These days, the MCU is full to the brim with superheroes, all dedicated to protecting the
universe from the legions of evil. Some of them, however, are a little better at it than others.
These are the most powerful Avengers in the MCU, ranked from weakest to strongest.
Mantis is only just beginning to truly tap into her abilities. Her super-empathy is rarely useful
as an offensive power, but it has to be said that her powers successfully knocked out Thanos
himself, and almost led to his defeat at the hands of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers.
Mantis' ability to read and alter emotions are also a useful skill to have, especially in a team
dynamic, although her lack of life experience has made her extraordinarily naive — and her
bluntness can be a liability in sensitive situations. Generally, it also goes without
saying that Mantis ranks nowhere near the other Guardians or Avengers in terms of combat skill.
Much of Peter Quill's success as a Ravager came from his sheer guts and more than a little
luck — although years of training at the hands of his surrogate father Yondu certainly helped hone
his instincts. For a while, he did have one secret weapon: the energy manipulation powers that were
passed down to Quill from his father, Ego. His cosmic parentage is also the reason Quill was,
with the other Guardians, able to handle the Power Stone for a small amount of time. Unfortunately,
Star-Lord's ability to manipulate energy evaporated… well, pretty much when this happened.
"If you kill me, you'll be just like everybody else."
"What's so wrong with that?"
Since then, Quill has basically been just a guy with a gun. He's got some cool tech
and a formidable spirit, and he can even concoct a decent plan on occasion.
Beyond that, however, there's not much else to him.
Quicksilver's power is, of course, superspeed,
which ought to give him at least a bit of a boost in the old power rankings. Unfortunately,
one particular incident brings Pietro Maximoff right down — his death in Age of Ultron.
Let's face it: when you're an ultra-fast superhero, being killed by regular bullets
is nothing short of embarrassing, even if it is to save one of your
fellow heroes. Considering Quicksilver's powers weren't enough to get him through
even one MCU movie, it's hard to argue that he deserves to be any higher on the list.
Shuri is barely out of her teens when she's introduced in Black Panther,
but she's easily one of the most formidable minds in the MCU.
Unfortunately, her relative inexperience in battle, as well as her reliance on technology
to level the playing field, can make her a relatively easy opponent in combat.
Nonetheless, Shuri has often proven indispensable to the team,
and with that intellect and the right resources, there are few things she can't accomplish.
It was she who led the successful effort to wipe out Bucky Barnes' Winter Soldier programming,
and she came pretty darn close to extracting the mind stone from Vision's head during
the Battle of Wakanda. It's probably safe to say that, in Marvel's post-Endgame universe,
Shuri is only going to become more and more powerful.
Seriously, nothing personal against Hawkeye here. Sure, he's technically a super-spy on the level of
Black Widow, but Clint Barton's defining moments in the movies mostly involve him being mind
controlled by Loki, almost being shot to death by Ultron, getting taken out by Black Panther
in an airport brawl, and going completely off the rails after Thanos snaps away half the universe.
There's obviously a certain charm to Hawkeye, and you've got to give him
credit for managing to hold his ground on a team of gods and supersoldiers.
"Just can't seem to miss."
"Well, first time for everything."
"Made you look."
Unfortunately, he still doesn't hold a candle to
his peers — making him easily one of the least powerful Avengers.
The head of the Dora Milaje is arguably the strongest member of the Avengers who
doesn't possess powers or a super-suit of some kind. Okoye is a brilliant military leader who
played a key role in keeping the peace as an Avenger in the aftermath of Thanos' snap.
Of course, Okoye is a deadly fighter, too. She can utilize practically any kind of weapon or engage
in unarmed combat, but she's especially deadly with her spear. During the Black
Order's invasion of Wakanda, Okoye took on hordes of alien monsters and Proxima Midnight,
a daughter of Thanos, and lived to tell the tale. She even took on Thanos himself,
and although she never really stood a chance, you've got to admire her fearlessness in doing so.
