The Best Tank Characters That Feel Like Overwatch Agents In Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals is a third-person hero shooter developed by NetEase, and while it’s definitely got a lot of its own flavor, there’s no denying that a lot of inspiration was drawn from Overwatch. But while the basic mechanics are similar, it’s in the details where the games branch off from each other.

Drawing inspiration from Overwatch 2 is not necessarily a bad thing; Overwatch has been popular for a long time for a reason. Marvel Rivals has the advantage of pulling characters that have existed in comic book form for decades, but mechanically, some of these characters will be a familiar fit for players familiar with tanking in Overwatch 2.

Updated on December 16, 2024, by Drew Ferguson: Marvel Rivals is here, and every bit is as good as it was in the playtests. Many more heroes have been added to the game, and while heroes have begun branching further and further from the Overwatch characters that came before them, as with all hero shooters, some of their mechanics still overlap. Tanks in Marvel Rivals can play similarly in spirit to Overwatch tanks, and pairing them can make for an easier transition.

8

Captain America

No, You Move

Captain America shares some similarities to Doomfist, in that he’s got a wide range of melee-attack options, frontal-blocking capabilities that don’t necessarily provide cover for teammates, and can move enemies with his attacks. Cap is almost always right up in the enemies’ face, and is a harassing-style tank.

Captain America’s Liberty Rush, Super-Soldier Slam, and Living Legend abilities will all be somewhat familiar, relating a bit to Doomfist’s Rocket Punch, Power Block, and Seismic Slam abilities. While they don’t function in entirely the same way, they fill a similar role in the tanking position.

One significant difference between the two is their passive abilities; Doomfist can gain bonus health based on damage dealt with his abilities, while Captain America does not. The only way for Cap to gain bonus health is through his ultimate ability, Freedom Charge.

7

Thor

If He Be Worthy

Thor is one of the most enjoyable Vanguard characters in Marvel Rivals, with the ability to spit out incredible damage and buff his own health with regularity. He is, however, incapable of protecting teammates, and falls firmly into the harassing-style tank, creating defense by way of offense.

Thor does not have a companion in the Overwatch world mechanically, but his style of tanking will be familiar to those who played a lot of Roadhog, Junker Queen, and Doomfist. All three of these tanks function differently, with their own intricacies and ability interactions. But they all rely on keeping themselves alive, while dealing a meaningful amount of damage to the enemy.

For Thor’s part, all of his abilities give him a temporary bonus to max health, similar to how Doomfist dealing damage with his abilities does the same thing. Thor has a massive movement-advantage over many other characters, with that specific instance feeling familiar to Winston enjoyers.

6

Doctor Strange

The Sorcerer Supreme

Mechanically, Doctor Strange is one of the Vanguard role characters that does not seem to have much of an Overwatch counterpart. He does have a shield he can activate to block damage, but apart from that, he primarily deals damage or enables characters to travel through portals that can take them across the map.

While there’s no tank character in Overwatch 2 with a similar ability, that is a power that Symettra has. (It’s also possibly Doctor Strange’s most iconic ability, in regards to his MCU iteration.)

Doctor Strange, for the most part, is a character that can take the heavy damage of being on the frontline, and still deal massive damage despite it. His Maelstrom of Madness ability can hurt multiple enemies at the same time, becoming powered up by the dark energy he accrues just by dealing damage.

He can also fly for a short time, enabling him to possibly make himself a more difficult target to hit and regain some health. While not useless by any means, for someone looking to use a character that has extreme similarities to an Overwatch tank, Doctor Strange might not be your first choice, but can get the job done.

5

Venom

The Lethal Protector

Venom is another character that does not have much of a 1:1 counterpart in Overwatch 2, though certain abilities might have a passing similarity. Venom’s Frenzied Arrival ability has him landing in a certain area and doing damage to enemies around, which is similar to one of Doomfist’s abilities in Overwatch.

Other than that, Venom has some movement-based abilities that share some similarities to some tank characters in Overwatch, like Winston, but they are very much based on things Venom can do in the comics, too.

Primarily, Venom excels at dealing heavy damage to enemies in close-to-medium range, and healing off damage that he does take in high-risk, high-reward scenarios. His movement abilities give him the chance to get out of danger quickly if he needs to, or to get in the fray and on top of enemies quicker than they expect him to.

Tank-style, this high-mobility is definitely going to be comfortable for someone used to playing Winston or Wrecking Ball.

4

Peni Parker

Teen Prodigy

While Peni Parker does not share many similarities with any Tanks in Overwatch 2, she does have a passing similarity ability-wise to Symmetra. Both characters can lay traps for enemies to stumble upon, slowing their progress or otherwise incapacitating them. Apart from that, Peni’s abilities are pretty much her own, besides sharing some similarities to the other Spider-characters in Marvel Rivals, like wall-crawling.

Peni Parker is primarily suited as a character that can slow down and throw wrenches in the other teams’ plan. Many of her abilities revolve around her slowing enemy progress in certain areas, and it will force them to either find a different way to the area they’re trying to get to, or else make them take considerably longer through the path that Peni Parker has trapped for them.

3

Groot

I Am Groot

Groot has a ton of interesting abilities, all revolving around Groot and his team playing in certain areas where he’s created walls that provide various effects. This puts him in similar territory as Sigma from Overwatch 2, who has his own shield that he can deploy for himself and his allies. These walls are also slightly reminiscent of Mei, who has her own Ice Walls that she can deploy.

That being said, Groots’ walls have some interesting abilities that neither Sigma’s nor Mei’s walls replicate. Hiss walls either attack enemies or heal himself and his allies when Groot is near them, making it very important for his team to center around certain walls to get the most out of them. This kind of cluster effect is also a bit familiar for those accustomed to playing Reinhardt, though obviously the shields between these two function quite differently.

2

Magneto

Master Of Magnetism

Magneto has abilities that might be difficult to use to their full potential, but can be absolutely fantastic when you get the most out of them.

One of his abilities in particular has some similarity to one of Zarya’s abilities. Magneto can put a shield around an ally, blocking incoming damage. The more damage that shield absorbs, the more metallic rings form on Magneto’s back. He can then use these rings in an attack, and the more rings that he has, the more damage they do. This is very similar to Zarya’s shield, which increases her weapon’s damage the more damage that shield absorbs.

Magneto can block a considerable amount of damage for his team, but this is going to require a bit of map knowledge and game sense to pull off properly. In the right hands, Magneto can be a real force, dealing hefty damage and preventing enemies from doing the same. But in the wrong hands, he can be of very little use, with his shields doing little to protect anybody that needs protecting and one of his attacks being much weaker because of it.

1

Bruce Banner/Hulk

The Incredible/The Immortal Hulk

The primary example of a character in Marvel Rivals that has a counterpart in Overwatch 2, Bruce Banner/Hulk has some similarities to Overwatch’s D.Va. Both of these characters have two forms: one powered-down form, with different attacks and considerably less health. And one powered-up form; in D.Va’s case, she equips her Mech, and in Bruce Banner’s case, he becomes a barely-controlled rage monster.

Hulk’s greatest strength lies in being in the thick of it all. Once Bruce has transformed into Hulk, your best bet is to be the primary source of attention for the enemy team, supplying yourself and allies with gamma shields that enable you to activate your ultimate ability that much quicker.

While Hulk cannot heal himself, he can move with a surprising quickness while utilizing certain abilities, and deal some incredible damage. Get into close range, get mad, and you’ve got a Hulk that’s going to do some real harm to the enemy team.