The Best Marvel Rivals DPS: Season 2 Meta Tier List
The current Marvel Rivals meta is a Duelist's playground. Mobility reigns supreme, allowing DPS mains to aggressively roam the map, dive and take to the skies as they deal damage. As Marvel Rivals Season 2 progresses, let's review a tier list of the best Duelists and why they dominate the game.
Note: All statistics are from tracking site rivalsmeta.com and are accurate as of 4/17/25.
Related Article: Marvel Rivals Season 2 Details - New Heroes, Maps, and Team-Up Changes
Top Tier: Season 2 Superstars
1. Iron Man
Iron Man is currently crushing the Marvel Rivals meta, consistently earning high win rates at every rank. A hitbox reduction and fresh bonus health option, added to his existing flight mechanics, have increased his survivability relative to other aerial heroes and made him much harder to kill. Iron Man's main draw is his insanely high damage from his Unibeam, and a longer time alive naturally leads to greater Unibeam impact.
This means Season 2 Iron Man is in a position to win many one-on-one duels he wouldn't have before. Plus, his Invincible Pulse Cannon Ultimate is very flexible, effective for clearing clustered control points and great for targeting supports.
2. Storm
Storm has all the aerial advantages of Human Torch with an added blend of precision, making her one of the best characters in the Season 2 meta. This means she has an easier time holding her own against counters, including Hela, than other aerial Duelists. Storm can also more easily contest fellow flying foes like Scarlet Witch and Iron Man. Plus, she can provide value to allies with damage and mobility boosts, making her more of a team player.
Another reason Storm reigns supreme above Iron Man and Human Torch is her Ultimate, which is generally harder to dodge and more effective overall. It is also easy to coordinate with teammates and covers far more space for objective captures.
3. Iron Fist
Iron Fist's kit is pretty metal (no pun intended) in this meta after a big rework. The update focused on "combat effectiveness against Vanguards", but it seems to have worked for everyone. Iron Fist's flurry dash's damage is now a higher percentage of the enemy's health. While highly mobile himself, Iron Fist also rebels against the mobile Duelist meta by countering them. He can easily lock enemy DPS players down and refuse to let them leave duels.
It's hard for any player to escape Iron Fist since the strategy works just as well with any class. Plus, he can survive for insane amounts of time with his kit's unique health mechanics and is equally as effective in high and low ranks.
4. Magik
Magik is thriving in every Season 2 rank, though she is most effective below Celestial. She has several key advantages that make her the strongest character to harass the enemy backline with. If she plays her cards right, Magik can land one-shot combos. Her Stepping Disc teleports also make her invincible while moving, meaning she can pummel enemies with damage while taking nearly none back.
She is difficult to track while dashing in and out of duels, and Stepping Disc's extremely short 6-second cooldown makes her hard to kill even if players get her to low HP. Magik's Ultimate is also strong, and she is one of the best DPS to hard carry a team with.
5. Mister Fantastic
Reed 'Mister Fantastic' Richards is living up to the name in Season 2. He received major buffs in the latest update, enhancing his damage and also adding a new enemy slow effect to Flexible Elongation. In addition, he now gains bonus health in his Ultimate similarly to his Inflated form. For a DPS, Mr Fantastic is also incredibly tanky, so he can't be fried by quick-engagement, burst-damage-reliant heroes. He is perfect for maintaining space and buying time for objective progress.
Mister Fantastic ultimately lands in the top tier of current Marvel Rivals Duelists. Just keep in mind: his effectiveness falls off a bit in Diamond+ elo, where players have stronger positioning, tend to play spread out, and can consciously save their mobility to avoid his attacks.
6. Human Torch
Johnny Storm (aka. Human Torch) is on fire this Season. A new update grants him bonus health after casting Flaming Meteor, meaning he has more freedom to dive. Johnny's Fire Cluster also has a faster fire rate, making his burst damage more effective.
Human Torch is a unique aerial Duelist due to his AOE damage. His flame fields and walls are perfect for chipping away at clustered enemies and are extremely useful in maintaining objective control. His Ultimate is also AOE with flame tornadoes, providing similar benefits. Human Torch also has great carry potential in ranks above Diamond and a win rate over 53% in Grandmaster, so he's perfect for a highly competitive player.
7. Psylocke
Psylocke was destroying the competition in the first few days of Marvel Rivals Season 2, but things have since leveled out a bit. While no longer queen of the meta, she remains at a comfortable 52% win rate in Diamond+ and 51% in Grandmaster+.
