The Best Marvel Rivals Character Based On Your Overwatch Main

Estimated reading time: 16 minutes

Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 free-to-play hero shooter, taking the Overwatch formula and applying Marvel characters to it. In several instances, some of the Marvel Rivals heroes feel pretty similar to heroes in Overwatch, making it easy to jump from Blizzard’s game to the one from NetEase. Other heroes offer a combination of abilities, making them a good pick for a couple of Overwatch heroes, and some of the picks on this list have more to do with playstyle than actual abilities. Not every character for each game is represented here, but most are. See who your Overwatch main best translates to in Marvel Rivals.

If D.va or Rammatra is your OW2 main, try Hulk in Rivals

Hulk represents a mixture of D.Va and Rammatra. For D.Va fans, he’s a dive-focused tank, who turns into a smaller character, in this case Bruce Banner, whenever he loses all of his health. Bruce Banner even runs around with a tiny pistol, just like baby D.Va. As for the Rammatra comparison, Hulk punches people. It’s his primary form of attack, but he also has a shield, just for himself, and can stun enemies, sort of like Rammatra’s grenade that pulls airborne enemies down.

If Doomfist is your OW2 main, try Black Panther in Rivals

While the character classes are different here, with Doomfist being a tank and Black Panther a damage dealer, the abilities and playstyle have enough crossover. Black Panther is melee-focused, often seen diving onto enemies, flying back and forth with his dash abilities, and gaining bonus health to keep himself alive. While Doomfist is technically a tank, his entire kit is focused on diving opponents and punching them around, keeping himself alive by jumping around quickly and erratically. Plus Doomfist was originally designed as a damage dealer, so this isn’t as much of a stretch as you might think.

If Junker Queen or Orisa is your OW2 main, try Captain America in Rivals

Lumping Junker Queen and Orisa into the same spot might seem strange to fans of those tanks, but Captain America does apply to both characters. While some abilities fit one or the other better, Captain America is a tank for tank players who want nothing more than to be incredibly annoying and constantly in the enemy’s face. His shield and shield toss fit with how Orisa uses her Javelin, minus the stun, and his ability to constantly dash and dive at the enemy team fits with Junker Queen’s aggressive playstyle. He’s big, tough to kill, and is at his best in the middle of every fight, making Captain America a great choice for Junker Queen or Orisa mains.

If Reinhardt is your OW2 main, try Thor in Rivals

This one is a bit of a stretch, but stick with me here, as it goes deeper than both of them simply having hefty hammers in their hands. Thor can power up his hammer to throw electricity bolts at enemies, similar to Reinhardt’s Fire Strike. You can use Thor’s hammer to dash at enemies, functionally similar to Reinhardt’s charge, although without the pin. It’s not an exact one-to-one replica, but enough abilities feel similar, and the playstyles overlap in a way that Reinhardt players should have no problem picking up and understanding Thor.

If Roadhog is your OW2 main, try Magik in Rivals

This one is mostly vibes-based, but as someone with over a hundred hours as Roadhog, this setup works. Magik is not a tank, but a melee-focused damage dealer. Still, she is unique among the melee damage dealers in Marvel Rivals for one reason: She’s slow. Magik throws out slow attacks that deal hefty damage and her passive ability gives her bonus health for dealing damage, making her able to sustain herself in combat, so long as you play aggressively. This aggressive, close-range focus lines up with Roadhog and his shotgun almost perfectly. Just pick Magik and play with the same mentality as Roadhog and this pick will make perfect sense.

If Winston or Wrecking Ball is your OW2 main, try Venom in Rivals

Venom is the most aggressive tank in Marvel Rivals, designed for you to constantly be diving on the enemy team and getting up in their business. While his swinging and diving actually fits more with Winston’s leap than Wrecking Ball’s grappling hook, the overlap here makes sense. You gotta get in close to be a problem, you can quickly enter and leave team fights, and there is even an ability that gives free shields, taking some of the work out compared to the Overwatch characters here. Venom is a nuisance, just like Winston and Wrecking Ball.

