Despite a rocky launch, Marvel's Avengers is still going and getting stronger. After months of patches and updates, many glitches and downright broken aspects of the game have been fixed. Though not perfect, the updates combined with the new DLC have turned Marvel's Avengers into the game it should have been at launch.
One aspect that was universally praised since the launch was the characters themselves. From the storytelling in the multiple campaigns, the voice-acting, and, most importantly, the gameplay: every Avenger has been great. Not a single character has been bad but obviously, some heroes are better than others.
Updated on July 11th, 2022 by Melody MacReady: Over two years after its initial launch, the difference is almost like night and day. The consistent support that improved the performance in the game via patches and the current-generation console releases show dedication from Crystal Dynamics to improve their game. On top of that, Marvel's Avengers players have been gifted with DLC characters and campaigns for free, something that not many games are willing to do.
Now with the releases of both Jane Foster just in time for Thor: Love And Thunder, the future of Marvel's Avengers seems bright. Likely, Crystal Dynamics has more characters planned for the game but for now, their roster of ten characters including Spider-Man has plenty of content to offer gamers.
Hulk
There are many perks to playing as Hulk: his Heroic attacks are devastating. Being the strongest Avenger, his damage when given the right gear can lead to players destroying hordes of enemies like paper. The key mechanic to perfecting Hulk is using his rage mode to heal him. The only downside to Hulk is that his size and presence make him a target for most enemies.
The duality of Hulk and Banner is played rather well with Troy Baker providing a great voice for Banner. In the story, Hulk is given much more development and a bigger role than in all the movies with Bruce Banner as a flawed but lovable mentor for Kamala Khan.
Iron Man
Voiced by the famous Nolan North, Iron Man is a solid character in nearly every aspect. He has plenty of ranged attacks for support, he can fly, he has super strength with fun melee combat, and has many abilities to master. Unfortunately, not everything about Tony is flawless: his laser-based ranged attacks have little functionality.
Nolan North does a great job with Tony, never once trying to imitate Robert Downey Jr's version. Tony's tension with Bruce Banner makes for a nice change-up, leading to a lot of great moments between him and Troy Baker. Iron Man, of course, has some of the best skins in the game since the character lends himself to a variety of different styles.
Black Widow
This character is actually surprisingly overpowered. Black Widow's combination of ranged and melee combat that flow together perfectly render her almost unstoppable in Marvel's Avengers. That's not even getting to the Heroic attacks that practically turn her into the new strongest Avenger.
Laura Bailey plays the character and she got better and better as the story unfolds. Black Widow ends up being one of the most important characters since she sets Kamala on her quest to reassemble the Avengers. Just like the movies, Black Widow quickly became a fan favorite, especially after having some of the best missions in the campaign for Marvel's Avengers.
Thor
Thor has easily the least amount of screentime of all the Avengers in the story. That's not to say he's bad but he could have used a bit more story. Still, Travis Willingham plays Thor just as great as he always has in animation and other games. In Marvel's Avengers, Thor is a cocky but wise warrior that feels straight out of the many Thor comics.
Gameplay-wise, Thor is a powerhouse: his Mjolnir melee attacks and Heroic abilities make him (lack a better term) god-like. Much like Hulk, Thor can decimate hordes of enemies while still providing enough challenge to keep him from being boring. The ability to fly the fastest also gives him a boost.
The Mighty Thor
Portrayed with charm and grace by Zehra Fazal, Jane Foster AKA The Mighty Thor was a last-minute addition but one that fans were excited for. Thankfully, she's actually just as fun, if not more fun to control than the Odinson. This is mostly due to the fact that Jane and Thor's combat are very similar with some shared abilities. However, similar to Kate Bishop and Hawkeye, they are not clones of each other.
Jane's combat relies more on her throwing and catching Mjolnir as her main attack, giving her a bit more range than Odinson. And her ultimate ability allows her to let Mjolnir roam around and attack any enemy in the area whilst she wields the All-Weapon. This ultimate combined with some of her new abilities make her just slightly better than her Odinson counterpart.
Captain America
At first, Captain America was great but needed work. Now, after the patches, Captain America is almost perfect. Captain America has easily some of the best melee combat which combined with his improved shield mechanics make him addicting to play. It's easy to see why he's the last character to unlock in the story.
The overall design of Captain America is worthy of praise which is why fans flocked to his MCU-inspired skins to wear. Jeff Schine's performance as Steve Rogers is also great, portraying a humble yet inspirational superhero rather well. The biggest downside to Captain America is his traversal. The wall-running and double jump are great touches but he is the slowest of the Avengers when traveling long distances.
Hawkeye
Clint Barton is a perfect mix of his Hawkeye and Ronin phases. Obviously, he has his bow and arrows for deadly ranged combat but he also has his Japanese sword for melee. Surprisingly, his utilization of weapons is unique despite being the same weapons as Kate Bishop.
The grapple arrow, though similar to Black Widow's grapple, makes for some of the smoothest traversals thus far. His story show off the talents of Giacomo Gianniotti since he has to play the young and Old Man Hawkeye. Both are drastically different in personality and have a hilarious dialogue with each other and Kate.
Spider-Man
Exclusive to PlayStation owners, Spider-Man's gameplay in Marvel's Avengers is unique and fun to experiment with. Spider-Man is more of a support class, stunning enemies on the ground, helping his teammates, or taking the fight to the skies to fend off the often-annoying aerial enemies.
Much like the other Avengers, this version of Spider-Man never feels like it's copying any of the movies or previous games; Sean Chiplock's portrayal of Peter Parker is unique to this world. The biggest flaw of Spider-Man is his lack of story-based missions: his rather short story is mainly told through a few character interactions, audio logs, and performing regular tasks on missions.
Ms. Marvel
Kamala Khan is just perfect. Sandra Saad clearly loves the character and puts her heart and soul into the performance. Her character arc combined with her beautiful chemistry with each Avenger makes her lovable. Kamala, like all the Avengers, has her own iconic moments in the story.
Ms. Marvel is also a perfect representation of a true nerdy fan. She is a believable and very human character that leads the campaign better than any of the big Avengers ever could. Then there are the polymorphic abilities that make her a solid brawler character. Kamala is also a supporting character with her healing ability being an essential one when playing with teammates.
Kate Bishop
She's funny, she's super likable, and she is a complete badass: what is there not to like about Kate Bishop? Yes, she is an archer and sword-wielder like Hawkeye but her arrows have different uses which combined with her teleporting abilities make her complex to learn. When mastered, Kate Bishop makes for the best mix of melee and ranged combat in the game.
Kate Bishop is voiced by Ashly Burch who most might know as Tiny Tina from Borderlands games or Aloy from Horizon: Forbidden West. So obviously, she brings a lot of comedy and energy to Kate that will have every gamer laughing out loud. However, Burch also brings a surprising amount of emotion and depth to both her and Hawkeye's stories.
Black Panther
Voiced by Christopher Judge, the voice of Kratos from God Of War, Black Panther surprised players by how much depth was put into his combat. His melee is effective at every range due to his ability to pounce forward, dash quickly, and use momentum to propel himself. Taking damage in order to build up kinetic energy in the suit for different purposes is trickier than it sounds but it is very satisfying to pull off.
Black Panther's fighting style has many layers that take time to master as more of his skills are unlocked. His Heroic abilities are unique but fit right within the Black Panther lore: aerial Kimoyo beads that damage nearby enemies, a vibranium spear to deal heavy knockback damage, and the ability to summon a Panther spirit as an ultimate.