Every Power Thanos Has In The MCU (Without The Infinity Stones)

Thanos became the most powerful being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe once he got the Infinity Gauntlet and the Infinity Stones, but how powerful was he without the stones? The MCU began in 2008 with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, which introduced Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and set the tone for the rest of this connected universe. Since then, the MCU has produced over 20 movies, and has a lot more in development, further expanding this universe.

The MCU reached its peak with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which saw all the Avengers, New Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more joining forces to stop Thanos from wiping out half of life in the universe and later to defeat him and his armies. The first hints at Thanos’ arrival in the MCU happened in The Avengers, where a mid-credits scene revealed Thanos as the mind behind the Chitauri attack and Loki’s actions, and from there, it led the way to the Mad Titan’s quest for the stones. Thanos’ goal was to get his hands on the Infinity Gauntlet and all the Infinity Stones, no matter the cost (like killing his daughter, Gamora), and with their power vanish half of life in the universe with the snap of his fingers in order to bring “balance”.

Before Avengers: Infinity War, the audience got quick glimpses at Thanos and his plans, but they didn’t get to see him in action until Infinity War arrived. Thanos’ appearances before the third Avengers movie were mere teases of what was to come, and after his non-speaking cameo at the end of The Avengers, he returned in Guardians of the Galaxy (where he was working closely with Ronan the Accuser) and later in the post-credits scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron, where he put on the Infinity Gauntlet saying “Fine, I’ll do it myself”, which ended up creating a plot hole as the gauntlet was supposed to be kept inside Asgard’s vault. Thanos finally served as a proper character in the story in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, where the audience saw him fight against many, many heroes – but he already had, if not all, at least some of the Infinity Stones, which gave him a variety of powers. So, what powers did Thanos have without the Infinity Stones?

Superhuman Strength

Josh Brolin as Thanos in Avengers Infinity War

Thanos' home planet is Titan, home of the Titans (of course), a race of powerful, god-like beings, known to be strong and hard to defeat, as they were invulnerable to many forms of damage – Gamora, for example, wasn’t sure that Thanos could be killed, and Thor knew he needed a more powerful weapon than Mjolnir to fight him, thus why he built Stormbreaker. Being a Titan, Thanos had superhuman strength, which made it possible for him to lift, move, or exert millions of tons of force, as seen when he crushed the Tesseract without much effort so he could retrieve the Space Stone and when he kicked Doctor Strange’s magical shields. Through the Battle of Wakanda, the Battle of Titan, and later the Battle of Earth, Thanos displayed his extreme strength multiple times, but these moments can be easy to miss as there are a lot of things happening around. Some examples of this are when he broke free from Strange’s Eldritch whips, when he took the Mind Stone from Vision’s forehead, tearing through his almost indestructible vibranium skin, and threw Captain Marvel, one of the MCU’s most powerful characters, across the battlefield.

Superhuman Durability

Thanos looks on in Avengers: Infinity War

Being a Titan didn’t only grant Thanos incredible strength, but also great levels of superhuman resilience and durability, which contributed to the belief that he was indestructible and the most dangerous opponent the MCU heroes could come across with. The best examples of this are those times where he was seen holding Infinity Stones in his hand without any harm. The Power Stone, for instance, is known to destroy almost anything organic that it touches, as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy, but Thanos was able to resist having it in his hand, though not without some pain. Thanos was also able to resist the attacks of various heroes, most notably the Hulk, who didn’t do any harm to the Mad Titan – and, of course, he wasn’t too hurt when Thor attacked him with Stormbreaker, telling him he “should have gone for the head”.

Superhuman Stamina

Thanos wearing the infinity gauntlet in Infinity War

Thanos’ Titan physiology also grants him superhuman stamina, as his body produces almost no fatigue toxins, which allowed him to keep fighting for a long, long time. The best examples of this power are seen in Avengers: Infinity War, where he fought various superheroes on Titan and Wakanda, showing no fatigue at all until he was attacked with Stormbreaker, which only seemed to weaken him for a couple of seconds, as he was still able to snap his fingers and then disappear.

Superhuman Speed

Avengers Infinity War Thanos Iron Man Titan

Despite his height and musculature, Thanos was pretty fast, which once more was a big advantage when fighting against big and powerful superheroes, most notably the Hulk and Thor. This superhuman speed showed during hand-to-hand combats, like when he dodged and countered the Hulk’s punches, when he got rid of Thor to then attack Loki, and when he outmatched Iron Man’s Mark L Armor and then stabbed him. Unfortunately for him, this power wasn’t on his side in Avengers: Endgame, as he couldn’t get his hands on the nano gauntlet, and Iron Man beat him to it.

Superhuman Agility & Reflexes

In addition to superhuman speed, Thanos had incredible agility and reflexes, once more seen during his hand-to-hand combats. Other examples of these are when he dodged Strange’s fiery rays and landed perfectly on his feet, when he was able to react to Black Panther’s highly agile full speed charge, War Machine’s bullets, Okoye’s spear, and even Stormbreaker, which he caught in the air before Thor could use it against him.

Regenerative Healing Factor

Thor faces off with Thanos in Avengers Infinity War

To further add to the idea of Thanos being indestructible, the Mad Titan also possessed a powerful regenerative healing factor, allowing him to heal quickly regardless of the severity of the wound. Following the Battle of Titan, as soon as he arrived on Earth, none of the wounds made by Iron Man were visible anymore, and right after he disappeared following the snap in Avengers: Infinity War and he sat to admire the sunset, he had already healed from the wound on his chest made by Stormbreaker just moments before. It’s worth noting, however, that this regenerative healing factor wasn’t enough to recover from the wounds left by the power of the Infinity Stones after the initial snap.

Other Abilities

In addition to all the aforementioned powers, product of his Titan physiology, Thanos was also an excellent warrior and hand-to-hand combatant, which along with extraordinary skill in the use of a double-bladed sword, made him an opponent to truly fear. Of course, Thanos was also a genius and he lived a long life, which allowed him to refine his intellectual aptitude, to the point where he might have been the most intelligent being in the universe. Last but not least, the Mad Titan was also an incredible strategist and leader, and was especially skilled in manipulation, as seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Guardians of the Galaxy. Without the Infinity Stones, Thanos was still a character to fear, and one that required the combined efforts of a variety of heroes to bring him down.

Next: MCU Villains Who Could Be More Powerful Than Thanos In Phase 4 (& Beyond)