As is the case with most hero shooters, the best character in Marvel Rivals is the one that you are most comfortable with in a specific situation. Winning in Marvel Rivals often means being willing and able to swap between various characters based on what your team needs at any given moment. As such, its important to learn as many characters as possible and to be ready to use them as needed.However, as Marvel Rivals season one update takes shape, were starting to see some heroes rise to the top of the games competitive meta by virtue of their high overall power level. While these rankings may shift slightly based on the situation and your skills, these are the best and worst characters in Marvel Rivals.Marvel Rivals: Every Strategist Ranked Worst to BestStrategists are commonly referred to as Marvel Rivals healers, though thats a simplification of the role. While they should primarily be judged based on their healing output capabilities, the best Strategists bring so much more to the fight.8. AdamAdam Warlocks awkward skill kit just cant keep up with the other support characters. His overall healing output is quite weak, and while his damage can catch enemies off-guard, Warlock is far too vulnerable to regularly contribute to the fight in that respect.Even Warlocks mass resurrection ability feels less valuable than it should be in a game like this. It requires exceptional positioning and timing if youre going to get the full value out of it. Even then, only being able to revive your teammates at partial health makes them easy targets in most scenarios.7. JeffNow that Jeffs war crime of an Ultimate ability has been nerfed, most players have fewer reasons to pick him. Jeffs weak damage output, awkward movements, and largely average healing output can make him a liability in a valuable role.In Jeffs defense, some top-tier players can use his unusual movements and sneaky attacks to frustrate and pick apart the enemy team. Most players will want to look elsewhere, though.6. RocketThere is quite a lot to love about Rocket, a character that shot up the rankings in Marvel Rivals first season. His resurrection station is invaluable, his healing output is top-tier, hes mobile, and his team-up ability with Punisher and Winter Soldier makes those already viable DPS characters even better. He can also get some useful damage if youre able to utilize his mobility.Rockets biggest weakness is his Ultimate ability. That short-range damage amplifier just cant compete with the other game-changing Strategist Ultimates. When the match boils down to trading Ultimates, Rocket is going to come up short most of the time. Still, hes invaluable to the right team (or triple Strategist compositions).5. LokiPlaying with a truly great Loki is a revelation. While a bad or mediocre Loki feels like theyre barely in the fight, a great Loki can stay alive most of the match, confuse the enemy team with his clones, save your squad with his powerful AoE heal ability, and deal a surprising amount of damage.What makes Loki viable on average is his incredible Ultimate. His ability to turn himself into any other character in the match and deploy their Ultimate almost immediately enables powerful swing scenarios that would otherwise be impossible to achieve. Hes certainly worth learning if you havent been learning him already.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!4. Invisible WomanThe new Strategist on the block, Invisible Woman boasts one of the most well-rounded support kits in the game. Her Psionic Vortex ability can create distance while dealing damage while her telekinetic skills are surprisingly good at enabling quick kills (especially near the edges of a map). Her Ultimate, which generates a massive healing field that turns your allies invisible, is also one of the most effective support Ultimates as well as one of the most frustrating to deal with.Invisible Womans biggest weakness is her raw healing output. Its certainly not bad, but the limited range of her boomerang projectile and the static nature of her projected healing shields can lower her overall healing in the average match. She more than makes up for it elsewhere, though.3. MantisMantis kit revolves around a resource system. Her healing-over-time and damage buffs can only be deployed when she has sufficient resources. Those resources gradually refill somewhat slowly, but Mantis can automatically replenish them by landing a critical strike with her projectiles. Thankfully, Mantis always has access to her stun skill and a powerful Ultimate that greatly buffs her and her nearby allies total health while generating AoE heals.If you cant land headshots as Mantis fairly regularly, youre going to have a much harder time keeping your team buffed and healed. Its especially difficult