MARVEL Cosmic Invasion brings together street-level icons, cosmic heavy-hitters and mutant legends in one slick side-scrolling beat ’em up. Tribute Games clearly set out to make each hero feel distinct, not just in visuals and quips, but in how they actually play moment-to-moment.
This tier list ranks every playable hero based on three things:
- How strong and practical they are in actual combat
- How useful they feel across different stages and enemy types
- How much they add to the overall experience – style, personality, and impact
Every character is viable if you really like their playstyle, but if you want to know who hits hardest, who clears stages fastest, and who’s worth unlocking and mastering first, this list will point you in the right direction.
Tier Overview
- S Tier – Game-defining characters. Consistently strong, useful everywhere, and a joy to play.
- A Tier – Extremely good picks with only minor weaknesses or a bit more learning curve.
- B Tier – Strong and fun, but either more situational or slightly overshadowed by the very best.
- C Tier – Playable and stylish, but less efficient overall or outclassed in their role.
S Tier
These heroes feel like the game was built around them. Their kits are powerful, flexible, and satisfying in almost every situation.
Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer is the full package: range, style, and raw power. Gliding across the screen on his board gives him a unique sense of flow that other heroes just can’t match. His basic attacks hit hard, his ranged options are reliable, and his special absolutely melts groups while showering the screen in cosmic energy.
On top of that, his whole presentation screams “Jack Kirby tribute” – from his animation to the cosmic effects on his special. He’s a reward for sticking with the game long enough to unlock him, and he easily justifies the grind.
Why he’s S Tier: Top-tier DPS, fantastic mobility, and one of the most visually striking kits in the game.
Iron Man
Iron Man is the blueprint for how to do a tech-based hero in a beat ’em up. He smoothly mixes flight, ranged zoning, and close-range pressure, letting you adapt to almost anything a stage throws at you.
You can hover around enemies, pepper them with repulsor blasts, then dive in to finish the job. His controls feel intuitive, his combos are simple to understand but high-impact, and his specials deliver that “walking arsenal” fantasy perfectly.
Why he’s S Tier: Reliable in every scenario, easy to pick up, and incredibly fun to pilot from start to finish.
Storm
Storm plays exactly like you’d expect a weather goddess to play: she feels like a natural disaster in motion. Her normal attacks have great weight, and her elemental moves let you control space, stun groups and shred health bars.
Her special, which calls down a brutal storm on everything within range, is one of the most satisfying screen-clearing tools in the game. She balances grace and destruction in a way that fits her comic legacy perfectly.
Why she’s S Tier: Strong crowd control, great damage, and a kit that feels powerful without being awkward.
Phoenix
Phoenix brings psychic brutality and pure destructive power. Her basic strings are already fast and forceful, but it’s her grabs and specials that push her over the top. Being able to toss enemies around with telekinetic throws and then finish them off with Phoenix Force-level devastation makes her one of the most dangerous characters on the roster.
She’s also one of the stand-out heroes in the story, and it shows in how dominant she feels once unlocked.
Why she’s S Tier: Enormous burst potential, great crowd control, and a kit that constantly rewards aggression.
A Tier
These characters are excellent – they only miss S Tier because a few others are slightly more flexible or more consistently dominant.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is fast, responsive, and constantly in motion. His basic attacks come out quickly, and his webbing adds a ton of utility: you can snipe enemies at range, lock them down, or swing in with kicks that delete weaker mobs.
On top of that, his nonstop banter keeps fights entertaining even when you’re grinding. He feels exactly like a classic beat ’em up version of Spidey should.
Why he’s A Tier: High mobility, strong mix of melee and ranged options, and an extremely fun moveset.
Black Panther
Black Panther is all about precision and speed. His strikes are fast and clean, making him ideal for weaving through enemy groups and punishing openings. He also gets great use out of Vibranium, with dagger throws that feel sharp and impactful rather than tacked on.
He doesn’t have quite the overwhelming screen presence of the S Tier picks, but if you like agile, technical melee characters, T’Challa is a standout.
Why he’s A Tier: Agile, stylish, and efficient – a great pick for players who like quick, controlled aggression.
Cosmic Ghost Rider
Cosmic Ghost Rider is what happens when you take Ghost Rider’s hellfire aesthetic and mash it with The Punisher’s firepower. His motorcycle and supernatural attacks give him a strong visual identity, while his ranged tools and brawling ability make him very capable in practice.
He rewards players who are willing to juggle movement, spacing and gunplay instead of just mashing in close.
