As the movies and the comics depict, The Thing is not only a jacked character but also possesses a wide range of abilities that make him an instant threat on the battlefield. Being a Vanguard fundamentally, he boasts a large health pool. You’ll mostly see him on the front lines, capitalizing on his sustainable and endurance-related abilities.
Due to his resistance to damage and crowd-controlling powers, the amount of counters against him is significantly less. That being said, he’s still capable of being defeated. Below, we’ll discuss a few characters who’re potent against The Thing. Read on to learn more.
Countering The Thing
Being a Vanguard, The Thing already brings immense pressure to the enemy team due to his high health pool, promoting durability.
Apart from durability, he boasts certain attributes that make him stand out as a front-liner in Marvel Rivals. Below, we’ll discuss some traits players need to know before learning how to actually tackle the infamous Vanguard.
Starting with Hardened Skin, an ability that allows the character to decrease incoming damage from the enemies, increasing his durability on the front. Additionally, Unstoppable Charge allows The Thing to become resistant to his enemies’ crowd-control abilities, allowing him to bulldoze through enemy lines with minimal effort.
On the offensive side of things, Clobberin’ Time allows him to unleash his aggressive side, wreaking havoc on the battlefield.
How to Counter The Thing
As seen above, The Thing’s wide range of abilities not only allows him to defend himself against enemy attacks but also makes it efficient for him to prevent crowd-control tactics. In that case, characters who can maintain a distance or utilize their crowd-control abilities strategically can counter the character. Below, we’ll discuss a few of them.
Peni Parker (Vanguard)
Since Peni’s health pool is similar to that of The Thing, you’ve already got one aspect of the fight covered. With her abilities utilized effectively, you can give a tough fight to the enemies.
For starters, Peni Parker has an arsenal of multiple deployable gadgets that she uses to either damage her enemies or restrict their movement—do the same with The Thing. For instance, the character’s explosive mines, which she can use at multiple locations on the map strategically. When The Thing touches them, they’ll explode, reducing his health bar significantly.
This ensures that the enemy doesn’t charge you with all he’s got without consideration. To further escalate the damage he takes, we recommend placing these mines around objective points.
Another ability that Peni Parker can use is Web Snare, used to immobilize her opponents. This time, though, use Web Snare to immobilize The Thing’s support system. Since he’s essentially immune to crowd-controlling effects, utilizing these tactics against his support can allow your allies to focus fire on The Thing with ease, depleting his health bar significantly.
Groot (Vanguard)
Like Peni Parker, Groot’s also a Vanguard, so you’ve got the health difference covered. Unlike the previous character, though, Groot’s isolating abilities are unique. With the wooden walls the character can create, he can effectively separate The Thing from his team, the healers, and duelists, allowing the team to capitalize on his opportunity and focus fire on the buffy Vanguard.
On the offensive side of things, Groot can not only deal damage from range but can also perform melee attacks. For the former, he relies on his Primary (Vine Strike) and Secondary (Spore Bomb) fire. For the latter, Furious Flora is his go-to.
The Punisher (Duelist)
Despite being a Duelist, The Punisher is a potent character to use against The Thing. With his arsenal of weapons that allow him to deal significant damage from distance or close quarters, The Punisher quickly makes up for the health difference between him and his enemies.
To deal damage from range, the character reverts to his Assault Rifle, known as Adjudication. For close combat, he uses his Shotgun, the Deliverance. Both are excellent options for DPS. For supportive fire, he can place his Culling Turret, targeting the enemies nearby.
In situations where he’s unable to fight or counter incoming damage, the Punisher can utilize his Grappling Hook to escape. Additionally, he can use the same ability to reposition to strategic locations on the map.
Winter Soldier (Duelist)
Winter Solider is a Duelist like the Punisher. This character is known for effectively and efficiently utilizing his mobility and firepower to deal damage to his enemies, making him a potent threat on the battlefield. His Passive allows him to reload his Primary Weapon whenever he’s using his arm-specific abilities—it also grants bonus health.
By using his Bionic Hook, he can maintain a safe distance against The Thing while able to critically damage him. Additionally, he can use the same ability to reposition into strategic spots on the map. He can also close gaps between himself and his enemies through the abilities he possesses, being able to perform both at range and in close quarters.
Despite boasting a relatively larger health pool than other Duelists, he still comes with abilities that allow him to regenerate health, making him a significant counter against The Thing.