Marvel Rivals tier list: my picks for the best characters to use in Season 2 after playing hundreds of hours of the game

May 12, 2025

This Marvel Rivals tier list ranks every Hero, from Vanguards like Groot and Magneto, to Strategists like Luna Snow and Rocket Raccoon. Having now played a lot of Season 2, I’ve decided on who I think are the best characters to use, with several new Heroes making the jump up to S-tier status in the last few weeks.

I’ve been playing Marvel Rivals since launch, achieving Lord status with Venom, and currently gaining Mr. Fantastic in the hope of reaching Diamond Rank in Season 2. I’ve also covered new season launches and have been busy following the emerging meta since the major balancing changes introduced in the latest patch. Marvel Rivals certainly keeps me on my toes, but it’s the constant tweaks and new content that keeps me coming back, and keeps the game firmly on my list of the best free games to play in 2025.

This tier list ranks all 38 Heroes, focusing on more general-ranked play, rather than the top three Competitive Mode tiers. My reasoning here is that Bronze up to Diamond is where the majority of players will be this season, and matches are very different at these standard ranks when compared to the complexities of One Above All gameplay. Regardless, the S-tier Marvel Rivals Heroes are great picks for all levels of play, with ways to exploit enemy weaknesses and put your team in the best position to win each game.

Here’s my Marvel Rivals tier list, up to date as of the May 8, 2025 patch, which fixed bugs related to Jeff the Land Shark and Hulk, while tweaking the emote system. As new Heroes are added to the game and as the meta changes, this page will be updated.

Marvel Rivals tier list for Season 2

A Marvel Rivals Tier list with all 38 heroes placed into S, A, B, C, or D tier — (Image credit: NetEase)

Above, you’ll see my Marvel Rivals tier list, based on my experience playing Season 2 so far. You’ll also find it written out in the list below, before I go into more detail explaining my choices.

S-tier: Groot, Magneto, Emma Frost, Mr Fantastic, Luna Snow, Rocket Raccoon, Loki, Hela, Hawkeye, Invisible Woman
A-tier: Wolverine, Winter Soldier, The Thing, Star-Lord, Spider-Man, Psylocke, Namor, Iron Fist, Human Torch, Cloak & Dagger
B-tier: Venom, Storm, Squirrel Girl, Scarlet Witch, The Punisher, Moon Knight, Magik, Hulk, Captain America, Adam Warlock
C-tier: Thor, Jeff the Land Shark, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Mantis
D-tier: Peni Parker, Black Widow, Black Panther

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Marvel Rivals tier list explained

Spider-Man, Punisher and Rocket stand side by side on an alien planet — (Image credit: NetEase)

Let’s dig into my reasoning behind where each Hero sits on the tier list. Broadly speaking, the Strategist class has been nerfed for Season 2, with dive characters like Iron Fist and Spider-Man making life extremely difficult on teams that aren’t closely watching their backline. Emma Frost’s addition has added a new Vanguard anchor, buffing Magneto and Psylocke in a combo that’s really difficult to counter.

Luna Snow, Invisible Woman, and Loki are still ranked highly, but thanks to recent buffs to Rocket’s Ultimate, he’s now an essential pick for many. Strategists like Adam Warlock, Jeff, and Mantis have been overshadowed somewhat this season, but are extremely effective as DPS-leaning Heroes in the third Strategist slot composition. For my money, Groot is the best Hero in Marvel Rivals, especially at higher ranks. Hela and Hawkeye continue to dominate, especially Hawkeye, after receiving changes to his Hypersonic Arrow ability that add even more damage.

Perhaps Season 2’s biggest surprises are Mr Fantastic and Human Torch. Reed Richards is now absolutely devastating in the right hands, and given his waning popularity over the last season, a lot of players simply don’t know how to counter him. Human Torch was easily the weakest of the new Heroes added in Season 1 & 1.5, but after Season 2 buffs, he’s one of the best DPS characters in the game, usurping Storm, who was a meta character for a while post-launch.

Of course, your impressions of who the best Heroes are in Marvel Rivals might be different. I’d like to reiterate that these are my thoughts, having played the game at a medium rank (Platinum for Season 1), and will be different for those looking to pour more time getting up to Grandmaster ranks. Personally, I’d recommend experimenting with as many Heroes as you can in Quick Play before deciding on a main. Venom, who I have ranked here at B-tier, is still the character I’m best at playing, so it comes to personal preference and how your specific ability translates to each Heroe’s unique play style.

Marvel Rivals best Vanguards

Emma Frost poses in front of a blue background overlaid with the words "Vanguard" and "Emma Frost" — (Image credit: NetEase)

Let’s take a look at who the best Vanguards are in Marvel Rivals. Groot, Magneto, and Emma Frost each feature as S-tier in my overall tier list, and for good reason. A good Groot player is devastating, especially when his Ultimate is used in combination with others. It’ll grab and hold enemies in place, perfect for a Namor, Moon Knight, or Scarlet Witch Ultimate to completely delete them. Factor in his wall blocking abilities, which can easily isolate tanks from healers, and it’s easy to see why he’s a top pick for expert players in Season 2.

