Only Shock Opponents Heroes For Fresh Gamers

Marvel Rivals has gained immense popularity since its December 2024 launch, consistently ranking near the top of Steam’s best-sellers list almost every week since its debut and receiving acclaim from critics and players alike. Nevertheless, the game’s enduring fame has also led to a surge of new players. With 37 playable characters–and even more on the way–Marvel Rivals can be quite daunting for those who are new to the game. However, with a little guidance and practice, it’s easy to master a few characters–we recommend becoming skilled in at least one character from each hero class, so you can adequately fill any tactical voids in your team’s lineup.

Every hero comes with a star rating (ranging from one star to five stars) which indicates how challenging that character is to master. But not all one-star heroes are created equal, and not all two-, three-, four-, or five-star heroes are as intimidating (or powerful) as they may seem at first glance.

You might surprisingly defeat a five-star hero with a one-star character, and many higher-tier heroes are relatively easy to grasp. If you are a brand-new player looking for a solid character to experiment with without getting immediately overwhelmed–or an experienced player still finding their footing–you are in the perfect spot.

We have compiled a list of the top ten Marvel Rivals heroes for players who are new to the game, have yet to find their “main,” or just seek a bit of guidance. Keep scrolling for a closer look at some of the best (and most fulfilling) heroes to master.

For much more on selecting your go-to character in Marvel Rivals, check out the Duelist tier list, Vanguard tier list, Strategist tier list, or–if you’re coming to the game as an Overwatch player, you can find your Rival based on your Overwatch main.

• Challenge rating: ★★☆☆☆
• Class: Strategist
• HP: 275

Luna Snow is ideal for new players who feel a bit timid about diving into combat, yet still want the capacity to defend themselves. Her standard attack, named Light & Dark Ice, deals damage to foes and heals allies. She is also particularly valuable for healing airborne heroes, who are often overlooked by their ground-based Strategist teammates.

Her Share The Stage ability allows her to shield a single ally, attaching an Idol Charm to them that protects and restores their health while Luna heals other teammates. We recommend linking Idol Charm to airborne characters like Iron Man, Storm, or Human Torch, as they tend to hover high, making it difficult to hit them with Light & Dark Ice.

Luna’s Ice Arts ability is another important one–it allows her to shoot multiple shards of ice at enemies, damaging them while healing both her allies and herself. Absolute Zero also lets Luna launch ice at a foe (just a single chunk, in this case), but it also heals her in the process.

However, by far, Luna’s most valuable abilities are her passive Soft Skate ability and her ultimate Fate Of Both Worlds ability. Soft Skate allows Luna to glide across the battlefield, making her one of the quickest heroes in the game, and it also enables her to jump higher. The speed boost from Soft Skate gives Luna the ability to return to the fight as quickly as possible, or swiftly evade danger.

As for her ultimate, Fate Of Both Worlds rapidly boosts Luna’s HP from 275 to 525 as she performs. Players can toggle between a performance that heals all nearby allies and one that increases damage for nearby allies, allowing Luna to move around to ensure she’s healing/buffing as many teammates as possible.

This is an excellent way to turn the tide in battle–use the first part of the performance to heal your allies, then switch to the second performance to provide them with a damage boost.

• Challenge rating: ★★☆☆☆
• Class: Duelist
• HP: 250

Iron Man benefits from being able to fly high and swiftly, which is invaluable when it comes to dodging damage. His basic attacks–Repulsor Blast and Unibeam–are quite effective, but utilizing his Armor Overdrive ability enhances the damage of both attacks. Unibeam is particularly lethal and is essential for quickly depleting health from enemies.

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Iron Man’s Hyper-Bustle capability allows him to hover rapidly for a brief duration—while also enabling him to unleash a stream of missiles during this time. This is essential for escaping tight situations—simply barrage your adversaries with missiles and head straight for the nearest Strategist or health pack to recover. Once healed, jump back into combat, trigger Armor Overdrive, and strike your foes with your enhanced Unibeam.

