If you’ve read Marvel comics and you know Iron Man, there’s no doubt that Stark is one of the strongest characters due to his gadgets and technology. Marvel Rival is no different. Packing impeccable DPS as a Duelist, and having the ability to go aerial (while being a long-range character), Iron Man can make things difficult for his enemies pretty quick.
If you’ve had the unfortunate fate of coming against a good Iron Man, you know how it feels. While countering this Duelist is relatively harder due to his aerial abilities and range, there are a few characters that particularly shine in taking him down. Read on to learn more about how to counter Iron Man in Marvel Rivals.
Countering Iron Man in Marvel Rivals
Iron Man has three assets that he uses regularly: the ability to be (and stay) airborne, high DPS, and decent mobility. These three skills, when combined, make him an absolute menace to the enemy team’s strategic positioning. Especially as a flanker, Iron Man particularly shines.
So, it’s vital to talk about his abilities first. These will help you gain an idea about how the character operates, even if you haven’t chosen a character that directly shuts him down.
Iron Man’s primary attack is the Repulsor Blast, where he can shoot projectile missiles while being airborne. Though they don’t do appreciable damage when hit on surrounding areas, they’re deadly when hit directly onto an enemy. Hyper-velocity, as the name suggests, is an ability that Iron Man uses to progress across the maps at insane speeds.
Iron Man’s deadliest ability and his Ultimate, Invincible Pulse Cannon, radiates a concentrated field of energy towards his target. Due to the insane levels of damage it carries, it can wipe off an entire team from the map.
How to Counter Iron Man in Marvel Rivals
Here are a few characters that counter Iron Man in Marvel Rivals.
1. Star-Lord (Duelist)
Our first pick to counter Iron Man in Marvel Rivals is Star-Lord.
Like Iron Man, Star-Lord possesses the ability to fly (and stay airborne) as well. This is beneficial to face Stark on equal footing, on his mode of offense.
It also means that you can attack him while keeping your distance, and on some occasions, you’ll gain the ability to constantly pressurize him, making it easier for your teammate to come up with an offensive strategy.
Additionally, Star Lord’s abilities and attacks are potent against Iron Man as well. His primary attack can deal significant damage to the character over time. Coupling that up with his ability to fly, players can effectively chase him down if he tries to flee from battle.
Star Lord’s Ultimate is a huge advantage, allowing him to gain a lock-on on his targets, making it all the more difficult for Stark to come up with his counters or escape strategy.
2. The Punisher (Duelist)
While Punisher isn’t an airborne character like Star-Lord, he is still a decent counter to Iron Man and many other characters in Marvel Rivals. What makes him stand out from other grounded characters in the game is his heavy-duty gunning. This allows him to cut through Stark’s defenses and offensive strategies to deal huge amounts of damage.
Additionally, his skill set is mainly ‘ranged’, so it makes it all the more useful against Iron Man. One particular ability of the Punisher that’s potent against Stark is his machine gun, which he can summon at his will. This ensures that no matter whether his enemies are airborne or grounded, they’re getting dealt heavy gunfire for a prolonged period.
In cases where Iron Man gets the upper hand in a bout against the Punisher, he can simply use his smoke grenade to retreat and reposition for a new offensive strategy.
3. Black Widow (Duelist)
For players who have a stellar aim—and particularly like to snipe—Black Widow’s the perfect counter. Armed with a Sniper Rifle, she can take out Stark from a mile away, provided that he’s not behind closed doors (aka cover). It is vital to note, though, that Iron Man won’t be a one-shot kill against the sniper, so you need to be really good with your aim to bring him down.
When linked with Hawkeye, Black Widow becomes all the more powerful. Making Iron Man’s afterimages prominent to her, she can readily use her high-damage Sniper to take him out.
4. Peni Parker (Vanguard)
Peni Parker is a Vanguard, so it means that she’s packing in damage, alongside health. In the case of Iron Man, she’s particularly useful because of her ability to deal damage at long distances while also having the ability to stun her abilities.
For the former, her primary attack, combos, and some abilities help her stand out from other Vangaurds against Iron Man. For the latter, players can use Peni’s Cyber-Snare Ability to stun Stark while dealing him appreciable damage through her primary attack: Cyber-Web Cluster.
Additionally, Peni’s Bionic-Nest Ability allows her to regain some extra health through her planted spider webs, making her all the more potent not only against Stark, but his teammates as well.