“I Am Iron Man”, these infamous words by billionaire Tony Stark changed the entire face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He literally took the universe by storm as the MCU took off at skyrocketing speed ever since he appeared on the screen. Heroes from the past, present and outer space came up to protect the Earth, so much so that after a point it became difficult to keep a count of their number. There are about 40 established superheroes in the MCU, excluding newbies and lesser-known ones.
With heroes ranging from super spies to super soldiers to raccoons to trees, MCU has gifted its fans with some of the most memorable champions in history. Here are some of the most powerful Superheroes that form the Marvel Cinematic Universe arranged in order of least powerful to most powerful. Dive in-
23. Phil Coulson
A superb SHIELD agent and a fan of Captain America, he served as the right-hand of Nick Fury. He was killed by Loki which motivated the avengers to unite them in a last-moment effort to beat the Chitauri invasion of New York. He led his SHIELD team on many adventures and eventually died again. He now lives in a life model decoy form where he recruits the finest operatives and inspires virtue.
22. Jessica Jones
She is the defender of the underdogs who developed super strength when a genetic research corporation saved her life as a child post a car crash. She might have a bad temper but she’s definitely someone you want on your side if something goes down. Krysten Ritter plays Jessica Jones.
21. America Chavez
She first appeared in the recently released Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but she’s certainly off to a great start. She has the power to travel the universes just like Stephen Strange and now she’s training under Wong so she will definitely get more talented in the future. She sure has the power to become a successful superhero moving forward. We certainly can’t wait to see her evolution.
20. Vision
He first appeared in Age of Ultron and is now a partner to Wanda in a parallel universe. He was powerful and fascinated with humanity. The vision was meant to be the smartest and certainly the most righteous Avenger. He was even able to wield Thor’s hammer in “Age of Ultron.” But in actual battle scenes, he didn’t prove himself very effective. He was absolutely useless in “Infinity War” and managed to survive only with Wanda’s help. Paul Bettany plays Vision.
19. Peggy Carter
She was one of the founders of SHIELD. A champion for peace and equality, Peggy was drawn to Steve Rogers and after his death, she thwarted multiple threats to the world with the help of Howard Stark, Edwin Jarvis, and the remaining Howling Commandoes. Captain America went back to her after the endgame to complete his love story. Hayley Atwell plays Peggy Carter.
18. Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier)
He has spent most of his life as a brainwashed HYDRA assassin and then a pawn in the scheme to conquer the avengers. A childhood friend of Steve Rogers, he began as a good soldier in World War 2 but later became the reason for contention between Iron Man and Captain America. He finally lent his acumen to fight against Thanos in the endgame. Sebastian Stan plays Bucky.
17. Nicky Fury
After he learned of the large-scale alien threats, super spy and SHIELD agent Nick Fury started working on the Avengers initiative. In the next 10 years, Fury compiled data on various powerful individuals and was inspired by Tony Stark’s iron man suit to start active recruitment. He brought the avengers together and with his expertise, righteousness, and resources, tried to save humanity. He is the glue of MCU and is currently waiting for the change to wind up back on earth. Samuel L. Jackson plays Nick Fury.
16. Peter Quill (Star-Lord)
Peter Quill is half human, half celestial, and was stolen from Earth as a boy after he lost his mother. He was a founding member of the guardians of the galaxy, but is wise racking and easily provoked, thus often underestimated and considered overconfident. He is currently looking for Gamora, the love of his life. Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill.
15. Gamora
Adopted daughter of Thanos, Gamora turned against her father and joined the war against him when she discovered a new surrogate family and helped form Guardians of the Galaxy as well. Before Thanos sacrificed Gamora to get the soul stone in Infinity war, she reunited with her sister Nebula, formed a bond with Star-Lord, and saved the galaxy twice. An unfriendly version of her still exists in the modern MCU timeline with Star-Lord trying to track her.
14. Clint Barton (Hawkeye)
Power-wise he is the least powerful but that doesn’t make a difference to him as he is dedicated to risking his life to save the world or side with his friends when they need him. He is a family man for whom his wife and kids matter the most and it is after they fall victim to Thanos’s snap that Clint turns into a murderous vigilante Ronin. He has his own series which shows he has retired from Avengers now. Jeremy Renner plays Hawkeye.
13. Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch)
Wanda is someone who is seen as a superhero by some, and a supervillain by others. This is because she is a bit of both. She has always proved how powerful she is and how far she was willing to go for those she loved but seems like she took it a little too far in the latest Dr. Strange Multiverse of Madness movie. Although she did make the right choice in the end proving that she has a hero inside her. In Avengers endgame as well, she fought Thanos to her full capacity. She is wedded to Vision in her show Wanda Vision streaming on Hotstar. Elizabeth Olsen plays Scarlet Witch in MCU.
12. Rocket Racoon
He is a genetically enhanced space creature who is sassy, stubborn and a super soldier with a penchant for high-powered weaponry and a tendency to steal shiny tech that catches his eye. He is the pilot of Star Lord’s craft and is standoffish to strangers. He gets offended if someone attacks his surrogate misfit family and his best friend is Groot. Groot and Rocket together have waged a war against Ego, Thanos, Ronan, and other MCU titans. The Guardians movies are centered on Rocket’s story arc and how they move further remains to be seen. Bradley Cooper gives his voice to Rocket.
11. Groot
He first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy and sure he’s a tree, but he’s a pretty brave hero as well. The Guardians would have died at the end of the first film, had Groot not sacrificed himself, allowing us to watch him grow up all over again. He has his own animated series ‘I am Groot’ for his fans. Vin Diesel gives his voice to Groot.
