Marvel Rivals Counters for Every Character

In Marvel Rivals understanding each character’s strengths and weaknesses is crucial for winning a game. As of now, on February 2025 Marvel Rivals has 37 playable heroes divided into three separate roles – Vanguards, Duelists, and Strategists. This guide will help you to choose the best counters for every character in Marvel Rivals.

Image Credits: Netease

Character Roles and Counterplay

Marvel Rivals characters are divided into 3 roles:

• Duelists – Duelists are those characters who have high damage, and can kill anyone easily but have a weak defense.
• Vanguards – Vanguards characters play on the frontline take damage and lead the team.
• Strategists – Strategists are the backbone of a team who helps the team with healing, shields, or buffs.

Each of these roles has its own strength, but knowing which heroes counter others can decide the result of a match.

Marvel Rivals Counters List

Below are the best counters for each character presented in a list format. Check our Marvel Rivals Tier List to know which character is the best against everyone.

Vanguard Counters

Duelist Counter

Strategist Counters

Note: Character effectiveness and counters may vary with game updates and balance changes. Here is all that has changed in the latest Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 Update.

Vanguard Counters

Doctor Strange

Image Credits: Netease

Doctor Strange is a powerful vanguard character with the biggest moveable shield. If you want to counter him, pick support heroes like Cloak & Dagger, Mantis, or Luna Snow to counter ult when Doctor Strange uses his ultimate. You can also pick high-damage heroes to break his shield or ambush him with Wolverine.

Venom

Venom is another good tank but it takes time to eliminate opponents without help. Luna’s snowball can freeze him and the rest of the team can kill him easily before he swings away. Other characters that can get him stunned are Wolverine, Mantis and Peni Parker.

Groot

Groot is a tough tank, but he struggles against consistent damage from a distance. Duelists like The Punisher, Hawkeye can break his defenses easily and kill him by rapidly damaging him from a safe distance.

Captain America

Image Credits: Netease

Captain America is really strong for close-range fights but if up against enemies that can fly his effectiveness diminishes. Characters who can fly like Storm or Iron Man can easily keep their distance from Captain America, exploiting his short melee range and counter him easily.

Hulk

Similar to Captain America, Hulk is very strong in close combat but weak against long-range attacks. The Punisher is a good counter, who can deliver high damage while staying out of Hulk’s reach. You can also play characters like Hawkeye, and Star-Lord to counter Hulk.

Magneto

Magneto is strong at controlling the payload or control point. However, he is weak against aggressive melee attackers like Wolverine or Iron Fist who can break through his defenses and keep him under pressure.

Peni Parker

Peni Parker relies heavily on her traps and nests. If you can destroy them, Peni Parker can’t do much to protect herself. Characters who can destroy her traps from a distance can easily counter her like The Punisher, Hawkeye. Support characters can also counter her nests by using their ultimate ability against them.

Thor

Thor is really powerful for creating space and it can easily kill healers by pushing them. But characters like Namor, Wolverine who can slow him or pinpoint him can easily counter him.

The Thing

The Thing is really tough against melee characters because of this strong defense. Heros who can fly like Strom, and Iron Man are the best counter for him but you have to be careful and maintain a safe distance from him and deal consistent damage.

Duelist Counters

The Punisher

Image Credits: Netease

The Punisher can deal high damage both in close and long range but shield characters can block his damage completely also diving characters like Venom and Magik can get him before he can respond.

Namor

Namor has a high damage and good survival ability, making him a good balanced character. Even after these good abilities, Namor can be countered with high DPS characters like Hela from long range.

Psylocke

Psylocke has quick burst damage that can be brutal in close and mid ranges. But she has a lot of potential counters in-game, high-damage characters can get her even before she comes close, and her ult is useless against support ults.

Black Widow

It takes skills to use Black Widow effectively. She doesn’t really have any broken abilities that can’t be countered. Unlike Hawkeye many might feel that her time to kill is too long if she is not landing consistent headshots. She struggles against heroes who can dive at her directly, and shield tanks can absorb her attacks and push her out of position.

Hawkeye

Hawkeye is really good at long-range fights, but it is hard to hit shots on fast-moving characters. Characters like Rocket Racoon, Black Panther and Iron Fist can easily close the distance and kill him.

Hela

Hela is kind of unbeatable in the long-range fights. If you want to counter her, try playing characters like Magik and Psylock who can dive her easily. Also, you can counter her ult using shields or healers’ ult.

Human Torch

Image Credits: Netease

Marvel Rivals recently added Human Torch in its season 1.5 update. He has good mobility with massive damage and points control capability. To counter him, you have to use heroes like The Punisher, Hela, or Hawkeye who can take him down from long range.

Iron Fist

Iron Fist is really good at pushing the backline quietly and destroying them within no time. But he can be countered using characters that can take track him like Namor. You can also use Luna Snow who can freeze him or setup Peni Parker’s traps in such a way that he can’t push backline.

