5 best heroes to duo with Doctor Strange in Marvel Rivals

Doctor Strange in Marvel Rivals is a capable Vanguard class hero in the game who features a massive shield ability to mitigate incoming damage. This mythical shield ability can protect the team from various projectiles and abilities. His kit also provides a floating ability that can be used to block aerial attacks. However, the shield is not omnidirectional and cannot be used to defend against all enemies.

Doctor Strange has one of the most powerful disabling ultimate abilities in NetEase Games' hero-shooter title. It can be used to take down a chunk of opponents as the ultimate temporarily stuns them, making them vulnerable to incoming damage. It is best to use this ability alongside Duelists to rake in as many eliminations as possible.

This article will highlight the most effective characters that you can pick with Doctor Strange to make the most of the Vanguard hero.

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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The best duos for Doctor Strange in Marvel Rivals

1) Hulk

The hero, Hulk (Image via NetEase Games)

Hulk comes under the Vanguard category of heroes in Marvel Rivals. His abilities allow him to become a brute that can get in the enemies' face to do damage. Hulk also has a decent amount of mobility as he can use his Incredible Leap to quickly traverse the map. Interestingly, Hulk has two lives. When an enemy downs Hulk, he will then transform into Bruce Banner, who can still be used to fight.

As of now, Hulk is the only hero that offers a team-up ability to Doctor Strange. With Hulk on the squad, the Sorcerer Supreme's Maelstrom Madness is enhanced. When the team-up happens, you can see Doctor Strange release excess gamma radiation with an explosion to do more damage.

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2) Hela

The hero, Hela (Image via NetEase Games)

Hela is one of the many Duelist heroes in Marvel Rivals. Her abilities let her do a great amount of damage from a long range. Hela's standard Nightsword Thorn is possibly one of the strongest in the game.

This is also the case for her ultimate ability, Goddess of Death, which can be an absolute game changer. Lastly, her Astral Flock is a great escape tool and can help her get out of many tricky situations.

Doctor Strange can be quite useful to a great Hela user. The simplest way to make this duo work is by using the Shield of Seraphim to provide Hela with a damage-absorbing tool. With the help of this, she can easily keep using her Nightsword Thorn to damage the enemies at the cost of not losing any health.

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3) Punisher

The hero, Punisher (Image via NetEase Games)

Punisher is a Duelist in Marvel Rivals. He is one of the simpler heroes to play in the game. Punisher uses his assault rifles and shotgun to damage enemies. He can also place a Culling Turret and arm it to shoot enemies constantly.

Currently, Punisher is one the strongest Duelists in the game and he can shoot his weapons behind the cover of Doctor Strange's Shield of Seraphim. The same can be done while placing the Turret. This will make it very difficult for enemies to break in and get close.

Another way to increase the impact of Punisher's weapons is by setting up one of Doctor Strange's portals in a sneaky position for the former to shoot enemies through.

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4) Hawkeye

The hero, Hawkeye (Image via NetEase Games)

Hawkeye is one of the most troublesome Duelists to face off against in Marvel Rivals. His Piercing Arrow does a great deal of damage and can even kill enemies in a couple of hits. Hawkeye also has some mobility options wherein he can use his Skyward Leap to double jump.

Doctor Strange can help Hawkeye in a very simple way. Yet again, the Shield of Seraphim can be used to create a cover. Hawkeye can then use his Piercing Arrows to deal a decent amount of damage and multi kills. The portal can also prove to be quite helpful here. However, things can get extremely difficult for both heroes if the enemies manage to get near them.

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5) Winter Soldier

The hero, Winter Soldier (Image via NetEase Games)

The Winter Soldier is yet another Duelist hero in Marvel Rivals. With his abilities, he can engage in close and long ranged battles. Winter Soldier's Roterstern does a great deal of damage and is one of the few weapons in the game that can kill enemies with a few bullets. That said, the weapon has just three bullets, and therefore, headshots will make a lot of difference.

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With Doctor Strange, Winter Soldier can make his bullets count. The Shield of Seraphim can be a great cover for him to inflict damage onto the enemies. Doctor Strange's Eye of Agamoto can also be followed by Winter Soldier's Kraken Impact to continue his damage streak. However, these will need to be timed properly.

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Doctor Strange, as a Vanguard hero, depends on the team to be able to anchor down objectives or take control of the map. This is because his damage output is not explosive and has an ability kit that focuses on defense and disruption. Fans can combine different ultimate behind Strange's shield to dish out massive numbers.

Doctor Strange in Marvel Rivals performs best when positioned on the frontlines alongside Duelists with Strategists at the back. A continuous stream of healing and attack buffs can help the team push back opponents with relative ease. This is a basic strategy and you can choose to sprinkle in more combos to score wins.

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