There are actually 8 roles in Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals Roles and Team Composition

Marvel Rivals roles are more nuanced than the familiar tank, DPS, and support labels. Understanding how heroes function can help players build stronger team compositions and hero pools. These categories are flexible rather than rigid: many characters can fit more than one role or playstyle.

Tanks: Anchor vs. Flexible/Off-Tank

• Anchor tanks have consistent responsibilities: holding space, contesting positions, and pressuring targets. Examples include Magneto, Doctor Strange, and Groot.
• Main tank describes a responsibility, not a specific type of tank. Venom, for example, can serve as a main tank when the team’s plan relies on his repeated engages and retreats.
• Flexible or off-tanks have fewer fixed duties and can adapt to openings. Thor, Rogue, and Hulk are examples. A team with several flexible tanks may lack someone to carry out its core tanking plan.
• Some heroes, including Emma and Strange, can shift between styles depending on the composition.

Team Styles: Poke, Dive, and Brawl

• Poke deals damage from a distance.
• Dive uses mobility to attack selected targets.
• Brawl focuses on winning close-range fights.

Many heroes overlap between these styles, so compositions can combine them or transition from one to another.

DPS Classifications

• Ranged, hitscan-style role: Jean Grey, Punisher, Cyclops, Bucky, and Namor can serve this function. The category describes how they play—dealing damage from a relatively safe distance—not strictly how their weapons work.
• Highly mobile DPS: Close-range mobile heroes include Iron Fist, Daredevil, Black Cat, Spider-Man, and Magik. Psylocke and Star-Lord are mobile ranged attackers rather than conventional backline hitscans.
• Flexible or unique DPS: Squirrel Girl, Human Torch, Moon Knight, Wolverine, and Mister Fantastic do not fit neatly into the other groups.

Building a Composition

• Reinforce the main tank’s game plan. For example, pair a dive-focused plan with mobile heroes who can follow up.
• Consider what the team lacks. Without a hero who can pressure distant or flying enemies, the composition may struggle in open space.
• Flexible damage dealers can create openings with area damage, while a mobile hero follows up and secures eliminations. The video gives Squirrel Girl or Moon Knight paired with Psylocke as examples of this approach.

Supports

The video sets aside older Overwatch distinctions such as “main support” and “off-support” and instead focuses on what supports provide in Marvel Rivals.

• Main supports provide substantial healing to sustain a constantly pressured frontline. Examples include Rocket, Luna, Invisible Woman, and Cloak & Dagger.
• Utility supports contribute damage, abilities, or other utility as well as healing. Examples include Mantis, Adam Warlock, Ultron, White Fox, and Loki.

A team with only two supports may lack enough frontline sustain unless there is a specific reason the pairing works. Jeff and Gambit are notable exceptions: Jeff’s mobility suits certain compositions, while Gambit’s strong utility and ultimate can help a team overcome limited healing.

Gamers and Sources Featured

Coach_Mills; Marvel Rivals Academy; streamer footage credited to Aramori, Emiliath, Jay3, and TeamCaptain001.