There are a wide variety of heroes to play as in Marvel's Avengers. Each presents unique designs, but also well-thought-out gameplay with combat that's fitting for each character. To go along with their combat are the Heroic abilities in the form of Assault, Support, and Ultimate abilities.
While the assault and support abilities do their job and are fun to experiment with, fans will agree that the Ultimates are the signature abilities that are meant to fit the character and help the hero the most. The question is, which ones are the worst and best of Marvel's Avengers?
Updated on December 11th, 2021 by Melody MacReady: Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have once again dropped content into Marvel's Avengers. For all players, the first raid is available for four players to charge into Wakanda's vibranium mound to fight the evil Klaw. Meanwhile, those with a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 were treated with the exclusive character of Spider-Man.
The inclusion of Peter Parker means that a new Ultimate ability has been added to Marvel's Avengers. A new way for players to decimate through swarms of enemies. Where does it rank in the diverse lineup of Ultimates? Is it one of the best or one of the worst?
Quantum Overdrive - Kate Bishop
Even the weakest of the Ultimates is not even that bad. When combined with the Specialty and Mastery upgrades to provide different abilities, Kate Bishop's Quantum Overdrive can be used effectively, from rapid-fire of her bow to sending quantum energy blades from her sword.
Where Quantum Overdrive disappoints is in its initial use: it makes Kate glow purple and gives her slightly enhanced damage for her sword and bow. Until upgrades are provided, this Ultimate feels more akin to a Support-class ability than an Ultimate.
Bast's Chosen - Black Panther
With a very satisfying music cue, Black Panther summons a giant panther spirit to charge forward through his enemies. The animation is always nice to look at with Specialty upgrades that include summoning Wakanda's elite soldiers: the Dora Milaje to assist in battle or filling the entire team's Intrinsic energy bars.
Unfortunately, Black Panther's Ultimate is rather unreliable. The panther spirit moves in a serpentine pattern, going straight forward from King T'Challa's view. As a result, enemies can easily dodge the attack or the panther completely misses the targets. Although, it can deliver a massive amount of damage when it does finally hit.
Hulkbuster - Iron Man
Iron Man has many powerful armors, but the Hulkbuster is the most fitting for an Ultimate ability. It transforms Tony Stark into a massive mech with the strength of the Hulk, a barrage of missiles, lasers, and other things fans expect Iron Man to have in his arsenal.
From the combat to the visual design of the Hulkbuster armor, it's easy to get lost in the power of the suit. Unfortunately, Hulkbuster features the weakest Specialty upgrades that boil down to essentially bigger versions of other Iron Man abilities with slight passive abilities.
Bifrost - Thor
A very fitting Ultimate for the son of Odin; he summons the Bifrost to transport himself anywhere the player chooses. Upon coming down, the mystic energy beam damages any enemy within the radius while leaving a massive Asgardian symbol on the ground.
It's visually stunning, satisfying to pull off, and can be used effectively in most situations. The Bifrost also features Specialty upgrades that can turn Thor into a hybrid character class. Beaming down the Bifrost can create different auras for healing, damage, and more, thus providing more tactics to the Ultimate.
Thunderclap - Hulk
Fans of the Hulk will appreciate this iconic move, the massive clap that sends out a giant shockwave to disorient and damage in a fan-like pattern. Much like the Bifrost, the iconography of the ability gives it extra points, especially since it was a famous ability in other Marvel video games.
It was even featured in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. On top of that, the Thunderclap has different Specialty upgrades. That includes making it more narrow with more damage, creating a vacuum that sucks in all enemies, or simply increasing the damage, making it very useful in the many boss fights in Marvel's Avengers.
Wrecking Ball - Spider-Man
Exclusive to PlayStation owners, Spider-Man is a very unique character that takes some getting used to. One of them is his ultimate ability to form a giant web ball then swing it down onto the ground for a massive area of effect attack.
The Wrecking Ball is visually stunning and it deals significant damage, webbing up surviving enemies, and gifts the Wall-Crawler with enhanced damage for a short period. There are different upgrades to allow different passive abilities such as trapping the floor or giving Spider-Man web-gauntlets.
Power Surge - Black Widow
Black Widow combines her batons together to create a bo-staff charged with electricity. Unlike other Ultimate abilities, this one gives Black Widow a completely different combat style with new combos and electric attacks along with an increased defense that turns Black Widow from an already high-tier fighter to nearly overpowered.
That's not even including her Specialty abilities, which include increased damage, chances of dropping health packs, and other various passive abilities.
Embiggen - Ms. Marvel
Using her polymorphic abilities, Kamala Khan AKA Ms. Marvel transforms into a giant temporarily. Since Ms. Marvel is a Support-class character, her passive Specialty upgrades fit her playstyle; dropping health and Heroic energy along with taunting enemies or simply increasing the amount of time she can stay big.
Embiggen does exactly what someone might think it does: increases her strength and elastic abilities. Kamala can crush an enemy with a slam of her fist or she can spin with her arms stretched to damage many enemies at once. It's an ability that is simple but features many layers in combat that are worth experimenting with.
Brooklyn Brawler - Captain America
Similar to Kate Bishop, Captain America is given an increase in melee damage. However, Captain America is given new combat animation with his combos, showing him throw his iconic Vibranium shield rapidly and using it as both a blunt and blade-like instrument in battle. There is even a brand new combo given to Captain America while it is active.
The combat animations combined with the increased strength make for some of the most satisfying Captain America combat. Captain America's Specialty upgrades are nothing flashy but are useful passive skills that can change the Ultimate ability's use almost completely in combat.
Hunter's Arrow - Hawkeye
Emulating Yondu's iconic Yaka Arrow from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hawkeye sends out a drone-like arrow that targets and hits most, if not all enemies in the area. This can stun enemies which is helpful if a teammate is knocked down and needs time for Hawkeye or another teammate to revive them. The Hunter's Arrow also provides a large amount of damage, especially if the arrow hits enemies multiple times.
As for the Specialty upgrades, they really change the Hunter's Arrow. For example, the player can have an upgrade that forces the Arrow to focus on one enemy until it is defeated or embed explosive energy onto an enemy, allowing for an explosion if Hawkeye hits them with his sword. The Hunter's Arrow requires a lot of experimentation to fit each player's personal gameplay style.