Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced audiences to Captain Marvel, the Airforce Pilot that absorbed the blast from an exploded energy-core engine and was left with superhuman strength, flight, and hands and feet that emit photon blasts.
It seems the internet cannot come to a conclusion as to whether or not Captain Marvel is the strongest Avenger. Even Brie Larson and Chris Hemsworth, the actors who portray Captain Marvel and Thor, disagree on this subject. Here is an argument in favor of Carol Danvers as the strongest Avenger in a ranked collection of her most impressive physical feats.
Moments from the MCU and comics will be considered.
Surviving The Blast
It is revealed in Captain Marvel that before she was taken from Earth, Carol was the pilot on a mission to escape with an energy-core engine that was powered by the Tesseract. After her plane crashes and her mentor, Dr. Wendy Lawson (the inventor of the engine), is killed, Carol attempts to defend herself against the Kree.
Having never met the Kree, Carol recognizes them as a threat and knows that she cannot allow them to take Dr. Lawson’s engine. Without fully understanding what it is, she fires a gun straight at the engine in an attempt to destroy it. Her body absorbs the entire engine blast, subsequently providing Carol with her superhuman powers. A blast of that size should have killed anyone, yet Carol was strong enough, even as a human being, to withstand and eventually control its power.
Escaping An Avalanche
In The Mighty Captain Marvel (2017) #3, Carol escapes certain death! She must travel to the tundra of Antarctica while on a mission to recover an alien race from Kree dictatorship.
Upon arrival, Carol is remotely alerted of some sort of “security breach.” This alert ends up being a response to a seismic indication of an impending avalanche. Sure enough, Carol is completely trapped under several feet of snow and ice. Feeling defeated, she contemplates why the universe would let this happen to her while she’s trying to save the world. Remembering her own strength, Captain Marvel snaps out of her sulking using a photon blast fist to bust out of the snow.
Defeating The Skrulls With Her Hands Bound
In Captain Marvel, Carol is kidnapped and restrained by the Skrulls who hang her by her feet and bind her hands. They attempt to uncover information about the Kree by tapping into her brain and analyzing her personal memories.
Carol wakes out of her sedated state and breaks free of the contraption she was suspended in. However, when Carrol cannot remove the metal cuffs that block her photon-enhanced hands, she is forced to fight off the crew aboard the Skrull craft without her powers. She achieves this successfully, even stealing a small pod and escaping.
Fighting Absorbing Man
Captain Marvel (2012) #1 opens with Carol and Steve Rogers fighting side by side to defeat Absorbing Man. About the size of a five-story building and monstrous in terms of muscle, Absorbing Man attacks the Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Captain America calls upon the aide of Carol for this job. Captain Marvel's flight really does come in handy when up against a walking building! Carol successfully defeats the beast, who is hardly a match for her speed and photon blasts. Absorbing Man manages to slip in a few petty insults at Carol before she suffocates him with a Stark designed piece of fabric. Captain Marvel has no shortage of brains and brawn.
Single-Handedly Defeating Starforce
The Kree kidnap and train Carol into becoming one of the best operatives they have. She fights in a team called Starforce, made up of the most agile, intelligent, and experienced members the Kree could recruit. She fights alongside them for years and yet, by the end of Captain Marvel, she must defeat them all.
One by one, Carol takes out each and every member of Starforce and does so completely alone. This amazing feat proves how desperately the Kree needed to maintain dominance over her. The moment Carol learns of the evils of the Kree Empire and is empowered to use her skills at will, she doesn’t hold back from besting an entire team of former colleagues.
Carol Carries A Truck
Once upon a time, our beloved Carol Danvers went by the name “Ms. Marvel.” Within the first few pages of Ms. Marvel (2006) #1, we are introduced to Carol by an exhibit of her brute strength. Ms. Marvel is fighting off a rogue robot in the middle of New York City when it decides to pick up a moving truck and throw it across town.
We see the truck flying through the air and heading towards a small group of children playing in the park. Of course, Ms. Marvel is there just in time to catch the truck and deliver it safely away from any citizens. Without breaking a sweat, Carol hoists the truck effortlessly over her own head! If that doesn’t make you one of the strongest heroes in the Marvel universe, what will?
Carol Carries A Spaceship
Carol was probably minding her business when she came across an abandoned ship floating in space previously belonging to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Avengers: Endgame opens with an emaciated Tony Stark and Nebula alone on the craft and fully expecting to die there soon.
Tony even records a final goodbye message on his helmet to whoever should find it after his death. He is awoken by the golden glow of Captain Marvel who, with her own two hands, carries their ship all the way back to Earth, culminating with an effortless and gentle landing at the Avengers Compound.
A Headbutt From Thanos
In the final battle scene of Avengers: Endgame we see every Avenger attack against Thanos’ army. A few heroes have the privilege of fighting Thanos himself and Captain Marvel is one of them.
When Captain Marvel enters the battle, she is tasked with recovering the Infinity Gauntlet from Peter Parker and delivering it across the battlefield. We see the blunt power of Carol’s strength when she gets into a tug of war with Thanos himself. At one point, Thanos attempts to headbutt Captain Marvel, but she doesn’t even flinch. Now that’s impressive!
Captain Marvel Post “Snap”
In Avengers: Endgame, there is a somber feeling within the Avengers Compound as the remaining heroes try and carry on with saving the world five years after Thanos’ “snap.” The aftermath of the events in Avengers: Infinity War left the galaxy is disarray.
In a virtual meeting, Captain Marvel and a handful of other heroes update Natasha Romanoff on the assignments they've been working on. After being teased by Rocket Raccoon about her new haircut, Carol discloses that the disarray happening on Earth is happening on thousands of planets and she is single-handedly covering all of it.
Defeating The Supreme Intelligence
Captain Marvel introduces an entity called The Supreme Intelligence, an omnipresent force that all Kree must communicate with through the deepest parts of their subconscious.
The Supreme Intelligence ensures that all Kree follow and obey the laws and beliefs of its core manifesto. The Supreme Intelligence convinces Carol that she must suppress her powers to align herself with Kree fellowship and that she is incapable of controlling her gifts and abilities on her own. Carol is able to reclaim herself along with her superhuman powers by outsmarting and destroying the Supreme Intelligence. Furthermore, she does so while in a meditative state.