Magneto is the next best, though he works best in partnership with Emma Frost. Having them both in your team composition allows for extra abilities for Magneto to make use of. He can bubble another player and himself by using the Magnetic Resonance skill. In general, Magneto is a rock-solid pick, able to shield others from harm, and with an Ultimate that counters loads of other ones. Pop his Ultimate to absorb Iron Man’s, to delete backline Strategists, and to make use of The Punisher’s huge damage output. He’s versatile, easy to learn, and very effective against dive-heavy teams.

Emma Frost, Magneto and Psylocke trigger the Mental Projection Team Up ability — (Image credit: NetEase)

Emma Frost is the newest Hero added to Marvel Rivals and has already really made her mark. She’s an effective brawler, dealing additional damage to enemies she has kicked against walls. Her Diamond Form choke slam can shut down aggressive characters like Black Panther, and even interrupt some Ultimates, like Scarlet Witch’s. Her shield is underrated, too, able to tank some very devastating attacks. Currently, Emma Frost’s Ultimate, when used effectively, can completely disable a team’s healing, forcing enemies to stop and walk towards her. When used at the right time, it can pull an entire team off of a point.

Marvel Rivals best Duelists

Hela poses in front of her green logo

(Image credit: NetEase)

Now, onto perhaps the most controversial class ranking of the three, the DPS Heroes. There’s, well, a lot of them. Twenty to be exact, and aside from a few exceptions, they’re all very viable in the current season. The best duelists are still Hela and Hawkeye.

Hela has been a mainstay since Season 0, with huge damage output for those who are able to master her hitscan aiming. Her secondary abilities are less important than her primary fire, which is able to absolutely shred health away when headshots are hit. After receiving a few nerfs and buffs over the last season, she’s still pretty much in the same place she’s always been. A difficult character to get the most out of, but completely unmatched in the right hands.

After receiving a damage buff as part of Season 2, Hawkeye is even better than he already was. His slow effect when drawing the bow has been pared down too, and you can now fire off arrows extremely quickly. Aim for the head of an enemy, and you can one-shot certain characters, and chip a decent chunk off of Vanguards. He’s mobile, his Ultimate is basically a guaranteed kill, and there are plenty of players who just don’t know how to shut Hawkeye down. A top pick for sure.

Mr Fantastic gives a huge thumbs up as part of an MVP screen at the end of a match — (Image credit: NetEase)

Next up is Mr Fantastic, who has received a significant buff for Season 2. Now, his primary does more damage, his Ultimate adds a slow effect, and his base health has been increased. If you can get into the habit of hitting the right combos, you’ll constantly be gaining bonus health as Mr Fantastic, allowing you to tank a ton of damage while swinging your arms to hit multiple enemies at once.

He’s something of a duelist/vanguard hybrid, best played on off angles and used to counter high DPS abilities with his Reflexive Rubber ability. Don’t sleep on his Distended Grip, which can pull enemies out of position, and even off of ledges. Unlike other meta DPS characters, Mr Fantastic has only really been a good pick for a few weeks now, meaning you’ll regularly encounter teams that have absolutely no idea how to deal with him. Fantastic indeed.

Marvel Rivals best Strategists

Marvel Rivals Luna Snow Mirae 2099 skin. — (Image credit: Netease Games / Marvel)

Now, for the Strategists, the class that the meta continues to revolve around in Marvel Rivals, for better or worse. Sure, Season 2 is definitely less support-heavy when compared to the last, but given the effectiveness of Ultimates like Luna Snow’s, Sue Storm’s, Cloak & Dagger’s, and now Rocket’s, it’s easy to see why I’ve landed on including four Strategists in the S-tier.

First up is Luna Snow, who is still one of the very best Heroes in the game. Her Ultimate is simply unmatched, giving your team a large window of invulnerability in most cases. It is possible to kill Luna Snow in her Ult, though most teams don’t know how and lack the coordination to pull it off.

Her healing effects are strong, her ice attack shuts down dives, and she can completely turn the tide of a Domination match by triggering her Ultimate and holding the point. As part of the most recent balancing patch, the damage fall off for Light & Dark Ice has been decreased, making her even more deadly at a distance.

Rocket Raccoon poses with a huge weapon in the halls of Ygdrissil — (Image credit: NetEase)

Now, for Rocket Raccoon, a character that’s really risen through the ranks this season. This is primarily due to the buff to his Ultimate ability that arrived at the start of Season 2. Now, linked teammates receive bonus health, a huge change which, when coupled with a damage boost, can completely shift the tide of a fight. Because of how quickly Rocket is able to charge this Ultimate, he’s now a crucial strategic player at higher ranks. Try him out for yourself, and you’ll see exactly what we mean, as you’ll be able to get unusually high healing stats at the end of each match when compared to other Strategists.

