Marvel Rivals Best Characters for Beginners

Marvel Rivals just released, and picking your first character can be tricky. Having played through the entire roster myself, I understand the challenge of finding the right hero to start with. Marvel Rivals has more than 30 characters at launch, but not all of them are ideal for learning the basics. Some need precise aim, others require complex ability combinations, and a few even demand specific team compositions to be effective.

That’s why I’ve put together this guide, which focuses on characters that are genuinely beginner-friendly. These aren’t just the easiest heroes to play – they’re also effective in matches and will help you understand how the game works. Whether you prefer dealing damage, protecting your team, or keeping everyone alive, there’s a straightforward character here that will fit your style.

Understanding the Character Types

The best thing about the game is that you don’t have to use any in-game currency to buy a character as they are all free. Marvel Rivals splits its heroes into three roles:

• Duelists: Your damage dealers who focus on eliminating enemies
• Vanguards: Tanks who protect the team and control space
• Strategists: Support characters who heal and enable the team

Best Marvel Rivals Characters for Beginners

Here’s a quick look at the most beginner-friendly characters:

Character	Role	Difficulty	Main Strength
The Punisher	Duelist	Very Easy	Simple gunplay
Squirrel Girl	Duelist	Easy	Forgiving damage output
Scarlet Witch	Duelist	Easy	Auto-targeting attacks
Star-Lord	Duelist	Easy	High mobility
Magneto	Vanguard	Easy	Clear defensive role
Venom	Vanguard	Easy	Straightforward tank gameplay
Jeff the Land Shark	Strategist	Very Easy	Direct healing
Rocket Raccoon	Strategist	Easy	Balance of healing and damage

The Punisher

• Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ (Very Easy)
• Role: Duelist
• Pros: Familiar shooter mechanics, clear escape options, versatile weapon choices, strong area control with turret

The Punisher’s kit revolves around two main weapons – an assault rifle for medium to long-range combat and a shotgun for close encounters. You can swap between these instantly, which makes adapting to different situations straightforward. His smoke grenade creates a cloud that blocks vision, perfect for either escaping or pushing through choke points. The deployable turret is particularly strong for holding positions – just set it up and it provides consistent pressure on the enemy team.

What makes Punisher especially beginner-friendly is how natural his abilities feel. The zip line gives you quick access to high ground or escape routes without any complicated setup. His ultimate ability simply enhances your firepower with dual gatling guns and a missile launcher – it’s powerful but doesn’t require complex positioning or timing to be effective.

Squirrel Girl

• Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (Easy)
• Role: Duelist
• Pros: Forgiving projectile mechanics, reliable damage output, good vertical mobility, strong area control

Squirrel Girl’s strength lies in her unique acorn-based attacks. Her primary fire launches acorns that bounce off walls and explode, dealing area damage. This means you don’t need perfect aim to be effective – the explosions will catch enemies even if your aim isn’t precise. Her stun ability launches a larger acorn that can lock down enemies, creating easy opportunities for follow-up damage.

The tail bounce ability really sets her apart for beginners. When you’re in trouble, you can quickly launch yourself upward to reach safety or high ground. Combined with her ability to instantly refresh cooldowns, you always have an option available. Her squirrel army ultimate is straightforward but effective – it floods the area with damaging squirrels that can zone out enemies or secure objectives.

Scarlet Witch

• Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (Easy)
• Role: Duelist
• Pros: Auto-targeting main attack, high consistent damage, straightforward mobility, strong crowd control

Scarlet Witch’s main advantage is her primary attack – an energy beam that automatically locks onto enemies in front of you. The beam fills up an energy meter as you deal damage, which you can then spend on abilities. This targeting system means you can focus on positioning and ability timing rather than worrying about precise aim.

The stun fields are particularly useful for defending objectives or cutting off escape routes. The flight ability gives you an easy way to reposition – just hold the button and you can float to safety or get a better angle on enemies. Her ultimate charges up before releasing a massive energy burst, and while timing matters, you don’t need complex setups to make it effective.

Star-Lord

• Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (Easy)
• Role: Duelist
• Pros: High mobility, forgiving weapon spread, good escape options, straightforward damage patterns

Star Lord was the first character I played in the game and honestly, I had fun! Star-Lord’s kit makes him an excellent pick for beginners. His energy pistols fire rapid bursts that have a forgiving spread pattern – you don’t need perfect accuracy to deal consistent damage. The wide spread actually works in your favor, making it easier to hit moving targets or pressure enemies behind cover.