If Zarya or Sigma is your OW2 main, try Magneto in Rivals

Magento is incredibly similar to Sigma, but he also offers a few reasons for Zarya players to try him out. He has a shield like Sigma, although he holds his instead of placing it. He can give either himself or other players bubbles like Zarya, but instead of boosting his damage they power up his projectile. His projectile can knock enemies back, sort of like Sigma’s rock throw. Magneto’s ultimate is a giant area-of-effect attack, which doesn’t line up with either hero, but most of the time his playstyle will feel pretty similar.

If Widowmaker is your OW2 main, try Black Widow in Rivals

Unsurprisingly, the sniper in Marvel Rivals plays very similar to the sniper in Overwatch. There isn’t much more to say except that Black Widow has a sprint and high jump compared to Widowmaker’s grappling hook. Black Widow also has a kick ability to defend herself and her ultimate is an explosive shot, but most of the time you’re going to be clicking on heads, just like Widowmaker.

If Ashe is your OW2 main, try Hela in Rivals

Ashe is a sharpshooter focused on firing shots more frequently than a sniper, but for slightly less damage. Hela functions the same, with you focused on slinging blades at long range that deal a ton of critical damage on impact. She also has an explosive ability, which doesn’t burn like Ashe’s dynamite, but is somewhat similar. Hela does not summon a giant robot to help her fight unfortunately, but her ultimate ability is extremely powerful, so you probably won’t miss Bob too much.

If Bastion or Soldier 76 is your OW2 main, try Punisher in Rivals

Punisher is the best fit for Soldier 76 and Bastion, being a hitscan damage dealer with a rifle. Starlord does have Soldier’s auto-aim ultimate ability, but Punisher being able to consistently mow down the enemy team with his machine gun feels pretty similar to both Soldier 76 and Bastion. He has a turret he can set up and use, functioning sort of like Bastion’s transform. He has a shotgun to defend himself from enemies who get too close and his ultimate gives him even bigger guns, which mow down enemies and a lightning-fast pace. Plus he’s great at dealing with pesky flying enemies, just like Soldier 76.

If Cassidy is your OW2 main, try Winter Soldier in Rivals

This is a slight stretch, since Winter Soldier’s abilities don’t overlap too much with Cassidy’s, but the focus is on using a high-damage pistol to shred through enemies. Winter Soldier’s isn’t hitscan-dependent and explosive, but in practice it feels quite similar. He doesn’t have an ability that really translates to Cassidy’s grenade–although Blizzard changes what it does too frequently for that to matter anyway–and Winter Soldier’s ultimate attack has him jumping in the air to smash down on opponents repeatedly, but the pistol play makes up enough of the gameplay for these two to feel like a good match.

If Genji is your OW2 main, try Psylocke in Rivals

Psylocke has it all: the dash strikes, the multi-projectile attacks, and even the sword-swinging ultimate ability. She doesn’t play exactly like Genji, as she has a crossbow for a primary weapon and shurikens as an ability that heals. However, she can briefly turn invisible for a quick escape, with two dash charges that can finish off enemies low on health, just like Genji’s dash strike. She also has some differences that Genji players will probably like, with her primary fire reducing her cooldowns when she hits someone, and her ultimate is a giant circle ability, with Psylocke dealing huge damage to enemies inside the circle.

If Hanzo is your OW2 main, try Hawkeye in Rivals

Hawkeye has a bow and arrow, which does a disgusting amount of damage when you hit headshots. I could say more, but I doubt Hanzo mains need any more convincing.

If Junkrat is your OW2 main, try Squirrel Girl in Rivals

Squirrel Girl is actually a perfect pick for Junkrat players, offering a very similar skill set. Her primary fire is explosives that bounce, just like Junkrat, but they fire with much more velocity. She has a jump, which is just like Junkrat’s explosive launch but easier to do in the heat of battle. If that’s not enough, she can even trap enemies by throwing a squirrel at them, offering the same result as Junkrat’s trap. Her ultimate is a stampede of squirrel’s dealing damage to anyone in their path, which isn’t similar to Junkrat’s tire, but there is far too much overlap in the rest of her kit to not recommend Squirrel Girl to Junkrat mains. The rodent-to-rodent pipeline is strong.