Alternatively, Iron Man can simply opt to engage in battle using his ultimate ability, Invincible Pulse Cannon (assuming it’s charged and primed for launch).

This ability inflicts catastrophic damage to anyone caught in its radius and sends them flying backward. This is particularly useful in game modes where teams vie for control of a specific area on the map. Execute it well, and you might just be able to send adversaries plummeting off the edge of the map.

• Challenge rating: ★★☆☆☆
• Class: Leading edge
• HP: 650

Magneto’s basic attack, Iron Volley, allows him to launch a barrage of magnetized orbs that detonate upon impact; however, instead of decreasing the damage from projectiles fired from a distance, the explosions of Iron Volley increase depending on how far they have traveled.

His Metal Curtain ability blocks all incoming projectiles, while his Metal Bulwark ability creates a protective barrier around an allied teammate. Any damage absorbed by this shield manifests as rings on Magneto’s back, but we’ll get to those shortly.

Magneto isn’t solely focused on protecting others—his Iron Bulwark ability functions similarly to Metal Bulwark, but it generates a shield for Magneto instead of an ally. Again, any damage the Iron Bulwark absorbs results in the formation of circular metal rings on his back. What do these rings do, exactly?

Well, when you activate Magneto’s Mag-Cannon ability, you can launch these rings at enemy players, dealing damage. The more rings on Magneto’s back, the greater the damage, and a full stack (three rings) will also knock enemies back upon impact, in addition to dealing damage.

However, the true highlight here is his ultimate ability, Meteor M. The Meteor M ability allows Magneto to hover upward (making him harder to hit) and summon an iron meteor that causes massive damage upon impact.

The meteor’s power can also be amplified by directing enemy projectiles at it, but be cautious—too many projectiles can cause it to self-destruct, so it’s best to initiate this meteor quickly.

• Challenge rating: ★★☆☆☆
• Class: Leading edge
• HP: 700

In addition to his substantial health, The Thing possesses a passive ability known as Unyielding Will, which makes him resistant to being launched upward, knocked back, or otherwise displaced.

His Stone Haymaker and Rocky Jab abilities enable him to strike his foes with considerable force, and his Yancy Street Charge ability allows him to build momentum, permitting him to storm through groups of enemies, injuring and knocking them out of the way.

As a member of The Fantastic Four, The Thing is fundamentally a team player. His embattled jump ability allows him to leap towards an ally, healing both himself and his teammate in the process. However, his ultimate ability is entirely about dealing damage and controlling space.

Activating Clobberin’ Time causes The Thing to perform a powerful punch into the ground, damaging enemies before him and launching them upward.

• Challenge rating: ★★★★☆
• Class: Strategist
• HP: 275

As a hero with a four-star skill rating and relatively low HP, you might expect Invisible Woman to be somewhat complex to master. However, in our experience, she’s not overly difficult to grasp and is incredibly valuable.

Her basic attack, Orb Projection, deals damage to enemies while healing allies. Her Psionic Vortex ability draws nearby enemies into the orb, making them prime targets for her Force Physics ability, which allows her to either push enemies away or pull them closer. Pulling them closer is a great time to unleash Agile Strike, a three-hit combo that inflicts damage and knocks foes back.

Invisible Woman’s Guardian Shield is particularly useful, enabling her to place a damage-absorbing barrier in front of her allies. This ability refreshes almost immediately, allowing her to reposition the shield quickly. Even better, the shield can be deployed anywhere—even in the air. This is crucial for supporting airborne heroes long enough for you to heal them through Orb Projection.

If situations start to become precarious, Invisible Woman can easily slip away through her Veiled Step ability, allowing her to leap high into the air and land far from her original position. This is a fantastic way to escape an unwinnable scenario long enough for her passive ability, Covert Come, to kick in. Covert Come makes Invisible Woman become invisible after a brief period out of combat, regenerating health during this time.