to rescue a tank with Mantis slower heals if youre not regularly replenishing your resources. Most players will feel up to the task, but Mantis is best paired with someone who can fill those occasional heal gaps.2. Cloak & DaggerThe Dagger part of the Cloak & Dagger package is the best pure healer in Marvel Rivals. Few can match the raw healing output of her lock-on daggers, helpful healing bubbles, and projectile light veils that grant temporary healing boosts. Her recently buffed Ultimate also allows her to create a massive safe space/danger zone (depending on who is standing in it) that can save your team while forcing your enemies to retreat.Its the Cloak part of the equation that determines C&Ds overall power level. Cloaks debuffs and damage output can help pick off staggered foes, but learning when to sacrifice your healing abilities to transform into Cloak takes time. The wrong swap at the wrong moment can cost you a fight.1. Luna SnowAs the most aim-dependent Strategist, Luna Snows overall healing output is closely related to your ability to reliably target your teammates in the middle of a fight. If you cant do that, youre going to have a bad time as Luna.Otherwise, Luna is easily the best Strategist in Marvel Rivals. Her full kit offers an insane combination of stuns, attacks, and raw healing output, but its her Ultimate that makes her the terror of the game at the moment. It turns out that being able to make your team effectively invulnerable to most forms of damage for about 12 seconds is pretty good. Until that Ultimate is nerfed, were living in Lunas world.Marvel Rivals: Every Vanguard Ranked Worst to BestVanguards primarily serve as Marvel Rivals tanks. While that means that many of them are designed to protect their teams, some tanks are far more aggressive and bring the frontline to wherever they go. The absolute best Vanguards dictate the terms of a fight by creating space, absorbing punishment, and getting in sneaky amounts of damage.8. Captain AmericaWhile a great Captain America player is a lore-friendly terror to his enemies and a hero to his allies, most Captain America players will struggle to do much at all during most fights. His shield is easily broken, his damage output is inconsistent, and while hes incredibly mobile, its difficult for him to be nearly as aggressive as he needs to be due to his punishing cooldown management demands.Captain America is probably a few tweaks away from being an absolute menace. At the moment, though, hes a tough sell as a tank.7. Peni ParkerPenis ability to lay traps throughout the map makes her an incredible defensive Vanguard option. There are times when you are simply forced to go through or around Penis webs of death. Her mere presence is a risk that has to be accounted for, and her stun ability is one of the most consistently valuable CC abilities in the game.However, Peni is significantly less viable as an attacking Vanguard. Even a good Peni will struggle to push their team forward while laying traps and staying alive. As more and more players figure out Penis bag of tricks, she begins to feel like less of a threat and more of an annoyance.6. VenomMuch like Captain America, Venom is a mobile Vanguard who can easily wreak havoc behind enemy lines. Unlike Captain America, Venom has the sustainability required to survive his dives and get back to the safety of his team.Venoms biggest problem at the moment is his damage output. His awkward medium-range attacks can sometimes prevent him from being as aggressive and consistent as he needs to be while pursuing the enemy team. Even his Ultimate bolsters his survivability rather than compensates for his damage.At the moment, there are other diving Vanguards that can do more in the backlines.5. GrootA great Groot player can use this Vanguards walls to isolate targets, block paths, prevent damage, and generally reshape the map in your teams favor. On top of that, Groot boasts one of the better Vanguard Ultimates in the game and some surprisingly strong damage output.However, a bad or mediocre Groot player will use those same walls to do more harm to your team than the enemy squad. If those walls dont go up when and where they need to, your team will quickly be overwhelmed while the opposing squad thanks you for the free shields. The swings can be wild, but a great Groot is an asset.4. ThorThor can practically fly across the map while picking off enemies and granting himself invaluable health boosts. Hes a mobile melee menace. You dont know fear until you have a Thor hammering away at your head with the confidence of a Vanguard who knows he can get out of trouble as soon as it appears. As if that wasnt bad enough, Thor can also unleash a devastating barrage of projectiles at the temporary cost of his easily