Marvel Rivals characters and tier list for Season 2.5

Our Marvel Rivals characters tier list is here to help you understand all the Season 2.5 changes and how the meta is looking. With a surprisingly effective set of balance and Team-Up changes, things have definitely been shaken up in Marvel Rivals this half-season. What had spiraled into a hard dive meta by the end of Season 2 has seemingly been curbed off for now, with flying characters proving to be dominant. The skies are certainly busier these days, and the addition of Ultron, the vibranium Strategist, is only further offering another body in the air.

Although, it’s not all about flyers as anti-flying characters like Hela and Punisher received surprising improvements. That means there are plenty of options for grounding some of that aerial superiority, and the emphasis on long-range firepower from the air or ground means Season 2.5 seems to focused on a constant wearing down of the enemy with poke damage.

With 39 characters in the roster, there’s a lot to cover, so from the best characters in S-tier, to the weaker heroes in D-tier, here is our Marvel Rivals characters tier list.

Marvel Rivals tier list (Season 2)

With 39 Marvel Rivals characters to choose from, each with unique abilities and Marvel Rivals Team-Ups, knowing which ones are good and which ones aren’t quite so hot can be tricky. It’s complicated even further when you consider the meta differences between mouse + keyboard and controller and high and low Marvel Rivals ranks. With all that in mind, this tier list should be applicable for most PC and console players looking to reach Platinum and above, though there will always be disagreements.

Here’s our Marvel Rivals character tier list for Season 2.5, showing how every hero is faring and how they’ve changed from Season 2:

• S-Tier: Supremely strong and versatile characters that can provide game-changing support and power to a team.
  • Doctor Strange (A to S)
  • Magneto
  • Hela (A to S)
  • Hawkeye (C to S)
  • Invisible Woman
  • Luna Snow
• A-Tier: Great characters who bring plenty of power but either require a bit of support for maximum effect or lack versatility compared to S-tier.
  • Emma Frost
  • Groot (S to A)
  • Hulk
  • The Thing
  • Human Torch (C to A)
  • Iron Man (B to A)
  • Namor
  • Punisher (B to A)
  • Star-Lord
  • Storm (C to A)
  • Winter Soldier (S to A)
  • Loki
  • Rocket Racoon (S to A)
• B-Tier: Good characters with solid abilities that might not always be the best choice in a match but can still be highly effective in the right hands.
  • Peni Parker
  • Cloak & Dagger (S to B)
  • Scarlet Witch
  • Captain America
  • Iron Fist (C to B)
  • Psylocke
  • Mr. Fantastic
  • Moon Knight
  • Wolverine
  • Mantis (A to B)
  • Ultron
• C-Tier: Average heroes that can still contribute to victory but will usually require one-trick specialization and support from allies to perform well.
  • Thor (A to C)
  • Venom (B to C)
  • Spider-Man (A to C)
  • Black Widow (D to C)
  • Squirrel Girl (B to C)
  • Adam Warlock
  • Jeff the Land Shark (B to C)
• D-Tier: Below average characters that lack power, can be easily countered, or are difficult to get consistent value with.
  • Black Panther (B to D)
  • Magik (B to D)

Marvel Rivals characters and heroes explained

Obviously, a straight tier list for all Marvel Rivals characters doesn’t have much in the way of nuance, so we’ve also explained our reasoning and a bit about the strengths and weaknesses of every character in the roster.

MARVEL RIVALS S-TIER HEROES

These are the best characters in Marvel Rivals right now and while simply having some of these heroes on your team won’t guarantee a win, a good player in control can be a huge boon. As you can see, most of them are Strategists and Vanguards, all capable of offering superb protection, healing, and even damage in some cases.

Doctor Strange

Thanks to massive nerfs in the dive playstyle and a couple of microbuffs for Season 2.5, Doctor Strange thrives in the current meta and is back as one of the best Vanguards in the game. He’s still a very reliable tank in Marvel Rivals and is the archetypal barrier tank thanks to his massive Shield of the Seraphim.

He is a solid punching bag, and his Pentagram of Farallah portal can be used for some creative team plays. Furthermore his Team-Up with Scarlet Witch is very good, making the pair a solid choice.