Her Invisible Boundary ultimate ability is also quite powerful, creating a circular energy field that makes allies within it invisible to enemies and heals them over time. Enemy players who are brave enough to venture into the Invisible Boundary will find their movements slowed.

Invisible Woman is exceedingly powerful, but don’t let that four-star skill rating intimidate you—she’s actually quite easy to master and is vital for players looking to heal both themselves and their teammates, while still aiming to damage enemies and control their movement.

during the sphere.

• Difficulty rating: ★★☆☆☆
• Class: Duelist
• HP: 250

If you enjoy third-person shooters, Star-Lord is the hero for you. His basic attack—Component Weapons—allows him to wield dual automatic pistols that, when accurately aimed, can deliver tremendous damage.

But if you find yourself in a tight spot, don’t worry—Star-Lord’s Blaster Barrage strikes all foes within range without any need for aiming, and his ultimate ability, Galactic Story, allows him to soar into the air (making him harder to hit) before unleashing a storm of elemental bullets from his pistols that deal crippling damage. This ability also enables him to target enemies, and once targeted, it’s nearly impossible to miss.

Star-Lord also possesses some noteworthy mobility-based skills to help him escape danger or keep up with his team. His Stellar Shift ability allows him to evade and quickly reload simultaneously. He gains both the Unstoppable and Invincible status effects while dodging.

His Rocket Propulsion ability lets him rocket forward quickly, which comes in handy when trying to avoid certain death or re-enter the match swiftly after being taken out.

• Difficulty rating: ★☆☆☆☆
• Class: Strategist
• HP: 250

Though he may appear cute, this cuddly little shark with dog-like traits is deadlier—and more useful—than you might think. Jeff The Land Shark has two basic attacks: Happy Splash and Aqua Burst. Happy Splash allows Jeff to shoot a mouthful of healing water at his allies, and this water has an impressive range, making it perfect for healing airborne teammates or those on the ground who are far away.

Meanwhile, Aqua Burst enables Jeff to launch multiple water spheres at foes, damaging any enemies caught in the range of those spheres. His Healing Bubble ability does exactly what it sounds like—Jeff releases a bubble that heals any teammate who collects it, providing them with both a healing boost and a speed boost, and also launching nearby enemies upward.

His passive Oblivious Cuteness ability is also quite helpful, as it reduces the damage Jeff receives from significant hits. His Hide And Seek ability allows him to dive into the ground, with only his dorsal fin visible, making him harder to target. While using Hide And Seek, Jeff moves faster, automatically heals if he’s injured, and gains the ability to swim up walls. This is crucial for executing a stealthy escape if Jeff finds himself in an unwinnable battle.

Jeff’s most powerful ability is arguably his It’s Jeff! ultimate ability. Jeff dives directly into a large section of the arena’s surface before briefly surfacing and swallowing anyone caught in the resulting whirlpool. Hide And Seek automatically activates for a short duration, allowing Jeff to quickly swim away from the scene before spitting out the heroes he has swallowed. It’s Jeff! is essential for clearing enemies out of the way, particularly if you find yourself near the edge of the map—you can use Hide And Seek to swim to the edge and release your enemies right there, sending them flying off the border and eliminating them instantly.

It’s Jeff! can also be used to swallow allies, swim to a safer location, and spit them out before using Happy Splash to heal them. Just be cautious not to accidentally swallow teammates along with enemies, as your allies likely won’t appreciate being spat off the side of the map.

• Difficulty rating: ★☆☆☆☆
• Class: Duelist
• HP: 275

The Punisher is excellent for brand new players—especially those who enjoy third-person shooters. His basic attacks include Adjudication—which sees The Punisher fire an automatic rifle that inflicts substantial damage—and Deliverance.

Deliverance can easily eliminate most characters in three or four shots (depending on their HP and the amount of damage they’ve already sustained). Both Adjudication and Deliverance deliver a significant impact, and alternating between them makes removing foes incredibly efficient. Additionally, to simplify things further, you can employ The Punisher’s Scourge Grenade ability, which launches a smoke grenade, blinding enemies and causing minor da