If Pharah is your OW2 main, try Iron Man in Rivals

This one feels almost too obvious to even bother mentioning, but Iron Man is a flying damage dealer that fires explosive rounds down onto his enemies, just like Pharah. The rockets operate pretty similarly and Iron Man’s ultimate is just one blast instead of a barrage of rockets, making it easier to get the same result. Iron Man has a few additional abilities in his kit too, like an energy beam and a buff he can give himself, but the moment-to-moment gameplay is going to feel natural to Pharah players.

If Reaper or Tracer is your OW2 main, try Starlord in Rivals

As mentioned earlier, Starlord does use Soldier 76’s auto-aiming ultimate ability, with the added benefit of flying, but functionally he feels more at home with dive-focused gunners like Reaper and Tracer. His quick-firing dual pistols feel just like Tracer’s and his dash allows you to quickly reposition like Tracer’s dash. Where Reaper comes in is his auto-aim circle ability, which is a less powerful version of Reaper’s ultimate but on a significantly shorter cooldown. He can also fly to reposition sort of like Reaper’s teleport, but the most important thing here is that Starlord excels at getting in, quickly taking someone out, and exiting the fight, giving him a similar playstyle to Reaper and Tracer.

If Sombra is your OW2 main, try Iron Fist or Spider-Man in Rivals

Sombra gets two Marvel Rivals equivalents here, not because both fit her perfectly, but both offer the same playstyle. To be clear, in terms of activating abilities Sombra doesn’t really function like either character, but she does still play like them. Iron Fist and Spider-Man are both melee-focused, operating in close-range combat. They also excel at diving an enemy team’s back line, finding a defenseless support, and bullying them repeatedly for the entire match, which is exactly how Sombra plays in Overwatch.

If Torbjorn is your OW2 main, try Namor in Rivals

Namor has turrets, which is why this comparison makes sense. Namor can deploy temporary squids that target and shoot at enemy players, just like Torbjorn. Namor’s primary fire is a spear throw, similar to Torbjorn’s long-range pistol in practice. Namor doesn’t spew lava everywhere for his ultimate, instead summoning a giant fish to deal damage, but the focus on turret management makes him feel like a fit for Torbjorn players.

If Baptiste is your OW2 main, try Rocket Raccoon in Rivals

Rocket Raccoon plays just like Baptiste in many ways. His primary fire is a machine gun and his secondary is a heap of healing blasts, just like Baptiste. While Rocket doesn’t have a field of invulnerability he can place, he does have a respawn machine that will bring back fallen teammates if placed nearby. Rocket’s ultimate even provides a massive damage boost just like Baptiste’s, but instead of firing through a window, teammates just need to stand near a device he creates.

If Lucio or Kiriko is your OW2 main, try Luna Snow in Rivals

Luna Snow combines some of the area-of-effect healing abilities of Lucio with the shooting mechanics of Kiriko. Luna Snow deals damage and heals by shooting projectiles at enemies, taking Kiriko’s attack and using it for both offense and defense. She can freeze enemies and buff herself to both do more healing and deal more damage. Her ultimate is a dance that creates a circle around her, either healing or providing a damage boost, taking Lucio’s normal kit and adding the buff aspect of Kiriko’s. It’s not a perfect one-to-one, but there is enough there to recommend Luna Snow.

If Mercy or Illari is your OW2 main, try Adam Warlock in Rivals

Another combination pick, Adam Warlock offers aspects of both Illari and Mercy. For Illari, his beam of light primary fire feels identical, offering a precise shot that deals high critical damage. His healing is done by tethering to teammates with a soul bond, sort of like Mercy, and flinging healing over time to teammates as well. His ultimate ability resurrects all of your dead teammates, bringing back 2016 Overwatch Mercy.