Iron Man

Iron Mans’s average airborne mobility can easily be countered from long range like Hela, The Punisher can bring him down without breaking a sweat. His ult makes him a commendable threat. But even that can be easily stopped with a shield or Magneto’s ult.

Magik

Magik’s melee focus makes her weak to ranged characters like The Punisher or Strom, who can kill her from a distance without taking damage.

Spider-Man

Spider-Man’s fast movement makes him tough to hit but Namor’s squids or any diving character can counter him anytime. You can also take Raccoon and spam healing orbs to stop yourself or your teammates from getting killed by his combo.

Squirrel Girl

Squirrel Girl’s recent buffs have made her a strong contender, but aerial heroes like Strom, and Iron Man can kill her, while staying airborne and avoiding direct hit.

Star-Lord

Star-Lord’s high mobility speed and good damage make him an excellent duelist. There is no direct counter for him but shield characters can block his devastating ult. Also, Namor can keep him pinned using his squids.

Black Panther

Black Panther is really fast and causes trouble for the backline. But it can be countered by Namor with his squids and his survival ability you can also use a triple healers setup to counter him.

Be sure to check out our article on the best healers in Marvel Rivals.

Moon Knight

Moon Knight mains mainly specialize at controlling areas with burst damage so as long as you stay safe from his Ankhs you are pretty much okay. However, when stacked in point, his burst damage allows him to charge up his ult insanely quick leaving the backline exposed to his sudden wrath. The bests to counter him are diving characters such as Spiderman, Venom who can keep taking rapid swings at him, keeping him occupied instead doing constant burst damage at point.

Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch can deal constant damage in close-range fights, but high damage characters can get her easily. Her ult can be canceled easily by killing her in that state cause her ult takes a lot of time to burst. In a moment of hurry, Doctor Strange’s shield can stop her ult, and Peni Parker can use her web to immobilize her.

Mister Fantastic

Mister Fantastic is hard to play but once you master him it’s really strong against dive characters. He can absorb an insane amount of damage even Iron Man’s ult too. But heroes with steady damage can pressure him without using important cooldowns.

Storm

Strom is an excellent character and at this time her ult is kind of unstoppable when combined with Human Torch. But characters who can track her midair like Hela, Iron Fist and even Luna Snow can make life difficult for her. When solo ulted, support heroes like Cloak & Dagger, Luna’s ult can counter her ult.

Winter Soldier

Winter Soldier relies on his momentum and his ult can literally kill the whole team one by one making him a strong duelist in the game. To counter his ult you have to use support ults like Mantis or Luna’s ult that can instantly stop Bucky from reinstating his ult.

Wolverine

Wolverine is a deadly melee character, that can kill multiple opponents within seconds. But a three healer combo can keep him from getting frags and also Mr Fantastic is a good counter for his rapid attacks while in invincible state.

Strategist Counters

Jeff the Land Shark

The cutest character in the game, Jeff the Land Shark has many Marvel Rivals counters. Literally anyone is a threat for him especially Namor and Moon Knight’s ult. His is also very exposed to Peni Parker’s traps while casting his own ult.

Adam Warlock

Adam Warlock is a strong support hero and his ult can revive the whole team at once. But the lack of abilities that can help him escape always keeps him way too exposed in melee range. Magik, Black Panther, Wolverine, Iron Fist, anyone can take him down without much hassle.

Cloak and Dagger

Cloak and Dagger have great survivability but are weak against heroes with constant damage like Squirrel Girl. Her ult can be countered with Magneto if you have good predictive aim.

Luna Snow

Luna can play aggressively and passively but she can be countered by diving characters once she has already used her ability to freeze someone. Iron Man’s ult is the perfect counter while she is in ult state.

Loki

Loki is built for survival, so he is not a direct threat to anyone in general. Keeping him under constant fire is the way to push him into cooldown and using characters like Winter Soldier who can pull him, or divers who can jump him will force Loki to burn through all his escape options.

Rocket Raccoon

Rocket Raccoon’s small hitbox and quick dash helps him to dodge any damage easily. But his small HP keeps him exposed to characters who have low time to kill such as Winter Soldier. 2 to 3 taps on the head and Rocket will find himself back at spawn.

Mantis

The most offensive healer in the game, she can be a menace if not separated from the team. There is no best counter as such. Countering her comes down to crown management.

Invisible Woman

Invisible Woman’s stealth ability makes her hard to catch, but she struggles against flankers and heroes with aerial damage. Squirrel Girl, Venom and Doctor Strange are particularly strong counters against her.

Understanding Marvel Rivals Counters for every character is essential. It helps to counter specific opponents helps players adjust their strategies and builds better teams. But remember, these strategies will keep changing as Marvel Rivals keep introducing new characters.

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