In a world of gods, robots, magic, and aliens, Black Widow earning a spot as a founding member
of the Avengers is something to be proud of. Natasha Romanoff also earns a few extra points
for successfully tricking a trickster god, forging an emotional connection to the Hulk,
and making the ultimate sacrifice to stop Thanos in Endgame. Sure, she's not going to be able to
go toe-to-toe with Thor or Captain Marvel any time soon, but Black Widow has still been an
indispensable member of the Avengers for as long as they've been around.
After years of cleaning up Tony Stark's messes — and briefly becoming infected with Extremis
— Pepper Potts finally had her hero moment the closing act of Avengers: Endgame. Potts stepped
into the Mark 49 suit, codenamed Rescue, in order to, uh, rescue Stark in his battle against Thanos.
The Rescue suit had fewer of the offensive capabilities of the Iron Man or War Machine suits,
but it was much more durable than any of Stark's armors.
During the Battle of Earth, it proved highly effective in battle, with Rescue
using her repulsor rays to destroy a number of Thanos' attack ships.
Despite being known as Ant-Man, the real trick up Scott Lang's sleeve is his ability to make
himself incredibly large — an ability that allowed him to left-hook an entire Leviathan
during the Battle for Earth. But it's also worth remembering that a supersized Ant-Man
can be easily brought down by anybody with a passing knowledge of The Empire Strikes Back,
so that one probably balances itself out.
Still, Lang's superpowered suit has to be counted for something, and there's little doubt that he's
almost always bound to have the element of surprise on his side. Beyond that,
there's no discounting the fact that Lang's accidental adventure in the Quantum Realm is
what kick-started the team's successful campaign to undo Thanos' snap. Right on, little guy.
You know what rules? Flying. You know what rules even more? Flying around with Captain America, and
then becoming Captain America. Yes, Sam Wilson's got it all: years of training as a pararescue
airman, the coolest tech around that doesn't have a Stark logo on it, and the courage and strength
to step into Steve Rogers' shoes. And there's still time for plenty more, too, because, with
both a legacy to carry and his own Disney+ series on the horizon, the sky's the limit for Falcon.
He might look like a teen exploring his identity at Hot Topic,
but Bucky Barnes is a force to be reckoned with. Tortured and mind-controlled by HYDRA,
the Winter Soldier has carried out so many secret assassination missions that his name
is legendary in super-spy circles. Add in a super-strong metal arm and a few doses
of a Super Soldier Serum knock-off, and you've got the recipe for a truly
impressive superhero — one who can easily hold his own against the MCU's foremost superheroes.
Given a lifetime of training and education with her father, when Hope Van Dyne received
the upgraded Wasp suit, she was more than ready to become a superhero.
"It's about damn time."
The Wasp had years of training in martial arts and gymnastics,
genius-level technical and engineering abilities, and the ability to remain shrewd and level-headed
in combat. Considering her suit gives her all of Ant-Man's abilities and then some,
the Wasp comes out as one of the most impressive of the MCU's newer heroes.
The Wasp's only limitations are her inexperience and the lack of protection the suit provides.
It's not a lot, but it still leaves her a notch behind some of the more experienced
fighters and higher-powered heroes out there.
Drax the Destroyer is the Guardians of the Galaxy's brick in more ways than one. Thanks
to his natural Kylosian abilities, Drax is super-strong, super-durable,
and a quick healer, too. He's also a savage fighter and is surprisingly quick and agile
for his size, making him a terrifying opponent in most one-on-one battles.
"Die, spaceship!"
The only problem with Drax is that it's not all that difficult to outwit him, and he's not quite
astute enough to figure out what to do when he can't just hit something as hard as possible.
Still, sometimes a good punch is exactly what you need — and for times like those,
Drax is just the man for the job.
Despite his small size, Rocket is the toughest member of the Guardians of the Galaxy,
and proved himself a more than capable member of the Avengers during his time on Earth.
The subject of painful cybernetic experimentation,
Rocket is extremely strong, agile, and blindingly fast. His expertise with weapons and genius as
an engineer — which rivals that of Tony Stark — makes him especially dangerous.
He's not invulnerable, of course, and isn't ideally suited for the kind of one-on-one
combat that Gamora or Drax specialize in. There's also the fact that he's not much of a team player,
and has a tendency to alienate the people around him. Then again,
manners aren't usually important when you're holding a really big bomb.
