Best Counters for All Marvel Rivals Heroes

Cloak and Dagger is technically two characters in one, and their offensive and defensive healing powers make them a bit trickier to counter. That being said, a good high-damage character or dive heroes could put the duo in an uncomfortable position. The character has 250 HP, and it’s really a Cloak that you have to watch out for when going on the offense. It’s about being fast and having the element of surprise. Moon Knight’s fast and long-range damage can keep the healer duo busy, and Venom is as reliable of a tank as always.

• Vanguard Counter: Venom
• Duelist Counter: Moon Knight
• Strategist Counter: Luna Snow

Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange is one of the more dangerous and tactical Marvel Rivals characters and is perhaps best known for his ability to raise defensive shields to help their team push objectives without taking damage. Because of this, aerial characters such as Iron Man or Storm would be best suited to dealing damage from above. There is also Groot’s ability to create structures to stop progression, as well as higher HP to break down Strange’s defenses.

• Vanguard Counter: Groot
• Duelist Counter: Iron Man
• Strategist Counter: Luna Snow

Groot

Groot, like the bigger Vanguard characters, is a tank that can not only withstand plenty of attacks but also create walls and structures to slow the enemy team down. Unless you’re also using a Vanguard character, it’s the aerial characters, particularly Iron Man or Star-Lord, who can find different angles to attack the large character without being met with much resistance if they are careful.

• Vanguard Counter: Magneto
• Duelist Counter: Star-Lord
• Strategist Counter: Loki

Hawkeye

In the right hands, Hawkeye is a deadly sniper character whose impressive long-range attacks can often make him a threat that you don’t even see coming. To counter this Marvel Rivals hero, you’ll either need your own long-range attacks or a good defense to help close the gap on your way to attacking him. Doctor Strange’s shields come in handy against Hawkeye, and characters like Winter Solider and Jeff also have projectile attacks that can take him out.

• Vanguard Counter: Doctor Strange
• Duelist Counter: Winter Soldier
• Strategist Counter: Jeff the Land Shark

Hela

Hela is another deadly Duelist in Marvel Rivals, with a unique set of skills and impressive traversal that help her to avoid attacks from all sorts of attacks on any given map. A good way of countering Hela is by getting equally agile heroes such as Captain America or Iron Man, with the latter’s flight allowing him to keep up with and deal damage to the fast-moving and high-damage character.

• Vanguard Counter: Captain America
• Duelist Counter: Iron Man
• Strategist Counter: Mantis

Hulk

Hulk’s HP bar is the biggest obstacle to countering the character, no matter who you use. The close-range melee character can take a ton of damage, which means the best option is to either meet him with a tank of your own like Venom or use more vulnerable but long-range characters like Invisible Woman or Hawkeye, who can quickly create distance between themselves and Hulk, making him more vulnerable while also being able to attack from afar.

• Vanguard Counter: Venom
• Duelist Counter: Hawkeye
• Strategist Counter: Invisible Woman

Invisible Woman

Invisible Woman is one of the newer Strategist characters introduced in the game, and she’s also one of the most difficult to counter. This is not because of her HP but because of her skillset, which requires her to be at the center of or close to her team. So, the character will likely have plenty of outside support, making isolation difficult. A Vanguard character like Venom could be the player’s best bet in countering Invisible Woman, or a long-range character like Hawkeye who could hinder her team support overall.

• Vanguard Counter: Venom
• Duelist Counter: Hawkeye
• Strategist Counter: Adam Warlock

Iron Fist

Iron Fist is a Strategist class player’s worst nightmare and is known to close the gap and deliver deadly precise attacks, much like Hulk, albeit with less HP. That being said, Hulk is one of the best counters, as the character is also built for close-range combat but with significantly more HP. Moreover, Punisher is also a good Duelist to counter the character, though if Strategist is your playstyle, Invisible Woman is one of the best to escape his attacks easily.

• Vanguard Counter: Hulk
• Duelist Counter: The Punisher
• Strategist Counter: Invisible Woman

Iron Man

If used correctly, Iron Man is a character whose flight makes him one of the more dangerous Marvel Rivals characters. Most Vanguard and Strategist defenses are of little consequence to the aerial attacks of Iron Man, meaning that long-range attackers like Hawkye, Luna Snow, or Black Widow will all work. However, Wolverine and his ability to jump in the air makes him almost a sure-hit attacker who can counter Iron Man if planned carefully.

• Vanguard Counter: Venom
• Duelist Counter: Wolverine
• Strategist Counter: Luna Snow

Jeff the Land Shark

While Jeff the Land Shark could play a pivotal role in the outcome of a match with his overpowered ultimate and nearly endless heals, his offensive capabilities are severely lacking. So, high-mobility flankers like Spider-Man or mid-range healers with a better offense like Mantis can easily take the Shark by surprise and take him down before he can do any real damage to a team.