Magneto

Magneto's slow-firing iron projectiles make him one of the better-ranged Vanguard characters, keeping enemies at arm’s length, especially in the current poke-heavy meta. However, his Metallic Curtain shield and Bulwark bubbles are his main strength, providing almost unparalleled protection to his allies and himself.

His Meteor M ultimate isn’t as simple as it looks, so learning how to maximize its damage is vital - it’s one of the few abilities that can kill enemy Strategists while they’re using their powerful ultimates, such as Luna Snow and Cloak and Dagger. He’s not the easiest Vanguard to play as but even a competent Magneto player will be of use to your team.

Hela

The Queen of Hel received a small buff in Season 2.5, making one of the strongest Duelists in Marvel Rivals even better. Her Nightsword Thorns, Piercing Night, and Goddess of Death Ultimate reward accuracy with massive damage, letting her dominate the enemy team’s Duelists and pick off their Strategists.

Specifically, she’s a great counter to any flying characters - and there are currently a lot of strong flying characters - and won’t be under so much pressure from dive heroes in this meta.

Hawkeye

Hawkeye has had an incredible glow-up this season, and is not a character to be ignored. Thanks to hefty buffs to his damage output, Clint Barton is up there with Hela as one of the strongest Duelists in the game, fitting well with the current poke meta. This also makes him very good at taking down flyers, which are everywhere right now.

On top of all that, he also got a great Team-Up with Luna Snow, that allows him not just to freeze multiple targets making follow up shots easier, but do it through walls too. It’s clear someone at NetEase is a fan of Hawkeye.

Invisible Woman

Sue Storm has a lot going for her and is arguably the most versatile Strategist. She can heal a lot and deal respectable damage, block with her Guardian Shield, deny space with Psionic Vortex, pull enemies in for punishment or repel them with Force Physics to keep the team safe - we’ve got a Marvel Rivals Invisible Woman guide if you’re looking for tips!

Furthermore, her invisibility and self-healing give her excellent survivability and her ultimate is similarly strong like Cloak & Dagger’s, providing a lot of healing and concealing her team. Her flexibility and supportive power mean she’s one of the best characters in all of Marvel Rivals.

Luna Snow

K-Pop sensation Luna Snow packs exceptional healing, particularly with her game-changing Fate of Both Worlds ultimate, making all nearby allies practically immortal for 12 seconds. Outside of her ultimate, Luna can apply plenty of healing across heroes with Light & Dark Ice and Share The Stage, and she can mess up enemies with Ice Arts and Absolute Zero, dealing solid damage and freezing them in place respectively.

As well as good team healing, Luna’s Cryo Heart passive also grants great self-healing, giving her very good survivability. That’s on top of having one of the smallest character models too, so she is a pain for most Duelists to deal with.

MARVEL RIVALS A-TIER HEROES

Every hero in A-tier is excellent, being extremely capable in their role, especially when in the hands of a skilled player. However, some of them lack the generalist power or ease-of-use of those in S-tier have.

Emma Frost

Emma Frost’s diverse kit has some deadly combos, but she isn’t the easiest Vanguard to play. Her low mobility is her main flaw as she doesn't have an easy escape for dire situations, and her Mind’s Aegis shield isn't as versatile or effective as Doctor Strange's, for example.

Despite some Season 2.5 nerfs, mainly to her Carbon Crush chokeslam and Crystal Kick, the White Queen remains deadly up close, especially in Diamond Form. Positioning and flawless combos are vital to success as Emma Frost, and having a dedicated healer lets her be far more aggressive. Our Marvel Rivals Emma Frost guide will help you master her playstyle.

Groot

Groot is arguably the most defensive Vanguard hero there is, using his plant-based barriers to block damage and restrict paths, shaping the battlefield to his advantage. If foes get too close, he can pack a punch with his Vine Strike and Spore Bomb attacks or can deploy his Strangling Prison Ultimate to restrain enemies and leave them vulnerable to more devastating attacks.

However, his power has been reduced a little for Season 2.5 with a slight damage reduction to Vine Strike and a four-second cooldown increase for his Ironwood Wall.

