Marvel Rivals: Hero tier list (Closed alpha test, May 2024)

Marvel Rivals features three different classes of playable characters, allowing you to fill various roles in your team, but some of the choices are better than others.

In total, there are 19 characters in Marvel Rivals split into Vanguards, Duelists, and Strategists, with further characters set to be added—and we’ve ranked every character in the game for you to mull over.

Our tier list is subject to change with future updates and the additions of new heroes, so we will update it accordingly. For now, check out our full tier list for all the heroes in Marvel Rivals here.

Marvel Rivals: Hero tier list

Even at this early stage, some characters available in Marvel Rivals are stronger and easier to play than others. Here’s where you should look.

S Tier

Hela

Hela is an extremely effective character in Marvel Rivals once you get to grips with her abilities, and she quickly became established among the meta during the closed alpha test. More often than not, you will see a Hela player claiming the MVP title.

Capable of dishing out significant damage upon enemies and boasting a great team-up ability with Loki, Hela is a difficult character to overcome if on the enemy team, and her ultimate is perfect for picking off enemies one by one.

Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch is one of the best Duelists in Marvel Rivals, with abilities that are easy to get to grips with but are extremely effective, and her Ultimate is capable of completely wiping the enemy team if she is not dealt with.

With an additional ability to stun enemies, Scarlet Witch is able to lock enemies in place before dishing out huge amounts of damage, though she can be overcome quite quickly if the enemy team focuses their attention on her.

Star-Lord

Star-Lord is one of the easiest characters to pick up and play in Marvel Rivals, as well as being one of the most efficient with high damage output and the ability to fly—giving you the opportunity to punish enemies from above.

Though his abilities don’t stand out as anything special, he’s the perfect choice for any player who is looking to get to grips with the Duelist role in Marvel Rivals and, when paired in the right team composition, can be a nightmare to deal with.

Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange is hands down the best Vanguard in Marvel Rivals, able to deal out decent damage, has great mobility using the Cloak of Levitation, and the Pentagram of Farallah portal can help you and your teammates move around the map quickly.

All of these pale in comparison to Doctor Strange’s Shield of the Seraphim ability, though, which provides a massive circular shield that can take 800 damage before breaking. It is great for capturing the objective.

Loki

Loki boasts the claim of being the best Strategist in Marvel Rivals, as he is extremely popular, effective, and great fun to play. If used correctly, his Illusions can carry Loki by providing a teleport anchor while you switch to Regeneration Domain to convert damage taken to healing.

Loki is also extremely versatile with the use of his God of Mischief ultimate that sees him mimic an ally or enemy to utilize their skills. If the target has an active or changed ultimate, he takes that too.

A Tier

• The Punisher
• Iron Man
• Groot
• Peni Parker
• Luna Snow

The Punisher and Iron Man are perhaps two of the easiest characters to pick up and play in Marvel Rivals, with both Duelists able to dish out damage from range and when up close and personal.

Groot, meanwhile, takes some getting used to but can be a thorn in the side of enemies, while Peni Parker’s traps are great if you have good communication with your team. As for Luna Snow, she stands as the best character for healing in Marvel Rivals.

B Tier

• Magik
• Spider-Man
• Rocket Raccoon

Magik and Spider-Man are both great Duelists once you get to grips with their abilities, though the learning curve for the pair is higher than others in the class. Rocket Raccoon is a fine choice for a Strategist, capable of healing allies and dishing out damage, but he is short of others.

C Tier

• Namor
• Magneto
• Hulk
• Mantis

Namor is an easy character to pick up and play in Marvel Rivals but he pales in comparison to other Duelists, while Magneto and Hulk are at the bottom of the pile when choosing a Vanguard. As for Mantis, she is overly reliant on her maximum five Life Orbs—which is extremely restrictive.

D Tier

• Black Panther
• Storm

Though they may be among the most popular heroes in Marvel, neither shines particularly well in Marvel Rivals. Black Panther’s damage buffs don’t provide enough of an effect, and his damage output feels low, while Storm feels more like a DPS than a Duelist.