I've sunk an embarrassing number of hours into Marvel Rivals since it landed, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that projectile heroes feel like the soul of the game. There's something deeply satisfying about sending a slow-churning energy bolt across the map and hearing that thwack a full second later. Compared to hitscan, projectile play demands prediction, patience, and a little bit of art. Some heroes turn that art into a massacre, while others just… poke. Here's my personal take on the best projectile characters as of the current meta in 2026, ranked from decent to downright terrifying.
10. Magneto
The Master of Magnetism is a tank first and a projectile-lobber second – and it shows. His Iron Volley hits respectably hard, but it's not going to light up the kill feed the way a dedicated DPS would. What saves Magneto from irrelevance is his sheer defensive presence. Toggling between his metal shield and the magnetic bubble lets me shut down pushes almost single-handedly. Still, if I'm picking a projectile hero purely for damage output, Magneto is near the bottom. He controls space; he doesn't delete enemies. For crowd control and area denial, he’s a solid pick, but don’t expect a highlight reel of solo kills.
9. Peni Parker
Peni's primary fire is so snappy it nearly tricks my brain into thinking she’s hitscan. The projectile speed is blazing, making her surprisingly effective at picking off flankers who think they can dance around a tank. Where Peni truly shines, though, is lock-down. Her spider-nest and arachno mine combo can turn a capture point into an absolute death pit. I’ve held objectives 1v3 simply because the enemy team underestimated the sheer chip damage from her little explosive babies. Add her quick repositioning web, and she becomes a menace in close quarters. As a pure projectile threat, she sits in the middle of the pack, but her area control elevates her drastically.
8. Doctor Strange
There’s a rhythm to Strange’s daggers that feels almost musical once you get it. The firing speed is slow, painfully so if you’re spamming, but each bolt hits with a satisfying crunch. My favorite trick is weaving the Shield of the Seraphim between shots – raise it for a split second to eat incoming damage, then immediately release to let another dagger fly. It turns a duel into a mind game. His projectile damage is bursty and respectable, but the slow rate of fire means missing is punishing. In the right hands, he’s a duelist’s nightmare, but inconsistency keeps him from the top tiers.
7. Loki
Oh, the trickster god. Loki’s base primary fire is pitiful – like throwing wet tissue paper. But the moment those two clones materialize with open sightlines, everything changes. Sixty damage per shot turns into one hundred eighty simultaneously, melting health bars before the enemy realizes what’s happening. Add generous splash damage that lets me aim at feet, and suddenly Loki becomes a forgiving onslaught machine. His projectile setup is utterly dependent on clone placement, but when you’ve got that beautiful triple-barrel firing squad going, he feels like a top-tier pick. Manageable skill floor with an absolutely wild ceiling.
6. Squirrel Girl
If I want to turn my brain off and still top the damage charts, Squirrel Girl is the answer. Her acorns are massive, deal 150 damage a pop, and two-tap most non-tanks. The challenge should be hitting fast-moving targets, but let’s be honest – everyone just spams chokepoints. I’ve seen Squirrel Girl players finish MVP by holding left-click down a hallway. And that Squirrel Blockade is a free kill. Trap a hero for 1.33 seconds, and even my grandma could land a follow-up acorn. She’s straightforward, devastating, and the ultimate anti-fun for opposing divers. Not the most skillful, but undeniably effective.
5. Iron Man
Flight alone makes Iron Man a good projectile hero; map ceilings become my playground. I’ve flanked entire backlines on maps with high skies, raining down repulsor blasts with generous splash while the enemy team scrambles to look up. His primary fire is forgiving enough to apply constant pressure, and when someone gets too close, the Unibeam melts them like butter. Let’s not forget the ultimate – a giant, slow-moving sphere of death that requires almost zero aim and deletes clustered teams. In a meta filled with melee divers, Iron Man’s verticality keeps him safe and deadly.
4. Namor
Namor is the projectile hero I recommend to players who want to feel like a raid boss. His spears already chunk health alarmingly fast, but stack Wrath of the Seven Seas to slow enemies and suddenly they’re free targets. Toss in two Monstro Spawn turrets, and the damage output becomes obscene. I’ve held chokepoints where the kill log was just Namor’s name, replicated over and over. His kit synergizes perfectly – slow, spear, turret fire, repeat. It’s projectile lethality with a trident twist, and he only gets scarier as you learn turret placement angles.
3. Moon Knight
Moon Knight’s raw damage potential is the stuff of nightmares. His basic attacks deal solid numbers, but it’s the Ankh that elevates him to a team-wipe machine. Drop an Ankh into a backline cluster, throw a Moon Blade, and then unleash a storm of Crescent Darts. The ricochet between targets shreds 250–300 HP heroes in under two seconds. I’ve wiped half a team with a single well-placed Ankh combo. He requires a bit of patience to set up, but the payoff is unparalleled. In the right hands, Moon Knight isn’t just a projectile hero – he’s an environmental catastrophe.
2. Hawkeye
Hawkeye is the projectile hero I pick when I want the enemy team to fear peeking. A fully charged headshot deals 300 damage – enough to instantly erase nearly any non-tank. With no damage falloff, I can park myself on a distant perch and terrorize supports. Even bodyshots hurt; a fully charged arrow with Archer’s Focus hits for 150, which makes two-tapping tankier targets entirely possible. The skill floor is higher than Squirrel Girl or Iron Man – you need precision – but the ceiling is the single most lethal projectile shot in the game. A good Hawkeye doesn’t just control space; he invalidates it.
1. Winter Soldier
Every time I face a cracked Winter Soldier, I question my life choices. His Roternstern blaster hits for 75 per shot with minimal falloff, but it’s his close-range abilities that make him the king of projectile heroes. Trooper’s Fist, Tainted Voltage, and the brutal Bionic Hook combo turn any non-tank into a memory. A hooked enemy gets stunned, punched, and executed before they can react. I’ve watched Winter Soldier players roll through entire teams, chaining kills like a highlight reel. He doesn’t just dominate at range; he owns close-quarters combat in a way no other projectile hero can. If you want the ultimate blend of ranged lethality and up-close annihilation, Bucky Barnes is the answer.
Projectile heroes in Marvel Rivals are far from a monolith. From spam-happy Squirrel Girl to surgical Hawkeye, the roster caters to wildly different playstyles. My list reflects pure killing power, but I'd be lying if I said Peni’s nest haven’t carried me through countless domination rounds. Whether you’re holding space or dropping bodies, there’s a projectile pick waiting to compliment your chaos.