Ultimate Marvel Rivals Flying Counter Guide (March 2026)

The best heroes to counter flying meta in Marvel Rivals are The Punisher (hitscan rifle and auto-targeting turret), Hela (no damage falloff), Winter Soldier (precision damage), and The Thing (Season 3.5 anti-air buffs). Use covered positions, focus consistent pressure over eliminations, and coordinate with team-ups like Operation: Microchip for maximum effectiveness against aerial enemies.

I’ll be honest – the flying meta in Marvel Rivals has been driving me and countless other players absolutely crazy since Season 2.5 launched. Whether it’s Storm raining chaos from above, Iron Man peppering you with missiles, or the new Ultron floating around keeping the entire enemy team healed up, dealing with airborne heroes has become the most frustrating aspect of the game. After grinding through countless matches and testing various counter strategies, I’ve discovered which heroes actually work against this aerial nightmare.

The good news? The Season 3.5 update (August 2026) finally brought some much-needed anti-air buffs that have made dealing with flying heroes more manageable. In this guide, I’ll share everything I’ve learned about countering the flying meta, including the best hero picks, positioning strategies, and team compositions that actually work. Trust me, after reading this, you’ll stop feeling helpless when the enemy team goes full aerial assault. For context on how these heroes rank in the current meta rankings, check out our comprehensive tier list guide.

Why Flying Heroes Dominate Marvel Rivals Right Now?

Before diving into counters, let me explain why flying heroes have become so oppressive. The introduction of Ultron as the first flying Strategist (healer) in Season 2.5 fundamentally changed the game’s dynamics. Suddenly, flying compositions could sustain themselves indefinitely while maintaining superior positioning. Storm’s 44% ban rate in high-rank matches tells you everything you need to know about how dominant this strategy has become.

Flying heroes gain three major advantages that ground-based characters struggle to match. First, they have unparalleled map control – they can access angles and sightlines that are impossible for most heroes to reach. Second, they force you to constantly look up while still managing ground-level threats, creating sensory overload. Third, and this is what really frustrates tank players like myself, most Vanguard abilities simply can’t reach them, making the tank role feel useless.

The visual clutter from Human Torch’s abilities makes tracking even harder, and when you combine that with Storm’s area denial and Ultron’s healing, you get a composition that feels nearly unbeatable. I’ve seen entire teams quit matches when facing a coordinated flying stack, and honestly, I understand the frustration.

Top DPS Heroes That Destroy Flying Enemies

The Punisher – Your Anti-Air Turret

After extensive testing, I can confidently say The Punisher is the absolute best counter to flying heroes in Marvel Rivals. His Adjudication rifle provides consistent hitscan damage that flying heroes can’t dodge, and his Culling Turret automatically targets airborne enemies. What really makes him shine is the Operation: Microchip team-up with Black Widow, which gives both heroes enhanced damage against flying targets.

My Punisher strategy is simple but effective: position yourself with cover overhead to limit diving angles, deploy your turret in spots where it can track aerial movement, and focus on consistent pressure rather than trying to secure eliminations. Flying heroes rely on hit-and-run tactics, so forcing them to constantly reposition reduces their effectiveness dramatically.

Hela – Death from Below

Hela received significant improvements in Season 3.5 that make her an excellent flying counter. Her primary fire is hitscan with no damage falloff, meaning you can pressure flying heroes at any range. Her Nastrond Crows provide additional tracking damage, and her ultimate can force flying heroes to completely evacuate an area.

What I love about playing Hela against flyers is her psychological impact. Flying heroes want to feel safe in the air, but Hela’s consistent damage output makes them constantly second-guess their positioning. I’ve found that focusing on Storm first usually causes the entire flying composition to fall apart, as she’s often the lynchpin of these strategies.

Winter Soldier – The Precision Hunter

Winter Soldier might not be everyone’s first choice, but I’ve had tremendous success using him against flying heroes. His Trooper’s Rifle deals devastating headshot damage, and flying heroes often move predictably, making them easier targets than you’d think. His Bionic Hook can also pull flying heroes down to ground level, completely disrupting their game plan.

The key with Winter Soldier is patience. I wait for flying heroes to commit to an attack pattern, then punish them during their predictable movement. His ultimate, Maximum Effort, turns him into an anti-air nightmare with enhanced damage and mobility.

Hawkeye – The Skyward Archer

Don’t sleep on Hawkeye as a flying counter. His Piercing Arrow can hit multiple flying targets clustered together, and the Chilling Assault team-up with Luna Snow creates wall-piercing ice arrows that flying heroes can’t hide from. His Hypersonic Arrows have a slight tracking element that helps against mobile aerial targets.

I’ve found Hawkeye works best when you predict flying hero movement patterns rather than trying to track them directly. Most flying heroes have favorite hovering spots on each map – learn these and pre-aim your shots accordingly.

