The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been all the rage in the last 10 years and given the number of characters that are in the MCU; it is highly unlikely that you will remember all of them. Even if you do, you might be wondering how they fair in their abilities against other characters in the Universe.
Well, here is a comprehensive list of the strongest characters in the MCU, the list has been ranked from strongest to weakest. Also, do understand that this is my perspective, so while we might share different views over some characters, you might agree with me on others. Dive in to know more!
1. Captain Marvel
Taking a headbutt from Thanos without even flinching should alone be enough for Captain Marvel to be at the top of the list of Strongest Characters In The MCU (considering Thanos absolutely decimated the likes of Hulk and Thor).
Even though Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel is one of the newest additions into the MCU, the character has proven to be one of the strongest with cosmic powers. She will likely remain the same unless Marvel dulls down her power as they did with some of the other characters.
Aside from already being a skilled US Air force pilot, Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel’s powers also include Energy Absorption, Energy Manipulation, and Superhuman Strength.
2. Hela
Hela might be on the dead-er side of this list of strongest characters in the MCU, but the older sister of Loki and Thor is still one of its most powerful figures. Be it destroying Mjolnir with one hand or taking over Asgard with relative ease, Hela has proved her worth multiple times.
Had Odin been a good parent, Hela, who has proven to be far more powerful than both her brothers would have been the most powerful warrior Asgard has ever produced. In case there was any doubt about her strength, the combined power of Valkyrie, Loki, Thor, and Hulk wasn’t enough to defeat her. Thor was therefore forced to bring about Ragnarok and destroy Asgard to put her down for the count.
3. Thanos
Well, many people would question the power of Thanos if the infinity stones and the gauntlet were taken out of the equation. However, the fact remains that Thanos managed to wipe out a planet of Titans and slaughter half the population of many other planets without possessing a single one of the stones. He also managed to defeat the Hulk in hand to hand combat without using the infinity stones.
The mere skill and intelligence of Thanos make him a worthy addition to this list. When combined with the infinity stones, you’ve got a character powerful enough to destroy half the life in the universe with a snap of his fingers.
4. Doctor Strange
“Strange is meant to be the best of us” if the Sorcerer Supreme (The Ancient One) herself is willing to admit it, who are we to question it?
Doctor Stephen Strange, the current Sorcerer Supreme used to be a brilliant surgeon, but a fateful accident brought an end to that. One thing led to another, and he found himself training in the mystic arts. He is now one of the most powerful Sorcerers on Earth, and if you have any doubt in his abilities, you can see just how well he managed to hold his own against Thanos in Infinity War.
While looking through time would not be possible with the time stone gone, Doctor Strange still has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and is currently one of the strongest characters in the MCU.
5. Thor
Thor Odinson is one guy that nobody should ever mess with because he always comes back for a rematch and you can be sure that he’ll go for the head the second time.
Thor’s strength, resilience, lightning, and not forgetting his hammer are unparalleled throughout the MCU. This is the man who was able to withstand the direct heat of a star and the only Avenger who was able to come close to killing Thanos in a fight (although he should have gone for the head).
Also, not to forget, nobody makes a better entrance than Thor.
6. Hulk
The “Strongest Avenger” comes pretty late into the list because the hulk has yet to show his true potential. However, he remains one of the strongest characters in the Universe, and when Bruce Banner gets angry, nothing can stand in his way.
Taking out a leviathan with a single punch, beating Thor in a fight, beating the Fenris wolf, and then donning the infinity gauntlet to bring back all the lives wiped out by Thanos, shows us just how many times the Hulk has proven his worth in the MCU.
7. Scarlet Witch
The Infinity Stones form the most formidable force in the Marvel Universe, so it stands to reason that a character who gets her powers from one of these stones would make the list.
Wanda Maximoff proved she was a force to be reckoned with when she managed to get into the heads of Avengers and virtually cripple the team. Once again she showed her strength when she dumped a garage of cars on Iron Man, brought the Vision to his knees and almost managed to take out Thanos.
With every movie, Scarlet Witch grows in power and strength, making it very interesting to see what the future holds for the character.
8. Vision
The perfect version of Ultron, stolen by Stark and Banner, Vision is the physical embodiment of a mix of AIs including Ultron and J.A.R.V.I.S, put into a near-indestructible body with the mind stone at its forefront.
Vision might be dead now, and if we do get to see him in the future, it will probably be without the mind stone. However, if the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron are any indicator, Vision is one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe. Especially with his incredible strength, physical composition mutation, flight, and the ability to fire energy beams from the mind stone in his head.
9. Captain America
Steve Rogers may be the first Avenger, but he is quite low on this list because, despite his superhuman strength, speed, and agility, he is still pretty much human. If you think that makes him weak, then you should remember that he stood his ground against Thanos, not once but twice.
With the nigh-indestructible Vibranium shield that breaks laws of physics and also now being worthy of Mjolnir, Captain America is an unstoppable force especially since he can do this all day. Combined with all the patriotism possessing America’s ass, he marks his spot as one of the strongest characters in the MCU.
10. Black Panther
King T’Challa, the ruler of Wakanda, is one of the most powerful people on Earth as he controls the most advanced city and possesses the most powerful element on Earth.
When he dons the suit of the Black Panther, protector of Wakanda, he becomes one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe. If you think that superhuman speed and fighting skills make a person powerful, try adding a suit made entirely of Vibranium, and you get a fierce warrior in nigh-indestructible armour.
