The best Vanguards in Marvel Rivals

Key things

• Vanguards are a key frontline force in Marvel Rivals, essential for starting battles and creating opportunities for teammates.
• Picking the right Vanguard is crucial, each with unique abilities and playstyles to suit different team compositions.
• Characters like Captain America, Thor, and Groot all offer different strengths and weaknesses, so mastering them is essential.

Vanguard in Marvel Rivals they play a key role in any team composition and act as a forward driving force that combines resilience with disruptive capabilities. These characters excel at opening battles, absorbing damage, and creating opportunities for their teammates to take advantage and deal maximum damage. Their presence can often turn the tide of a match as they dictate both offensive and defensive strategies.

However, choosing the right Vanguard is not an easy task as each character has their own unique set of abilities that set them apart from each other. Some are better at soaking up damage as tanks, while others excel at playing the target with zonal protection. Regardless of preference, Vanguards are a core class to master, so it's important to understand which ones are most effective.

8 Captain America

He needed more ice time

• Health: 650
• Difficulty: 3/5
• First performance: Captain America Comic Book #1 (1940)

The First Avenger is arguably one of Marvel's most iconic characters, so it may surprise some fans to learn that he may be one of the weakest in Marvel Rivals. He's a melee-focused Vanguard whose kit revolves around his famous shield, which he can raise to protect himself and his allies from damage. However, the shield only has 400 HP and in the heat of battle it will run out pretty quickly. At least he reflects shots back at enemies, compensating for his lower health.

With weaker defensive abilities compared to other Vanguards then, it might be reasonable to expect his damage to pick up the slack, but even there it falters. His movement is excellent as he quickly dashes and jumps into action, but his attacks are lackluster and more of a nuisance to enemies instead of a serious threat. Even with his Ultimate active, which heals and boosts his team's movement, he can be quickly overwhelmed by enemy Duelists on objectives.

7 Thor

It lacks the Power of God

• Health: 600
• Difficulty: 3/5
• First performance: Journey to Mystery #83 (1962)

The God of Thunder packs a serious punch as he has one of the highest damage potentials among his fellow Vanguards. Thor wields his trusty Mjolnir, which he can use to strike down enemies, leap forward, or throw longer distances. Players who want to dominate Thor's kit must commit to harassing the enemy team as they want to deal a lot of damage like thunder.

Despite his divine nature, Thor is still far from invincible. Compared to other Vanguards, it has relatively low health and its limited movement options make it easy to get stuck. Unless he wakes up, giving him an extra 200 HP, it's unlikely he'll be able to be the face of the offense for long.

6 Bruce Banner/Hulk

Decent damage but easily thwarted by duelists

• Health: 200/800/1550
• Difficulty: 4/5
• First performance: The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962)

The Hulk can sometimes seem like a simple character who appears as an enraged green giant, but the developers of the Marvel Rivals gave it more nuance. He has three forms that players can switch between by building their Ultimate: Bruce Banner, Hero Hulk, and Monster Hulk. The playstyles vary between the renditions, with Bruce Banner having a Gamma Ray Gun to shoot enemies while Hero Hulk focuses on getting up close and personal.

He's a tricky character to master (hence the difficulty rating) and controlling his forms can be frustrating at times, especially when you warp back into Bruce Banner. His damage output is decent, but it's his range and speed that let him down, as any Duelist with some range on their attacks can throw Hero Hulk back at Bruce in a few hits. From there, it's a sitting duck ready for elimination.

5 Groot

A well-rounded vanguard that can dominate the map

• Health: 850
• Difficulty: 2/5
• First performance: Tales To Astonish #13 (1960)

While it may seem simple at first glance, playing Groot has a unique level of complexity. His abilities allow him to place thorn walls across the map, meaning he can split up targets or move enemies across certain areas. They can double up on much-needed cover in open areas, and deal bonus damage to enemies or healing to allies when Groot stands near them and attacks.

When it comes to his health, it's nothing to scoff at. With 850 HP and ways to get it on his own, Groot is pretty self-sufficient, making him the perfect target anchor. Pair him with a well-played healer and he should be able to hold targets fairly well. Its key limiting factor is its normal attack, which deals decent damage but lacks critical chance. Otherwise, he's an incredibly polished Vanguard worthy of a spot on the team.

4 Penny Parker

Queen of the Spider Boots

• Health: 650
• Difficulty: 4/5
• First performance: Spider's Edge – Verse no. 5 (2014)

Peni Parker is perhaps the best character Marvel Rivals to reject the zone. Her Bionic Spider's Nest ability covers the area with cybernetic webs that provide healing over time and movement support. If this is placed somewhere out of sight for enemies to destroy, Peni can anchor the target easily. That being said, if the Spider's Nest is destroyed, Peni can be singled out due to her large stature and relatively lower health on Vanguard. It's important to constantly guard her, which Peni should be able to do with her heavy guns.

Spider drones are scattered throughout her cybernets, and Peni can shoot them quite often as well. When placed in tricky spots, they can easily catch an enemy unawares and deal decent damage, especially if stacked in a high-traffic area. Her Ultimate allows her to clear and gain an objective by placing cybernets and blasting enemies into the air, making them easy targets for friendly duelists.

3 Magneto

Use metal to protect and destroy

• Health: 650
• Difficulty: 2/5
• First performance: X-Men #1 (1963)

Magneto strikes the perfect balance between a defensive and offensive character. He can summon a Metallic Curtain that blocks all incoming projectiles and is wide enough to cover him and some allies. He doesn't have a health bar like Captain America or Doctor Strange, instead relying on a short cooldown, so players have to make sure they're not under fire before it runs out, as movement is fairly limited.

If players want individual protection, Magneto can summon shields around his allies and himself, with the damage taken converting into metal rings on Magneto's back. These rings can be converted into a Mag-Cannon which deals decent ranged damage and his Ultimate is excellent at dealing heavy damage to a group of enemies in a group.

2 Doctor Strange

Shieldbearer and creator of the portal

• Health: 650
• Difficulty: 2/5
• First performance: Strange Tales #110 (1963)

Sorcerer Supreme reigns supreme when it comes to frontline tanking damage. His Shield Of The Seraphim ability projects a gigantic 800 hp circular shield that blocks all incoming projectiles. Strange can also levitate for short periods of time, meaning he can even shield players in the air should they need it. It's his utility that makes him stand out, as he can summon a portal across the map, allowing allies to quickly move around the battlefield or lure enemies into a death trap.

However, he is no slouch when it comes to attacking, as his normal attacks deal consistent damage that charges a powerful blast that can hit many enemies at once. His Ultimate is also respectable as it separates the souls of enemies from their bodies, with the damage done to them transferring to their physical selves.

1 Poison

Symbiotically stop the entire team

• Health: 800
• Difficulty: 1/5
• First performance: The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (1988)

Venom is the perfect mesh between a tank and a DPS focused character and fits into the frontline of any team in v Marvel Rivals. With 800 health and the ability to instantly regenerate some, Venom is incredibly self-sufficient in the heat of battle. When the going gets tough, he can always swing with his quick movement, which a lot of other Vanguards lack.

However, his move isn't just good for running away, as it's used particularly well to instigate fights with unsuspecting enemies. Couple that with his Cellular Corrosion ability, which slows down enemies, and his normal attack, which does a lot of damage, and Venom can single-handedly disrupt a group of enemies. With the right player at the helm, Venom can be nearly immortal and a serious threat to any opposing team.