replenished resources.While Thors Ultimate is still quite bad (the God of Thunder deserves better), it at least offers him another escape option that forces enemies to scatter.3. MagnetoAs one of the only true shield tanks in Rivals, Magneto earns his keep simply by being able to block incoming damage by throwing up a barrier. More importantly, Magnetos ability to shield himself or project a shield on an ally is one of the best ways to either press an attack or escape a flank. His projectiles are also sneakily strong if youre able to use them at a moderate distance while tracking your enemies.Granted, Magneto is held back slightly by his slow movement speed and weak Ultimate. The former makes it tough for him to get back into the fight and the latter is far too finicky to be more than a situational annoyance. Hes still a true main tank option, though.2. HulkHulk is often banned at high levels of play due to his powerful team-up abilities. Even when hes by himself, a good Hulk will ruin your day with his generous leap abilities, strong shields, and devastating strikes. Hulk is the ideal dive tank; the kind that can get into and out of trouble while causing it all the while.While it takes time to learn Hulks movements (meaning he tends to get melted at lower ranks), great Hulk players can practically carry a team before using their Ultimate to unleash their final form and slam enemies into the ground like theyre playthings.1. Doctor StrangeAs the best overall solo tank in the game, Doctor Strange is also the best Vanguard in Marvel Rivals. His powerful shield is equally valuable on attack and defense, his projectiles are surprisingly strong, his ability to fly gets him out of trouble most tanks cant escape, and his Ultimate has the potential to help wipe a team every time he uses it.While great Strange players are separated by their ability to consistently create portals that transport allies or trap foes, he tends to be the best overall tank in every situation at any rank.Marvel Rivals: Every Duelist Ranked Worst to BestThe largest class in Marvel Rivals, Duelists are the games primary damage dealers. Despite their seemingly simple objective, their diverse designs often make them the most complicated characters in the game. Just dont assume the most complex Duelists are always the best.19. Black WidowThe only truly bad character in Marvel Rivals, Black Widow is a traditional sniper in a game not designed to support that role. The cover is too ample and the action is too fast for her to effectively pick off targets in time to change the fight.Black Widow either needs a massive damage boost or a rework to become relevant at any level of play. Well see which comes first.18. Scarlet WitchWhile shes one of the easier Duelists in Marvel Rivals, it doesnt take long to see through Scarlet Witchs illusion of power.Scarlet Witchs primary fire doesnt require much aim, but its easy to counter her flanks once you know how to look for them. Unfortunately, Scarlet Witchs other abilities cant compensate for that core deficiency, and her Ultimate is far too slow to be viable at anything other than the lowest levels of play.17. Iron FistIron Fists fast movements, quick strikes, and ability to lock on to a target make him a nightmare for new players. Even veterans can occasionally use Iron Fists aggressive style of play to generate some havoc at higher ranks.By and large, though, Iron Fist can be bested by even the slightest bit of cooperation. Its hard for Iron Fist to effectively deal with coordinating targets until he gets his Ultimate, which tends to be a problem as players quickly learn to work together.16. Black PantherBlack Panther is certainly capable of weaving his way in and out of a fight while picking off surprised enemies. His incredible agility and burst damage potential make him a sneaky favorite among those who favor diving damage dealers.Unfortunately, Black Panther is also a combo-dependent character who needs to be able to play a specific way to be effective. If his big combo is interrupted, he typically has to get out or die. Hes also cursed with one of the weakest overall Ultimates in the game at the moment.15. Spider-ManSpider-Man is undoubtedly the most difficult Duelist to learn and master in Marvel Rivals. The top Spider-Man players in the world are truly feared. They can pretty much go where they want and do what they want while causing enemy players to scramble and/or panic.The other 99% of Spider-Man players are often a detriment to their team. They will dive too deep, they will do little damage, they will die, and they will probably blame you for it. Those swings in viabilitypun intendedmake it hard to rank Spider-Man higher.14. Mister FantasticThough technically a melee character, Mister Fantastics