While Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be best known for its humans like Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Peter Parker, it is still home to a number of nonhuman characters and species. Species such as the Kree, the Chitauri, and even a Titan have appeared in the MCU over the years, introducing fans who never read the comics to the wide array of creatures the franchise has to offer. There are even a number of partially human characters that have appeared in Marvel over the years, like Peter Quill / Star-Lord, and Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, who originally was human until her DNA was merged with super-powered Kree genetics.
Unfortunately, a number of these various characters and species are monstrously underpowered. Sometimes, these beings were too weak as soon as they were created in the comics, while a number of others were "nerfed" over time, especially during their introductions into the MCU. On the other hand, a number of other Marvel characters are incredibly too powerful, both in the comics and the powers. This becomes an issue because many of these overpowered beings tend to be villains, which would make it completely unrealistic for them to be beaten. Even the overpowered heroes are unbelievable because their lack of flaws makes them unbelievable.
Updated December 22nd, 2021 by George Chrysostomou: Although fans have seen more from some of these characters, many of these heroes and villains have continued along the same path demonstrating their respective strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, there's a hierarchy within the Marvel Universe, and this is defined by the powers, allies, armors and personal skills of the most overpowered and the weakest Marvel characters alike.
The Weakest Marvel Beings
Dark Elves (MCU Version)
In the comics, there was a reason why the ancient Dark Elves were feared across the nine realms. Unfortunately, this reason was not prevalent at all during their live-action introduction in Thor: The Dark World. Rather than having super strength and being absolutely intimidating, the Dark Elf army appeared to be slow and weak in Thor: The Dark World, making them anything but terrifying and damaging the film.
Even the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith the Accursed, was incredibly weak. Despite wielding an Infinity Stone, he was strangely easy to beat. All in all, Thor: The Dark World made Marvel fans wonder why Malekith and the rest of the Dark Elves were so feared in their ancient legends.
Chitauri
Every time that the Chitauri species have invaded Earth in the comics, and even in The Avengers, they are treated like this enormous threat that is next to impossible to defeat. Despite this, they are easily wiped out by the heroes of Earth, seemingly without even breaking a sweat.
Technically, the power level of the Chitauri is pretty high, considering that they can shapeshift in the comics. Unfortunately, this boasted level of strength rarely seems to play out during a fight, turning the Chitauri into walking punching bags rather than incredible foes. Time and time again the forces of Thanos, the Chitauri, have proven themselves to be nothing more than minion armies, but they don't even appear to be good at that, resulting in them being among the weakest Marvel characters.
The Elders (MCU Version)
In the comics, the Elder Race, which consisted of legendary characters like the Collector and the Grandmaster, is an incredibly powerful race that is certainly not to be trifled with. There's a reason why they managed to survive for seemingly millions of years, yet the MCU version of the characters fails to show this.
Rather than making the Elders powerful, or at least show some inner power, both the Collector and the Grandmaster in the MCU just kind of talk, and are both eventually beaten with relative ease. In Thor: Ragnarok, the Grandmaster is overpowered by a small group of scavengers during a revolution, and in Avengers: Infinity War, the Collector was (presumably) tossed around like any weak human by Thanos without even putting up a fight.
Bailey Hoskins
The idea behind Bailey Hoskins is actually insanely clever for Marvel, with his weakness being his most interesting factor. For those who have not read the comics titled The Worst X-Man Ever, the comic arc follows a young mutant, Bailey Hoskins, who has a unique power: He can cause a massive explosion, but only once, because the explosion would also take his life. Thus, he really is one of the weakest Marvel characters.
The Worst X-Man Ever used Bailey's incredible weakness as a great narrative tool. The series showed Bailey jumping from team to team, trying to figure out the place that's right for him, all while feeling completely useless. Comics readers regularly see superheroes trying to find their place, but it's rare to see them feel so powerless, so this incredibly underpowered character was a welcome change.
Loki (MCU Version)
In the comics, Loki Laufeyson is an incredibly powerful foe. He is even stronger than the comic book Asgardians, capable of lifting more than 50 tons at a time and enduring almost any attack. In addition, his magic abilities are off the charts, with his sorcerer skills being on the same level as Doctor Strange and the Ancient One.
Though the MCU version of Loki is a great character, the movies seriously "nerfed" his power. Though he did survive an attack by the Hulk, he never truly used his power, including physical strength or magic, to win his battles. Instead, he used charisma and trickery, which fit with his character, but seriously undermined the incredible strength that he had in the comics.
