A character’s rank measures their training and raw power. It also determines how many points a player can spend on ability scores and how many Power Sets, Powers and Traits a hero can pick.

As you play your character, their rank can increase over time, allowing the character to improve. Much of the time, though, a character’s rank doesn’t change.

Most of the characters in the Marvel Multiverse have a rank between 1 and 6. Your original character doesn’t have to begin at the lowest rank, and most of them are unlikely to reach such high ranks where they focus on galactic issues rather than ones on Earth. If you’re creating a new hero, your Narrator can help you figure out what rank to start at and what your character’s rank cap might be.

If your Narrator is planning a campaign in which you play young S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, you might start at Rank 1, but if you’re going to join the Avengers to fight off a Skrull invasion, you might start at Rank 4, 5 or even 6. Sometimes the Narrator might even assign different ranks to heroes in your player group to emulate teams like the Avengers, which often features heroes with a wide range of ranks.

Here are some rank benchmarks.

• Rank 1—Rookie: This is where most normal people rank. If you’re a super hero, you’re just getting started and are maybe playing through your origin story. Not long ago, you thought you were a normal person, but now things are changing fast.
• Rank 2—Protector: You’re a street-level hero who protects a neighborhood—just like Daredevil guards Hell’s Kitchen. You could join a team like the Defenders to protect a city.
• Rank 3—Champion: You’re a formidable super hero. You could protect a city—like Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) protects Jersey City—or join a nationally renowned team like Alpha Flight or the Champions.
• Rank 4—Legend: You’re one of the most Powerful super heroes in the nation. You could be your country’s champion—like the Black Panther or Captain America—or you could join an internationally known team like the Avengers, the Fantastic Four or the X-Men.
• Rank 5—Mythic: You’re one of the most Powerful super heroes on the planet, like Thor or the Scarlet Witch. You could protect the globe all by yourself, and even elite teams like the Avengers would eagerly welcome you as a member.
• Rank 6—Cosmic: You’re Powerful enough to intervene in interstellar conflicts and single-handedly change the outcome, like Captain Marvel or the Silver Surfer. You make choices that decide the fate of entire star systems.