Marvel Rivals: Best Heroes For Defense, Ranked

Summary

Rocket Raccoon can revive teammates and dish out damage to enemies, making him invaluable for defense.
Loki's illusions can heal allies and distract enemies, providing an advantage in defending objectives.
Punisher's Culling Turret and weapons make him a formidable defender, while Groot's walls and abilities keep enemies at bay.

Whether it's protecting a convoy from being pushed along the track or holding down a strategic point on the map to increase an objective meter, there are many scenarios in Marvel Rivals where players will be forced to go on the defense. Thankfully, there are more than a few heroes and villains in the staggeringly large lineup of characters who possess abilities which can negate a lot of incoming enemy damage, making them go-to picks for defense maps.

Though these types of characters may not specialize in melting their opponent's health bars with heavy attacks, they can instead slow the enemy team down through status effects, while also buffing their comrades to ensure nobody gets left behind in a fight. Knowing which characters are considered the most effective and reliable on defense can make climbing through the ranks a lot easier. It's time to take a closer look at who plays best when defending a point in a typical match of Marvel Rivals.

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8 Rocket Raccoon (Strategist)

Bring Teammates Back From The Dead

In the first few months of the game's release, Rocket, while a popular character, was seen as a little lacking when it came to his healing. His ultimate attack only boosted the damage of people around him, rather than their HP. These days, though, after a bunch of changes, including a health boost added to his ultimate, he's become a much more versatile Strategist. He can easily keep a team going when they need a healer to protect them from relentless waves of enemy attacks.

One of Rocket's most useful abilities when defending an objective is the B.R.B. Device, which will instantly revive any teammates who are taken out within the gizmo's surprisingly large radius. Since he also has a pretty heavy machine gun, he can also dish out damage with his Duelist teammates when everyone's healed and good to go.

7 Loki (Strategist)

Surround The Enemy Team With Distracting Illusions

Loki's playstyle revolves around distracting and playing tricks on the enemy through the use of his clones. These illusions can not only heal allies through their basic attack, but can also use the Regenerative Domain, which essentially provides a free refill of HP to anyone who stands within its radius. While it can be difficult to maintain up to three clones when attacking an objective, it's much easier to utilize them when defending. They can occupy strategic spots around the point to catch the enemies off guard when they least expect it.

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It's completely up to the player which character Loki will transform into as part of his ultimate. But turning into a fellow healer, like Luna or Cloak & Dagger, and then unleashing their ultimate, can keep a team stable when people start getting worn down from the constant attacks.

6 Punisher (Duelist)

The Culling Turret Will Always Strike Fear Into The Hearts Of Attackers

The Punisher has more than enough weapons in his arsenal to fend off anyone who dares try to get close to him and the objective. His Adjudication assault rifle provides a consistent source of damage, which can easily be switched out to the shotgun variant for blasting away any Spider-Men or Iron Fists who try getting up close and personal. What makes him such a threat on defense, though, is his Culling Turret. This weapon can annihilate even the toughest of foes, but it works especially well for clearing out weaker Strategists and Duelists who are separated from the rest of their team.

His Scourge Grenade provides a nice getaway tool which can also be thrown out to cover his team by obscuring the enemy's vision. It's always advised to get creative with Punisher's turret placement when going on the defense, since his grappling hook can allow him to reach some dangerous vantage points before the match even officially starts.

5 Iron Man (Duelist)

Divides The Enemy's Attention, Leaving Them Wide Open

Iron Man is one of the few characters in the Marvel Rivals roster who can remain in the air indefinitely, forcing the enemy Duelists to prioritize either shooting him out of the sky, or focusing on the team occupying the point. Iron Man's Hyper Velocity makes it difficult to land an accurate shot on the cheeky billionaire Avenger. If he is lucky enough to get a shield from Invisible Woman or Emma Frost, he can let loose without needing to worry about incoming damage messing up his suit.

By watching over an objective from the skies, Iron Man can reign down damage on anyone who tries to confront him and his team. The whole time, he can remain at a safe distance, with more than enough tools to get him out of danger if things start looking a little ugly.

4 Invisible Woman (Strategist)

Disorganize An Attacking Team With Sue's Shockwave Abilities

Invisible Woman specializes in map control, forcing the enemy in and out of her barriers to throw them off their game. Force Physics allows Sue to either push or pull an enemy, making it easy to reel in a Duelist who gets a little too aggressive, setting up an easy kill for the rest of her team. Because her Guardian Shields can only remain stationary once set up, it makes them far more effective on defense, where they can provide cover for a Punisher or Hawkeye while they pick off enemies from afar.

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Of course, it's hard to talk about Invisible Woman and not mention her ultimate, Invisible Boundary, which can hide her entire team from enemy eyes while they recover from the latest wave of firepower. The Invisible Woman has proven to be one of the best healers in the game since she was released in season 1, especially on defense maps where her shields and cloaking AOE abilities can be put to good use.

3 Adam Warlock (Strategist)

If The Team Gets Steamrolled, Adam Can Give Them A Second Shot

With the press of a button, Adam Warlock can bring all of his teammates back from the dead if they end up putting themselves in too much danger. However, he can't throw this ability out whenever he wants, as Adam Warlock's ultimate remains on a pretty lengthy cooldown. But until it recharges, he can provide plenty of healing to his teammates, while also taking some of their pain for himself through his Soul Bond.

If his Cocooned Revival is activated, he can also bring himself back to life, making him a real thorn in the side of the enemy team. Characters like Captain America and Spider-Man can end up wasting a lot of time trying to kill Adam Warlock when he has this ability. While he can do a lot of good on offense, defense is where Warlock really shines.

2 Groot (Vanguard)

Durable Walls Do An Excellent Job Keeping The Enemy At Bay

Groot has two different walls that he can deploy on the battlefield. Both of these can either be used to act as a barrier to keep teammates safe, or to separate enemy Duelists from their healers, leaving them sitting ducks. Simply put, it's always a nightmare for attackers to deal with a Groot, since getting around his big and bulky walls is far from easy.

That's not all Groot has up his sleeve though. Groot also comes with the Strangling Prison, which can root an enemy in place to prevent them from getting any closer to the objective. Considering how important these abilities have become in the dive meta, Groot is a welcome addition to any defensive team.

1 Emma Frost (Vanguard)

A Walking Tank Who Will Refuse To Move Off A Point

While Emma Frost's main attack, Telepathic Pulse, can deal some decent damage when concentrated on a single foe, it admittedly has a pretty short range. As a result, Frost works better in scenarios where her enemies are forced to walk in her direction. She can immediately activate damage reduction by turning into her Diamond Form, which also grants her lethal melee attacks to push people off the point.

Emma's Mind Aegis ability also gives her a way to shield her teammates from enemy fire, and her ultimate can turn a ferocious group of opponents into mindless zombies if they all make the mistake of grouping up. Once Emma shows up on an objective, it'll take a lot of firepower to move her off.

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