Marvel Rivals players debate the downfall of this Strategist hero

There’s always one. A character that starts out as a powerhouse, only to be left in the dust when the meta shifts. We’ve seen it in countless multiplayer games before: a hero that goes from a must-have for high-level play to a pick so questionable that teammates start side-eyeing you in ranked lobbies.

A Reddit post titled “How did this hero go from broken in the beta to people literally saying you are throwing by just picking him?” has brought Marvel Rivals players together in collective bewilderment over Adam Warlock’s fall from grace. This isn’t just a case of a character feeling slightly weaker post-beta—this is a full-blown existential crisis for anyone who once believed in his godly potential.

Adam Warlock entered Marvel Rivals as a powerful Strategist hero with unique abilities: high-burst AoE healing, a damage-sharing link between teammates, and even a self-resurrection mechanic. He sounded like a dream pick—until more characters were introduced to the roster.

The top comment on the now-viral Reddit thread sums up the community’s feelings pretty well: “Give him at least 1 more charge of healing and he will be played more.” (6.9k upvotes, so yeah, people agree.) But another player contributed to the conversation with a more exasperated take, commenting that “Adam is a disproportionately slow character” and complaining about his actual in-game movement speed.

This seems to be a huge part of Warlock’s problem—he’s a Strategist with no mobility. In a game where characters can disappear, fly, and throw themselves across the battlefield, Adam Warlock feels like he’s wading through molasses. One player pointed out the obvious: “He needs a mobility option. Something like flight that only recharges when he lands attacks and/or abilities on multiple allies.”

You’d think a cosmic powerhouse with devastating magical abilities would have something up his sleeve to escape danger. But no—Warlock’s strategy appears to be “walk in, do some healing, and hope nobody looks directly at him.” Unfortunately, he’s gold, so that’s not going to happen.

Beyond the lack of mobility, one of the biggest reasons for Adam Warlock’s decline is the sheer power creep since Marvel Rivals launched. As one player explained in the Reddit thread: “Season 1 hit us with some insane power creep… The amount of Strategists with broken Defensive Ultimates went from 2 to 4, making Adam hard to justify as an option.”

Basically, when Marvel Rivals was in its early stages, Warlock worked well with Mantis and Star-Lord, who were top-tier at the time (and are still up there). But as soon as they fell out of the meta and new, stronger Strategists entered the scene, Adam got left behind. Now, instead of being a must-pick, he’s just another guy in a support class that’s starting to get more crowded.

Here’s the thing—Warlock isn’t useless. His Karmic Revival ultimate has the potential to turn the tide of a fight, and Soul Bond can be a game-changer when used correctly. But he has to work twice as hard as other Strategists to get the same value. He isn’t unplayable—he’s just outclassed. And in a fast-paced shooter where movement and reaction time mean everything, a support hero with no mobility and long cooldowns is just asking for trouble.

Despite his flaws, plenty of players believe Adam Warlock is one or two buffs away from being a viable pick again. Giving him a small mobility tool, tweaking his healing recharge, or reducing the cooldown of Regenerative Cocoon could be enough to bring him back into the meta.

Until then, if you’re locking in Adam Warlock in ranked, just hope your teammates don’t assume you’re throwing the match before the game even starts.