Marvel Rivals Characters Confirmed To Be Available At Launch

Key Takeaways

• Marvel Rivals is set to launch on Dec 6, 2024, free with no microtransactions and all 33 characters available at launch.
• The game features diverse classes and characters, and innovative abilities for each hero’s playstyle.
• The unique character lineup includes iconic Marvel heroes like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and lesser-known characters like Jeff The Land Shark.

After a long wait, Marvel Rivals is set to officially release on December 6, 2024, for free on PC, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 5. A hero shooter in the same vein as Overwatch or Rogue Company and, like those games, Marvel Rivals will feature a wide variety of characters on the roster.

However, NetEase Games has revealed that Marvel Rivals will launch with every character on the roster as soon as they are available. No microtransactions or unlocking characters are necessary, with 33 characters ready to be played in multiplayer matches with friends and strangers alike.

Updated on December 6, 2024, by Melody MacReady: Fans of hero shooters are still excited to finally play Marvel Rivals as it launches on December 6, 2024, not only because of the visually unique art style and multiplayer carnage that will be available but also because of the massive roster of Marvel characters, ranging from famous poster children of the franchise to deep cuts that few were expecting. This includes many of the new characters that have been revealed by NetEase Games, all of whom will also be immediately available to all players at launch. There are three classes of character for different playstyles: Duelist, Vanguard, and Strategist, making it more than just running and shooting opponents.

1 Adam Warlock

Reborn From Light

• Class: Strategist
• Difficulty: 2/5
• First Appearance: Fantastic Four #66

Despite having godlike power as one of the most powerful Guardians Of The Galaxy, Adam Warlock is not the damage dealer that one might expect. Instead, he focuses on healing teammates with a simple snap of his fingers that can even heal tanks at incredible rates.

Adam Warlock can also bond with his teammates, allowing him to heal with them gradually while allowing everyone to share their health. This allows Vanguard classes to protect their teammates even more by sharing their already large amount of health.

2 Black Panther

The King Of Wakanda

• Class: Duelist
• Difficulty: 4/5
• First Appearance: Fantastic Four #52

The King of Wakanda features many attacks and abilities one might expect from the character, from using vibranium claws to throwing a spear to unleashing the spirit of Bast at his enemies. On the surface, Black Panther seems to be the most straightforward melee-based character, but that is not the case.

The lunging and claw attacks of Black Panther force him to charge in and out of battle since several long-range characters can gun him down in seconds. However, his speed and agility can make him difficult to hit, providing a challenge for both himself and his opponents.

3 Black Widow

Super-Spy Sniper

• Class: Duelist
• Difficulty: 4/5
• First Appearance: Tales Of Suspense #52

Armed with a sniper and Escrima sticks, Black Widow is a Duelist character that is likely to make certain players angry. She can wipe out characters with one or two hits of her sniper from seemingly any distance, which combined with her wrist-bound grapple hook makes her a challenge for any opponent.

Black Widow can effectively take out crowds too, using a plasma burst to hit multiple foes at once for damage, which opens them up for follow-up sniper attacks. For close range, Black Widow possesses a kick ability that can be followed up with another action, making her just as deadly up close.

4 Bruce Banner / Hulk

The Strongest One There Is

• Class: Vanguard
• Difficult: 4/5
• First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #1

The best way to describe Hulk in Marvel Rivals is that he is essentially a reverse version of D. Va from Overwatch. Instead of a big character who turns into a smaller character for a last-minute escape, the player starts as Bruce Banner with his gamma pistol and must choose the right time to transform into his alter ego.

As Hulk, he has the standard affair of abilities: thunderclap, long jumping, rage, and more. All of this is very much classic and powerful Hulk, but he is very slow with little to no range, which forces him to rely on at least one other teammate to back him up when pushing objectives.

5 Captain America

Sentinel Of Justice And Liberty

• Class: Vanguard
• Difficulty: 2/5
• First Appearance: Captain America Comics #1

With his signature shield, Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, is a powerful Vanguard character in Marvel Rivals. Not only can he throw his shield to ricochet and deal heavy damage, but when he uses it as a shield, it is deadly and protective at the same time, since it can rebound attacks such as Iron Man’s ultimate ability right back.

Steve Rogers can also use his ability to rally his teammates, thus granting them buffs. However, the biggest downside about Captain America is that he will be mainly for melee attacks, so ranged teammates will need to assist him.

6 Cloak & Dagger

An Inseparable Bond

• Class: Strategist
• Difficulty: ?/5
• First Appearance: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #64

Two characters in one make Cloak & Dagger instantly unique, with the ability to swap between the characters thanks to their inseparable bond. They are the newest in the Strategist class, with a focus on healing and defense when playing as Dagger, and when swapped to Cloak, the emphasis is on disruption and dealing with damage, forcing the player to think ahead.

