The year 2021 was significant for the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the series returned after a two-year hiatus due to the impact of COVID-19. There were plenty of new characters introduced during the year, with the overarching premise regarding the reveal of the multiverse. It was the year where the MCU entered Phase Four, comprising films, along with shows on the Disney+ service.

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Within it all, the heroes and villains showcased their abilities and some were clearly more skilled than others. Certain characters like the Dweller-in-Darkness and He Who Remains were supposed to be extremely powerful but showed up in a smaller capacity, so it’s worth looking at those whose feats and attributes were fully fleshed out.

Shang-Chi

Shang-Chi in control of the Ten Rings.

A new addition to the series, Shang-Chi is a highly likable MCU hero who has the power to control the Ten Rings. Still, his hold over the rings hasn’t fully been explored since he only got them at the climax of the movie, which makes his incredible martial arts ability his primary mode of offense.

Combining Shang-Chi’s fighting skills with the Ten Rings makes him a formidable threat, to the point where he took on the Dweller-in-Darkness. Shang-Chi is certain to become more powerful as he makes more appearances, but his introduction in the year did enough to establish him as a real force.

Spider-Man Variants

Spider-Man perched on a car in No Way Home

All of the Peter Parkers had great fighting abilities in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which makes it difficult to just choose one. The MCU Spider-Man displayed never-before-seen powers where he was able to defeat Doctor Strange by overcoming the Mirror Dimension and escaping his astral form.

Moreover, the two other Spider-Men had a range of powers that went from superior agility to extreme levels of strength. The Spider-Man variants were also capable of taking on multiple villains at the same time, with each one of them coming out on top and willing to fight more.

Loki Variants

Sylvie and Loki brandish swords in Loki finale

The Disney+ series finally convinced fans that MCU’s Loki is a misunderstood character, with Tom Hiddleston’s variant taking the lead role. Other Lokis, including Sylvie, Boastful Loki, Classic Loki, among others, all had variations in their powers of magical illusions and outright sorcery.

Loki and Sylvie were able to defy the entire Time Variance Authority, solidifying their power levels, with the two becoming the first to return from being pruned to the end of time. They were defeated on occasion, but the fact that the Loki variants were successful in taking down He Who Remains is a testament to their skills and abilities.

Wenwu

Xu Wenwu harnessing the ten rings in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Wenwu went centuries looking to conquer others because of the power he received from the Ten Rings. He seemed to be unbeatable until his future wife overcame him, although Wenwu didn’t fight back due to his love for her. During Shang-Chi, however, he took down all his enemies with ease.

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Wenwu only gave up his power when he wanted to transfer the rings to Shang-Chi, as his son didn’t outright defeat him. Wenwu’s mastery with the Ten Rings is the stuff of legend and more feats might be revealed in future installments that dive into his past.

Ikaris

Eternals Ikaris

The Eternals didn’t turn out to be as strong as Marvel promoted them, with all of the members appearing more or less around the same power level as regular heroes. However, Ikaris was an exception, who even beat down each one of the Eternals on his own in the film’s conclusion.

Ikaris’ ability to fly at any speeds who wanted to and ejecting lasers from his eyes made him almost unstoppable, with Ikaris ultimately holding back when he realized he was about to destroy his own kind. He could have been one of the most powerful villains if he had chosen to unleash more havoc.

Agatha Harkness

Agatha Harkness raises her arm and casts a spell in WandaVision.

The depth of Agatha’s powers is simple to understand when taking into account that she was unaffected by Scarlet Witch’s spell around Westview, having instead used it as cover to manipulate her instead. Agatha could absorb, manipulate, and expel energy in both dark and light forms, even overcoming powerful sorcerers by draining their life forces.

Agatha is also immortal, in that she can’t die of aging, as she’s over three centuries old. While she was ultimately beaten by Scarlet Witch, Agatha was outnumbered by the former’s children and Vision. It will be interesting to see if she can do one better when she shows up for her spin-off in the future.

The Watcher

The Watcher uses his powers in What If?

No being other than The Watcher has displayed the ability to look into multiple realities without the aid of the Time Variance Authority. It initially seemed as if he could simply watch until The Watcher engaged in a battle against Ultron across the multiverse where he held his own.

The Watcher has every power from super durability, regeneration, aging, flight, invisibility, teleportation, and size manipulation. His cosmic energy beams managed to damage Ultron when the latter had all the Infinity Stones, so there’s little doubt The Watcher goes right up among the most powerful MCU characters overall.

Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch flashes red eyes in WandaVision

Scarlet Witch established herself as the strongest Avenger in the MCU when she placed all of Westview under thrall, showing off the ability to change reality. She also progressed further by displaying the ability to fly, make use of chaos and cosmic magic, and create life to an extent.

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Scarlet Witch’s fragile mindset was the only thing that held her back, as she could have done extreme damage if she’d wanted to. She was able to defeat the centuries’ old Agatha Harkness, so much so that the latter was stripped of her memories and powers in the end. It also confirmed why Doctor Strange will require her help to stop a multiversal threat later on.

Ultron

The Vision as Ultron with the Infinity Stones in Marvel's What If...?

Ultron showed why Thanos’ pursuit of the Infinity Stone was such a clever plan of his in MCU’s Phase Three. This version of Ultron took hold of all the stones and could do whatever he wanted to, resulting in the destruction of all species in his universe and his subsequent trip into other universes.

Ultron killed off every powerful hero and villain, ranging from Captain Marvel to Thanos and more. It was when The Watcher’s defeat made the latter assemble the Guardians of the Multiverse that Ultron was outnumbered and defeated. On his own, he established himself as among the most powerful Marvel characters overall.

Doctor Strange Supreme

Strange Supreme flashes glowing eyes in What If ?

There’s probably no character more overpowered than the one who absorbed the forces of other beings. Strange Supreme did just that, having taken in the greatest magical creatures and sorcerers to enhance his abilities, where it resulted in the destruction of his universe except for him.

His greater show of strength was when he made a mockery of Ultron’s attempt to destroy the universe they were in, as Strange took the explosion and consumed it. Strange’s powers were such that he protected all of the Guardians of the Multiverse from Ultron’s powers, eventually sealing Ultron and Killmonger in a casing that only he can overturn.

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