Who The MCU's Most Powerful Hero Really Is (Based On The Movies)

Based on what fans have seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, when it comes to sheer, raw power, the MCU's most powerful hero is Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). This is certainly open for debate when one factors in different definitions of 'powerful' and because Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has stirred the pot in past interviews when he called Carol Danvers the MCU's most powerful hero last year, only to pass that title on to Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) after Avengers: Endgame. Arguments can also be made in favor of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) — but the fact remains that none of those heroes can do the things Captain Marvel can.

The MCU isn't lacking heroes possessing extraordinary levels of power. Iron Man's (Robert Downey Jr.) suits make him a human arsenal. Hulk and Thor possess immense brute strength and the God of Thunder can summon magic lightning at will, plus his powers are amplified if he's wielding his hammer Mjolnir or his ax Stormbreaker. Doctor Strange is the Master of the Mystic Arts; the wizard can jump through dimensions and he used an awe-inspiring number of ingenious spells against Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Infinity War. Scarlet Witch's magic may even be more powerful than Doctor Strange's; she also humbled Thanos in Endgame and, prior to that, she held off the Mad Titan while he bore five Infinity Stones in Infinity War. It could even be argued that Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) trumps them all by his ability to shrink and enter the Quantum Realm.

However, Captain Marvel's powers, while physical and photon-based, as opposed to Strange's and Wanda Maximoff's magic, give her abilities no other Avenger can match. Danvers is the only MCU superhero with the ability to fly through outer space unprotected and without needing a space ship, while even Thor needs the Bifrost to travel between the Nine Realms. When she goes into her binary form, nothing has been able to withstand Captain Marvel's raw power; she can shrug off a starship's missiles and artillery fire and she can smash through entire fleets with ease. While it's hard to gauge her physical strength compared to Thor and Hulk, Captain Marvel did singlehandedly carry the stranded Benatar millions of miles to bring Tony Stark and Nebula (Karen Gillan) back to Earth, a feat none of the other Avengers would be able to manage.

Captain Marvel fighting Thanos in Avengers: Endgame

How each Avenger fared against Thanos is perhaps the best barometer fans have to gauge Captain Marvel as being the most powerful. Granted, Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch did incredibly well against Thanos while he was carrying 4-5 Infinity Stones; since she wasn't there, it's impossible to know how Captain Marvel would have fared in that situation. But in Avengers: Endgame, the combined might of Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America (Chris Evans) couldn't stop Thanos, but Captain Marvel overwhelmed the Mad Titan. Danvers was also never physically harmed in any way by Thanos and she never even felt it when he headbutted her. Captain Marvel was the difference-maker that helped the superheroes turn the tide so that Tony Stark could snatch the Infinity Gauntlet.

It's interesting that both Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch derive their powers from Infinity Stones, which seems to place them in a higher power class. But thus far, fans have only glimpsed the extent of Wanda Maximoff's abilities; much of what Scarlet Witch can actually do is still theoretical and, hopefully, will be defined further in WandaVision. But for her part, Captain Marvel's incredible power has already been established and she far outclasses the other Avengers. After all, even at his most powerful, Thor still couldn't beat Hela (Cate Blanchett). Hulk did survive snapping with the Infinity Gauntlet but it left him physically deformed. Further, Hulk's raw power is determined by his rage and, with Banner in control, Hulk may not be able to tap into his bottomless well of anger any longer.

Ultimately, Captain Marvel redefined and raised the bar for physically powerful in the MCU, which was part of the point of introducing her. Carol is the MCU's most powerful superhero who claims the entire universe under her protection. She can soar through the cosmos at will, she is physically invulnerable, and, so far, she has proven to be unstoppable. In a universe bursting with superheroes wielding immense physical power, Captain Marvel is simply in a class by herself.

Next: Everything You Need To Know About Captain Marvel 2