Kronans
Considering the fact that they are giant, intimidating rock monsters, Kronans are surprisingly weak. These beings may be incredibly terrifying and look powerful, but when push comes to shove, they are arguably weaker than the average human.
Their rocks may be hard, but they crumble easily, as seen both in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok. In Thor: The Dark World, Thor easily took on a Kronan and made him crumble into thousands of pieces with one swipe, which he's never been able to do with any other creature. In Thor: Ragnarok, Korg was a Kronan, and he was able to break part of himself apart simply by brushing across his arm, which feels like quite the weakness.
Asgardians (MCU Version)
Unlike the incredibly overpowered species in the comics, the Asgardians in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are incredibly underpowered. Rather than managing to fight off enemies single-handedly with their monstrous strength, the people of Asgard shown in the Thor franchise are just as weak as humans, if not weaker.
Thor: Ragnarok showed how underpowered Asgardians were as clear as day when the Asgardians were easily decimated by Hela and her army. Although Hela was very strong, Asgard's legendary army still went down way too easily. Furthermore, the Asgardian people were once again beaten to a pulp by Thanos's four children in Avengers: Infinity War, who seemingly didn't sustain a single scratch from the fight. They should have been so much more but are instead part of the roster of the weakest Marvel characters.
Star-Lord (MCU Version)
Speaking of Celestials, Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is incredibly weak, especially considering that he is half-Celestial. Unlike in the comics, the version of Peter Quill in the MCU is the son of a Celestial, which seemingly gives him the same limitless abilities as one of these "gods." Despite this, his powers very rarely seem to show themselves, making him very weak when all things are considered.
In the first Guardians of the Galaxy, the only time we see Star-Lord with his powers is when he tries to hold an Infinity Stone. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, he uses his powers only once, before losing them. Even when he used the powers, they did not even come close to the powers of the Celestials in the comics, making Star-Lord truly stand out as the weakest Marvel character and Celestial to ever come out of the brand.
Frost Giants
As their names suggest, the Frost Giants are large beings who live in the cold regions of Jotunheim. Despite their impressive size and the variety of legends about them, the Frost Giants are surprisingly weak. Outside of minor illusion spells, the powers of the Frost Giants are very limited.
While they may be able to fight well in their homeland of Jotunheim, once they go anywhere that is even remotely warm, their powers and size both decrease significantly. All things considered, the Frost Giants are extremely weak. They may be able to defend their realm, but when assaulting another realm like Asgard (which they've attempted to do a number of times in the comics), their weakness to warmth really tends to hold them. back.
Nova Corps (MCU Version)
In the comics, the Nova Corps are the Marvel equivalents of the Green Lanterns. They are incredibly powerful in strength, durability, and energy projection, becoming one of the most feared armies in the entirety of Marvel Comics. However, when the Nova Corps showed up in Guardians of the Galaxy, they were insanely underpowered.
Rather than having fantastic energy powers in their live-action appearance, the Nova Corps were all just as strong as humans. While they had a few powerful ships, they still were not even close to their power level in the comics. In fact, during the final battle of Guardians of the Galaxy, almost all of the Nova Corps were wiped out. This fact solidifies that the Nova Corps deserve their spot as the weakest Marvel characters.
The Most Overpowered Marvel Characters
Klyntar / Symbiotes
The most notable Klyntars, Venom and Carnage, are rather well known for being incredibly powerful foes to Spider-Man in addition to a number of other Marvel heroes. Unfortunately, the strength level of these alien symbiotes may be a little too high for fans to believe. Not only are the Klyntars incredibly strong, even stronger than Spider-Man, but they can also shape-shift with seemingly limitless possibilities.
They can grow spikes or increase their size while keeping all parts of their body completely solid and bulletproof, which is truly something incredible. The big question here is, how can a hero like Spider-Man manage to beat symbiotes like Venom time and time again? This high power level is just a bit too unrealistic.
Beyonders
In the comics, the Beyonders are at times considered the founders of the universes. They've been described as "omnipotent" over the years, existing out of the fabrics of space and time. The rules and limits of the Beyonders are rather undefined, but the fact of the matter is that they are extremely overpowered.
For reference, one singular Beyonder managed to beat the combined forces of Thor, Hyperion, and Starbrand. Fortunately, the Beyonders don't make too many appearances in Marvel Comics, but it doesn't help but make their few appearances rather unbelievable. If the Beyonders really did want to conquer the universe (as they have tried a number of times), they logically would have done it without any struggle.
