In any game that features a load of playable characters, the developer is always striving for balance so that every character is equally playable. The developer always fails. Tiers are quite subjective and you need more than one list since there are so many ways to play the game. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, as was the case with MUA1, is pretty well-balanced. There are a couple characters that are overpowered; but, depending on your play style, any character is viable.
Actually breaking down the list of playable characters into tiers is hard because there's so much variety in gameplay – a player who likes to use melee attacks is going to prefer Wolverine, Hulk or Thing; while, a player who likes to use Powers is going to prefer Thor, Jean Grey or Songbird. There are also problems with team bonuses – Thor and Jean Grey together on Natural Forces (health regen) are much stronger than on any other team because they have a tendency to die fast without that health regen.
Considering the difficulty in putting the characters into tiers, here are three lists of ten characters that are good in three different situations – as a PC in a single player game, as a PC in a multiplayer game; and, as an NPC on your team. These are suggested lists, and you are encouraged to play around with the characters and develop your own top ten lists. These lists can be helpful for players just starting out who aren't as familiar with the game yet.
Single player[edit]
If you're playing by yourself, who do you want to control? That's where this list of ten characters comes from. For a single player character, you want one that has good survivability, can dish out a good deal of damage and is good at clearing large mobs.
In no particular order:
Multiplayer[edit]
The list of top ten players for multiplayer is a bit more lenient. There's room for more support-style characters on this list, since one player can be the damage-dealer and the other can provide boosts and healing and the players can work together to pull off Fusions.
In no particular order:
Computer players[edit]
If you're playing single player, who do you want backing you up? Who are the characters the computer seems to be most capable of using effectively to help you out?
In no particular order: