Marvel Rivals: A Comprehensive Guide to Character Counters Explained

Marvel Rivals, much like other hero-based shooters, demands players engage in thorough strategy and teamwork. Each character embodies a unique set of strengths and weaknesses, akin to a dynamic game of rock, paper, scissors. Your choice of Hero can dramatically influence the outcome of a match.

In this competitive landscape, understanding character dynamics is crucial. Often, players will be pitted against opponents possessing an upper hand, prompting a strategic switch to a Hero better equipped to counteract their adversary, thus turning the tide in favor of their team.

Given that Marvel Rivals permits players to switch Heroes at any moment during gameplay, it’s advantageous to grasp the relationships between characters—notably, which Heroes counter others effectively, allowing you to dismantle troublesome foes.

An essential rule of thumb is to recognize that characters situated at opposite ends of the ranged spectrum tend to counter each other. Additionally, Heroes whose Ultimates can neutralize others’ abilities also qualify as effective counters.

This resource compiles insights based on extensive online research and firsthand gameplay experiences. As Marvel Rivals continues to develop and its roster expands, this guide will adapt to reflect the changes.

Vanguard Heroes

Vanguard Heroes serve a pivotal role by absorbing damage and acting as buffers for their teammates. Their primary responsibility is to act as distractions and withstand enemy attacks, making their survival critical for team success.

Typically, Vanguards possess limited ranged capabilities, which means ranged Heroes with superior mobility are often effective counters.

Vanguard Counters	Duelist Counters	Strategist Counters	Description
Hulk	Doctor Strange, Penny Parker	Black Widow, Hawkeye, Punisher, Hela	Jeff, Loki, Luna Snow	While Hulk is a powerful adversary with surprising mobility, he relies heavily on close combat. Ranged Heroes like the Punisher excel at targeting him from a distance, especially when supported by Rocket’s Ammo Invention Team-Up ability.
Captain America	Doctor Strange, Penny Parker	Black Widow, Hawkeye, Punisher, Hela	Jeff, Loki, Luna Snow	Captain America can be overpowered if engaged at range, where he struggles without his shield. Attacks that disable him, including Doctor Strange’s Ultimate, can significantly diminish his impact.
Doctor Strange	Hulk, Venom, Groot	Black Panther, Magik, Star Lord	Luna Snow, Loki	Doctor Strange thrives on burst damage and his shield, but he becomes vulnerable when isolated. Tanky Vanguards like Venom can diminish the effectiveness of his Dark Magic.
Big	Peni Parker, Doctor Strange, Magneto, Venom	Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Hela, Star Lord, Storm	Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow	Although Groot is resilient, he struggles to deal substantial damage. Countering him effectively requires Tanks who can manage to outpace his damage output.
Magneto	Venom, Hulk, Groot, Captain America	Black Panther, Magik, Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch	Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow	Due to his lower durability, Magneto is easily countered by heroes with superior mobility, such as Spider-Man.
Penny Parker	Hulk, Venom, Groot, Doctor Strange	Punisher, Hela, Moon Knight, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch	Rocket Raccoon, Loki, Luna Snow	Peni excels at fortifying her position with Spider Nest and traps, but ranged Heroes or flying characters can dismantle her setups.
Thor	Peni Parker, Magneto, Doctor Strange	Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Hela, Star Lord, Spider-Man	Jeff, Loki, Mantis	Thor can be easily incapacitated due to his reliance on bonus health; immobilizing or ranged attacks are ideal against him.
Venom	Peni Parker, Magneto, Doctor Strange	Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Hela, Star-Lord	Jeff, Loki, Mantis	Being one of the strongest Tanks in the game, Venom is hard to counter effectively; however, nimble ranged fighters can exploit his weaknesses.

Duelist Heroes

Duelists excel as damage dealers, each bringing unique capabilities to the battlefield. Typically, those designed for close-combat engagements will have the upper hand against ranged rivals, while the latter will dominate slower melee characters.

Vanguard Counters	Duelist Counters	Strategist Counters	Description
Black Panther	Big, Venom, Hulk	Punisher, Winter Soldier	Jeff, Loki, Mantis	Currently, Black Panther is perceived as less potent. Players can easily engage him with tanky characters or snipers in ranged combat.
Black Widow	Hulk, Venom, Penny Parker	Spider-Man, Magik, Black Panther, Star-Lord, Iron Fist	Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow	Black Widow’s effectiveness is highly skill-dependent. She thrives as a sniper, so close-quarters heroes like Spider-Man can neutralize her advantage.
Hawkeye	Magneto, Doctor Strange, Venom, Hulk	Spider-Man, Black Panther, Star-Lord, Magik	Loki, Luna Snow	Hawkeye possesses versatility in both melee and ranged combat. To counter him, it’s essential to avoid being pinned down, perhaps by utilizing Loki’s Illusions or deploying high-health Vanguards.
Whole	Magneto, Doctor Strange, Venom, Hulk	Spider-Man, Black Panther, Star-Lord, Magik	Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow	When faced with another ranged Duelist, success hinges on accuracy. Skilled marksmen can counter Hela, while close-quarters combatants can also challenge her effectively.
Iron Fist	Magneto, Venom, Penny Parker	Black Widow, Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier	Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow	Known for high damage potential, Iron Fist can still be countered by champions with crowd-control skills who can limit his combat effectiveness.
Iron Man	Doctor Strange, Peni Parker, Captain America	Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier	Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow	Iron Man’s flight grants him substantial advantages against melee characters. Ranged fighters like Doctor Strange can negate his Ultimate, making it easier to take him down.
Magic	Doctor Strange, Penny Parker	Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Black Widow	Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow	As a melee-oriented character, Magik is best countered by ranged Heroes who can engage her safely and securely from afar.
Moon Knight	Captain America, Magneto, Doctor Strange	Black Widow, Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Spider-Man	Rocket Raccoon, Loki, Luna Snow, Jeff	Moon Knight is not frequently selected, often struggling in ranged matches; thus, utilizing ranged duelists for counters may prove advantageous.
Namor	Doctor Strange	Punisher, Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Hela, Black Widow	Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow, Rocket Raccoon	Namor is formidable when utilizing his octopus turrets. Targeting and neutralizing these turrets will diminish his effectiveness considerably.
Psylocke	Doctor Strange, Magneto, Peni Parker, Venom	Black Widow, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Iron Fist	Rocket Raccoon, Loki, Luna Snow	Psylocke excels when initiating surprise attacks, making ranged duelists key counters to her abilities.
The Punisher	Doctor Strange, Magneto, Peni Parker, Venom	Punisher, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Psylocke	Jeff, Loki, Luna Snow	The Punisher’s dominance as the leading ranged option is evident. To withstand his attacks, you’ll need either a robust tank like Venom or agile fighters capable of evading his firepower.
Scarlet Witch	Big, Venom, Hulk	Punisher, Hela, Moon Knight, Winter Soldier	Jeff, Loki, Mantis	Scarlet Witch lacks substantial ranged capability and makes use of chip damage for offense. Employing a tank like Venom can effectively minimize her impact.
Spider-Man	Peni Parker, Groot, Doctor Strange	Scarlet Witch, Namor, Punisher, Star-Lord, Hawkeye	Jeff, Loki, Mantis	Spider-Man’s skill ceiling is notable; countering him often requires control techniques from Vanguards or crowd-managing tanks.
Squirrel Girl	Peni Parker, Groot, Doctor Strange, Captain America	Punisher, Hela, Black Widow, Hawkeye	Loki, Luna Snow, Jeff the Land Shark	Squirrel Girl can dominate matches early due to her overwhelming damage output. She may falter in direct engagements if outgunned by ranged fighters.
Star-Lord	Doctor Strange, Magneto, Peni Parker	Hawkeye, Winter Soldier, Hela, Spider-Man	Jeff, Loki, Luna Snow	Star-Lord serves as an excellent entry-level DPS champion, but he struggles against defensive characters who can negate or outlast his damage output.
Storm	Doctor Strange, Magneto, Peni Parker	Hawkeye, Winter Soldier, Hela, Spider-Man	Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow	Despite some arguing Storm’s potential, her effectiveness can be mitigated by avoiding her area damage abilities and engaging from a distance.
Winter Soldier	Doctor Strange, Magneto, Peni Parker	Black Widow, Hawkeye, Punisher	Adam Warlock, Jeff, Luna Snow	Winter Soldier deals significant damage; employing ranged fighters like Punisher is essential for countering him effectively.
Wolverine	Doctor Strange, Penny Parker	Hawkeye, Punisher, Winter Soldier, Black Widow	Adam Warlock, Loki, Luna Snow	Wolverine currently stands at a disadvantage, heavily reliant on close-range combat. Players should focus on ranged strategies to keep him at bay.

Strategist Heroes

Strategists fill a crucial supporting role as healers and allies that maintain team health—often becoming prime targets in team skirmishes.

To maximize survival when playing as a Strategist, it is advisable to stay close to your allies. Engaging in 1v1s against a well-equipped Vanguard or Duelist can easily turn fatal.

Vanguard Counters	Duelist Counters	Strategist Counters	Description
Adam Warlock	Doctor Strange, Magneto, Captain America	Black Panther, Magik, Punisher, Star-Lord	Jeff, Loki	To combat Adam Warlock effectively, disrupt his momentum by taking him out of the fight early, potentially utilizing Squirrel Girl.
Cloak and Dagger	Venom, Hulk, Peni Parker, Captain America	Spider-Man, Iron Fist, Magik, Punisher	N/A	Cloak and Dagger benefit from keeping their distance to perform better, making close-quarters fighters like Iron Fist and Spider-Man effective counters.
Jeff the Land Shark	Venom, Hulk, Penny Parker	Black Panther, Magik, Punisher, Spider-Man, Iron Man	Cloak and Dagger, Loki	Jeff presents a significant threat not only due to his healing but also his disruptive Ultimate. He can be countered by characters who deal more damage.
Loki	Venom, Peni Parker, Hulk, Doctor Strange	Black Panther, Magik, Namor, Spider-Man, Iron Fist	N/A	A skilled Loki player is difficult to defeat; pairing up with suppressive characters like Venom and Hulk raises your chances of a successful takedown.
Luna Snow	Venom, Hulk, Penny Parker	Punisher, Star-Lord, Hela, Magik	Jeff	Due to her substantial healing capabilities, Luna Snow should be targeted quickly using agile or ranged Heroes to diminish her threat level.
Mantis	Venom, Hulk, Penny Parker	Black Panther, Magik, Punisher, Spider-Man, Iron Fist	N/A	Mantis’ healing is emanated over time through her Life Orbs, and a capable Tank or DPS champion can neutralize her effectiveness with timely engagement.
Rocket Raccoon	Venom, Hulk, Penny Parker	Black Panther, Magik, Punisher, Spider-Man, Iron Fist	Moon, Mantis	Given his small stature, Rocket can evade attacks easily; thus, melee champions with dash abilities, like Psylocke or Black Panther, are required to successfully counter him.