If Moira is your OW2 main, try Scarlet Witch in Rivals

Sure, Scarlet Witch isn’t a healer, but that’s not really why Moira mains play Moira. No, instead Scarlet Witch has an auto-locking tether attack that deals damage continuously, just like Moira’s primary attack. She can briefly disappear and move around quickly while being invulnerable, just like Moira. You can dive behind enemies and tick away their health, which is what most Moira players spend their time doing. The ultimate isn’t a giant beam, but instead a massive blast that decimates enemies in range.

If Zenyatta is your OW2 main, try Mantis in Rivals

Mantis can’t debuff enemies the way Zenyatta can, but she does have to manage orbs. Mantis can place orbs on teammates to either provide a temporary buff, or healing over time; the second part functions like Zenyatta, except that she places multiple orbs. Mantis gets Orbs back by dealing critical hits with her precise projectile attack, the same type of primary attack as Zenyatta. The best part is that Mantis can provide her damage buff to herself, allowing her to deal with enemies diving her, something Zenyatta can thrive at doing in the right hands. Her ultimate is an area-of-effect healing circle, functioning like a less powerful Zenyatta ultimate. The upside is that Mantis also provides movement bonuses and can still attack while using her ultimate.

Heroes with no easy comparisons

There are more than a handful of characters in both Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals that don’t have an obvious comparison. If your Overwatch 2 main isn’t above, you can check out our explanations and then maybe pick one of the Marvel Rivals heroes that doesn’t have an easy Overwatch 2 comparison, or perhaps migrate to a new type of character from the earlier breakdown. For each game, we’ve listed the odd ones out.

Overwatch 2

Hazard – He was released shortly after the launch of Marvel Rivals and doesn’t (yet) have an equivalent.
Ana – Her sniper healing basis doesn’t have a healing equivalent nor does her massive buff of an ultimate.
Brigitte – There aren’t any melee-focused healers just yet.
Echo – Loki does share the same ultimate ability of becoming another hero in the match, but the rest of the kit doesn’t make sense for Loki to be a good comparison.
Juno – There is a mix of healers that focus on shooting teammates for heals and offer movement boosts, but not both at the same time like Juno.
Lifeweaver – His abilities to make platforms, pull teammates in, and create a large healing tree don’t align with anyone on the Marvel Rivals roster.
Mauga – His machine guns sort of line up with Peni Parker, but the rest of the abilities at his disposal don’t.
Mei – No damage dealers match her combination of beams and precise projectiles. Groot can make walls, but that’s the only similarity.
Sojourn – There are plenty of damage dealers who have rapid-fire guns or precise shots, but not both and especially not in a synergistic way like Sojourn.
Symmetra: The turrets and beam attacks aren’t found in a Marvel Rivals hero.
Venture: The digging and short-range gun is present in some heroes, but not together in a way that makes for an easy comparison.

Marvel Rivals

Cloak and Dagger: Cloak and Dagger just have so many abilities between the two forms that no healer–or even any Overwatch hero–really makes sense here.
Groot: Sure, he builds walls like Mei, but the walls can deal damage, and he’s a tank, so it doesn’t really make sense.
Doctor Strange: Doctor Strange does hold a big shield like some Overwatch tanks, but his dark magic meter management and powerful ultimate ability that stuns enemies don’t line up with any of those shield tanks.
Jeff the Land Shark: Jeff is beloved by many, and his healing spray makes some sense with Moira, but his ranged blast attacks and giant shark attack ultimately feel unique to the point that there’s no reasonable comparison.
Loki: He has Echo’s ultimate ability, but managing fake versions of himself and switching between them is not something present in Overwatch.
Moon Knight: Moon Knight uses a variety of abilities that ricochet from enemy to enemy, and off his Ankh’s, which isn’t something anyone on the Overwatch roster can do.
Peni Parker: Peni focuses on setting mines and spreading webbing all over the map, and that sort of map management isn’t something tanks do in Overwatch.
Storm: Storm has such a basic kit that we either have to recommend her for anyone who plays a damage dealer or nobody.
Wolverine: Wolverine sort of fits with the Spider-Man and Iron Fist types, but he doesn’t have the speed or agility. He also doesn’t do as much damage as Magik, leaving him in a place where maybe he could line up, but not better than another hero from Marvel Rivals.