outstretched arms are effectively projectiles that can double as sweeping strikes. Hes also one of the most durable Duelists in the game and even has an ability that allows him to eat quite a bit of damage before reflecting damage to the enemy team.Unfortunately, the rest of Mister Fantastics kit isnot great. Youll rarely find the chance to use his ability to grab enemies and slam them together, and his Ultimate arguably makes him weaker than he is in his base form. Mister Fantastic is just a bit too limited in a competitive meta.13. Squirrel GirlThere are times when Squirrel Girls ability to pepper an area with bouncing explosives makes her a feared damage dealer. Hey, it worked for Junkrat in Overwatch. Like Junkrat, Squirrel Girl can effectively lockdown a choke point while using her mobility and traps to stay alive long enough to be a menace.Unfortunately, Squirrel Girl struggles to adapt to situations that force her to do more than fill a confined area with explosives. Shes fine to have during the good times and a liability when things start to go sour. Even her recently buffed Ultimate still isnt quite good enough to turn the tide of a fight.12. Star-LordStar-Lord functions like Marvel Rivals version of Overwatchs Tracer. Despite his ability to fly, Star-Lord is supposed to get relatively close to enemies, shoot them down, get out of the fray, and do it all again. Its not until he triggers his powerful Ultimate that he can truly unleash death from above.If your aim and movements are less-than-perfect with Star-Lord, youre going to have a bad time. An inconsistent Star-Lord is too vulnerable and too weak to do more than tickle enemies before floating away to his death. He has a presence at higher ranks, though players skilled enough to use him well tend to favor other options.11. Iron ManIron Man could lose or gain a couple of spots on this list based on whether or not hes paired with a Hulk. With a Hulk, Iron Man gains a massive damage boost that makes it much easier for him to sneak behind a team and delete weaker targets.Without that boost, Iron Man has to be surprisingly accurate and incredibly evasive to effectively disrupt enemy strategies while getting picks and staying alive. Iron Mans nuclear bomb of an Ultimate can ignore even the best Strategist Ultimates, but you have to be confident in your ability to both quickly acquire and utilize that ability to get the most out of him.10. MagikMagik is a fascinating melee DPS character. Her kit revolves around her ability to use portals to move between short distances before unleashing sweeping strikes that launch enemies into the air. Shes basically a Devil May Cry protagonist in a hero shooter.Is that good? It really depends. Magik is as frustrating as any dive character in Marvel Rivals and generally more durable than most heroes in that pack. However, you have to know how to pick your spots, how to pull off various attack combos, and when to back out to get anything substantial out of her. She tends to be better than Black Panther and Spider-Man on average, though her ceiling may be slightly lower.9. Winter SoldierWinter Soldier is another weird DPS character. While he has a gun, its limited max ammo and precision shots often require you to rely on Buckys other, combo-oriented abilities. A good Bucky will hook players out of position, uppercut them into the air, and kill them with a little help from his team. If Bucky doesnt have a little help from his team (or misses his combos), then he can struggle to do more than chip away at high-health foes while waiting for his next attack window.Buckys Ultimate makes all those efforts worth it, though. If you kill an enemy with that diving strike (or shortly thereafter), your Ultimate will automatically be reset. From there, you can continue that combo as long as there is an enemy left to kill with that ability. When properly deployed, its one of the scariest Ultimates in the game.8. NamorNamor is defined by his ability to summon two (three if hes playing with Luna Snow) squids that function as auto-firing turrets. They can be attached to almost any surface and are especially good at targeting otherwise hard-to-hit flying and flanking characters.What makes those turrets incredibly powerful is the rest of Namors kit. His primary and special attacks can greatly increase the fire rate of his turrets while dealing quite a bit of damage on their own. Properly placed Namor turrets can tear through anything that Namor decides to focus on while disorienting the enemy team. His Ultimate is slightly weaker, though it can easily knock down enemies and leave them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.7. The PunisherAs a pretty standard guy with a gun character, The Punisher finds himself near the middle of