His mobility really shines with the jet boots that let you hover and fly around the battlefield. The dodge ability gives you dashes that can be used in any direction, perfect for both engaging and disengaging from fights.

The multi-directional shot ability isn’t about dealing massive damage – instead, it creates chaos and forces enemies to reposition. Combine this with his mobility, and you can quickly capitalize on the confusion.

His ultimate ability enhances your guns and mobility at the same time, and since you’re already familiar with both aspects, it feels like a natural power boost rather than a completely new ability to master.

Magneto

• Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (Easy)
• Role: Vanguard
• Pros: Clear defensive abilities, team-wide protection, passive mobility, decent damage output

Magneto’s kit centers around his shield abilities, making him perfect for learning tank positioning. The Metallic Curtain creates a large barrier that blocks enemy attacks. His personal shield and ally shield abilities provide additional protection and generate Iron Rings, which power up your attacks.

The passive floating ability lets you control your descent in the air, making positioning much more forgiving. His damage comes from magnetic projectiles that are easy to land and a charged attack that converts stored Iron Rings into powerful shots.

One of his abilities summons a massive meteor – while you need to aim it, the large impact area means you don’t need perfect precision to be effective.

Venom

• Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (Easy)
• Role: Vanguard
• Pros: High survivability, simple melee combat, reliable escape options, strong area control

Venom’s gameplay revolves around getting close and staying there. His symbiote attacks have a generous hit area, making them hard to miss with. The temporary health boost ability gives you extra durability when you need it, and the symbiote strand ability slows enemies down – perfect for either catching runners or making your own escape. And believe us when we say this – Venom is really tanky! He is not that easy to take down.

Web-swinging provides reliable mobility without requiring complex movement techniques. You can quickly enter fights or retreat when needed. His ultimate creates a large area that damages enemies before letting you bite them for extra health – it’s straightforward to use but creates significant pressure on the enemy team.

Jeff the Land Shark

• Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ (Very Easy)
• Role: Strategist
• Pros: Direct healing mechanics, persistent healing options, clear escape ability, team-saving ultimate

Jeff excels at straightforward healing with his water beam primary attack. Point it at teammates and hold the button – that’s all you need to do to keep them alive. The beam can heal multiple allies at once if they’re lined up, making group healing efficient. Your secondary attack provides some damage options when needed, though it’s not your main focus.

The healing bubbles ability is particularly forgiving – drop them around the battlefield and they’ll heal teammates even when you’re focusing elsewhere. The underwater movement ability gives you a reliable escape option and lets you reach teammates quickly. The ultimate ability lets you swallow both allies and enemies, giving you control over positioning without requiring precise timing or aim.

Rocket Raccoon

• Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (Easy)
• Role: Strategist
• Pros: Balance of healing and damage, strong team utility, reliable escape options, revive capability

Rocket’s kit provides a mix of healing and combat abilities that work well together. His healing device provides consistent recovery for teammates while his gun offers decent damage output. The armor-providing ability gives your team extra durability, and it’s clear when you’re using it effectively as teammates survive longer in fights.

What makes Rocket particularly beginner-friendly is his escape ability – a quick backwards jump that creates space between you and danger. The revive ability can save teammates who’ve fallen, giving you a clear way to turn fights around. His damage output means you’re not helpless when caught alone, but you’re still most effective when supporting your team.

Final Thoughts

Starting with the right character can make a huge difference in how quickly you get comfortable with Marvel Rivals. These eight heroes aren’t just easy to play – they’re designed to teach you core game mechanics without overwhelming you. The Punisher helps you learn basic shooting and positioning, Magneto shows you the importance of protecting your team, and Jeff makes healing straightforward and rewarding.

Don’t feel pressured to move on to more complex characters quickly. Each hero here is perfectly capable of competing at higher levels of play. Take your time learning one character’s abilities, then try another role when you’re ready. The skills you develop with these beginner-friendly heroes will make it much easier to branch out to more challenging characters later.

Pick a character that matches how you want to play, practice their basic abilities in a few matches, and you’ll be helping your team win games before you know it. Remember, everyone starts somewhere, and these heroes are the perfect place to begin your Marvel Rivals journey.