How to counter Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals

Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals is a sharpshooter Duelist who can deal massive damage with headshots. Countering this hero is crucial to securing map control as this character can stay back and land devastating headshots. These players mostly tend to target weaker enemies like support characters to cut off valuable support to the front-line fighters in almost all matches.

Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals is quite easy to take down since he has a lower health pool. One of the most effective ways to strike him down is by using stun or disorienting abilities. However, it is difficult to target a hero who stays behind as you would be targeted by the opponent Vanguards.

This article will highlight the best characters to pick as counters for Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s personal opinion. Furthermore, the contents of this guide have been updated to the latest patch deployed on January 25, 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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Exploring the 5 best heroes you can use to counter Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals

1) Spider-Man

Spider-Man in Marvel Rivals (Image via NetEase Games)

Hawkeye is a hero who thrives on accuracy, with his charged arrow shots getting deadlier with more complex shots. As such, one of the best ways to counter Hawkeye is to choose a hero that has agile movement mechanics, to make it harder for him to track your movement.

Spider-Man has one of the best movement abilities in the game. His web-swinging prowess can easily close the gap between him and his nemesis. Make use of complex swinging routes so it gets harder for Hawkeye to target you. Once you get close enough, use Spiderman's Get Over Here! ability to remove the gap between you two.

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2) Black Widow

Black Widow in Marvel Rivals (Image via NetEase Games)

Hawkeye is one of the best long-range heroes you can use in the title. His strength lies in the fact that he can be flexible with his attacks, being able to easily move around and adapt thanks to his widened field of view. However, his arrows suffer from bullet drop. Thus, you can use a sniping specialist to counter Hawkeye in the game.

Black Widow is one of the best snipers you can use in the game. Her Red Room rifle has an incredible focal length, meaning you can effectively damage the archer while staying far away from his attacks, making it harder for him to retaliate. While her field of view is effectively smaller thanks to her zoomed-in secondary fire, you can negate its effects by positioning yourself away from the action.

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3) Star-Lord

Star-Lord in Marvel Rivals (Image via NetEase Games)

Hawkeye's passive makes it so that his damage increases the more he focuses on his target. Thus, one of the best ways to counter Hawkeye can be to choose a superhero who has quick reflexes, good movement abilities, and can work at close range. Combine these all together to make a target that is hard to hit and can deal constant damage at close range.

Star-Lord is one such character in the game. His Rocket Propulsion ability makes it easy for him to give chase to the archer. His Stellar Shift ability works as a short dash, granting him invincibility frames while dodging. It also reloads his Elemental Guns, making it easier for Star-Lord to shred Hawkeye's healthbar.

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4) Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange in Marvel Rivals (Image via NetEase Games)

Due to his role as a long-range DPS hero, Hawkeye has to constantly keep an eye on the battlefield for any enemies. Thus, a great way to counter Hawkeye is to flank him from a location he doesn't expect. As such, choosing a superhero that can transport himself or his allies across the map can be a great choice to deal with the titular archer.

Doctor Strange is a Vanguard-class hero with such an ability. He can use his Pentagram of Farallah ability to create portals that connect different places on the map. Strange and his allies can use this ability to ambush Hawkeye from behind and deal substantial damage before he can retaliate.

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5) Hela

Hela in Marvel Rivals (Image via NetEase Games)

One issue that players might face when engaging in a long-range battle using Hawkeye is the caveat of hitting precise shots. This means you can also become a standing target for the enemy. Thus, to counter the hero, players can choose a character that can use a get-out-of-jail-free card to escape from the standoff.

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Hela is one character with that ability. Her Nightsword thorns have a long range. She can also use her Piercing Night ability to fire off multiple thorns that detonate after a delay, similar to Echo from Overwatch. However, what sets her apart is her ability to transform into a flock of crows. You can use this ability to escape from a standoff with ease.

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Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals can dish out big damage numbers and secure an impressive spot on the scoreboard with ease. This is why it becomes important to play from cover against such long-range heroes. You can utilize different combos to take down this Duelist due to his small health pool. However, the best strategy may be to send flanks during the match to fight against the enemy backline.

Making the most out of the team composition is an effective counter to almost all characters. This is because your team can play the roles they have mastered and work out new ways to counter issues as quickly as possible. This also makes communication easier and can help the team secure victories with ease.

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