Hardest Characters To Master In Marvel Rivals

Summary

• Some heroes in Marvel Rivals are harder to master due to their abilities and playstyle.
• Characters like Loki and Black Widow offer good support but lack power and damage.
• Mastering high-damage heroes like Hawkeye and Wolverine requires accuracy and practice.

With a roster of superheroes as extensive as the one found in Marvel Rivals, there are going to be some questions about which character a player should try when starting out in the game. While a large amount of this decision comes down to a player’s preferred playstyle, other factors will need to be taken into consideration, too. One of these is how easy it is to master a character and their abilities.

Not every character is created equal in this game, and some heroes are just more difficult to learn. This could be due to how the character moves, how precise their abilities have to be, and a player’s overall knowledge of the game and other characters, but the fact remains that some heroes are just really tough to become an expert with. To help new players who are looking to avoid the hardest characters to master in Marvel Rivals, here’s a rundown on the toughest ones in the line-up.

Updated on January 22, 2025, by Shane Black: With the release of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman in Marvel Rivals, the dynamic of the most difficult heroes to master has changed somewhat. To reflect this, this article has been updated to include more characters who are proving to be tough for players to get the hang of and make any changes to existing entries after patches have shifted the characters’ stats around.

10

Loki

Fine Support Without Much Power

• Can offer good support for other teammates
• Can be an easy target for enemies

Loki isn’t necessarily a bad character to play in Marvel Rivals, but he is not going to blow anyone away. He comes with some really good support abilities, such as a healing aura to bring teammates’ health back up. He can also do a fair amount of damage in his own right.

The problem is that his damage isn’t great, and he can be an easy target for other players to single out. Because of this, his use feels really niche, and it takes a person who knows the maps and the composition of the other team really well to make him worthwhile.

9

Black Widow

Requiring Top-Tier Accuracy

• Needs some good accuracy to be useful
• Map knowledge is a must

Black Widow is in a weird situation within Marvel Rivals; she offers some good surveillance for maps but can’t do a ton of damage when she finds a target. Her ability to check around corners and spot opponents can be a really useful tool for all teams who are pushing on an objective.

Her biggest issue, though, is that she doesn’t do enough damage to one-shot enemies, which means that if she engages, the player has to be ready for return fire. This can be done by knowing where to move to and how to maneuver around the maps, but it also opens her up to being wiped out quickly. However, she is getting buffed with the release of Season 1, which will likely appease players at least a little bit.

8

Star-Lord

Move And Keep Moving

• Fast and agile, which can be useful
• Players have to master this movement to be effective

Star-Lord is a fun character to actually play and move around in Marvel Rivals. His jet boots give him a quick boost that makes navigating really entertaining. This also allows him to move around a battle with ease to avoid enemy fire, but that is also where he becomes difficult to use.

Because he does lackluster damage, he can’t take another character head-on. His usefulness comes from being able to get a shot or two in, move around, fire again, and repeat. This is easier said than done, since battles can be overwhelming. It really takes a player who knows what they’re doing to use him effectively.

7

Hawkeye

Amazing When Landing Shots

• Some truly powerful abilities
• Players have to land shots to make it worthwhile

Hawkeye, despite the plethora of memes about him, is one of the most powerful and useful heroes in Marvel Rivals. He has incredible arrows that can completely take down a target in a matter of moments. Furthermore, he has a great knife melee attack that can help him defeat enemies that get too close to him.

That said, he also requires some good player accuracy in order to actually land those shots. If a player isn’t able to do that, he can quickly become useless in a battle. If someone is able to master him, though, then it can be a game over for anyone who tries to oppose them.

6

Wolverine

Pure Melee

• A wrecking ball when fighting up-close
• Absolutely no range to him whatsoever

Wolverine is a monster when he is in the middle of a battle and can completely dominate an objective when he needs to. That’s because he is a pure melee character who can dash around an area quickly and lash out with his adamantium claws to great effect.

However, he has no range, which means that if a player isn’t able to get him to a point, then he is going to be useless. He has great mobility to get within melee range, but these moves can often result in overshooting a point. It takes a lot of practice to use his moves correctly.

5

Storm

Better Watch Out

• Excellent support abilities
• Vulnerable when hovering above the battle

Storm can command lightning and the wind to give her team some great boosts to damage and movement. Being able to use these in the right context can sway a game in her friends’ favor.

However, she is also very weak, and when she is hovering above a battle, she can easily be picked off by an enemy from below. She requires the player to be constantly aware of their surroundings and know where an enemy might be shooting at her from. Being able to spot player names appearing is key.

4

Bruce Banner/Hulk

Not Enough Damage

• Some good abilities when in Hulk form
• Different forms make him confusing to use

It would make sense for the Hulk to be one of the greatest tanks in Marvel Rivals, given that he is one of the most powerful characters in Marvel comics. However, while it is true that using the Hulk can give a person plenty of tank capabilities, they will also be stuck with his Bruce Banner form.

Much like D.Va in Overwatch, once the Hulk’s health has been depleted, he will revert to Bruce Banner, who is as squishy as squishy can be. Though the overall character has plenty of abilities to use, having him split into different forms is tough to master, especially since Bruce himself is really weak. And with a batch of nerfs already hitting Hulk, this character’s usefulness can much more easily be called into question.

3

Spider-Man

Everyone’s Favorite Is Particularly Hard To Master

• Can move around the map quickly
• Mobility is hard to master in every way

Even though he is, arguably, the most popular character in Marvel Rivals, Spider-Man is one of the toughest heroes to master. His entire style is dependent on swinging into a fight, landing some hits, and then swinging back out. His low health means that he can’t stay in too long, or else he will be wiped out with ease.

His swinging is not an easy thing to use, and players will often find themselves getting stuck on corners and disorienting themselves. It takes a lot of time to get it down to the point where it can be a game-changer.

2

Mister Fantastic

A Bit Of A Stretch

• Has good health compared to other Duelists
• Inflated state is a little hard to get the hang of

As any comic fan can explain, the entire gimmick of Mister Fantastic is that he can stretch to impossible lengths and shapes. This is reflected in his gameplay, as this hero allows players to engage in up-close brawls while also filling a passive gauge to help them become “inflated.”

However, this inflated state has earned Mister Fantastic a spot among the hardest characters to master in Marvel Rivals. While it does do a good job of boosting his defenses and strength in a battle, it is still kind of confusing how it can best be used. It can be great for gaining other players’ attention on a point, but it limits his capabilities by taking away everything but his ultimate.

1

Adam Warlock

Niche Support

• Has excellent healing abilities that are bogged down by long cooldowns
• Not very mobile and vulnerable to flanking

Adam Warlock is a very powerful character who comes with a bountiful amount of healing and support. The issue is that his power requires a lot of practice and game knowledge to use correctly. While he has excellent healing capabilities, the skills that allow him to do this are often held back by long cooldowns, which makes him a tough character to master.

To further add to this, Adam Warlock is not a very mobile character. If an enemy player is able to get the drop on him by flanking, Adam will have a tough time surviving that fight. While he can be a truly dominant character in the right hands, it takes a lot of time to get to that place.