Hulk

The Hulk remains a great tank in Season 2.5. His exceptional mobility for a Vanguard allows him to get stuck into the enemy’s front or backline, and now the reduced cooldown on his Indestructible Guard bubble also means he’s much better at defending himself and his teammates.

His Gamma Charge Team-Up with Namor is one of the best in the game, but since losing Iron Man, it’s less threatening overall. Hopefully that means Hulk will be a less common target for bans in ranked.

The Thing

The Thing’s relatively simple, brawly Vanguard kit makes him very easy to learn. His punch attacks deal massive damage and are particularly dangerous when combined with the immobilizing effect of his Yancy Street Charge, or even the stun from his Clobberin’ Time ultimate - this combo lets him beat up the more slippery Duelist characters too.

His main benefit is how robust and immovable he is thanks to his Unyielding Will passive and Embattled Leap ability. Although, it’s worth mentioning that he’s not a great solo Vanguard, and struggles against longer-ranged poke team compositions.

Human Torch

Despite some nerfs to his survivability in the Season 2.5 patch, the Human Torch has emerged as an exceptional Duelist. His ability to deny space with Pyro Prison is strong, and his Flaming Meteor can be deadly for divebombing. He’s an unusual character with his two opposing playstyles, but one that can be very powerful if you can get the hang of him.

And now that plenty more players understand his kit better, don’t expect him to fall off entirely. He is a strong flyer in a strong flyer meta.

Iron Man

While he has lost his powerful Team Up with Hulk, Iron Man makes Ultron much more effective. Even without Gamma Charge, he is also an exceptional flyer and fits very well with the current poke meta.

Although, to get the most out of him, you need to play smartly. Darting around, raining Repuslor Blasts on the enemy backline while your allies distract on the ground is an essential skill. His Invincible Pulse Canon ultimate is also one of the few abilities powerful enough to kill Strategists mid-Ultimate, making him a great counter.

Namor

Namor’s long-range, precision attacks and Monstro Spawn turrets make him one of the best anti-dive characters in Marvel Rivals. His turrets are great for defending objectives and keeping enemy flankers and flyers at bay, especially if you’re able to get a Hulk on your team for the absurd Gamma Charge Monstro turret.

Coupled with accurate Trident of Neptune throws and good use of his Wrath of the Seven Seas ability, Namor can often do significant damage over the course of a match, and it helps that his turrets also got some damage falloff buffs for Season 2.5.

The Punisher

Despite his beginner-friendly rifleman kit, the Punisher is still a versatile Duelist, packing all sorts of firearms and tools that can be effective against almost any other character. He's very easy to play and packs plenty of power for minimal effort. Punisher received a few buffs for Season 2.5, though he did lose the handy Ammo Overload Team-Up. With that said, what makes him so strong right now is that with so many flyers, he is one of the very best, perhaps besides Hela, at grounding those taking to the skies.

Star-Lord

Star-Lord’s entire kit focuses on movement tricks and his short-range Element Guns, making him one of the best hit-and-run characters in Marvel Rivals and a massive disruptive force. He can be hard to master since proper cooldown management for his Rocket Propulsion and Stellar Shift is essential, but when used well, he’s one of the best flankers in the game - particularly thanks to his Galactic Legend ultimate which can be very difficult for the enemy to deal with.

He’s also been relatively unharmed by Season 2.5’s meta shift, as he’s able to work at medium range a lot more effectively than the likes of Black Panther and Psylocke, and can deal with flyers.

Storm

No character has moved up and down this tier list more than Storm with buffs and nerfs aplenty. In Season 2.5, she’s surging again as flyers and poke damage are generally strong right now, and Storm ticks both boxes. Hovering over her team’s backline damage boosting herself and allies, she can send a lot of damage to the enemy team.

Furthermore, her Ultimate is also very strong (and pairs well with Jeff and Human Torch!), either getting kills or forcing out counter-Ultimates from the enemy. The only thing currently keeping her down out of the tip top is the presence of Hela, Hawkeye, and Punisher.

Winter Soldier

While Winter Soldier was reined in for Season 2 with nerfs to his hook and often ludicrous Kraken Impact ultimate, he’s still one of the best Duelists in Marvel Rivals.