Loki continues to be an S-tier character in Season 2, though he’s much more effective at ranks lower than Diamond. Generally, he’s extremely difficult to counter, given that a lot of teams simply won’t bother killing his clones or the green crystals that spawn as part of the Regeneration Domain. He’s one of the trickiest Heroes to learn in Marvel Rivals, but has huge versatility. His Ultimate can copy those of other players, meaning you could have two Luna Snow Ultimates to use per push instead of one.

Sue Storm poses against a backdrop of the Baxter Building at night — (Image credit: NetEase)

Finally, Invisible Woman is still one of the best Strategists to use in Marvel Rivals. She’s great for beginners with an easy-to-use primary healing system, and an Ultimate that simply needs to be placed. Dive deeper into her kit, however, and there’s a lot that sets her apart from the other Heroes. For one, she can push and pull enemies, displacing them and singling them out for damage. We’ve all seen Sue knocking enemies off of ledges, but there are also opportunities to pull down flying characters, pull Vanguards away from healers, and shut down pushes from characters like Wolverine.

The main draw for adding an Invisible Woman to your roster is her Ultimate, which heals everyone within its range over time. It also makes everyone inside invisible to those outside of it, very lethal when paired with an Ultimate like Scarlet Witch’s. Making the most out of her involves lining up as many allies and enemies in a line, and shooting your primary fire. This will heal allies, and damage enemies, and because it’s a projectile that comes back to you, you’ll hit everything twice. This is the way to charge your Ultimate as fast as possible, making the biggest impact on the match.

How we made our Marvel Rivals tier list

I’ve played hundreds of hours of Marvel Rivals at this point, having jumped on at the start of Season 0. Since then, I’ve tried out every character, bringing Vanguards, Duelists, and Strategists into both Quick Play and Competitive Mode. So far, I’ve gained Iron Fist and Mantis in Season 0, Venom and Luna Snow in Season 1, and Mr Fantastic in Season 2. When putting together this tier list, I’ve tried to offer a ranking that best represents the majority of the game’s player base. This means I’ve aimed my findings at those in Bronze, all the way up to Diamond, and into the low levels of Grand Master.

Captain America blocks a punch from Winter Soldier, sending blue and red sparks across both characters — (Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals tier list FAQ

Who’s the best in Marvel Rivals?

The best overall Hero in Marvel Rivals is Emma Frost, as she offers a wide variety of play styles that work across a range of team compositions and match scenarios. She can deal a ton of damage with hand-to-hand attacks, charge a beam attack that, at full charge, will melt enemies, and can even be played by those who don’t have the best aim. In addition, she’s a Vanguard, so she can tank damage extremely well, especially in diamond form. Through her use of a shield, she can offer Strategic support to teammates as well, and her Team Up with Magneto and Psylocke is one of the strongest in the game.

Of course, the overall best Hero doesn’t necessarily fit all categories of play. Marvel Rivals’ Heroes are divided into three classes, so it’s much better to consider the best Hero of each individual class, rather than an overall best, who will still falter under certain circumstances. In terms of versatile Heroes, however, Emma Frost really can’t be beaten.

Who is the easiest Marvel Rivals character to play

The easiest Marvel Rivals character to play is Jeff the Land Shark. This is primarily due to his simple healing output, which requires players to hit teammates with a wide-arcing beam, and his ability to dive into the ground to heal himself and get away from enemies. He’s very hard to kill, and after a few games, it’s easy for even beginner players to achieve a good healing number at the end of matches just by focusing on holding down the primary fire. Scarlet Witch is a good pick as the easiest Marvel Rivals character, too, as her Primary Fire doesn’t really need to be aimed, and does a ton of damage.

Who is the hardest character in Marvel Rivals?

Loki is the hardest character in Marvel Rivals, given that he’s a complex Strategist with a deep set of abilities, and a lot of components to manage during a match. For one, choosing where to place clones is important, as is making sure enemies can’t immediately pick you out as the real Loki. Triggering healing abilities also relies on clone placement, and you’ll need to aim at teammates to heal them with the primary fire. Loki’s main traversal ability involves switching places with a clone, once again meaning you’ll need to be constantly aware of where you’ve placed them. Managing all of this, while deciding which of the available Ultimates to copy from another player, can be very difficult to do on the fly.

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This Marvel Rivals tier list ranks every Hero, from Vanguards like Groot and Magneto, to Strategists like Luna Snow and Rocket Raccoon. Having now played a lot of Season 2, I’ve decided on who I think are the best characters to use, with several new Heroes making the jump up…