Psylocke's Ultimate is great for making game-changing plays to buy time or capture objectives. It can also easily wipe enemy supports, and Psylocke can often land one-hit combos. Her team-up with Magik and Black Panther allows her to rewind from low HP and gain proportional bonus health, producing a strong team comp and increasing survivability. While Black Panther falls off in higher ranks, Psylocke remains effective. She also outlasts Spider-Man's climb potential, which declines in Grandmaster.
8. Spider Man
Spider-Man has terrorized low ranks this Season. His tiny hitbox means heroes without aim assist struggle to shoot him out of the skies, granting him extreme survivability. He also has some of the best mobility in the entire game. Even if Spider-Man fails to eliminate enemies, he still creates immense value by distracting enemies, redirecting their utilities and harassing healers. Plus, his Ultimate is quite strong damage-wise and he has an easy time landing combos.
Spider-Man overwhelmingly has the highest ban rate in Season 2, with over 29% in general and 17% in Diamond+. There's a reason for these statistics — Spider-Man's movement is hard to counter, especially without team coordination. However, he is far less of a threat in high elo. Spider-Man is an 'annoying' character to play against, but not impossible to defeat.
Tier 2: Solid Choices
9. Hela
Hela is one of the most consistent heroes in Marvel Rivals' meta and will likely remain so for many seasons to come. Recent updates buffed her damage potential, and she is a strong counter to flying characters like Storm, Spiderman and Human Torch, who have reigned supreme in Season 2. Her Astral Flock ability gives her a nice little get-out-of-jail-free card to easily reposition and escape disadvantageous fights. While other Duelists' Ultimates may be better, Hela's is nothing to scoff at and generally has a longer range. Plus, she has a team-up with Loki, who is a meta Strategist.
Hela also has a high skill ceiling, so she remains strong in the upper ranks and can carry when played with good aim. Her win rate in Diamond+ is nearly even, indicating that she relies largely on the player's potential. This is a character that players can trust to test their skills and carry them through their Ranked journey.
10. Namor
As a hard dive counter, Namor's Season 2 popularity goes hand-in-hand with Spider-Man, Psylocke, Black Panther and Iron Fist. Similarly, he is often a second ban pick after Groot or Spider-Man.
Namor is also unique because he is effective in nearly all ranks. It's very easy to get value out of his kit, since as long as he stays alive and keeps placing squid turrets he will cause significant distraction and damage. Plus, Namor's Ultimate disables enemy mobility, making it amazing to secure objectives in this movement-heavy meta.
11. Black Panther
Black Panther is one of the best heroes for harassing healers due to his quick ambushes and devastating ability combos. He has carry potential if played correctly and is highly mobile. However, high-elo teams often swap to hard counter him, and his effectiveness tends to fall off throughout the ranks. It can also be difficult to pick engagements, and Black Panther has to carefully plan his dashes. Timing and decision-making are key if players want to win with this hero.
12. Hawkeye
Hawkeye is another skilled counter for flying and aerial Duelists. He can knock down flying heroes with his Hypersonic Arrow, which is great for dealing with current meta picks. Plus, Hawkeye can one-shot many heroes, which distinguishes him from Hela.
The main reason Hawkeye ranks below Hela is that his kit is harder to consistently profit from. While Hela can benefit the team aside from her attacks with Soul Drainer and team-ups, all of Hawkeye's abilities require a strong aim baseline and he is usually harder to aim with. His performance depends on the player's individual mechanics.
Tier 3: Okay Picks
13. Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff's strength lies in her flexibility. She frees up healers since she can fade to and from health packs on the map, and is a great counter to Spiderman and aerial Duelists like Iron Man and Storm. Her aim lock makes it easy to deal with fast-moving heroes. By simply existing in the enemy backline, Wanda can also create plenty of space (great for Convoy mode) and redirect attention so her allies can capitalize. She is amazing for focusing on healers and unraveling a team.
Wanda's Ultimate requires careful coordination and isn't the best, but the rest of her kit and her carry potential can make up for it. All that being said, Scarlet Witch has an extreme falloff in high Diamond/low Grandmaster elo, so she lands as an 'okay pick.'
14. The Punisher
The Punisher isn't as oppressive as he used to be, but he remains an 'Okay pick' for several reasons. First, he has an effective Ammo overload team-up with Rocket Raccoon, who is Season 2's most powerful healer. He also serves as a hard counter to Namor and Groot, two popular picks in the current meta: Punisher can easily destroy Namor's squiddies, and he is one of the only characters who can demolish Groot's walls. In addition, Punisher's turret form is great for shooting down flying foes like Iron Man, Storm and Human Torch.
