With the arrival of Marvel Rivals Season 1, players have a few new heroes to try out in the roster, along with a few buffs and nerfs that help to keep the meta evolving and competitive. However, there are still some characters that have been left behind in recent patch notes or have perhaps not been given the buffs that they deserve.

wolverine, spider-man, moon knight
12 Best Duelists In Marvel Rivals, Ranked

These Duelists stand out from the rest as the best heroes in Marvel Rivals to ensure that players are always dominating the competition.

There are plenty of heroes in Marvel Rivals that could do with a buff or two. Whether it’s to their damage kit, health pool, or even the way their Ultimate works, each hero in Marvel Rivals has the potential for greatness that might be a little easier with just a few tweaks here and there.

6 Black Widow

A Sniper Who Can’t Really Do Much on Her Own

Role

Duelist

Health

250

Difficulty

4/5

An enemy sniper can make all the difference as they perfectly pick off Duelists and Strategists, one by one. Having a Black Widow that has incredible accuracy and an affinity for headshots is going to be quite the target to rush from flanking heroes to avoid instant death. Yet, Black Widow doesn’t really get that legendary status as an assassin that she deserves.

Once players get too close to Black Widow, the Black Widow in question is essentially dead already, as most of her moves do not benefit her at a close distance. Even with her sniper rifle, Black Widow’s headshot rate and accuracy are fairly low and inconsistent, so this is a character who needs more utility in close-range, and a less punishing kit at the long range.

5 Mister Fantastic

Bouncy and Flexible, But Not For the Solo Kind

Role

Duelist

Health

350

Difficulty

3/5

Mister Fantastic can often be used wrong when it comes to competitive play, and most will run in as this stretchy hero in an attempt to negate all damage and destroy the enemy team. Yet, Mister Fantastic isn’t really about that, and most players will struggle to get some efficient damage dealt with his abilities.

rocket raccoon, captain america, thor
Marvel Rivals: 8 Heroes Who Need Stronger Ultimates

While some of the best heroes in Marvel Rivals can change the structure of the game with their ultimate, these heroes are a tad underwhelming.

1

Mister Fantastic is an odd case for a Duelist, as he can deal enough damage to essentially become a Vanguard, or throw himself at allies to shield them and basically become a Strategist. However, despite the varied toolkit, he’s not the most efficient when it comes to damage, so a few buffs might be in order, even if he can effectively negate enemy Ultimates entirely.

4 Venom

A Hulking Symbiote Who Seems Like More of a Bullet Sponge Than Anything Else

Role

Vanguard

Health

650

Difficulty

1/5

Venom’s attacks and abilities can certainly be a menace, especially when he swings into the backlines and stirs up trouble with his attacks and large health pool. Yet, Venom’s toolkit seems more attuned to distracting players and feeding them damage for their Ultimates thanks to his shielding ability, than it should, and most Venom players aren’t going to maximize their eliminations.

Venom is a supportive Vanguard that has plenty of health, but his Ultimate ability lacks any real sense of damage scaling to punish the enemy team. Even with his tendril attacks, Venom isn’t going to stomp on an enemy team or even brutalize their Strategists because his damage is a bit slow and low.

3 Rocket Raccoon

A Focus on Healing and Really Nothing More

Role

Strategist

Health

250

Difficulty

1/5

Rocket Raccoon is one of the best Strategists in Marvel Rivals, but that’s really only because his kit doesn’t permit him to do anything else. Rocket can revive allies, provide shields, jump boosts, and effectively throw out bouncy healing orbs. However, Rocket’s damage output isn’t going to be superior to his healing, nor is it easy to switch between damage/healing.

jeff the land shark, luna snow, mantis
Marvel Rivals: Every Strategist, Ranked

Strategists are essential in the team composition in Marvel Rivals due to their ability to heal allies and deal lethal damage, but who is a must-have?

Rocket also suffers somewhat with his Ultimate, which provides a 40% damage buff but with such a short range. Rocket has so much potential, but being one of the only Strategists who can’t heal and attack at the same time, places him in a weird spot where he could do with a buff or two, even if it’s nice that his small size makes him harder to hit.

2 Magneto

The Master of Magnetism is Way Too Defensive

Role

Vanguard

Health

650

Difficulty

2/5

Magneto is perhaps one of the most underused Vanguards of them all, and there are good reasons for that. Magneto can’t fly, which leaves him in a very vulnerable and slow state when it comes to his mobility, and his slow fall really doesn’t aid him. On top of his weak attacks, his defensive capabilities, which are most of his skills, can be rather easily negated.

The use of a Metallic Curtain doesn’t last all that long, nor does it have a lot of health, and the use of Iron and Metal Bulwarks also doesn’t have the best duration. While Magneto does get his abilities back rather quickly thanks to a generous cooldown, they aren’t going to be the shields the team needs to make a push when Vanguards like Doctor Strange are far superior options.

1 Black Panther

A Fast-Striking Duelist With Limited Damage

Role

Duelist

Health

300

Difficulty

4/5

It’s always hard to balance Duelists since their tool kit is supposed to dish out lethal but fair damage. With so many Duelists in Marvel Rivals, some players might have their own opinions on who should be nerfed or buffed, but Black Panther most certainly deserves a buff to his damage, as his primary Vibranium Claws only deal around 35 damage per hit. That’s not great for a melee-focused Duelist, especially when Black Panther needs to get up close and personal.

Where Black Panther really cements himself as a skillful choice is in his isolation, as his agility and Panther’s Cunning means he has a 20% damage buff when below 100 health, which makes him great for one-on-one battles. However, an underwhelming Ultimate and Vibranium Marks that only offer slightly reduced cooldowns of his abilities, puts Black Panther in a strange spot with the other melee Duelists.

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Marvel Rivals
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9 /10
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Released
December 6, 2024
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Developer(s)
NetEase Games
Genre(s)
Third-Person Shooter, Action, Multiplayer