Widow's Bite Baton
Her close-range option: electric batons that strike for 45 damage at 3 m every 0.5 seconds. Switch to it when a diver reaches her instead of trying to land rifle shots.
- Casting
- Melee
- Damage
- 45
- Range
- 3m
- Attack Interval
- 0.5s
Black Widow
Marvel Rivals Duelist · Season 10.5
Updated
Black Widow is a Duelist hero in Marvel Rivals with 250 health and a 4/5 difficulty rating. Black Widow joined the game in Season 0 on December 6, 2024. In Season 10.5 ranked, Black Widow has a 45.3% win rate (C tier, #49 of 54) and is picked by 4.0% of teams. Black Widow's team-ups are Allied Agents (with Hawkeye) and Burning Bullets (with Phoenix). The ultimate is Assassin's Focus.
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Role
- Duelist
- Attack Type
- Hitscan
- Health
- 250
- Movement Speed
- 6 m/s
- Ultimate
- Assassin's Focus
- Ranked (S10.5)
- C tier · 45.3% win rate
- Released
- Season 0 (Dec 6, 2024)
- Last Balance Change
- Season 10 (Sep 11, 2026)
How to Play Black Widow
- Maintain Optimal Positioning: Due to Black Widow's lower health pool, it's crucial to position yourself strategically. Utilize high ground or maintain a safe distance to maximize your effectiveness while minimizing exposure to enemy attacks.
- Stay Mobile and Unpredictable: Avoid remaining stationary for extended periods, as it makes you an easy target. Regularly change locations after taking shots to keep enemies guessing and to reduce the risk of being flanked.
- Utilize Abilities for Defense and Offense: Black Widow's Edge Dancer ability allows you to perform a spinning kick that can send enemies airborne, providing an opportunity to escape or follow up with additional attacks. Additionally, the Fleet Foot ability enhances your mobility, enabling quick repositioning or evasive maneuvers.
- Adapt Weapon Usage Based on Range: While the Red Room Rifle excels at long-range engagements, be prepared to switch to the Bite Baton for close-quarters combat. This flexibility ensures you're equipped to handle enemies at any distance effectively.
- Prioritize High-Value Targets: Focus on eliminating enemy support characters and other low-health heroes first. Removing healers and key damage dealers can significantly tilt the battle in your team's favor.
Black Widow Combos
- Peel and punish: Electro-Plasma Blast (Right Click) on a diver for a 40% slow, Fleet Foot (Shift) to open distance, then turn and fire Red Room Rifle (Left Click) while the slow lasts its 3 seconds.
- Kick and chase: Edge Dancer (E) launches nearby enemies for 35; land it and grapple up to 12 m for a second 35, then finish with Widow's Bite Baton (Left Click) at 3 m.
- Perch and snipe: Widow's Bite Slam (F) onto high ground, then Assassin's Focus (Q) and line up shots through several enemies, since each 160-damage round pierces.
Strengths
- Assassin's Focus fires 6 piercing rounds of 160 damage over up to 12 seconds, so two hits remove a 250-health hero and one shot can pass through several enemies.
- Red Room Rifle fires every 0.25 seconds for 45 per round and can crit, and its falloff only bottoms out at 65% at 40 m, so she keeps pressure from mid to long range.
- Electro-Plasma Blast slows everyone in up to 5 m by 40% for 3 seconds, which stops a diver from following her or holds a group in place for her team.
- She has three ways to move: Fleet Foot for a 33% speed burst and a high jump, Widow's Bite Slam to leap to a chosen spot, and the 12 m grapple after an Edge Dancer kick lands.
Weaknesses
- At 250 health with no healing or bonus health of her own, she loses most fights once a diver reaches her.
- Her close-range answers are small: the baton hits for 45 every 0.5 seconds at 3 m and Edge Dancer's two kicks deal 35 each on a 15-second cooldown.
- Divers and sturdy tanks shut her down: Black Cat hooks her from 30 m before she can reposition, and Peni Parker's 650 health and self-healing webs soak her 45-damage rifle rounds.
Black Widow Abilities
Red Room Rifle
Her hitscan rifle fires 45-damage rounds from a 20-round magazine and can land critical hits. Damage drops after 10 m, down to 65% at 40 m, so mid range is where it does the most.
- Casting
- Hitscan
- Damage
- 45 per round
- Damage Falloff
- Begins at 10m, decreasing to 65% at 40m
- Ammo
- 20
- Firing Interval
- 0.25s
- Critical Hit
- Yes
Assassin's Focus
Her ultimate turns the rifle into a sniper for up to 12 seconds, with 6 piercing rounds for 160 damage each and 1.5x critical hits. Line up targets so each shot passes through more than one enemy.
