The Best Heroes To Play If You're New To Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals is out, with more than 30 characters, each with their own special skills, abilities, and moves. Every hero and villain has a distinct playstyle, giving you a different experience every time. From the beloved Iron Man to the coolest Venom, you can try out your favorite Marvel characters and use their fun superpowers against your enemies.

In case you are just starting out, you should choose characters that can help you out in any situation and have an easy-to-learn kit. Whether you want to try out a Vanguard (tank), Duelist (DPS), or Strategist (support) role, here are some of the best heroes and villains in the game.

Updated on December 12, 2024, by Lucas Olah: Beta is over, guys. Now, Marvel Rivals is actually out, and it's free to play for everyone who wants to. The roster is also bigger compared to the beta, which means there are a few more characters to talk about. Our prolonged time with the game has also given us a better understanding of it, allowing us to recommend a few more characters among the new ones or the ones we overlooked. So, if you're interested in joining this multiverse of madness but don't know where to start, here are our suggestions.

13 Groot

The Best Tank For Starters

[Groot in Marvel Rivals.]

• Role: Vanguard

Not only is Groot a very easy character to master, but his abilities are also extremely powerful. He can raise walls that hurt enemies or heal him and be extremely hard to kill. He can use vines to attack enemies nearby and damage multiple targets. His secondary ability allows him to launch a spore bomb that further splits into smaller pores that can explode.

Groot works best when paired up with Rocket or Jeff since they can ride him. Moreover, he also has pretty useful passives, allowing him to awaken walls around him, and his ultimate can shoot a Vine cluster that pulls multiple targets inside and imprisons them. He isn't the deadliest of tanks, but he can absorb a lot of damage.

12 Doctor Strange

Now You're Thinking With Portals

[Doctor Strange in Marvel Rivals.]

• Role: Vanguard

Despite having three stars in his difficulty, Stephen Strange is a very straightforward tank, especially since he's one of the few with a barrier, and his barrier can be held forever - or until someone breaks it.

His main attack isn't the strongest, but causing damage charges Maelstrom of Madness, which is a big AOE attack around him that will cause damage based on how much you charged. Strange can also fly for a moment and create portals that anyone can go through, allowing your team to flank all at once or trick enemies into falling off the map. His ultimate freezes enemies near him, removing their souls from their bodies, and making them vulnerable to being hit, making this ultimate a beautiful way to start a team swipe.

11 Magneto

Master Of Magnetism

[Magneto in Marvel Rivals.]

• Role: Vanguard

Magneto is another tank with a shield, though his shield is based on duration rather than health. His primary attack has a small burst when it hits something, and you can also put a shield around yourself or an ally - though both of these shields share the same cooldown, so you can't use both at the same time.

His secondary fire is stronger and can even push people when fully charged, but it takes a while to charge - blocking damage with your shield helps. His ultimate is a large AOE attack that is stronger the more you charge it. Overall, Magneto is perfect for the frontlines and can cause a lot of damage on his own - though even more if Scarlet Witch is around.

10 Venom

The Lethal Protector

[Venom in Marvel Rivals.]

• Role: Vanguard

Venom is a three-star difficulty character. He's the trickiest tank here, but in just a few matches, you can get a good idea of his powerful skills. He is the perfect close combat tank that can either walk with the team or infiltrate the backlines by himself, disrupt the enemy team, and leave before they get to kill you. His primary attacks are fairly damaging and have more range than they appear, and you can give yourself temporary health based on how low your health bar is, which is useful for emergencies.

Venom's ultimate allows him to go underground to regenerate his health or even eat enemies above. As a tank, your number one priority is to stay in the front lines, target the opponent team's main damage dealers, and take most of the damage yourself, but if you have two tanks on the team, you can be the off-tank that disrupts enemies or protect your healers in the back.

9 Jeff The Land Shark

For Powerful Healing

[Jeff The Land Shark in Marvel Rivals.]