Asgardians (Comic Book Version)
The Asgardians, specifically the regular people who lived on Asgard, were incredibly powerful in the comics. These beings were worshiped as deities, with every single one of them being depicted with the strength of a god. All of them were significantly more powerful than humans, with the average Asgardian being able to lift up to 30 tons at once.
The Asgardian armies, and even the entire Asgardian civilization, were a bit too overpowered. Whenever a powerful villain tried to conquer Asgard, their conquest really didn't make too much sense considering that they were invading a land filled with thousands of incredibly powerful deities with the physical strength of Thor.
Space Sharks
One of the most unusual species in Marvel Comics is the Space Sharks, otherwise known as Star Sharks. These are essentially just sharks that are able to float around in space. They are incredibly powerful, with red glowing eyes that make almost everyone turn in fear.
One of the most terrifying features of the Space Sharks is their incredible speed. Rather than just being able to move at the average speed of a shark in water, they are able to speed through the cosmos at just under the speed of light, which would be absolutely terrifying. In terms of overall strength, Space Sharks have managed to even toss the mighty Thor around with ease.
Green Goblin (Ultimate Version)
When Marvel Comics created the Ultimate Universe, they expanded upon the abilities of Spider-Man's greatest foe, the Green Goblin. Rather than making him simply an enhanced human in a mech suit, like most iterations of the character, the Ultimate Comics took Norman Osborn to a new level, allowing him to transform into an enormous and powerful goblin.
Due to the new monster-like enhancements, the Ultimate version of Norman Osborn became incredibly overpowered. His strength was stronger than Spider-Man's and more than a good number of the greatest Marvel characters, making it seemingly impossible for any street-level hero to beat him.
Groots
The Groot species is incredibly overpowered in the comics, and even in the MCU as displayed by the character Groot. The strength level of the hilarious and mighty Groot species is absolutely off the charts, as they are stronger than most other Marvel superheroes.
Not only are Groots incredibly strong, but they are realistically next to impossible to defeat. As displayed in Guardians of the Galaxy, Groots can regrow their lost body parts rather quickly, and can stretch and expand to fit any scenario. Even if they are completely beaten and blasted apart into tiny bits, they can still grow back. The fact that the Groot species has been almost completely wiped out in Marvel comics really does not make sense.
Celestials
Like the Beyonders, the Celestials are another seemingly omnipotent species with some absurdly high power levels. They have limitless cosmic powers, being able to manipulate time and space with practically no boundaries. The Celestials have a long history of redefining important parts of history or even creation itself, and they are able to do so at will.
Furthermore, Celestials are immortal. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 showed a Celestial (Ego) being defeated, the comics have proven that Celestials do have the ability to come back to life. There seems to be no limit to what Celestials can do, making them some of Marvel's most unbelievable antagonists.
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Sue Richards, is quite possibly the most powerful human to ever appear in Marvel Comics. Unlike his parents or his sibling, Franklin's power level is truly off the charts in Energy Projection. He has a wide variety of energy abilities, including time travel, mind reading, telekinesis and molecular manipulation.
At one point in the comics, Franklin Richards even managed to hold off a psionic assault by Celestials, which, considering the incredible power levels of the Celestials, is something truly remarkable. Franklin can also completely hack people's minds, managing to project their greatest fears, take control of their bodies, and theoretically drive even the brightest people absolutely insane.
Skrulls
One of the most famous alien species in Marvel Comics is the Skrulls, which were introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain Marvel. These beings are able to transform themselves into the appearance of practically anyone else, similar to Mystique.
However, the big factor that separates Mystique from the Skrulls is that the Skrulls also gain the abilities of those they are copying. Over the years, the Skrulls have copied the abilities of some of Marvel's most powerful characters, including Thor, Wolverine, and all of the Fantastic Four. Despite this, they are inexplicably easily beaten in almost every attempted assault. If the Skrulls used their abilities realistically, they would hypothetically be unbeatable, but the comics "nerf" them in almost every appearance.
Doctor Doom (Fant4stic Version)
One movie iteration of a Marvel character that completely got the character wrong was the villain Doctor Doom in 2015's Fantastic 4 (sometimes referred to as Fant4stic). While Doctor Doom is incredibly powerful in the comics, Fant4stic overdid his strength, making his power level absolutely unbelievable.
During the third act of the movie, Victor Von Doom returned from the other dimension with practically unlimited abilities from telekinesis to enormous blasts of energy. At one point, he inexplicably blew up someone's head simply by looking at them. Doctor Doom's absolutely limitless abilities made him the most unbelievable villain to ever appear in a Marvel movie, or any form of Marvel media for that matter.