- Energy Cost
- 3100
- Bullet Damage
- 160
- Rounds
- 6
- Critical Hit
- Yes
- Critical Hit Multiplier
- 1.5x
- Firing Interval
- 0.8s
- Max Duration
- 12s
Electro-Plasma Blast
A charged round that bursts on impact for 50 to 70 damage in a 3.5 to 5 m radius and slows by 40% for 3 seconds. On a 10-second cooldown, it is best used to slow down a diver chasing her.
- Casting
- Charged release, with delayed projectiles
- Cooldown
- 10s
- Projectile Speed
- 100 m/s
- Explosion Range
- 3.5m - 5m spherical radius (based on charge time)
- Explosion Damage
- 50 - 70 (based on charge time)
- Slow Rate
- 40%
- Slow Duration
- 3s
- Max Charge Time
- 1s
Fleet Foot
A forward dash that gives her a 33% movement boost and sets up a high jump. Use it to reach a perch or to get away when someone closes the distance.
- Movement Boost
- 33%
Edge Dancer
A spinning kick for 35 damage around her that knocks enemies up, on a 15-second cooldown. If it connects she can grapple to the target within 12 m for a second 35-damage strike.
- Casting
- Melee
- Damage
- Kick: 35, Grapple Strike: 35
- Cooldown
- 15s
- Kick Range
- 5m spherical radius
- Max Grapple Strike Targeting Distance
- 12m
- Combo Window Duration
- 5s
- Stun Duration
- 0.2s
Widow's Bite Slam
She leaps to a chosen spot and slams the ground for 30 damage in a 5 m radius, on a 15-second cooldown. It doubles as a reposition, so use it to jump onto high ground or out of a bad spot.
- Casting
- Ground Target
- Damage
- 30
- Cooldown
- 15s
- Damage Range
- 5m spherical radius
Ability stats from the Marvel Rivals Wiki (Fandom), licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Black Widow Team-Ups and Best Teammates
Black Widow has 2 team-up loadouts. Pick one before the match: it always works, and its enhanced effect turns on when the partner hero is on your team.
Allied Agents
Partner: Hawkeye
A passive: each Red Room Rifle hit adds 1 Focus and each crit adds 2, and at 3 stacks her next round pierces and deals 55 instead of 45. With Hawkeye on the team, a crit while Focused keeps all stacks, so take it if you can hit heads consistently.
Ranked win rate with Hawkeye: 45.2% (-0.1 vs Black Widow's 45.3% overall, 847 matches)
- Focus Gained On Hit
- 1
- Focus Gained On Critical Hit
- 2
- Focused Shot Damage
- 55 per round
Burning Bullets
Partner: Phoenix
Raises the Red Room Rifle's fire rate by 15% and makes Electro-Plasma Blast an instant hitscan laser that hits for 70 in 5 m and slows by 40% for 3 seconds. With Phoenix on the team it holds 2 charges; pick it for faster damage and an easier slow.
Ranked win rate with Phoenix: 49.6% (+4.3 vs Black Widow's 45.3% overall, 2,710 matches)
- Red Room Rifle Attack Speed Buff
- 15%
- Damage
- 70
- Cooldown
- 10s
- Explosion Range
- 5m spherical radius
- Slow Rate
- 40%
- Slow Duration
- 3s
- Hawkeye: pick Allied Agents and Red Room Rifle hits build Focus, 2 per crit, so at 3 stacks her next shot pierces for 55. With Hawkeye on the team, a crit while Focused keeps the stacks, so steady headshots keep every round empowered.
- Phoenix: Burning Bullets makes the rifle fire 15% faster and turns Electro-Plasma Blast into an instant hitscan shot for 70 with the same 40% slow. With Phoenix on the team the blast gets a second charge.
- Magneto: with 250 health and few close-range tools she needs protection, and his Metal Bulwark drops a 200-health barrier on her from 20 m while Metallic Curtain blocks the projectiles aimed her way.
Black Widow Counters
Black Widow has 250 health and no self-healing, so close the distance: her baton and Edge Dancer kicks deal far less than her rifle, and Widow's Bite Slam and Edge Dancer both sit on 15-second cooldowns. Divers like Black Cat, whose hook reaches 30 m, catch her before she can reposition, while Peni Parker's 650 health soaks her rifle fire. Bait out Electro-Plasma Blast before you commit, because once its 10-second cooldown starts she has no slow to stop your chase.