This is an example of Marvel Rivals branching out to add atypical characters, as Cloak & Dagger are nowhere near the levels of, say, Iron Man or Black Panther. However, they prove that iconicism is not always important as they still look like they will be effective characters.

7 Doctor Strange

Master Of The Mystic Arts

• Class: Vanguard
• Difficulty: 3/5
• First Appearance: Strange Tales #110

Much like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange is all about his sparkling portals, and they make him into a crafty Vanguard in the right player’s hands. Not only can Doctor Strange create a portal to transport teammates across the map, but teammates can use the portals like open windows to shoot out at enemies.

Then there are other Doctor Strange abilities, such as creating barriers that can take a large amount of damage before breaking or using his Cloak of Levitation to fly. The middle-aged Marvel hero also has access to the Eye Of Agamotto, which figuratively and literally knocks the souls out of enemies for brief periods for teammates to do damage.

8 Groot

Prince Of The Floral Colossi

• Class: Vanguard
• Difficulty: 1/5
• First Appearance: Tales to Astonish #13

Akin to Mei from Overwatch, Groot can use his Floral Colossal biology to create massive walls of powerful vines for blocking the paths of enemies or shielding teammates who are near death. As a bonus, the wall can heal nearby teammates via damage dealt by Groot.

Groot can bind enemies in place via his vines and being a Floral Colossus grants him a large amount of health. Groot is arguably the closest to a fusion between a tank and a supporting character, which is usually the case in other Marvel games featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy with Groot.

9 Hawkeye

The Unmatched Sharpshooter

• Class: Duelist
• Difficulty: 4/5
• First Appearance: Tales Of Suspense #57

A Duelist class hero who is one of the most famous Avengers, going under the names of Hawkeye and Ronin. In Marvel Rivals, Clint Barton utilizes skills from both monikers, with most of his combat being centered around his mastery of archery, utilizing lethal arrows to wipe out enemies up close and far away.

On top of the bow, Hawkeye can protect himself from enemy projectiles by using his Japanese blade to slash them out of the air. It makes him the ideal character to flank the battlefield or protect others, depending on the player’s preferences.

10 Hela

The Goddess Of Death

• Class: Duelist
• Difficulty: 3/5
• First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery #102

Since she is the Goddess Of Death, Hela is meant to charge forward and unleash as much damage to her opponents as possible. At the same time, though, Hela is effective from long range, able to snipe her opponents with her basic attacks using the Nightsword and her abilities.

Flanking the enemy team as Hela is also vital to her gameplay thanks to her Astral Flock ability that allows her to transform into a flock of ravens and quickly soar a distance before changing back. As a result, Hela has something for everybody.

11 Iron Fist

The Immortal Weapon

• Class: Duelist
• Difficulty: 4/5
• First Appearance: Sword Master: Warriors Of Three Sovereigns #1

A few have wielded the Iron Fist moniker and Marvel Rivals brings Lin Lie into the fold, with a new design that looks straight out of a Mortal Kombat game while adapting his comic book appearance. With a character like Iron Fist, his gameplay is centered almost entirely around his martial arts as he punches, kicks, and wall runs his way to victory.

Even his abilities are designed to enhance his hand-to-hand combat, with his fists being able to shield him from combat and unleash a barrage of magically enhanced punches that can wipe out an entire team. Additionally, Iron Fist is a Duelist who can keep himself going with a healing ability, making him important for his opponents to eliminate.

12 Iron Man

Man On A Mission With Armor And High-Tech Ammunition

• Class: Duelist
• Difficulty: 2/5
• First Appearance: Tales Of Suspense #39

The genius billionaire playboy and philanthropist features all the staples that most versions of Iron Man are known for having. He can fly, fire his repulsors, unleash a powerful unibeam, and has access to an arsenal of missiles and lasers to throw at enemies from high above or down below.

Iron Man is at his most effective while in the air, blasting every opponent possible while also distracting them. While they are focused on trying to take out Iron Man in his fancy suit of armor, his teammates can charge in to take the objective.

13 Jeff The Land Shark

Cutest Creature On Land And Sea

• Class: Strategist
• Difficulty: 2/5
• First Appearance: West Coast Avengers #6

A character that very few expected to join the Marvel Rivals roster, Jeff The Land Shark is cute and cuddly at first glance, but he matches that with plenty of damage for a Strategist class of character. His primary ability allows him to spray healing water at his friends and his secondary spits damaging water balls at foes.