Thanks to his high-power abilities, Bucky can fight enemies of all types, acting as a tankbuster, 1v1 flanker, or backline defender. He isn’t necessarily easy to play since his punchy Roterstern pistol fires slower projectiles and you need to string together his abilities and manage cooldowns effectively for maximum lethality, but he’s a very versatile damage-dealer.

Loki

Loki is a great healer in Marvel Rivals and he’s thriving in Season 2.5’s poke meta, able to sit back behind his team and shooting at the enemy from afar. However, he is also probably the hardest Strategist to master. His invisibility, teleporting, and decoys, are all excellent trickster abilities but using them well, along with his Regeneration Domain, is integral to providing significant healing.

Furthermore, Loki’s ultimate, God of Mischief, can be a game changer, but requires the Loki player to also be somewhat skilled with many other heroes. Overall, that means you have to work hard to get the most out of Loki, but he can be a huge boon for the team.

Rocket Raccoon

Settling into his Season 2 adjustments and the reduced power of dive compositions in Season 2.5, Rocket is still a great choice of healer. His sustained healing output is incredibly good, and the occasional revive from BRB and the health and damage boosts from CYA can be a huge help to clinching a fight. He also benefits from a new and relatively powerful Peni Parker Team-Up, making BRB harder to destroy. His relatively simple heal-spam playstyle might not be for everyone, but it’s undeniably effective.

MARVEL RIVALS B-TIER HEROES

All the Marvel Rivals characters in B-tier are good, and are all capable of turning the tide of battle when played well. However, they fall a little short either due to their more niche roles and playstyles, high skill ceilings that make them harder to master, or limited power compared to those in A and S-tier.

Peni Parker

After getting some nice improvements to her damage output and durability in Season 2, Peni has received another major boost in the form of her Team-Up with Rocket Raccoon. She can now place two Bionic Spider-Nests and spawn Arachno-Mines from Rocket’s BRB device, massively expanding her web network.

Her main downside is that her kit is relatively defense-focused and requires setting up, so she’s less effective on the attacking side of Convergence and Convoy maps. Furthermore, if her nest keeps getting destroyed, it can be much harder to get a foothold and perform well, but this new Team-Up certainly helps.

Cloak & Dagger

Cloak & Dagger is a solid Strategist selection in most matches. The dual aspect of the character means there is always something you can be doing, especially when it comes to dishing out AOE and single-target healing.

However, the duo lacks the consistency of Luna Snow and the versatility of Invisible Woman. Currently, their abilities lag behind some of the very best options pound for pound. On top of that, with Magneto being a strong fixture of the current meta, Cloak & Dagger’s Ultimate can be quite easily shut down by his Ultimate. They are still a decent choice if you’ve learned to specialize in them, though, so don’t be discouraged!

Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff remains a solid Duelist choice in Season 2.5, particularly with the Mystic Burst ability from the Doctor Strange Team-Up. This lets her fire a barrage of magic projectiles at enemies while still being able to use her Chaos Control attack for massive damage that can melt most characters.

While she's not a sharpshooter, her attacks are also good for bringing down flyers, so she fits quite well in the current meta. However, her Ultimate is now much harder to use effectively while facing so much ranged damage and shielding.

Captain America

Captain America is a very fast brawler Vanguard in Marvel Rivals who can also be very tough to kill. But for Season 2.5, his frankly unreasonable survivability has been nerfed, seeing slightly reduced health, an increased Ultimate cost, and an increase in his Living Legend shield cooldown.

With that said, he is still very durable, and having a shield means he can somewhat deal with poking-focused teams. Skilled Cap players can charge straight for the enemy backline and take out less mobile Strategists and Duelists, but focused fire can force him to retreat or bring him down altogether a little easier than in Season 2.

Iron Fist

Iron Fist had a surprise surge in Season 2, going from a relatively unpopular flanker to being quite a frequent component on the battlefield. NetEase stepped in, though, as they have with many dive characters, and yanked him back down the rankings.

In Season 2.5 he does less damage and is easier to kill, meaning his neutral game is hurting. He does have some niche play, thanks to being able to beat up flyers more so than most flankers, but it feels like he has been reined in already.