Struggles Against
Is Black Widow Good Right Now?
| Tier (Season 10.5 ranked) | C |
|---|---|
| Win rate | 45.30% (#49 of 54 heroes) |
| Pick rate | 4.0% of teams (#51 of 54) |
| Ban rate | 0.3% of teams (#47 most banned) |
| Win rate in Season 10 | 45.71% |
| Ranked matches | 79,147 |
Full Marvel Rivals tier listWin, pick & ban rates for every hero
Black Widow Patch History: Buffs and Nerfs
Ranked, all ranks. A dot marks a season with an official balance change to Black Widow.
Official Balance Changes (6)
- NerfSeason 10More rifle falloff and pricier Assassin's Focus ultimate.v20260911
- BuffSeason 9More Red Room Rifle damage, less falloff, stronger Electro-plasma Blast.v20260711
- ReworkSeason 9Kit reworked: faster rifle, sniper mode moved to ultimate, new slam.v20260710
- BuffSeason 2Can fire right after Edge Dancer's second kick and her ultimate.v20250411
- MixedSeason 1.5Bigger magazine; ultimate slows less but now applies Vulnerability.v20250221
- BuffSeason 1Wider Edge Dancer, faster stamina refill, quicker ultimate charge-up.v20250110
Summaries of the official balance posts. Every patch is on the patch notes page.
Season 10
- NerfRed Room Rifle: Damage falloff at 40m rescaled from 75% to 65%.
- NerfAssassin's Focus: Ultimate cost increased from 2800 to 3100.
Balance Patch
- BuffRed Room Rifle: Damage increased from 40 to 45 per shot.
- NerfRed Room Rifle: Damage falloff at 40m rescaled from 80% to 75%.
- BuffElectro-Plasma Blast: Damage increased from [40 - 60] to [50 - 70].
Season 9
- NerfDamage to ultimate charge conversion reduced from 70% to 55%.
- NerfRed Room Rifle: Damage decreased from 120 to 40 per shot.
- BuffRed Room Rifle: Max damage falloff range rescaled from 20m to 40m.
- BuffRed Room Rifle: Damage falloff at max range rescaled from 50% to 80%.
- BuffRed Room Rifle: Firing interval reduced from 0.83s to 0.25s.
- BuffRed Room Rifle: Ammo capacity increased from 15 to 20.
- BuffRed Room Rifle: No longer has an interruptable delay between shots.
- ChangeStraight Shooter: Removed.
- ChangeM2: Electro-Plasma Blast: Charge up and fire an explosive plasma projectile that slows enemies.
- BuffFleet Foot: No longer consumes stamina to use.
- NerfEdge Dancer: Grapple strike stun duration reduced from 1s to 0.2s.
- ChangeF: Widow's Bite Slam: Dive towards the ground and damage nearby enemies upon landing.
- ChangeElectro-Plasma Explosion: Removed.
- ChangeQ: Assassin's Focus: Enable sniper mode for Red Room Rifle to fire piercing shots that deal more damage.
- ChangeHawkeye / TEAM-UP (PASSIVE): Allied Agents: Landing hits with Red Room Rifle grants a stack of Focus.
- ChangeHawkeye / TEAM-UP (PASSIVE): Allied Agents: At 3 stacks of Focus, the next shot pierces through enemies and deals increased damage.
- ChangeHawkeye / TEAM-UP (PASSIVE): Allied Agents: Enhanced: Landing a critical hit does not end the focused state.
- ChangePhoenix / TEAM-UP (M2): Burning Bullets: Electro-Plasma Blast fires a flaming hitscan shot that does not need to be charged.
- ChangePhoenix / TEAM-UP (M2): Burning Bullets: Red Room Rifle attack speed is also increased.
- ChangePhoenix / TEAM-UP (M2): Burning Bullets: Enhanced: Now has two charges.
Show 7 older patches
Season 7
- NerfDamage to ultimate charge conversion reduced from 90% to 70%.
- NerfPassive ultimate charge gain reduced from 12/s to 11/s.
Season 5
- ChangePulse Rifle: Removed.
- ChangeTEAM-UP (C): Phoenix Sniper: Phoenix grants Black Widow the ability to toggle her rifle to shoot explosive shots that also heal allies.
Season 2.5
- ChangeSupersensory Hunt: Removed.
- ChangeTEAM-UP (C): Pulse Rifle: The Punisher grants Black Widow the ability to modify her weapon into a Pulse Rifle, increasing her firing speed but reducing damage and removing headshots.
- ChangeTEAM-UP (C): Pulse Rifle: Shots can also pierce through enemies while active.
Season 2
- BuffRed Room Rifle: Can now shoot directly after using the grapple strike of Edge Dancer and Electro-Plasma Explosion.
Season 1.5
- BuffRed Room Rifle: Ammo capacity increased from 8 to 15.
- NerfElectro-Plasma Explosion: Slow effect reduced from 80% to 55%.