10. T’Challa (Black Panther)
He is the monarch of the remote yet technologically superior African nation of Wakanda. He is in charge of protecting his people as well as the world from dangers and gained his superhuman abilities by ceremonially ingesting a magical herb in the form of a heart. He is the first protagonist of African heritage in mainstream American series and had Chadwick Boseman not passed away, he would have been way ahead in this list. Nevertheless, his importance in the MCU has been set in stone for sure.
9. Scott Lang (Ant-Man)
MCU is known for respecting unlikely heroes and Ant-Man sure is one of those. Post a prison sting, he is trying to turn his life around. He was recruited by a scientist and asked to wear an old ant-man suit while working on a heist, which made him discover a new sense of purpose. He later survived Thanos’s snape and helped discover micro-universe held answers to recovering the Infinity stones and saving countless lives. He is fun to watch, but it is still difficult to decide what he will bring to the table in the future. Paul Rudd has shined in whatever capacity he has been seen so far.
8. Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel)
She was an Air Force Major who later went on to become a top-tier avenger. Codenamed Captain Marvel, she has had an impressive career as a superheroine. She has been imbued with the cosmic power of the Kree and thus is one of the strongest female characters. She is a symbol of female emancipation and we would love to see more of her in upcoming movies.
7. Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange (Doctor Strange)
A master of the mystic arts, Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a medical doctor and researcher. He’s the cocky and sarcastic magical uncle we all wish for. Previously a gifted but arrogant neurosurgeon, he was involved in a car accident that left his hands paralyzed. He then learned the arts of Magic and Multiverse which changed his life. After his teacher Ancient one got killed, Strange took over as the Sanctum Sanctorum’s defender and set out to protect the earth from further dangers. He along with America Chavez is the only MCU superhero with experience jumping across the multiverse. Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Dr. Strange who is also a powerful magician who helped defeat Thanos and survived the blip is favorite of kids and the elderly alike. He is someone who predicated Endgame way before it happened, need we say more about his powers?
6. Peter Parker (Spider-Man)
Teenager Peter Parker is a boy next door and the youngest avenger on the team. He acquired arachnid skills after he got bitten by a spider, but he used his newfound powers to help the people around him. He calls himself a boy next-door superhero and when he built a pair of web-shooting gadgets, that appeared online, he was noticed by Tony Stark who found it interesting. The businessman enquired about Peter and found out about him. He then went to Peter and May at their home and asked him to help in the upcoming battle against Captain America and many other rogue avengers and allies. Tom Holland as Spidey has 3 of his own movies to date and Spiderman is surely a strong contender to lead the avengers in the future.
5. Bruce Banner (Hulk)
Bruce Banner is a doctor who gets angry and becomes Hulk. Hulk is a green, giant unstoppable monster that flattens everything coming in its way. This happens because Dr. Bruce Banner was once exposed to experimental gamma radiation due to which he absorbed a lot of gamma radiation rays and turned into the Hulk. Now, the Hulk has taken over the body of Dr. Bruce Banner when he gets mad and he goes from a brilliant but fragile scientist into a giant monster with the intellect of a toddler. The angrier he is, the stronger he gets. He can destroy meteors the size of Earth with his fists. Mark Ruffalo has lived being the Hulk.
4. Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow)
This woman was one of the best spies and assassins and a founding member of the Avengers. She was the first female avenger and was one of the most deadly ones, that too without any superpower. She was a widow and a KGB operative targeted by SHIELD before Clint Barton gave her a chance to assassinate her wrongdoer General Dreykov and defect to the group. None of the marvel fans will ever be over how she was killed in Endgame, sacrificing herself for the greater good. The best part is that she got her own movie later. Scarlet Johansson’s performance will be remembered for a lifetime to come.
3. Thor Odinson (Thor)
Thor is a powerful Asgardian who humans see as God. He is called the ‘God of Thunder’ and has a hammer as a weapon that is called MjoInir. He is an heir to the throne of Asgard but his arrogant attitude causes problems for the Nine Realms that Asgard protects. This brings him into conflict with his brother Loki and later he committed himself to protecting Earth and became a founding member of the Avengers. Chris Hemsworth’s performance as Thor was most loved in Thor-Ragnarok and subsequent movies. His close friendship with Hulk is what fans never get tired of.
2. Steve Rogers (Captain America)
Captain America made his first-ever appearance in his own movie- Captain America: The First Avenger. For many, Captain America will be the number one superhero as the choice is always a difficult one when it comes to Iron Man Vs Captain America. He, along with Tony Stark define the heart of MCU, or rather they defined it because both of them bid their farewell in Endgame. What makes Captain America different is how he traveled back in time to end up with Peggy, something that fans are still not able to overcome.
To tell his story in brief, Captain America rescued the globe from both the Nazis and HYDRA in the 1940s post which he was frozen for decades. Later he became a part of the Avengers and was the moral exemplar and born leader of the MCU. He was a devoted friend, an unrivaled hero, and true to his name, Captain in every sense of the word. Chris Evans’s portrayal of Captain America is one of the best performances by the actor to date.
1. Tony Stark (Iron Man)
Tony Stark aka Iron Man is the superhero Avenger that started it all. Right from the first Iron Man movie to Avengers: Endgame, he played a pivotal role in saving humanity. He was one of those who sacrificed the most and ultimately gave up his life. He literally became the suit of armor around the earth, fulfilling the promise he had made.
Robert Downey Jr’s performance as a rich spoilt businessman who was also a superhero was flawless and engaging. Tony Stark created the groundwork for all subsequent MCU movies so it is most deserving that he be placed in this Numero Uno spot.
Which is your favorite superhero and why? Let us know in the comments section below.
