That’s it, the final open Beta for Marvel’s Avengers finally closed this past weekend meaning we’ve had our fill of Avengers goodness until the full game is released on September 4th. One thing that’s been made clear to me over the past three weeks of Beta testing is how attached to one hero everyone seemed to get.

I’ve found it really interesting that there’s not been one particular character that’s been the favourite with the majority, just ask a group of players who they use most and chances are you’ll get a range of different answers. While streaming the Beta this past Friday (check it out in the video below), it really showed how I although I may not quite get the Hulk, he’s Luke and Matt’s go-to while Will much preferred flying around with Iron Man and I found way more joy in Kamala Khan than I thought I would. Anyway the point I’m trying to slowly get to is that Square Enix have done a cracking job with making these characters feel different from one another and this got me thinking, who is the best? 

That’s right folks, it’s time for another list! I do love a good list. So sit back and relax as I rank my favourite Marvel’s Avengers heroes so far, and as always remember to let me know your list in the comments below or over on our Twitter @RespawningUK.

6. Captain America

Whoa whoa calm down people, hear me out. I think it’s a testament to how much I’m now enjoying this game that Cap turns up in last place. Last doesn’t mean bad though, Cap is purely a victim of circumstance as my time with him was so short. What I enjoy most about this game is how much fun the heroes are as you make them stronger and unlock their skill tree. After only getting a few minutes with old Steve Rogers, I didn’t get that full experience. For what it’s worth though, he was my second favourite to use in the opening bridge scene so expect him to fly up the list once the full game is released. Oh wait no I forgot, he’s dead…

5. Thor

Much like Captain America, Thor falls this low purely due to the fact we got so little time with him. The reason he just about gets ahead of Cap though is because I can throw Mjölnir and call it back.. that’s it. Seriously though, I’ve heard people complain that Thor doesn’t feel weighty enough and I get that but I also felt the same way about The Hulk at first, but after spending more time with the big gamma nerd and unlocking more skills I quickly lost that feeling so I can only assume the same will happen with Thor eventually. If it does we could be looking at the best character in the game.

4. Kamala Khan

If you’d asked me to make this list before accessing the War Table then I think Kamala might have been fighting it out for bottom spot with Iron Man. On first impressions she was fun but grew tiresome quickly, however when we streamed the Beta I foolishly let everybody else pick first meaning I was left with poor Ms Marvel and to my surprise I grew quite attached. The more skills I unlocked and the more I learned how she plays the more fun she was to use. Being able to grow into a giant and just punt kick enemies out the way is a hell of a good time and I won’t hear anything different! My only concern is that she might fall behind the pack once other heroes are unlocked because I’ll probably prefer Cap and Thor but for now she nabs the fourth spot.

3. The Hulk

Oh Brucey we’ve been on quite the rollercoaster ride haven’t we? I feel my thoughts on Hulk somewhat mirror my thoughts on the game overall. On the trailers he looked pretty good then on the Golden Gate Bridge level he was stupidly fun to play as for a short while, then the game opened up and I got bored. I felt he was too lightweight and handled like ass. However once I came back to him after some time away and with a new appreciation for what the game is trying to be, I got back onboard. Playing in a team with friends is where Hulk really shines as you can rely on a mate to take out those annoying drones and lasers while you concentrate on…well.. smashing. I still feel the single player level with Hulk wasn’t great but in a team there’s no doubt he’s one of the highlights.

2. Black Widow

Much like the way Natasha uses her grapple hook to pull herself into the action during the gameplay, she’s done exactly the same here and surprisingly pulled herself into the second place in the dying embers of the game. During my video last week I spoke about not giving Iron Man and Black Widow a proper chance, well what happened was I gave Iron Man too much of a chance and still neglected everybody’s favourite Russian spy. So with only one day left on the Beta I finally put aside some time and jumped in with Black Widow and had an incredible time. Sure she’s not as grand as the others but the way she uses her grapple hook as both a weapon and way of getting around like Spider-Man is so addictive to do. I only intended to try her out and ended up sinking a couple of hours to try unlock more cool moves. The fact she’s already my second favourite after only a couple of hours bodes well for where she could end up. However I do fear for her once we have full access to Captain America and eventually Spider-Man given that she’s somewhat a mixture of the two right now and why have Rola Cola when you can have Coca Cola?

1. Iron Man

Iron Man, my main man! Digging into Iron Man and using him for a good chunk of time is what changed my opinion on this game. I still can’t get over how poorly represented he was in the opening bridge level when for some strange reason the game decided to show off the worst parts of his gameplay. Jumping between repulsor blasters, lasers and rockets is an absolute joy. I also love that I can fly away when the team gets overran and pick off ranged enemies from distance then fly back in to get involved hand to hand. If all that wasn’t enough you also get HulkBuster as Tony’s ultimate ability which stands head and shoulders above everyone else so far for me. Speaking with the likes of Jav, Luke & Matt (the three I imagine spending the most time with on the game), they all seem to be waiting on either Cap, Thor or Spider-Man as their main characters. For me though, I have mine in the Beta. There’s nothing left to say really other than.. I am Iron Man.

Come on then people, it’s time to jump in the comments and tell me why I’m wrong! I want to see your lists too though so make sure to send me those, I’m sure it’ll change from person to person! Also make sure to keep an eye right here at Respawning for more Marvel’s Avengers content including an updated version of this very ranking once I’ve spent some time with the full version of the game.