Marvel Rivals now boasts a roster of more than 50 playable heroes, making every team composition a difficult puzzle to solve. With only six slots available, choosing the right character has never been more important—especially after Season 9’s sweeping changes
Whether you’re returning after a break or jumping into ranked for the first time this season, there’s plenty to relearn. Heroes that once dominated may have fallen out of favour, while others have surged to the top thanks to buffs, reworks, and the overhauled Team-Up system. Keeping up with the evolving meta is key to climbing the ladder.
That’s where this tier list comes in. Below, you’ll find all 52 Marvel Rivals heroes ranked for Season 9, based on their overall strength, versatility, and impact in the current meta.
Complete Marvel Rivals Season 9 Tier List
With 52 characters in Marvel Rivals, only nine have made it into our S-tier ranking.
Now, before we dive into the rankings, it’s important to clarify three things. Firstly, Season 9 is still incredibly fresh, and with the Team-Up overhaul effectively drastically altering every character, there are a lot of variables to consider when ranking these characters.
And secondly, I’d say most characters in Marvel Rivals are viable—for the most part. Some characters rely on Team-Ups more than others, but in the right hands, you can get away with playing most of the heroes. Finally, characters aren’t ranked within each rank; they’re simply ordered alphabetically—a full 52-hero ranking would be far too contentious.
With that in mind, this tier list is prone to serious evolutions, and nobody’s place is set in stone. Get involved in the comments below and let us know if you think anybody needs to be moved, but until then, here is the complete Marvel Rivals Season 9 tier list, with S representing the best in class, and D showcasing the worst of the bunch.
| Tier | Marvel Rivals Character |
|---|---|
| S | Bruce Banner / Hulk Cloak & Dagger Gambit Invisible Woman Magik Phoenix Rocket Raccoon Thor Winter Soldier |
| A | Angela Black Panther Blade Captain America Daredevil Doctor Strange Elsa Bloodstone Groot Hela Jeff the Land Shark Luna Snow Magneto Mantis Namor Peni Parker Scarlet Witch Spider-Man Star-Lord The Punisher Venom White Fox |
| B | Black Cat Black Widow Cyclops Deadpool Devil Dinosaur Emma Frost Iron Fist Iron Man Jubilee Loki Moon Knight Psylocke Storm The Thing Ultron Wolverine |
| C | Adam Warlock Hawkeye Human Torch Mister Fantastic Rogue Squirrel Girl |
All S-Tier Marvel Rivals Characters, Explained
A few characters could slip in and out of S-tier, depending on your opinion, but I’d argue that right now, those nine heroes deserve their spot at the top. Whether it’s best-in-class healing or damage output like no other, these heroes will more often than not lead to a successful match.
Here’s a brief explanation of why these nine characters are arguably better than the rest, starting with the big green man himself, the Hulk.
Bruce Banner / Hulk
Vanguards have been hit hard in Season 9, with the increase in overall damage from teams making it harder than ever to survive team fights. Previous meta picks like Magneto, Emma and Strange are still viable, but it seems like this season, it’s all about dive tanks.
And when it comes to that specific role, few do it better than the Hulk. His new ground-slam Team-Up has added yet another attack to his kit, and the regenerative health partnered with his elite movement makes him an incredible Vanguard. He’s easy to learn, hard to master, and always a great asset to have on the team—plus, he enhances some top-tier Team-Ups, too.
Cloak & Dagger
Cloak & Dagger has always been flirting with the top of tier lists for the longest time, and it’s for good reason. Dagger provides consistent healing, Cloak offers some solid movement and survivability, and their Ult has always been one of the stronger options for Strategists.
Now, though, her new Team-Up with Luna Snow bumps her viability up to 11, as she can survive pretty much any attack, including one-hit kill Ults. It’s a crazy addition to an already solid kit, and in Season 9, where the likes of Black Panther have one-hit combos, giving a support another way to survive is incredibly OP.
Gambit
If you play ranked, you’ll likely never see Gambit, as he’s almost always found his way onto the ban list. Sadly, that’s unlikely to change in Season 9, as the card-slinging X-Man has somehow been buffed even further!
His mix between damage output and healing is elite, whilst his Ult is one of the most powerful in the game. He doesn’t offer the best Team-Ups for other characters, but trust me, you’ll feel his presence in any team through sheer output.
Invisible Woman
Already the third healer on this tier list in the upper ranks, but for good reason. Sue has long been one of the stronger healers in the game, with an impressive Ult and elite survivability, thanks to her invisibility and push.
Now, though, her Team-Ups take her to another level. When teamed with Torch, her shields are bigger, stronger, and deal increased damage when shot through. It levels her up from a simple healer to a true support, and she’s certainly one of the best Strategists in the game right now.
Magik
This one might be a controversial pick to some, but I really think in the right hands, Magik can be unstoppable. Between her portals and direct damage, she’s one of the best divers in the game. With the right support, she can even frontline dps for a short while.
I can also foresee her Team-Up with The Hood being even stronger than it already is once he arrives in Season 9.5, though that would depend on him being viable himself. For now, though, give Magik a chance, as she’s really something powerful right now.
Phoenix
Now here’s one who’s been top of the block since she arrived those many months ago. She shreds tanks, deals insane damage across the board, and has some great movement options to let her get around with ease.
Many see her Ult as underwhelming, especially compared to the likes of Iron Man or Scarlet Witch, who can wipe a team. But the value Phoenix’s Ult can provide is unmatched, with shields and summons gone in an instant.
Rocket Raccoon
The final healer on the list, Rocket Raccoon, continues to improve, with his new and returning Team-Ups boosting him immensely. Alone, he offers an impressive mix of healing and damage output, and he can easily get himself out of sticky situations.
But when you turn towards his Team-Ups, that’s when the S-tier becomes clear, as he elevates other strong picks into elite ones—like The Punisher and his endless primary fire.
Thor
In all honesty, Thor was the one I was least settled on as an S-tier pick. Like I said before, Vanguards have been hit heavily this season, but Thor has seen some solid improvements. The regenerative health is a huge boost for him, and the Team-Up with Hela that prevents him from dying is simply elite.
However, he’s definitely tougher than most tanks to get the most out of, and he does require a bit more nuance than some other picks like Magneto or Strange. That said, partner him with another dive Duelist, and Thor can take a backline out to the cleaners no problem.
Winter Soldier
Finally, we have the Winter Soldier. He’s almost always been a solid pick throughout Marvel Rivals’ history, but he’s definitely found his way to the top with Season 9. Admittedly, he does have a predictable gameplay loop, but the damage output he provides, partnered with a great mix of abilities, makes him a super strong pick.
It’s his Team-Up with Else Bloodstone that cannot be understated, though. Simply participating in a KO grants a stack of Culling Instinct, reducing the cooldowns of all of his abilities and granting more bonus health, making him near-unkillable in the right hands.
And that’s that for the Season 9 tier list! If you’re still confused by all the new Team-Ups, check out the video below that details them all one by one.
What do you think of our Marvel Rivals Season 9 tier list? Share your thoughts in the official Insider Gaming Discord Server.
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Charlie is one of Insider Gaming's Guides Writers who's been in the gaming industry for a little over a year. Unfortunately for him, he enjoys every video game genre out…
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