Psylocke

Psylocke received some surprising nerfs in Season 2.5, limiting the duration of Psychic Stealth to 2 seconds (was 3) and reducing the damage of her Wing Shurikens. But despite these adjustments, she’s still a decent flanker and is certainly the most forgiving. She remains elusive, and her Psi-Blade Dash, Crossbow, and Shurikens can be combined to deal a lot of damage to a single target.

Her invisibility also lets her better approach poke characters, meaning she is definitely still good for fighting the likes of Hela and Hawkeye, but she's going to have a hard time if the sky is clogged with flying characters.

Mr Fantastic

Reed Richards’ goofy, elasticity-based kit takes some getting used to but can be quite potent in the right hands. He’s received some nice buffs in Season 2, boosting his health, punch damage, Flexible Elongation ability, and his Brainiac Bounce ultimate, which have helped his overall performance going into Season 2.5

Along with his ridiculous-looking Reflexive Rubber ability, which makes him briefly impervious to everything, and his temporary Elastic Strength boost, Mister Fantastic is supremely tanky for a Duelist. He’s not the most lethal, but he can certainly bolster the team - our Marvel Rivals Mr Fantastic guide can help you out!

Moon Knight

Moon Knight is a potentially very powerful Duelist who can shred the enemy team if his Ancient Ankhs are ignored. He has massive damage potential if you combine launch Crescent Darts and Moon Blades into Ankhs and clustered enemies, and if he can outmaneuver the opposing team, he can be a menace.

However, while he is benefiting from the current poke meta, Moon Knight is still very reliant on these Ankhs. In particular, he will struggle against flying characters who are unlikely to be in the range of them.

Wolverine

Logan isn’t the most dynamic of heroes, but his abilities synergize well to make him very good at his one job - killing tanks. Using his leaps and flurries of claw attacks, Wolverine can displace leading enemies and hopefully kill them, which means a good player can be horrible to come up against.

But, given the kinds of enemies Wolverine has to battle head-on, it can be very easy to overextend and get caught short without additional support. Especially with so much long-distance damage at the moment, he struggles to safely close the gaps on top of disengaging.

Mantis

Mantis can provide plenty of healing and damage buffs to herself and her allies all at once, keeping everyone buffed and topped up. In the current meta, she can stay in the backline damage-boosting powerful meta heroes like Hela and Hawkeye. Her Soul Resurgence ultimate can then be used defensively to protect teammates or offensively to help with an aggressive push thanks to the speed boost.

But, she has noticeably declined, receiving very few adjustments to keep pace with the likes of Rocket Raccoon, Luna Snow, and Invisible Woman. She’s still a good all-rounder healer but is far from the best Strategist.

Ultron

While Ultron isn’t the strongest Strategist in the game, he can certainly hold his own on the roster as a surprisingly lethal healer. His Encephalo-Ray requires precise aim but can make quick work of more fragile characters. Conversely, his Rage of Ultron Ultimate is weak compared to those of other Strategists but can be earned quickly, letting him frequently shower the battlefield with damaging and healing blasts.

Although, Ultron’s limited healing options means you have to work in overdrive to make sure his Imperative: Patch is on the right teammates at the right time, and his Iron Man Team-Up is crucial, massively improving his healing output.

MARVEL RIVALS C-TIER HEROES

The heroes in C-tier are all perfectly usable, and can be very good in some cases, but are hindered by rigid abilities that require a very specific playstyle or are better fulfilled by a more powerful character.

Thor

Wielding Mjolnir to batter foes at close-range, Thor is a good brawler tank with a nice variety of abilities that synergize well. In Season 2.5, he has seen a major rework, giving his Hammer Throw a cooldown and the ability to generate Thorforce instead of spend it. This also lets him spam his Awakening Rune ability for plenty of ranged damage.

However, he also took a survivability hit to compensate and the Awakenend mode leaves him quite vulnerable anyway. That puts Thor in a very tough spot in this meta, as he struggles to get into and survive in his ideal range.

Venom

Venom is perhaps the most robust Vanguard character in Marvel Rivals due to his Symbiotic Resilience ability. Paired with his Venom Swing and Frenzied Arrival dive, he’s also highly mobile and can therefore be a massive nuisance.