Nebula, the adopted daughter of Thanos, is a lethal assassin who, at this point, is as
much machine as she is human. She has superhuman strength, durability, and speed, making her as
tough in combat as anyone. Beyond that, Nebula is an expert pilot who can fly just about anything, a
great shot, and is essentially a walking computer who can process huge amounts of information.
Nebula's only real weaknesses are her insecurities regarding her sister Gamora
and her trauma from a lifetime of training and torture under Thanos. Now that she's made up
with her sister and helped defeat Thanos, however, there's no telling just how far Nebula might go.
Possessing enhanced strength, speed, quickness, and durability, Gamora is anyone's equal in
one-on-one combat. In addition to being able to use any kind of weapon with great proficiency,
Gamora is a highly-skilled ace pilot and tactician.
The current version of Gamora is a time-swept one from 2014, before she broke away from Thanos
and joined up with the Guardians. As such, she's more brutal and less forgiving than the version
who died at Thanos' hands in 2018 — which will likely come in useful on her future adventures.
Groot may have a limited vocabulary and a kind heart, but he's a surprisingly vicious fighter
and virtually impossible to kill. In addition to superhuman strength and durability, his plant
nature allows him to quickly grow and regrow limbs and manipulate them into weapons or useful items.
Groot's only major flaw is that despite his raw strength,
he mostly relies on the direction of others — especially his partner Rocket.
While he will occasionally think for himself, he's mostly content to follow,
rather than lead, which puts him behind some of the more self-reliant heroes in the MCU.
They say it's good to have friends in high places — and for James Rhodes, that means having access
to a personalized version of the Iron Man suit, with enough guns and missiles to end a small war.
“Boom, you looking for this?”
Basically, he's walking around in a wearable fighter jet.
This sheer explosive power and the strong defences of the War Machine suit make Rhodes
one of the strongest non-superpowered humans in the MCU, second only to Iron Man himself.
Smart, superpowered, and fitted out with Stark tech, Spider-Man is a late
but powerful addition to the MCU. His relative youth and experience might cause him trouble
in his regular life as Peter Parker, but his spidery alter ego is a full-blown powerhouse.
Beyond his base-level powers, Spider-Man's suits make the most of Tony Stark's technological
prowess to give Parker an on-board AI, countless tricks and gimmicks, and, of course, that deeply
unsettling kill mode. It's no surprise, then, that Parker was able to hold his own in two
separate battles against Thanos — despite being by far the youngest member of the Avengers.
As a Master of the Mystic Arts, Wong was tasked with defending the Ancient One's library and its
various relics, including the Eye of Agamotto. Wong's mastery of magic allows him to create
portals, shields, and illusions. He also played an instrumental role in the Battle of Earth, helping
to gather up various heroes and transporting them to the battle in the nick of time.
Of course, Wong isn't quite as adept as Doctor Strange himself,
but his mastery of sorcery still makes him more powerful than most of the other Avengers.
Brunnhilde the Valkyrie was one of Odin's hand-picked Choosers of the Slain,
but she quit her post after most of her sisters were slaughtered by Hela.
As an Asgardian, she's virtually immortal, strong,
fast, and durable. But as one of Asgard's elite warriors, Valkyrie is much more than that.
And yeah, Valkyrie went through a bit of a rough patch on Sakaar,
but she's since come into her own as an Asgardian leader — so much so, in fact,
that Thor handed her the crown of Asgard after Thanos' defeat. As both a legendary warrior
and a strong leader, Valkyrie is among the finest heroes the MCU has to offer.
Captain America is the full package. He's got superpowers, incredible fighting prowess,
and an almost indestructible vibranium shield. On top of all that, he's also got
enough experience and raw charisma to make him the de facto leader of the Avengers.
Onscreen, Cap has handily beaten nearly every single other Avenger he's fought,
and went on to give as good as he got against the mighty Thanos. And then, of course, there's this.
"I knew it."
How about that for power?
Iron Man is everyone's favorite genius billionaire playboy philanthropist — and
that's before you even get to the laser-blasting, high-tech weaponry,
all wrapped up in a suit powered by tech more powerful than a literal nuclear reactor.
