The Marvel Rivals tier list is proof of an inherent truth: not every hero (or villain) is built equally. In the competitive shooter’s season 1 (which added two characters, two maps, a battle pass, and skins), every character is technically viable, but there are some who are obviously more powerful than the rest.
Below, we’ve compiled a tier list showing the current Marvel Rivals meta (as of the release of season 1), giving each character a rank from “best of the best” (S-tier) to “avoid at all costs” (F-tier). Read on for the full Marvel Rivals tier list for season 1.
Complete tier list for Marvel Rivals season 1
Image: Tiermaker via Polygon
Season 1 of Marvel Rivals sees the game in quite a healthy spot, with only six characters falling in C-tier or below. For a game with 35 heroes (soon to be 37, when the Thing and Human Torch join the roster in late February), you’re hard-pressed to find a “bad” one.
While the tier list above (which we constructed in Tiermaker) showcases a general view of the season 1 launch, we’ve broken down each rank in tables below, including brief explanations for why each character belongs in the tier we’ve placed them.
Finally, it’s worth noting here that tiers can look different at different ranks, with some high rank heroes barely being played in low ranks, and some low rank dominators falling off significantly at higher elo levels. As it’s still early in season 1, this list is likely to change within a week or so, as the meta won’t cement for a few more weeks.
S-tier characters in Marvel Rivals season 1
Image: NetEase Games via Polygon
As a rule, S-tier heroes are those that you should absolutely know how to play if you main their given role. Understanding how your Team-Up abilities work with all of these heroes is crucial to success — you’ll be seeing a lot of them in your games.
Character |
Role |
Why they’re S tier |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Strange | Vanguard | Doctor Strange is one of the hardest-to-kill heroes in Marvel Rivals, and is exceptional at shielding his allies from big blasts. Paired with his unique portal and extremely powerful ultimate, he’s a hard pick to beat for top tank. |
| Hulk/Bruce Banner | Vanguard | Hulk is extremely mobile and very difficult to kill in Marvel Rivals. He’s a menace in the backline with massive damage and is able to protect his own supports with shields. |
| Luna Snow | Strategist | Luna Snow has the best healing ultimate in Marvel Rivals, making all combat stop the moment she hits it. On top of this, she has great healing, damage, and stuns. |
| Mantis | Strategist | Mantis both helps her team deal loads of damage with her boost and keeps them healthy with heals over time. Paired with the second best healing ultimate, she’s a great choice. |
| Hawkeye | Duelist | Hawkeye requires accurate aim, but he’s the only hero capable of regularly one-shotting squishy targets. That alone is enough for a top rank. |
| Hela | Duelist | Hela is one of the most consistent damage dealers in the game if you’re capable of hitting your shots. She can take down target after target and has some great Team-Ups. |
| Iron Man | Duelist | On his own, Iron Man is a great hero who can dish out lots of damage, with a powerful ultimate that can shut down Luna Snow. But paired with his Hulk Team-Up, his damage is unmatched. |
| Psylocke | Duelist | Psylocke is able to dive into the backline of the enemy team to get kills or attack from range, which makes her very versatile. Her ultimate is also extremely powerful and can shut down objective areas. |
| Storm | Duelist | Storm has one of the most powerful ultimates for a duelist in the game, and can guarantee kills or an empty objective zone. Paired with her quasi support abilities and season 1 buffs, she’s become a menace overnight. |
A-tier characters in Marvel Rivals season 1
Image: NetEase Games via Polygon
Generally, A-tier heroes are great. They’re not the best heroes, nor do they come out on top in the. meta, but they’re extremely solid. All of these are heroes that anyone should be thankful to have on their team, but likely won’t catch a ban as you reach the higher ranks.
Character |
Role |
Why they’re A tier |
|---|---|---|
| Magneto | Vanguard | Magneto is the definition of a consistent tank. He’s very hard to kill when he’s playing selfishly, but can extend some of that safety to allies to make them much tankier during big moments. |
| Groot | Vanguard | Groot can technically do more damage than any other tank in the game with his powerful walls. But his real value is as a frontline beast with a ton of health and powerful crowd control. |
| Adam Warlock | Strategist | Adam Warlock is a very technical strategist, capable of dealing big damage and keeping his allies alive. His normal play is great, but his ultimate is capable of swinging entire games on its own. |
| Cloak & Dagger | Strategist | Cloak & Dagger offer very powerful heals and some pretty decent damage, all in a relatively easy-to-play package. They were good at launch, but their buffed ultimate in season 1 helps kick them up a notch. |
| Invisible Woman | Strategist | Invisible Woman can pump out a lot of healing and control the battlefield with her various crowd control moves. Even better, her invisibility makes her difficult to lockdown and kill. |
| Rocket Raccoon | Strategist | Rocket Raccoon is able to automatically revive players with his B.R.B. device, which is a very powerful effect. Paired with decent healing and decent damage, he’s a great pick when the S-tiers are unavailable. |
| Black Panther | Duelist | Black Panther is both fast and consistent, which is what you want in a duelist. He’s also much easier to play than most of the other duelists. |
| Magik | Duelist | Magik is both slippery and great at dealing with multiple backline targets at once. This makes her a real menace for duelists and strategists, and she basically requires a tank to help their team deal with her. |
| Namor | Duelist | Namor and his pets can deal massive amounts of damage from afar, rivaling characters like Hela. But what makes Namor so great is his immunity bubble, which lets him survive divers. |
| Star Lord | Duelist | Star Lord can dish out a lot of damage in a short amount of time, and he’s very fast. That’s a potent combo, and paired with his ultimate, it makes him a great choice for duelist players. |
| Winter Soldier | Duelist | Winter Soldier is best known for his ultimate, which he can repeat multiple times to wipe teams. However, his hook and powerful primary fire make him a menace even while charging his ultimate. |
| Wolverine | Duelist | Wolverine is the ultimate tank buster character, and is able to abduct high health targets and kill them away from their team. He strikes fear into the hearts of all tank mains. |
B-tier characters in Marvel Rivals season 1
Image: NetEase Games via Polygon
The B-tier heroes bring a lot to the table, but are situational and niche. Some of these heroes can be A- or S-tier in the right situation, but they just aren’t of the same caliber as the heroes above them in a general setting.