Unfortunately, this diving playstyle doesn’t work so well in Season 2.5 and he’s received no adjustments to help him out. He has also lost his Team-Up with Spider-Man and Peni Parker, only to be replaced by a weaker one with Jeff. He can still dive on the likes of Hela and Hawkeye, but with many of his dive partners currently low down on our tier list and flyers dominating, Venom can struggle.

Spider-Man

While it’s unlikely you’ll stop seeing him banned from most ranked games, Spider-Man has taken a massive hit in Season 2.5, despite not receiving any direct changes. NetEase have nerfed a few diving characters and have buffed many ranged poke heroes, leaving Spider-Man relatively unsupported and with many potential long-range counters.

What’s more, he has lost his Symbiote Bond Team-Up with Venom, which was a pretty key tool in his arsenal. Of course, Spider-Man specialists will still try to find ways to make him work, but that’s going to be a serious challenge in Season 2.5.

Black Widow

Black Widow has long been at the bottom of this tier list, for her awkward shooting style, and susceptibility to mobile, diving characters. However, in Season 2.5, Black Widow can actually be a decent component of a poke composition, as the meta has shifted her way.

She’s nowhere near the levels of consistency and sustained damage of Hela or Hawkeye, but if you’re looking for an alternative to them, she’s worth taking a look at in her current form.

Squirrel Girl

Squirrel Girl has one of the simplest kits in Marvel Rivals and is very easy to use. Her Burst Acorns are great for spamming choke areas and bouncing around corners, hopefully softening up several enemies at once. Notably, her Unbeatable Squirrel Tsunami ultimate can be a huge pain to deal with if used at the right time.

However, Squirrel Girl struggles in a lot of one-on-one matchups, struggling to hit agile and airborne enemies with her projectiles. Overall, she’s good, but her limited kit means her usefulness depends on the enemy team’s composition and even the map.

Adam Warlock

Adam Warlock is in a better spot in Season 2.5, as the longer-range poke playstyle means he’s likely to get dived and his ranged attacks can shine. The coolduction reduction effect from Quantum Magic headshots he gained mid-Season 2, has also provided a nice boost to his healing output.

He’s still the least mobile of all the Strategists and will be a prime target for flying characters, but he is at least able to try countering them with his own attacks - the best defense is a good offense after all.

Jeff the Land Shark

Jeff has been reworked in Season 2.5, making him a much more effective healer at the cost of his irritating flanking capabilities. Notably, his Joyful Splash now penetrates all characters, letting him heal multiple teammates, and damages enemies, which is a big help.

However, this is countered by limited charges on Aqua Burst, a capped duration for Hide and Seek, and alterations to his bubbles. It’s an overall good rework but has perhaps come at the wrong time as it doesn’t mesh that well with the popularity of ranged and flying characters.

MARVEL RIVALS D-TIER HEROES

The characters in D-tier are very difficult to do consistently well with due to their limited strengths and many counters. As a result, they’re rarely picked and are in need of some buffs.

Black Panther

T'Challa is an acrobatic, melee-focused hero with exceptional mobility and damage, but little margin for error. All of his abilities deal solid damage, which means a lightning-fast combo can shred weaker characters before they even know what’s happening.

However, the relatively long cooldowns on his Spirit Rend and Spinning Kick attacks can leave you highly vulnerable amongst the enemy, especially if you aren’t making good use of Vibranium Marks to refresh Spirit Rend’s cooldown. In Season 2.5, he deeply struggles with getting stuck into enemy backlines and is practically useless against flyers.

Magik

Magik has a very tricky playstyle to learn and master. She’s a melee flanker that relies heavily on perfect combos, so mistakes can cost you dearly. Unfortunately, the poke and flyer meta of Season 2.5, also means it’s a huge pain to reach any of the targets she needs to. Add Peni Parker’s upgraded kit in and Magik can be frequently put in her place by mines.

But, having come up against some good Magiks, she can also be absolutely brutal in some cases. Those who put the time into mastering her Soulsword combos will tear up the enemy backline, using her Stepping Discs to get into and out of danger.

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