When Jeff decides to become a real problem for enemies, he activates his Hide And Seek abilities, allowing him to go underneath the surface and swim at enhanced speeds. He can traverse floors and walls with this ability, allowing him to flank or retreat quickly from a fight. Finally, he has an ultimate attack with one of the widest areas of effect, allowing him to gulp up foes and carry them.

14 Loki

The God Of Mischief

• Class: Strategist
• Difficulty: 4/5
• First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery #85

Given Loki has a status as the God of Mischief, it should be no surprise to anyone that Loki’s gameplay is all about trickery and illusions. He can turn invisible to sneak behind enemy lines or transform into a clone of an opponent down to even their abilities.

On top of that, Loki can heal his allies by creating a field of magic that transforms any damage dealt into healing energy. Like Jeff, he’s a supporting character but manages to deal a lot of damage, especially when he has Team-Up abilities with the likes of Thor or Hela.

15 Luna Snow

Superhero Work Never Looked This Cool

• Class: Strategist
• Difficulty: 2/5
• First Appearance: Marvel Future Fight

Part superhero, part K-Pop artist, Luna Snow is another surprising inclusion, but a welcome one. She can deal damage, but her main goal is to keep her teammates in full health using her abilities such as her aura, which can either increase the damage dealt by nearby enemies or gradually heal them, depending on the mode.

Combined with her freezing abilities, Luna can be described as a nearly perfect fusion of Mei and Lucio from Overwatch. While derivative, it makes sense to borrow from Overwatch since it is the grandfather of the hero shooter subgenre.

16 Magik

Mutant Guardian Of Limbo

• Class: Duelist
• Difficulty: 3/5
• First Appearance: Giant-Size X-Men #1

Wielding mutant powers and demonic mystics together along with her trusty sword, Magik slashes her way through the battlefield. Magik is a troublesome opponent since she can teleport away at almost any given time and her sword also sends out blasts of energy.

Already, Magik is one of the most lethal flanking characters in Marvel Rivals, but then she can transform into the Darkchild thus giving her more health, damage, and range all at once. She might be one of the better characters for beginners.

17 Magneto

Magnetic Protector Of Genosha

• Class: Vanguard
• Difficulty: 2/5
• First Appearance: X-Men #1

If Magneto is seen on the enemy team, it is wise to take him down as fast as humanly possible. Since he is the master of magnetism, Magneto features an ability that allows him to absorb any projectiles as well as pieces of the environment before turning them into a powerful meteor that can wipe out an entire team.

That’s not all, because Magneto can generate a massive shield a la Reinhardt from Overwatch, as well as generate personal shields for opponents. His abilities alone can shift the tide of any fight if a player knows how to control him.

18 Mantis

Empathic Guardian Of The Galaxy

• Class: Strategist
• Difficulty: 1/5
• First Appearance: The Avengers #112

Another Guardian of the Galaxy and one all about inflicting other statuses on her enemies while healing teammates. With a simple throw of a spore, Mantis will tranquilize the opponent for just a few seconds, but that is enough to allow a damage-based character to majorly wound or knock them out.

Mantis is also one of the more effective healers, since she can simply let out a healing aura, or target an ally to heal them over time, thanks to her Healing Flower. Her damage is also effective in the right situation, able to attack enemies from nearly any range.

19 Moon Knight

Fist Of Khonshu

• Class: Duelist
• Difficulty: 3/5
• First Appearance: Werewolf By Night #32

Though his costume is as bright as the moon that he represents, Moon Knight is as dark and broody as ever as he fights with melee and ranged attacks. Not only can he throw powerful punches with his crescent-shaped darts, he can hurl them for some extra damage.

The cape that Moon Knight wears allows him to hover, thus making him able to flank from the sides and from above. His flanking is also enhanced by his ability to lay an Ankh turret that can attack nearby foes; a distraction or a main threat if used effectively. As a bonus, fans of his Mr. Knight persona can relax knowing that it is an alternate skin for Moon Knight in Marvel Rivals.

20 Namor

King Of The Seven Seas

• Class: Duelist
• Difficulty: 2/5
• First Appearance: Marvel Comics #1

Being outside the ocean means nothing to the Namor the Sub-Mariner in Marvel Rivals since he can still summon a massive whale to attack his foes and cephalopods that act like turrets to keep his enemies from approaching. Namor’s inclusion may seem odd to some, but he is technically Marvel’s first superhero.

Even when there isn’t even a pond nearby, Namor can create a barrier comprised of water to absorb any damage. Combined with his trident, Namor is a simple yet effective Duelist in the game that was often overlooked in the beta.