Character |
Role |
Why they’re B tier |
|---|---|---|
| Peni Parker | Vanguard | Peni Parker is a very potent tank in the right situation. On defensive maps, she’s able to hold the zone better than almost any other character. |
| Thor | Vanguard | Thor is a fantastic bully tank, and can deal massive damage if he’s given the support he needs to survive the enemy. |
| Venom | Vanguard | Venom is a highly mobile dive tank, and is able to quickly reach the backline. He doesn’t deal a ton of damage, but acts as a powerful distraction for his enemies. |
| Loki | Strategist | Loki is a lot of work to get right, but in the right hands, he is nearly impossible to kill and pumps out a lot of healing. His ultimate is also the best in the game, as it allows him to mirror any other character. |
| Iron Fist | Duelist | Iron Fist has extremely high burst potential and is very slippery. He does take a bit of practice to fully understand, but a good Iron Fist can destroy your backline in seconds. |
| Moon Knight | Duelist | Moon Knight has a ton of area damage, making him capable of wiping and entire team if they’re not careful. His Ankhs are easy to shutdown, but they’re on a low enough cooldown that he’s always getting decent damage out. |
| Squirrel Girl | Duelist | Squirrel Girl is a very simple character, but her explosive nuts deal a lot of damage with very little effort. Her reworked ultimate in season 1 is also quite strong and can hunt down enemies. |
| The Punisher | Duelist | The Punisher is the shooter character in Marvel Rivals, and is able to shred through enemies with his two guns. His kit is a little limited, but he has what he needs to succeed in most situations. |
C-tier characters in Marvel Rivals season 1
Image: NetEase Games via Polygon
The C-tier heroes are ones that just don’t seem worth playing when you compare them to the other options. However, they’re still playable, and viable on some teams or when used by certain players. You could really surprise the enemy team with a C-tier pocket pick, but you’d probably be better off learning a better hero altogether.
Character |
Role |
Why they’re C tier |
|---|---|---|
| Captain America | Vanguard | Captain America doesn’t have much of an identity in Marvel Rivals. He’s able to bully the backline fine, but he struggles to protect his team in the process. |
| Jeff the Land Shark | Strategist | Jeff has decent support capabilities with his normal kit, but the lack of a good healing ult really hurts him. Even so, his ultimate can win games if enemy players aren’t paying attention. |
| Mister Fantastic | Duelist | Mister Fantastic is a hybrid damage dealer and tank, but he’s a bit too hybrid at the moment, so he isn’t great at either role. |
D-tier characters in Marvel Rivals season 1
Image: NetEase Games via Polygon
Heroes in the D-tier are, quite frankly, pretty subpar. Not so bad that you’re going to automatically lose if you have one on your team, but bad enough that you should probably be picking a better option.
Character |
Role |
Why they’re D tier |
|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Witch | Duelist | Scarlet Witch does very low damage over time, even if that damage is reliable because it doesn’t require aim. When paired with an ultimate that’s powerful but very easy to counter, she just doesn’t bring enough value to a team. |
| Spider-Man | Duelist | Spider-Man is capable of dishing out a lot of damage and destroying a backline, but he takes so much more work than any other dive character in the game for no additional benefit. |
F-tier characters in Marvel Rivals season 1
Image: NetEase Games via Polygon
Heroes in the F-tier are bad and you shouldn’t play them. And while you should never flame your teammates in games like Marvel Rivals, you should be concerned if someone picks one of these heroes, as it’s a little too close to playing 4v5.
Character |
Role |
Why they’re F tier |
|---|---|---|
| Black Widow | Duelist | Black Widow can’t one-shot targets, she struggles to have awareness around here because she’s forced into first-person, and her ultimate is worthless. Black Widow requires a lot of buffs or a rework in order to even be viable for all but the best players. |
For more Marvel Rivals guides, here’s a list of all known codes, all Team-Up abilities, all maps and modes, and a look at the game’s roadmap.