these rankings. There is nothing especially exciting about his third-person shooter playstyle. If your aim is good, youll probably be an effective Punisher. If notwell, hes at least a character whos easy to understand and get better at.Generous learning curve aside, great Punishers have become fixtures at high levels of play. Punisher can upset even the best-laid plans with his raw damage output that tears through shields and sends tanks into hiding (especially when hes paired with Rocket Racoon). Hes not quite as dynamic as some of the other Duelists, but mechanically gifted players will find him to be wonderfully consistent and occasionally devastating.6. PsylockeMuch like Genji in Overwatch, Psylocke is meant to poke at characters from a distance before using her quick strikes to deliver devastating final blows. She also boasts a powerful Ultimate that can quickly eliminate any enemy within a sizeable zone of death.Unlike other flanking characters, Psylockes primary attacks are effective enough at moderate distances to allow her to pick her attack spots rather than entirely rely on that aggressive style of play. If your aim is decent and you know how to pick your targets, you can easily top the charts as Psylocke with minimal support.5. HawkeyeHawkeye was the absolute terror of Marvel Rivals at launch, though a recent update made him slightly less effective at greater distances. All that really means, though is that Hawkeye cant quite take over a high-level game as easily as he once could.Otherwise, Hawkeye is an incredibly dangerous sniper who is mobile enough to get where he needs to be and powerful enough to still kill many characters with a single shot. Yes, it helps if your aim is good, but Hawkeye can still pull off lucky shots at slightly shorter distances. His Ultimate is probably the weakest part of his kit, but its more of a nicety than a necessity.4. Moon KnightMoon Knights Ultimate ability just got a buff that verges on being broken. As it stands, his Ultimate ability almost instantly summons a swarm of explosives from the sky that deal lethal (or nearly lethal) damage to anything in their path. Its incredibly difficult to avoid and often swings a fight in Moon Knights favor.Outside of his Ultimate, Moon Knight is quite good at prowling the corners of a map and peppering enemies with help from his Ankhs, stationery objects that reflect Moon Knights attacks on nearby enemies. If those Ankhs arent destroyed, Moon Knight will win the fight. Even if they are, it doesnt take much for him to get quick kills and build towards his Ultimate.3. HelaThe other terror of Marvel Rivals launch, Hela was hit with a relatively minor nerf that made her only slightly weaker than before. Much like Hawkeye, she is still able to deliver devastating precision strikes from across the map that can melt through tanks and delete most everything else with a single shot.Unlike Hawkeye, Helas Ultimate is one of the best in the game. If your team cannot focus on Hela and shoot her out of the sky, her Ultimate will kill you or force your squad to run and hide in spots that will often leave them in a bad position.2. WolverineIf youre going to take the time to learn a slightly more complicated character, make sure it is Wolverine. Like other diving characters, Wolverine is looking to get into the backlines and terrorize isolated targets. Unlike other diving DPS heroes, Wolverine is surprisingly durable. That durability makes it much easier to trap enemies or simply chase them down and catch them in a storm of strikes.That combination of abilities makes Wolverine one of the most effective tank busters in the game. If Wolverine gets hold of a tank (much less a weaker character), that tank had better pray their team is quick enough to intervene and save them. Generally speaking, it takes a lot of coordination to defeat a Wolverine who knows how to hit his tackles, dives, and powerful Ultimate ability. Thats why hes often banned at higher ranks of competitive play.1. StormWhen Marvel Rivals launched, Storm was widely considered to be one of the worst characters in the game. Now, Storm is the best Duelist in Marvel Rivals. Storms base attacks deal a surprising amount of damage, are incredibly quick, and can hit multiple foes. Her alternate fire abilities allow her to easily finish weakened enemies, and her Ultimate is practically guaranteed to kill multiple targets if the other team doesnt use their support Ultimates to block it.It doesnt stop there. By simply existing, Storm can provide team-wide damage and speed buffs that turn the tide in otherwise even fights. Once you master her flight movements (its actually better to stay closer to the ground with her), youll find that Storm is often the top-performing DPS at every level of play.