How to counter The Punisher in Marvel Rivals

Countering The Punisher in Marvel Rivals is essential, as he is undoubtedly one of the strongest Duelists in the game. He literally carries an entire arsenal of weapons to serve as his abilities, making him quite a deadly addition to the game's growing roster. He is one of the few hit-scan heroes in the game, and naturally, he has quite a massive fan base within NetEase Games' hero-shooter.

When left unchecked, The Punisher can absolutely ruin every single one of your games owing to his extremely high power levels. He has quite a low skill-floor, making him the perfect pick for newbies and veterans alike.

That said, this article will provide you with a detailed brief on the means through which you can counter The Punisher in Marvel Rivals. It will further discuss the best heroes capable of dealing with this hero in-game.

Editor's Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinion. Furthermore, the contents of this guide have been updated to the latest patch deployed on February 5, 2025. This article will be further updated as a new balance update goes live for Marvel Rivals in the near future.

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Most effective methods to counter The Punisher in Marvel Rivals

Below, you will find a list of the best heroes capable enough to counter The Punisher in Marvel Rivals, and a designated strategy to help you defeat him when you match against him in-game.

1) Spider-Man - Duelist

Spider-Man beats The Punisher with sheer mobility (Image via NetEase Games)

Spider-Man can prove to be a strong counter to The Punisher. Arguably, mobility is perhaps the greatest weakness of The Punisher. A good Spider-Man player can easily run circles around Frank Castle and take him down. His mobility is aided by his Web-Swinging ability.

You can also use the Get Over Here! ability to close the distance between you and The Punisher. The two have opposing playstyles but Spider-Man can certainly prove to be a bothersome presence for the dual gun-wielding hero.

2) Dr Strange - Vanguard

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Dr. Strange can outplay The Punisher by blocking his bullets with the Shield of The Seraphim and creating portals with the Pentagram of Farallah ability. With the latter, he can easily manage the distance between two spaces, making it easier to manipulate his range.

Strange can also his Eye of Agomotto ability to deal damage to The Punisher within a 10-meter radius beating him at his own game.

3) Luna Snow - Strategist

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Luna Snow happens to have incredible mobility. She can ice skate with her Smooth Skate ability. This allows her a faster base movement, making her a very difficult target for The Punisher in Marvel Rivals.

Luna Snow can also jump incredibly high with this ability while ice skating. While on the move, she can cast her Ice Arts to damage The Punisher while healing herself.

4) Hawkeye - Duelist

Hawkeye beats The Punisher at his own game in Marvel Rivals (Image via NetEase Games)

A good Hawkeye main can deal great damage to The Punisher in Marvel Rivals. The latter has a strong mid-range AR and a short-range Shotgun. However, Hawkeye's Piercing, Blast, and Hypersonic Arrows can travel over a great distance, therefore, beating Frank Castle at his own game.

Hawkeye also has strong movement abilities such as the Ronin Slash that deflects projectiles and the Skyward Leap, which allows him a double jump.

5) Peni Parker

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Finally, Peni Parker will just be able to overwhelm The Punisher in Marvel Rivals with all her abilities. Her Spider-Sweeper can quite literally launch the latter in the air while deploying Arachno-Mines, Spider-Drones, and Cyber-Webs repeatedly, all of which will prove to be constant smaller targets for The Punisher.

Her Cyber-Web Snare can immobilize Frank Castle making him a very easy target. Furthermore, since she is a Vanguard hero, Peni Parker also has a base health of 650, which can be healed over time with her Cyber-Webs. Meanwhile, The Punisher only has a base health of 300. This makes it easier to take him down than Peni Parker.

These are some of the best heroes and strategies you can pick and implement to effectively counter The Punisher in Marvel Rivals. We urge players to use team-ups and hero combos for the best results. It's pretty hard to fight against The Punisher all on your own, and using proper communication will help you take him down with ease.

If this article is to your liking, you can check out our other related hero guides and Marvel Rivals content on our esports section. You can also check out some of these relevant articles below:

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Edited by Ashmita Bhatt