And that's only in one suit, not including the literal dozens that he can control remotely,
or the giant suit he built especially to beat down the strongest creature on Earth.
While his lack of close combat experience might put him at a disadvantage against some foes,
he's still able to fight Cap and Bucky to a standstill,
while using a barely functioning suit. More than that, though, Iron Man is the hero who
gave his life to defeat Thanos and save the entire universe. Gotta give him props for that.
When he gained the powers of the Heart-Shaped Herb, King T'Challa was granted enhanced strength,
speed, endurance, and agility — and that's on top of his cutting-edge Black Panther suit.
The Herb also greatly increased his healing factor,
meaning T'Challa can take a beating long enough to give it back… and then some.
T'Challa is a genius-level scientist and engineer too, as well as an expert martial artist, pilot,
and military tactician. Throw in all the resources of the world's wealthiest nation,
a loyal and noble military, and the ritual ability to commune with his ancestors,
and you've got a power that only just falls short of the very strongest Avengers.
In the comics, the Scarlet Witch is a ridiculously powerful sorceress who was
able to almost completely erase the mutant genome from the planet with her chaos magic. Right now,
however, the MCU version of the character isn't quite that strong, and uses abilities that run
closer to telekinesis and telepathy than the magical powers of her comics counterpart.
Even without her full magic powers, though, Wanda Maximoff is a powerful superheroine,
able to take down half the Avengers under Ultron's orders — and come very close to bringing down
Thanos single-handedly, too. She might be young and brash, but when it comes to pure strength,
few people can stand up against the Scarlet Witch.
The Vision was brought to life by having the Mind Gem embedded in his forehead,
giving him a range of godlike abilities. His body is also made from vibranium,
which makes it practically indestructible to all but the strongest villains.
Beyond that, Vision is also hyper-intelligent and
more than capable of distancing himself from the petty squabbles of mortal, living beings.
Altogether, Vision's powers make him nigh-on undefeatable. And sure,
that wasn't quite enough to keep this from happening, but it's still worth something.
As Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Stephen Strange is the most powerful Master of the Mystic Arts,
having merged his incredible intellect and photographic memory with a natural facility
for magic. Of course, that magic means Strange is able to wield a crazy number of abilities.
One of his greatest strengths, however, is his shrewd tactical planning. He outwitted
the extra-dimensional god Dormammu using a clever time-loop scheme, and was able to
manipulate events in the battle against Thanos to help ensure the Avengers eventually won
out — against all the odds. And sure, he may be arrogant. But he's also usually right, too.
In a world of super-soldiers and tech geniuses, only a god can keep the rest of the Avengers
humble. Even before he ended up on Earth, Thor was a prince of Asgard; a popular scion of a supremely
powerful royal family. He only grew more powerful — and more heroic — after joining the Avengers,
and during the events of Thor: Ragnarok, he finally found his groove as the God of Thunder.
There are very, very few people in the Marvel Universe who can wield that kind of power.
"When they come, and they will come, they'll come for you."
"I have an army."
"We have a Hulk."
In the MCU, Hulk has personally beaten the tar out of a number of different heroes, and that's
only counting the ones who have bothered to fight him, rather than just running away.
And okay, Hulk did admittedly have his green butt handed to him when he was foolhardy enough to try
going mano a mano against Thanos, but he's since found peace with his human alter ego Bruce Banner.
All of which means the Avengers have a guy with the intellect of one of the world's top scientists
and the destructive might of the Hulk. Best of both worlds, indeed.
Carol Danvers' cosmic powers make her the most powerful Avenger by far.
The accident that gave her her powers blessed her with super-strength, speed, durability,
agility, and rapid healing. It also gave her powerful energy-projection abilities.
As she started to regain her memory, Danvers realized that she had barely scratched the
surface of her powers. She learned that she could surround herself with cosmic energy,
boost her powers even further, and both generate and absorb
enormous amounts of energy. Combine all that with her natural leadership abilities,
keen mind, and passion for justice, and you're looking at the strongest Avenger of all.
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