When it comes to raw healing, Jeff might be the strongest, and he's not defenseless either. His primary attack splashes water in front of him, healing people who get caught by it, while his secondary fire shoots water projectiles that cause damage.

He can leave bubbles on the map that heal any ally that walks on it (you can heal yourself with it), and his ultimate allows you to swallow people in an area, friend or foe. Swallowed foes will take damage, and you can use one button to spit allies and another to spit enemies off the map. His only downside compared to other supports is that he doesn't buff allies.

8 Mantis

Great For Healing And Damage Buffs

[Mantis in Marvel Rivals.]

• Role: Strategist

Mantis is a very useful strategist for team-ups. She is a great support and healer, as her abilities can not only heal teammates but also give them a damage boost. Her ultimate can greatly enhance the mobility of her teammates, making her one of the most useful characters in Marvel Rivals. Her healing also goes toward the ally without needing to hit them with a projectile, so you can't miss your healing.

She is an optimal character if you enjoy a passive and strategic playstyle. The best way to utilize her is by playing at a distance while throwing Life Orbs at your allies to heal them. Due to her kit's simplicity, using her is very straightforward.

7 Rocket Raccoon

He Can Revive Fallen Teammates

[Rocket Raccoon in Marvel Rivals.]

• Role: Strategist

Rocket Raccoon is another fantastic character who can shoot projectiles at enemies to deal damage. His secondary skill allows him to shoot bouncing balls that can heal teammates. Also, his Cosmic Yarn Amplifier ability can increase the damage output of any allies nearby, and his Battle Rebirth Beacon can revive any of your fallen teammates while providing armor and jetpacks.

Rocket Raccoon is not only a good healer, but also an optimal support, and his attacks are pretty damaging as well. Using him in the same team as Groot allows you to use the Old Friends ability, where you can ride on his shoulder and receive less damage.

6 Luna Snow

A Powerful Damage Dealer And Support

[Luna Snow in Marvel Rivals.]

• Role: Strategist

If you enjoy both healing and dealing damage, then Luna Snow is by far one of the best strategists to use in Marvel Rivals. Her Light And Dark ice skill can damage enemies or heal allies in the battle and her ultimate can give your teammates a damage boost as well.

She is one of the best supports and an optimal damage dealer, which is great for characters who are just starting out in the game. Furthermore, she is best for crowd control as well, thanks to her Absolute Zero ability that can freeze opponents. With Luna Snow, you don't have to depend on resources to get through battles.

5 Cloak & Dagger

Two For The Price Of One

[Cloak & Dagger in Marvel Rivals.]

• Role: Strategist

Cloak & Dagger are a bit harder to use compared to the others, but not by much. They work as two characters, Cloak and Dagger. Dagger has all the healing abilities, while Cloak has DPS abilities. Dagger can heal from afar with her projectile daggers, and they even follow the target a bit - and enemies, so you're actually good against airborne enemies. She can create AOE healing and shoot a bigger projectile that heals and increases the overall healing the target will receive for a while.

Cloak has a primary fire that's just like Scarlet Witch's, he can shoot a bigger projectile that causes damage and makes enemies vulnerable to further damage, and he can increase the movement speed of nearby allies while going invisible. You can switch between Cloak and Dagger at any time with the press of a button.

Their ultimate is the same regardless of who you're controlling. You'll leave a mix of energies on the ground that heals anyone from your team that's on it while hurting any enemy that's on it. Once you get the hang of swapping between the two, you'll be one of the best healers in the game.

4 Iron Man

The Flying Duelist

[Iron Man in Marvel Rivals.]

• Role: Duelist

Iron Man is a powerful Duelist with incredible AOE damage. If you enjoy playing as a damage dealer and want someone with great mobility, definitely try him in matches. His primary skill fires a Nano Pulse that deals immense damage.

He can also fire a Unibeam, and his ultimate ability fires a Pulse Cannon that covers a great area and is capable of killing enemies instantly. With Iron Man, you can kill enemies at a safe distance and can also fly across the map, making him almost invincible.