Why he’s A Tier: Flexible kit that blends mobility, ranged damage, and style in a very satisfying way.
Phyla-Vell
If you like sword characters, Phyla-Vell is your reward for sticking with the game. Her blade feels fantastic to swing: great hitboxes, strong combo flow, and a damage-over-time component that rewards extended strings.
She’s quick on her feet and excels at chewing through health bars once you get into rhythm. Visually and mechanically, she’s a refreshing change of pace from the more traditional brawlers and blasters.
Why she’s A Tier: High DPS, quick movement, and a sword moveset that actually feels premium instead of gimmicky.
B Tier
B Tier heroes are absolutely worth playing, especially if they’re personal favorites. They just don’t dominate quite as consistently as the top tiers.
Wolverine
Wolverine is a pure close-range menace. His claw attacks are fast, brutal and extremely satisfying, and his specials channel that feral aggression he’s known for. The whole presentation calls back to classic X-Men arcade-style beat ’em ups.
His main drawback is that he’s heavily dependent on being in someone’s face. When he’s in, he’s amazing; when enemies are spread out or constantly airborne, he can feel a bit more limited than the top-end picks.
Why he’s B Tier: Fantastic melee pressure and nostalgia factor, but less versatile than the best characters.
Venom
Venom is chaotic in all the right ways. His punches are heavy, his grabs are wild, and his animations really sell the “barely-contained monster” vibe. He makes enemy groups feel like chew toys once you get rolling.
He’s powerful and fun, but his kit is more about raw brawling than precision or control, which can make him feel a little less reliable on harder stages compared to more flexible heroes.
Why he’s B Tier: Big, satisfying damage and great personality, held back slightly by a more one-dimensional playstyle.
Captain America
Captain America is as dependable here as he is everywhere else. His shield is the star: throwing it around the screen and watching it bounce between enemies never gets old. His athletic attacks round out his moveset so he doesn’t feel like a pure ranged hero.
He’s strong and very beginner-friendly, but compared to the most dominant characters, he doesn’t quite hit the same power ceiling.
Why he’s B Tier: A rock-solid all-rounder with an iconic feel, just not as explosive as the very top of the roster.
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is one of the most satisfying pure bruisers in the game. Her kit is built around slams, haymakers and heavy hits that make every impact feel meaningful. Her leap-and-slam style moves give her enough mobility to keep things interesting.
Her biggest downside is that she leans hard into “up close and personal.” If you like direct brawling and don’t mind having fewer ranged options, she’s a blast.
Why she’s B Tier: Superb brawler with great animations, slightly limited by her lack of ranged diversity.
C Tier
These characters still have their uses and can absolutely shine in the right hands or pairings. They’re just a bit more situational or overshadowed by others doing similar things more efficiently.
Rocket Raccoon
Rocket mixes melee, gadgets and gunplay into a compact package. He’s fast, slippery and full of personality, which makes him great fun to control. His kit is particularly good when paired with a heavier frontline hero who can tank while Rocket dishes damage.
On his own, though, he can feel a little fragile and less impactful than the top-tier ranged or hybrid characters.
Why he’s C Tier: Great support-style partner and very fun, but not as consistently dominant as the stronger picks.
Nova
Nova brings both raw power and mobility, especially with his flight and ranged options. He fits the game’s “cosmic” label perfectly and is a natural pick for levels that benefit from aerial movement and ranged pressure.
He’s good, but when you compare him to Iron Man or Silver Surfer – other flying/ranged powerhouses – he doesn’t quite reach their level of impact.
Why he’s C Tier: Solid flyer with satisfying attacks, but outclassed by the absolute best cosmic-style characters.
Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill is a visually imposing character with a fun playstyle built around a mix of heavy punches and hammer juggles. He looks fantastic on screen and feels appropriately powerful when he’s connecting.
However, his overall effectiveness lags slightly behind other frontline bruisers and hybrid attackers. He’s fun and thematic, especially if you want a non-Thor Asgardian presence, but not a must-pick from a pure performance standpoint.
Why he’s C Tier: Great aesthetics and satisfying individual moves, but less efficient overall than the other heavy hitters.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion does a rare thing for a licensed beat ’em up: almost every character feels like a real interpretation of their comic counterpart, not just a reskin of the same basic moveset. That’s why even the lower-tier heroes are enjoyable to run through a stage with.
If you want to crush content as efficiently as possible, start with Silver Surfer, Iron Man, Storm, or Phoenix and build from there. If you care more about flavor and playing your favorites, you’ll still find strong, satisfying options in every tier.