• Vanguard Counter: Doctor Strange
• Duelist Counter: Spider-Man
• Strategist Counter: Mantis

Loki

Loki is a dangerous Strategist hero whose cunning moves allow him to tank plenty of damage (perhaps even more than most Vanguards) before you end up fighting the actual player. So, Hulk and his massive amounts of HP make for a brute force counter, while more agile and quick characters like Black Panther can get into a close-range battle with Loki before he is given a chance to use his cloning moves to try and escape.

• Vanguard Counter: Hulk
• Duelist Counter: Black Panther
• Strategist Counter: Jeff the Land Shark

Luna Snow

Luna Snow’s defensive abilities and the support she can provide to her team make her one of the stronger Strategist picks. However, the character is also a lot easier to pin down and isolate when compared to the traversal of other characters in her class. That being said, Peni Parker, Iron Fist, and Mantis are all capable and faster characters that can quickly take out the character before she can be given time to respond or receive support.

• Vanguard Counter: Peni Parker
• Duelist Counter: Iron Fist
• Strategist Counter: Mantis

Magik

Thanks to her portals, Magik is one of the fastest-moving characters, making her hard to pin down or isolate in a fight. The character is known to flank constantly, so long-range characters like Moon Knight can keep a safe distance while also ensuring she doesn’t surprise attack your team. Moreover, Peni Parker’s web traps can also ensure that even when Magik is moving around with portals, when will more likely than not hit a trap and take damage, giving your team an opening to take down the character.

• Vanguard Counter: Peni Parker
• Duelist Counter: Moon Knight
• Strategist Counter: Luna Snow

Magneto

What Magneto lacks in speed he makes up for with his impressive strength and HP. Venom’s equally strong health would make him a great counter in up close and personal battles, and fast characters like Spider-Man can also deal damage while avoiding Magneto’s brute attacks. Long range isn’t one of the better counters to Magneto in Marvel Rivals, so it’s not really recommended.

• Vanguard Counter: Venom
• Duelist Counter: Spider-Man
• Strategist Counter: Mantis

Related: How to Get Units for Free in Marvel Rivals

Mantis

Mantis’ abilities to strengthen her teammates make her one of the more cunning Strategist class characters in Marvel Rivals, but she can struggle against characters like The Punisher with deadly long-range attacks, or against Vanguards like Venom who can easily isolate her. One thing to be careful of is her sleep ability

• Vanguard Counter: Venom
• Duelist Counter: The Punisher
• Strategist Counter: Jeff the Land Shark

Mister Fantastic

One of the newer additions to Marvel Rivals, Mister Fantastic is in the odd middle ground of Vanguard and Duelist, as the character has mid-range attacks and lower HP, but also special abilities that can give the character several powerful buffs. A Vanguard class is better suited to taking down the character, with Magneto and his strong defense and attacks being one of the better counters against Mister Fantastic. Iron Man’s aerial attacks will also give you the edge over players using this character.

• Vanguard Counter: Magneto
• Duelist Counter: Iron Man
• Strategist Counter: Adam Warlock

Moon Knight

Moon Knight is a character who does his best work isolated and in the form of long-range attacks, and your counter against him in Marvel Rivals will have to do the very same thing. Hawkeye is the Duelist best capable of dealing with Moon Knight, as getting too close could be risky thanks to his stronger mid-range attacks. Because of this, fast and powerful Vanguards like Peni Parker are best suited for the job.

• Vanguard Counter: Peni Parker
• Duelist Counter: Hawkeye
• Strategist Counter: Luna Snow

Namor

Namor’s spawn trap attacks and rang with his ultimate are the more dangerous aspects to this character, meaning you’ll need to use counters like Hulk for strength or Black Panther for being able to surprise attack the character. Alternatively, a long-range Strategist like Loki could also easily take down Namor, or provide healing support for characters like Hela or Black Widow to deal with him.

• Vanguard Counter: Hulk
• Duelist Counter: Black Panther
• Strategist Counter: Loki

Peni Parker

Peni Parker is a Vanguard that is both brains and brawn, having a good amount of health as well as a somewhat annoying spider-web ability that heals her and deals damage to you. Fast and high-damage characters like Squirrel Girl, especially with her ultimate, serve as a good counter to the character in Marvel Rivals. Getting a fast character like that, or a strategic defense one like Doctor Strange could keep Peni Parker from establishing a point on the map to hold her ground.

• Vanguard Counter: Doctor Strange
• Duelist Counter: Squirrel Girl
• Strategist Counter: Mantis

Psylocke

Psylocke is a character with surprising versatility, being able to quickly recharge her abilities and also deliver devastating blows from close and mid-range, and some small damage from long-range. Because of this, high-damage characters like Moon Knight are best suited to handle the character. Moreover, Vanguard characters like Venom can better corner her to engage in 1v1 scenarios.

