Every Melee Hero In Marvel Rivals, Ranked

Marvel Rivals is a hero shooter with quite an array of combat styles to choose from. Some characters have auto-aim attacks, some are hitscan, others are projectile-based, and some are melee fighters.

One might think that being a melee-oriented character in a game with ranged characters may put you at a disadvantage, but Marvel Rivals is great at balancing between the different combat types, and some of the melee fighters are among the strongest in the meta.

Although the Marvel Rivals database specifies some abilities as “spell-fields”, these are practically melee attacks but with a different name, so they will be included on the list.

10

Spider-Man

While our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is arguably one of the greatest heroes of all time, it unfortunately doesn’t translate to the Marvel Rivals roster. The main problem is he is very hard to learn, but once you do, you still don’t get much out of him.

As expected of the web-slinger, he is an extremely agile and fast character. He is able to double jump, web swing, and climb walls, as well as pull enemies towards him and unleash combos. This all requires a lot of skill to use effectively, especially the web swinging, but even if you do master this, his damage output is sub-par, and he is able to be dealt with swiftly if you have good aim or manage to pin him down.

9

Hulk

The Hulk is a vanguard hero who specializes in being a dive-tank. This is a playstyle where the role of the tank is to jump in and be a nuisance on the battlefield, then jump back out and heal or reposition. This can be effective as a supporting vanguard alongside a more defense-focused vanguard, in order to mess with the enemy team.

Unfortunately, Hulk is one of a few dive-based vanguards, and he is the weakest among them. The main issue is that he has such a large hitbox, so although he has a large health pool, he is easy to focus down. His damage is also sub-par, and although he has a ranged ability, you need to be close to use his main attack.

8

Iron Fist

Though he is a martial arts master, Iron Fist is a bit on the weaker side of the Marvel Rivals roster. For those new to the game, he may actually seem quite difficult to deal with, as he has fast-hitting combos and it can overwhelm new players, so he gives off the impression of being a really strong character.

However, that’s pretty much all he has; a few melee combos. And they do not do much damage. He has a healing ability, but it requires him to stay still and meditate, so it is useless in the midst of combat, and he doesn’t have many self-defense options at his disposal besides his kick, which can help him run away if needed, and a pretty weak blocking stance as an alternate-fire.

7

Magik

Magik is the game’s premiere sword user. Using the powers granted to her by being imprisoned in Limbo, she is able to use her great maneuverability to get herself into combat, as well as out of it just as fast.

This makes her able to save herself pretty well, as her teleportation has a quick cooldown, and she can use attacks out of them as well as summon minions to deal a bit of damage and mix-up enemies. Her Ultimate, Darkchild, will transform her and beef up all of her abilities even more, so you can just keep doing what you already know.

6

Venom

For those who have been playing Marvel Rivals, you know how frustrating facing a Venom can be. Venom is a vanguard hero that has unrivaled self-sustain, as he can give himself shields. This is based on how low his health is, and since he is a vanguard, he has a high health pool.

So, you can take lots of damage with his large health pool, then use his ability, Symbiotic Resilience, to gain an enormous amount of shields, which gives you more than enough time to get out of a tricky situation or finish off an enemy. His main downside is that he toes the line between a main tank and a dive-tank, so he doesn’t excel at either role, and his melee-ranged primary attack is tricky to learn.

5

Mr. Fantastic

The smartest man in the world and the head of Marvel’s First Family, Mr. Fantastic is the first new hero to be added to the game post-launch, alongside Invisible Woman. A duelist hero, he makes use of his stretchy limbs to punch enemies at a decent, but not overly far, range with his primary attack.

He also has some interesting abilities that make him not just a damage dealer, but able to crowd-control as well as help teammates. With his Flexible Elongation ability, he can damage enemies or grant a shield to allies. His ultimate, Brainiac Bounce, functions similarly to Winter Soldier’s in that he can keep bouncing as long as he hits enemies, making it very effective in groups or against vanguards.

4

Thor

The God of Thunder is also a God on the battlefield of Marvel Rivals. Thor is one of those vanguard that is practically a duelist hero under a different name. He has great melee damage, and with his Thor Force passive, is built around building up charge to switch to your ranged mode and deal tons of lightning ranged damage.

The main downside to Thor as a vanguard is that he is very self-serving, in the sense that he has no abilities that help teammates. Instead, he is focused on sustaining his Thor Force and his own health pool. He also does not have the best mobility, being very slow and only having one option for dashing away, which takes time to charge.

3

Captain America

Captain America is another dive-based vanguard like the Hulk, but where Hulk lacks, Captain America shines. His entire kit is built around his ability to get in and out of combat scenarios as fast as possible, providing a perfect nuisance and distraction for the enemy team.

Cap is extremely mobile, able to sprint as long as he wants, as well as jump and dive with his shield over and over. This makes him a very effective dive tank, as he is hard to pin down and is able to dish out as much damage as he can take.

2

Wolverine

Wolverine is the best at what he does, and what he does is annihilate vanguards in Marvel Rivals. The story of Wolverine in Marvel Rivals is a fascinating one. When the game first launched, many thought him one of the weakest characters in the game, because they played him like most other damage dealers and focused on duelist v. duelist/strategist encounters.

However, this was because it wasn’t clear how he was meant to be played. He is not meant to go up against other duelists, but rather is a vanguard annihilator. You can certainly take on strategists and duelists, but where Wolverine shines is in taking on vanguards, as his abilities lean heavily on damage based on enemies’ health pools and sustaining his own health pool, as well as diving in and using the terrain to his advantage.

1

Black Panther

If Wolverine is the king at taking on vanguards, Black Panther is the king at taking on everyone else (and the King of Wakanda, of course). Black Panther is all about ability synergy, and if you use him properly, you will be a purple blur around the map.

The main mechanic to keep in mind are his Vibranium Marks. These are attached to enemies with every ability, including your Spear Toss and Spirit Rend. Marks will give you bonus health, and refresh the Spirit Rend ability, allowing you to combo them back to back and keep yourself mobile and dealing damage.