Tank Heroes That Can Actually Fight Back

The Thing – Season 3.5’s Anti-Air Vanguard

The Thing received game-changing buffs in Season 3.5 that specifically target the flying meta. His new Battle Blitz ability lets him leap 20 meters toward enemies with 25% damage reduction, and his Stone Haymaker now knocks flying enemies out of the sky. This completely changed how I approach flying heroes as a tank main.

My Thing strategy involves using Battle Blitz to close gaps when flying heroes drop low, then using Stone Haymaker to ground them for my team to finish off. The psychological pressure of knowing The Thing can reach you keeps flying heroes from getting too comfortable.

Doctor Strange – The Mystical Solution

Doctor Strange got buffed in Season 3.5 with more Daggers of Denak charges (8 to 10) and reduced Cloak of Levitation cooldown (15s to 12s). These changes make him surprisingly effective against flying heroes. His Shield of the Seraphim blocks aerial bombardment, and his portals can reposition your team to better angles.

I use Strange to create no-fly zones with his abilities. Flying heroes rely on freedom of movement, and Strange’s area denial tools force them into predictable patterns your DPS can exploit.

Peni Parker – The Spider’s Web

While Peni Parker can’t directly reach flying heroes, her Cyber-Web Cluster creates area denial that limits where they can safely hover. Her Spider-Mines force flying heroes to maintain altitude, making them predictable targets for your hitscan DPS.

My Peni strategy focuses on controlling ground space so thoroughly that flying heroes have nowhere safe to land and recharge. This indirect pressure often forces them to overextend, creating opportunities for your team.

Support Strategies for Dealing with Flyers

As a support player facing flying heroes, your job isn’t necessarily to kill them but to enable your team to do so. Luna Snow’s freeze abilities can catch flying heroes off-guard, especially with the Chilling Assault team-up with Hawkeye. Her Ice Arts provides damage boost to allies targeting airborne enemies.

Mantis deserves special mention for her Nature’s Favor damage boost, which turns your hitscan DPS into flying hero deletion machines. I always prioritize damage-boosting Punisher or Hela when facing flying compositions.

The key support strategy I’ve developed is positioning. Stay near cover, keep your hitscan DPS alive at all costs, and don’t chase flying heroes for eliminations. Your survival enables your team’s anti-air capabilities.

Team Composition Strategies

After hundreds of matches, I’ve identified the optimal team composition for countering flying heroes: two hitscan DPS (Punisher + Hela/Winter Soldier), one anti-air capable tank (The Thing or Doctor Strange), and two supports (one main healer, one utility support like Mantis).

Communication is absolutely critical. Before the match starts, I always ensure someone is specifically assigned to anti-air duty. In solo queue, I’ll often pick Punisher myself since he’s the most reliable counter and doesn’t require team coordination to be effective.

The Operation: Microchip team-up between Punisher and Black Widow is particularly powerful. If you can coordinate with another player to run this combo, flying heroes become significantly less threatening. The enhanced damage and utility from this team-up often single-handedly shuts down flying strategies.

Positioning Tips Against Flying Heroes

Positioning might be even more important than hero selection when countering flyers. I always look for spots with overhead cover that limit diving angles while maintaining sightlines to common flying positions. On maps like Thor’s Mjolnir Arena, the covered corridors become crucial defensive positions.

Never chase flying heroes into open areas – that’s exactly what they want. Instead, control key map positions that force them to come to you. Flying heroes excel at kiting and baiting, so disciplined positioning prevents you from falling into their traps.

Developer Response and Future Changes

NetEase has acknowledged the flying meta concerns, with Dev Talk Vol.13 stating they’re being “cautious” with mid-season changes while planning more comprehensive adjustments. The Season 3.5 changes were a good start – Ultron’s Dynamic Flight acceleration was reduced from 8s to 6s, and Thor’s Lightning Realm now grounds enemies for 2 seconds when they leave its boundary.

Based on patch patterns and community feedback, I expect future updates to include more Vanguard anti-air options, possible Storm ability duration nerfs, and visual effect reduction for Human Torch. The developer’s philosophy seems focused on providing counters rather than directly nerfing flying heroes, which maintains character identity while addressing balance concerns.

Conclusion

The flying meta in Marvel Rivals has definitely been frustrating, but it’s not unbeatable. With the right hero picks, positioning, and team coordination, you can consistently shut down aerial strategies. The Season 3.5 balance changes have helped significantly, and I expect future updates to continue addressing community concerns.

My final advice? Don’t try to out-fly the flying heroes – out-think them. Use the counters I’ve outlined, maintain disciplined positioning, and remember that most flying heroes struggle when forced to engage on your terms rather than theirs. The meta will continue evolving, but these fundamental counter strategies will remain effective.

Keep practicing these techniques, and soon you’ll be the one making flying hero players rage quit. Trust me, there’s nothing more satisfying than watching a cocky Storm player realize they can’t dominate the match from the sky anymore. For additional rewards while you practice these strategies, don’t forget to check out our guide to Marvel Rivals codes and rewards. See you in the arena, and remember – always look up, but never forget to control the ground!