Marvel Rivals has had an exciting four months since its release back in December, and players have already been climbing the ranks, posting highlights, and enjoying the game’s roster of 38 diverse heroes.
But among this lineup of iconic Marvel characters, not every hero fits the mold when it comes to being meta. While some characters—like Magneto and Emma Frost—are currently overperforming, others have passive abilities so underwhelming they might as well not exist.
So here are the worst passive abilities in Marvel Rivals, ranked.
Groot’s “Friendly Shoulder” Passive
It’s always kinda wholesome when there’s a Rocket Raccoon or Jeff the Shark on the team. They can hop onto Groot’s shoulder and enjoy a damage reduction bonus while mowing down the enemy team. However, that doesn’t always make for a good passive.
With Groot being such a large target, Jeff and Rocket’s presence on his shoulder often spells doom for everyone involved, especially since they’re usually top-priority picks. Heroes like Punisher or other damage dealers can erase your health bar in seconds. And with Season 2’s across-the-board damage buffs, this passive is incredibly risky to use without inviting death.
Hela’s “Nastrond Crowstorm” Passive
Many players forget that Hela even has a passive. When she eliminates a hero, her Nastrond Crow corrupts the corpse, causing it to explode and deal 80 damage to nearby enemies. It can be annoying when someone’s hanging on by a sliver of health, but most of the time, it's just tickle damage, especially in higher Elo.
This only becomes dangerous when a skilled Hela pairs it with her team-up passive with Loki and Thor, where allies are revived after every Hela kill. That combo can absolutely break an enemy team’s morale. But without that synergy? Meh.
Spider-Man’s “Spider-Sense” Passive
Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man might not be the scariest hero in high-level play, but at least he has a terrible passive! Sure, he gets the classic wall run, but his "Spider-Sense" is arguably the weakest part of his kit.
In a fast-paced game like Marvel Rivals, with chaos happening on all fronts, it’s hard to rely on a passive that’s this inconsistent. The Spidey Sense doesn’t always trigger when you expect it to, making it hard to trust when you're trying to react quickly.
The only time it’s remotely useful is when someone sneaks up on you—like Invisible Woman or Psylocke—but even then, it’s purely situational.
READ: Marvel Rivals’ Dive Meta Is Taking Over Competitive Lobbies
Magneto’s “Magnetic Descent” Passive
As a Vanguard main, this passive is just...laughably bad. Magneto, the master of magnetism, should be soaring through the skies and aura farming, not awkwardly floating down like a helium balloon. Holding the Spacebar while falling triggers a slow descent animation, which is more cinematic than useful.
Most maps in Marvel Rivals offer minimal verticality, making this passive close to pointless. The only viable use is pairing it with Rocket’s “Super Jump” Pack, but doing so just turns you into a giant target hovering above the battlefield.
Loki’s “Backstab” Passive
Loki’s “Backstab” is arguably Marvel Rivals’ worst passive. It’s so underwhelming that most Loki players won’t even risk breaking invisibility for a meager +15 damage boost, bringing his total melee damage to a sad 45.
Sure, in some scenarios, a clever Loki might spawn multiple clones and land several backstabs in a row—but the odds of pulling that off successfully? One in a hundred.
With more heroes coming to Marvel Rivals’ roster, odds are we’ll see another passive ability that ends up being more decorative than practical. Here’s hoping NetEase is listening to player feedback and rolls out some balance changes for these practically nonexistent passives.