- BuffElectro-Plasma Explosion: Now applies a 15% Vulnerability effect to enemies for 4s.
Season 1
- BuffEdge Dancer: Kick radius increased from 3m to 5m.
- BuffFleet Foot: Resource recovery rate increased from 10/s to 30/s.
- BuffElectro-Plasma Explosion: Max charge time reduced from 1s to 0.6s.
Season 0
- ChangeBlack Widow comes equipped to the fight as a Duelist hero!
- ChangeM1 (1): Widow's Bite Baton: Melee combo weapon.
- ChangeM1 (2): Red Room Rifle: Hitscan sniper rifle.
- ChangeM2: Straight Shooter: Aim down sights with the rifle and remove damage falloff.
- ChangeSHIFT: Fleet Foot: Sprint to increase movement speed at the cost of draining stamina.
- ChangeSHIFT: Fleet Foot: Consume additional stamina to perform a super jump.
- ChangeE: Edge Dancer: Kick forward to knock back, then target an enemy to combo into a grapple attack that stuns briefly.
- ChangeQ: Electro-Plasma Explosion: Charge up and fire a plasma projectile that leaves behind a slowing area upon detonating.
- ChangeTEAM-UP (C): Supersensory Hunt: Hawkeye grants Black Widow the ability to see afterimages of enemies in view.
- ChangeTEAM-UP (C): Supersensory Hunt: Hit afterimages to damage the corresponding target.
Patch history from the Marvel Rivals Wiki (Fandom), licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Black Widow Video Guide
Updated Advanced Black Widow Guide in Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 · True Vanguard
Black Widow Release Date and Voice Actor
- Release date
- December 6, 2024 (Season 0)
- Voice actor
- Laura Bailey
- Gender
- Female
- Relatives
- Alexei Shostakov (adoptive father), Melina Vostokoff (adoptive mother), Yelena Belova (adoptive sister), Ivan Romanoff (biological father)
Black Widow Cosmetics
All Black Widow skins with prices, rarity and how to get them
Skins
Sprays
Nameplates
Emotes
Black Widow FAQ
When was Black Widow released in Marvel Rivals?
Black Widow was released in Season 0 on December 6, 2024 and is playable now.
What role is Black Widow in Marvel Rivals?
Black Widow is a Duelist in Marvel Rivals with a difficulty rating of 4 out of 5. Black Widow's main attack type is hitscan.
Is Black Widow good right now?
In Season 10.5 ranked, Black Widow has a 45.3% win rate (C tier, #49 of 54) across 79,147 matches. That is about the same as 45.7% in Season 10. Black Widow is picked by 4.0% of teams (#51 of 54) and banned by 0.3% (#47).
Who counters Black Widow in Marvel Rivals?
Black Widow struggles against Devil Dinosaur, The Thing and Namor. Black Widow has 250 health and no self-healing, so close the distance: her baton and Edge Dancer kicks deal far less than her rifle, and Widow's Bite Slam and Edge Dancer both sit on 15-second cooldowns. Divers like Black Cat, whose hook reaches 30 m, catch her before she can reposition, while Peni Parker's 650 health soaks her rifle fire. Bait out Electro-Plasma Blast before you commit, because once its 10-second cooldown starts she has no slow to stop your chase.
How much health does Black Widow have in Marvel Rivals?
Black Widow has 250 health in Season 10.5.
What is Black Widow's ultimate ability?
Black Widow's ultimate is Assassin's Focus. Her ultimate turns the rifle into a sniper for up to 12 seconds, with 6 piercing rounds for 160 damage each and 1.5x critical hits. Line up targets so each shot passes through more than one enemy.
Who voices Black Widow in Marvel Rivals?
Black Widow is voiced by Laura Bailey.
What are Black Widow's team-ups in Marvel Rivals?
Black Widow has 2 team-up loadouts: Allied Agents (with Hawkeye) and Burning Bullets (with Phoenix). Pick one before the match; its enhanced effect turns on when the partner hero is on your team. In ranked, Black Widow wins 49.6% with Phoenix on the team, against 45.3% overall.
When was Black Widow last buffed or nerfed?
In Season 10 on September 11, 2026: 2 nerfs. Every change is listed in the patch history on this page.
When was Black Widow last nerfed in Marvel Rivals?
In Season 10 (Version 20260911, September 11, 2026): More rifle falloff and pricier Assassin's Focus ultimate.
When was Black Widow last buffed in Marvel Rivals?
In Season 9 (Version 20260711, July 11, 2026): More Red Room Rifle damage, less falloff, stronger Electro-plasma Blast.
What was Black Widow's best season in Marvel Rivals?
By ranked win rate, Season 9.5 at 47.6%. The lowest was Season 8 at 37.7%.