All of that being said, most high-elo players will understand how to effectively play against Punisher. His Ultimate can also be lacking, since enemies can easily find cover, pop a defensive Ultimate to counter it or just avoid it.
Related Article: The Best Marvel Rivals Supports: Season 2 Meta Tier List
15. Winter Soldier
Winter Soldier terrorized the ranks in Marvel Rivals Season 1 with his devious damage output and team-up with Rocket Raccoon, who provided him with infinite ammo and pumped up his kill potential. However, this team-up has since been removed, and Rocket's kit has been entirely reworked to prioritize healing instead of damage.
All of this being said, Winter Soldier ranks a few spots higher than other options because he is a counter for Magik, one of the most dangerous Duelists right now. His Tainted Voltage pulse can slow her and halt her movement, and he can also grab her with his hook and execute her. This counter-playstyle extends to other nuisances like Psylocke and (extremely meta) flying enemies, who will also be grounded if Tainted Voltage hits. Plus, he has better health and shields than some other Duelists so he can survive initial attacks.
Tier 4: Questionable Picks
16. Star-Lord
While still viable (hence his rank bordering Tier 3), Star-Lord remains on the lower end of DPS performance throughout Marvel Rivals' ranks during Season 2. A direct nerf to Blaster Barrage means Star-Lord's Galactic Legend Ultimate charges much slower than it used to, which can cause him to struggle even though it can be a game-changer in team fights. He is also extremely squishy, often making him disadvantaged in duels.
Another significant disadvantage to Star-Lord's Season 2 strength is the update's Adam Warlock nerf. Adam, Star-Lord and Mantis have a team-up ability that allows them to self-revive. However, increases to Adam's cooldowns have decimated his effectiveness against dives (not great in this meta) and made him a far less popular pick. Plus, Adam's healing output has become slower overall. Picking another hero may be better to allow stronger Strategist team-ups and better benefit the team.
17. Moon Knight
In Season 2, Moon Knight received sizable buffs, but they weren't enough to elevate his performance to other Duelists' levels. As long as players communicate actively, which they are more likely to do in high elo, he is still relatively easy to counter. Moon Knight's kit also relies on closely grouped enemies, which means he is difficult to use on more open maps. Combined with his lacking damage potential, this doesn't bode well for the current meta, where highly mobile Duelists, aerial Duelists and survivable Strategists reign supreme.
That being said, Moon Knight's Ultimate is strong for securing objective control. He can also escape dives more easily than other heroes with his glide, grappling hook and leap abilities.
18. Squirrel Girl
Squirrel Girl can often be irritating to play with and against. Her Ultimate is extremely easy to dodge and destroy, making it almost useless in many circumstances and one of the worst in the game. Squirrel Girl performs poorly on most open maps and relies on clustered enemies to make an impact. In addition, while she provides consistent projectile chip damage, it is often difficult for her to secure final kills. As the ranks increase, her kit becomes less and less effective: there's a reason her pick rate dwindles from 13% in Silver to barely 3% in Diamond+.
19. Wolverine
Wolverine was another Season 1 menace, but he received several tune-ups to his Rage system in Marvel Rivals' Season 2 update that resulted in overall nerfs. Wolverine's Ultimate is now far less reliable, and Emma Frost (who currently has a very high Tank pick rate) counters him effectively. His Leap ability is also severely lacking and inconsistent.
In this list, Wolverine ranks below Squirrel Girl even though he generally performs better in extremely high (Grandmaster+) elo. This is because he is far harder to learn and play, can be difficult to climb with, and often provides less consistent damage and impact regardless of rank.
Tier 5: Marvel Rivals Purgatory
20. Black Widow
Black Widow is ultimately one of the most difficult Marvel Rivals heroes to play. As a sniper with extremely low health, she requires intense knowledge of map setup and positioning to be helpful at all. Even if she does perform and get kills throughout the match, there's no guarantee those kills will be close enough together to be impactful.
According to rivalsmeta.com, Black Widow has the lowest overall win rate of any Duelist at 39.40%. She is not any more promising in high elo, with a Diamond+ rate of just 41.75%. The only rank where Black Widow is not the lowest-win-rate hero is Grandmaster, and even there her win rate does not break 50%. This is a hero requiring an intense time investment to learn while providing one of the worst overall returns. Plus, Hawkeye provides a competitive sniper kit with a better Ultimate and more consistent damage.