Also, all the kinetic upgrades to his suit only add to his strength.
11. Groot
“I am Groot” might be the only thing that Groot says, but if you put him in a fight, you can be sure that you will get more action than you bargained for.
With an incredible display of strengths and the ability to regenerate himself from even a small piece of his body, Groot is practically unstoppable. If you were wondering how regeneration will help in a fight, just check out what baby Groot did when he got angry and then think what a full-grown Groot could do.
12. Iron Man
The character who kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe is also one of its most powerful characters. However, you might be wondering why the original Avenger is placed so low on this list.
While there is no doubt that Iron Man is one of the most powerful characters, Tony Stark is still very much human even though he has trained himself in combat and grown as a fighter over the years.
From Mark I to the latest bleeding-edge armour, Iron Man has been one of the most prominent characters in the Marvel Universe and will always be one. Even though he might be gone now, he still leaves behind quite a legacy and a better and safer world.
13. Spider-Man
Peter Parker, the protégé of Iron Man, possesses the abilities of a spider which include increased strength, agility, speed, and a spider-sense (which is basically a proximity alarm for incoming threats).
Spider-Man is one of the strongest characters in the Universe. When combined with the technology of Iron Man, he becomes even more powerful with the armour enhancing his abilities. He has shown his prowess many times in the movies, fighting Captain America and defeating foes such as the Vulture and Mysterio.
14. Loki
Although the God of Mischief actively tries to avoid a direct confrontation with most characters, he is by no means a weak character, possessing magical abilities, combat skills, skills with a blade, and outstanding intellect.
The adopted brother of Thor, may not be as strong as he is but Loki is undoubtedly one of the strongest characters, as he took the fight to the avengers, helped Thor defeat both the dark elves as well as Hela. His knowledge of the various infinity stones and his obsession with the tesseract also makes him a worthy foe.
15. Bucky Barnes
Captain America’s best friend, James Buchanan Barnes, previously thought to be dead has spent most of his life serving as an assassin for Hydra, known only as “The Winter Soldier”.
Although still troubled by his past, Bucky has managed to come back to the side of the heroes and is now an ally of the Avengers. Bucky possesses all of the abilities of Captain America with the addition of a prosthetic Vibranium arm made in Wakanda, which may have enhanced abilities.
Bucky is a skilled fighter and an even more skilled assassin. Unlike Captain America, Bucky is also highly trained with a gun. Due to his combat skill, he is presently one of the strongest characters in the movies where he can be seen holding his ground fighting the likes of both Iron Man and Captain America himself.
16. The Wasp
Much like Ant-Man, the Wasp has the ability to shrink her size but is slightly better than Ant-Man as she possesses the ability to fly and her suit is more technologically advanced than that of Scott Langs’s.
The reason why Wasp makes this list is her abilities in utilizing Hank Pym’s technology as well as the highly trained Hope Van Dyne who commandeers the suit. Hope is highly trained in combat, very intelligent and is often seen helping her father figure out how to enter the quantum realm.
We haven’t seen the Wasp in action much, though if she proves to be anything like the Wasp of the comics, she is a force to be reckoned with and would be one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe.
17. Ant-Man
While Scott Lang provides the much needed comedic relief in the MCU, the Ant-Man offers a character that is a worthy addition to the list of its strongest characters.
Utilizing Hank Pym’s technology, Ant-Man can change his size at will, from shrinking to atomic size to becoming a giant. He is also able to retain the strength of a regular-sized man when he is smaller, making him as powerful as a bullet.
Though Scott might lack in combat skills he makes up for it through his intelligence and also his extraordinary luck, I mean he is the reason that the Avengers were able to bring back all the people wiped out by Thanos.
18. Star-Lord
Though Star-Lord might be a tad bit too emotional and has terrible taste in movies, he still has a killer playlist and also the occasional story of being kidnapped by intergalactic thieves.
The leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill has grown up amongst thieves and is thus a highly talented thief, pilot, marksman, and is very efficient in close combat and could fight equally with the likes of Gamora.
Being half celestial through his father’s side put him among the most powerful characters, though he lost his powers when he killed his father Ego (Dysfunctional Families much?).
19. War Machine
James Rhodes might have been only become War Machine after stealing a suit from Tony Stark, but over the years he has managed to establish himself as a valuable member of the Avengers.
Possessing Iron Man’s armour with some upgrades, Rhodey might not be as efficient as his best friend. Still, he is pretty powerful by himself and his proven his worth time and time again by not only playing the role of War Machine but also being a powerful and trustworthy ally as Colonel James Rhodes, the military man.
20. Falcon
Sam Wilson, the Falcon, is a pretty new character to the MCU but has grown a lot in his few years on screen and has now taken on the mantle of Captain America himself.
The ex-special forces member has proven himself to be a very valuable ally to Captain America and has also shown his loyalty by always being there at the time of need.
While he is just a human and is not able to engage in a direct fight with the more super-powered characters, his ability to fly and military knowledge gives him a much-needed advantage over any enemy. This makes him worthy of being one of the strongest characters in the MCU.
The above list manages to satisfactorily put in perspective the power levels of many beloved characters in the MCU. There are still a lot of characters that could be added to this list, both present as well as future.
Stay tuned to The Hollywood Tribune for the latest updates on the strongest characters In the MCU and more news from Hollywood and Beyond.
