pools and abilities suited for melee compact. They’re also effective in protecting allies and controlling space. From easiest to hardest, the vanguards are as follows:

• Captain America
• Magneto
• Thor
• Doctor Strange
• Peni Parker
• Venom
• Hulk

Marvel Rivals Top Tier Heroes

Each Marvel Rivals character has been placed into a tier level. The highest tier level in Marvel Rivals is S. The playable characters in that list are among the elite who dish out incredible damage and have consistently dominated the competition. Whatever the game scenario, these characters can easily adapt to dominate the playing field, especially when played by a highly skilled player who knows the game well. The characters currently in the S level are:

• Doctor Strange
• Hela
• Luna Snow
• Mantis
• Moon Knight
• Psylocke
• The Punisher
• Venom

After S level is A. These characters also deal incredible damage and do very well in matchups, especially when manned by skilled players. The A-listed characters are:

• Adam Warlock
• Captain America
• Cloak & Dagger
• Hawkeye
• Iron Fist
• Iron Man
• Loki
• Magneto
• Peni Parker
• Rocket Raccoon
• Scarlet Witch
• Spider-Man
• Star-Lord

Next in line are B-tier characters who do well but fall slightly short of those mentioned in the S and A-tier levels. They are:

• Black Panther
• Black Widow
• Groot
• Jeff the Land Shark
• Magik
• Squirrel Girl
• Storm
• Thor
• Wolverine

Finally, the C-tier characters are still effective in their games but don’t quite pack the same punch as their counterparts listed in higher tier levels. Those characters are:

• Hulk
• Namor
• Winter Soldier

Ideal Marvel Rivals Team Compositions

The ideal Marvel Rivals team compositions feature characters that easily adapt to any game scenario. They’re extremely capable of dictating the course of a match. For S-tier team composition the best characters most effective in their roles are as follows:

Vanguards - Doctor Strange and Venom

Doctor Strange’s portals can dictate the course of the game while Dive-Vanguard Venom has the ideal balance of mobility and survival. These characters give the duelists and strategists ample opportunity to shine as they dish out damage and support their teammates.

Duelists - Hela, Moon Knight, Psylocke, and The Punisher

The best Poke-Duelists in Marvel Rivals are Hela, Moon Knight, and The Punisher. Their versatility as characters makes them effective in any game-related situation. Meanwhile, Psylocke is the ideal fast Dive-Duelist who can easily traverse big portions of the map. She also deals massive damage with her combos in close to mid-range combat.

Strategists - Luna Snow and Mantis

Luna Snow and Mantis are the best universal healers and strategists in Marvel Rivals. Their healing capabilities are fast and can buff teammates with damage boosts. They also don’t need to have their teammates in sight to heal them, either. These two perform well in any team composition and have ultimates that can counter duelists and vanguards.

More About Marvel Rivals Heroes and Villains

NetEase Games intends to maximize the Marvel Rivals gaming experience through seasonal updates. These updates will include additional characters to the roster such as Blade, Dr. Doom, and Mr. Fantastic, just to name a few. New additions will be announced at least a few weeks before they’re added to the list of heroes and villains already in the game.

Marvel Rivals also offers multiple cosmetic skins that can be obtained through battle passes, in-game store purchases, and special events. These skins change the appearance of the characters but don’t affect their gameplay.

Marvel Rivals is a team-based shooter game that thrives on players working together as a unit. Whether on your own or with friends, this is a good game to play casually or competitively. The choice (as it should be) is yours. Now, suit up, get ready, and enjoy.