• Vanguard Counter: Venom
• Duelist Counter: Moon Knight
• Strategist Counter: Rocket Raccoon

The Punisher

When it comes to fighting other Duelists, Punisher usually has the advantage thanks to his incredibly high-damage attacks. Unless you use a Vanguard character like Doctor Strange or Magneto to get up close, it’s better to keep your distance when fighting this character. Black Widow’s long-range attacks make her the Duelist best suited to take down Punisher as well, thanks to her ultimate ability as well as a scoped gun to give greater visibility from further distance.

• Vanguard Counter: Doctor Strange
• Duelist Counter: Black Widow
• Strategist Counter: Luna Snow

Rocket Raccoon

Rocket Raccoon is a small Strategist class character of Marvel Rivals, and his impressive speed paired with his size makes him a hard character to nab, especially as he is surrounded by teammates that he’s providing heals to. Faster characters like Captain America and Magik can keep up with his speed boosts and quickly deal the damage they need to disable his support.

• Vanguard Counter: Captain America
• Duelist Counter: Magik
• Strategist Counter: Mantis

Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch does her worst damage when she’s close to her opponent, so the goal is to keep your distance. Hawkeye is the better Duelist suited to take her from afar to avoid being hit by her dangerous ultimate ability, and Vanguards like Venom and Thor can outlast her in a one-on-one fight, giving you several options to use to counter her.

• Vanguard Counter: Venom
• Duelist Counter: Hawkeye
• Strategist Counter: Luna Snow

Spider-Man

Spider-Man is probably the most mobile hero in Marvel Rivals, and his speed and ability to quickly escape any situation makes him the ideal character for flanking and quickly entering the backline of a team to throw them off their guard. Your best bet is a Strategist who is mobile enough to keep up with the webhead to counter his attacks and make them less effective. Or, you can use a Vanguard like Venom who can also swing and follow the character to knock him out.

• Vanguard Counter: Venom
• Duelist Counter: The Punisher
• Strategist Counter: Invisible Woman

Squirrel Girl

Squirrel Girl is a character that’s similar to Moon Knight with her effective and high-damage attacks, as well as her fast charge-up to her ultimate ability which can be earned from afar. Doctor Strange is a viable Vanguard to push back some of her attacks, and Duelists like Winter Solider and Iron Man can attack from a good enough distance.

• Vanguard Counter: Doctor Strange
• Duelist Counter: Winter Soldier
• Strategist Counter: Jeff the Land Shark

Star-Lord

Star-Lord is also another really fast character in Marvel Rivals, and while he’s not on the level of Spider-Man, he can still easily evade Duelists, meaning a Strategist like Cloak and Dagger or a Vanguard like Doctor Strange can catch up to and deal devastating damage to the hero.

• Vanguard Counter: Doctor Strange
• Duelist Counter: Iron Fist
• Strategist Counter: Cloak and Dagger

Storm

Storm isn’t that big of a threat until her ultimate ability, which allows her to quickly traverse any area while also dealing devastating damage. Faster Duelists like Star-Lord can easily counter by picking her off from long-range or using a Strategist to keep your teammates alive during her ultimate ability attack.

• Vanguard Counter: Groot
• Duelist Counter: Star-Lord
• Strategist Counter: Jeff the Land Shark

Thor

Thor is a Vanguard whose close-range attacks and high damage make him a character that you don’t want to try to 1v1, even if you choose another Vanguard character. Peni Parker can use traps and mid-range attacks o slow him down, and Invisible Woman serves as a good Strategist who can push the character away and also slip away easily.

• Vanguard Counter: Peni Parker
• Duelist Counter: Hela
• Strategist Counter: Invisible Woman

Venom

Venom has an interesting traversal ability and buffed defense abilities that make him one of the more frightening Vanguards, as he can just as easily tank a bunch of attacks as well as evade and get in close range faster than you think. Because of that, characters like Hawkeye are better prepared to take him down from afar, although it might take a while.

• Vanguard Counter: Peni Parker
• Duelist Counter: Hawkeye
• Strategist Counter: Mantis

Winter Soldier

Winter Soldier can take a lot of the Strategists and similar-sized Duelists out with ease, so it’s better to use high-defense Vanguards like Doctor Strange, who can better isolate the character and not allow him to serve his purpose in the team. Iron Man’s aerial ability can also allow him to do damage from afar, though as mentioned earlier, Wolverine is one of the few characters that can reach him, making it a risky but exciting matchup.

• Vanguard Counter: Doctor Strange
• Duelist Counter: Iron Man
• Strategist Counter: Adam Warlock

Wolverine

As with most other close-range characters like Wolverine, keeping your distance is the key to attaining victory, as this intense and high-damage Duelist has no problem making things up close and personal. Loki is an excellent Strategist whose clone ability can slow Wolverine down and deal damage from farther away, making him a good counter to the character in Marvel Rivals.

• Vanguard Counter: Groot
• Duelist Counter: Black Widow
• Strategist Counter: Loki

And those are the best counters for all Marvel Rivals heroes.

Marvel Rivalsis available now on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S