Every New MCU Phase 4 Character Strong Enough To Fight Thanos

A handful of the new characters joining the MCU in Phase 4 are strong enough to fight with villains as powerful as Thanos (Josh Brolin) himself. Part of what makes that so surprising is the fact that despite there being over 10 years’ worth of Marvel movies, the MCU only had a small stable of character capable of exchanging blows with him. Indeed, most could only last a few seconds.

Heroes such as Spider-Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, War Machine, and the Guardians of the Galaxy can’t compete with his raw power. Iron Man made him bleed, but was grossly outmatched. Among the characters who proved that they could duke it out with the Mad Titan in Avenger: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were Thor, Captain Marvel, and Scarlet Witch (who would have beaten Thanos had their fight continued).

The number of characters who possess the means to challenge a being as great as Thanos is going to go up quite a bit in Phase 4. Looking at what’s been revealed so far, the MCU will introduce a half-dozen characters – all of whom come from either Eternals or Thor: Love and Thunder – who could have been worthy opponents for the Infinity War and Endgame villain.

Black Knight

As a human being with no real super powers of his own, Black Knight would risk a quick death by challenging Thanos and would surely lose in a prolonged battle. But, it’s worth noting that he, unlike most Marvel Comics superheroes, is at least capable of killing Thanos. In the comic books, the Ebony Blade he carries is a mystical sword enchanted by Merlin himself. With it, Black Knight can cut through nearly anything. Even Iron Man’s armor can easily be penetrated by the sword. Given everything it can do, it could be that even Thanos – who can shrug off punches from Marvel’s strongest heroes – might fall to him. Of course, that would all depend on if Black Knight can hit him fast enough. If he were to make the same mistake that Thor did with Stormbreaker in Infinity War by not going for the head, Dane could be immediately neutralized. A victory for Kit Harington’s Black Knight may only work if he gets to make the first move.

Gilgamesh

Going to toe-to-toe with Thanos for any length of time wouldn’t be a good idea for Dane Whitman, but a different Eternals character could pull it off. The comic book counterpart of Don Lee’s Gilgamesh is one of the strongest heroes ever to serve on the Avengers lineup. While blind, he nearly beat Thor and has strength that’s on par with both the God of Thunder and Hercules. Plus, as an Eternal, he possesses a wide array of abilities outside of his super strength. Like all other members of his species, Gilgamesh can fly, manipulate matter, project cosmic energy beams from his eyes and hands, and more. As a Superman-esque character, there’s no question that he could hand the Mad Titan one of the toughest fights of his life. There’s even a good chance that he could win without the help of the Avengers or any of his fellow Eternals.

Gorr the God Butcher

The MCU isn’t just introducing heroes strong enough to tangle with Thanos; Marvel has at least one villain on the horizon who has the physical might to rival him. Christian Bale’s Thor 4 character is Gorr the God Butcher, an alien warlord known for traveling the universe on a mission to purge it of all the gods. As a warrior who can beat Thor without too much difficulty, there’s no denying that Gorr is one of the most formidable forces in the Marvel Universe. Based on his name and the premise of his story, it stands to reason that the MCU’s take on the villain will be similar to the character in the comics in terms of the power he holds. Since Gorr is supposed to be powerful enough to kill gods, Gorr could be equal or near to the level of Thanos.

Sersi

Despite being among the strongest heroes in the comics and in the MCU, most of the Eternals would lose to Thanos in single combat, but it’s possible that they boast two members who could face him and win. Gilgamesh would engage him with brute force, but Sersi would use a different tactic. All Eternals have the power to manipulate matter, but Sersi can accomplish this on a scale that’s several levels above everyone else. She can totally reshape the molecules of anything she chooses, whether it be an inanimate object or another Eternal. Thanks to her transmutation ability, she could render Thanos helpless within just a few moments. The sheer amount of power she has at her disposal made her come across as the Avengers’ answer to Jean Grey in the 1990s. If Marvel translates her full powerset to Eternals, it will have yet another character who could lay claim to the title of Marvel’s strongest hero.

Zeus

In a Marvel Comics story in the 1990s, Thanos engaged in a brutal, epic showdown with Thor’s father, Odin. While Thanos was admittedly more powerful than Odin originally gave him credit for, it was the King of Asgard who held the advantage through most of the fight, with Thanos spending most of his time struggling to stand up against Odin’s divine power. Since their MCU counterparts seem to be accurate portrayals of them, it seems like a good bet that Anthony Hopkins’ character would win that contest too. It’s partially for this reason that Thor 4’s Zeus (Russell Crowe) would be the favorite in a battle between him and Thanos. In the comic books, Zeus is the Greek equivalent to Odin and the Skyfather to his own pantheon of gods. Just like it is for Odin, it’s easy for Zeus to effortlessly swat away the strongest heroes the Marvel Universe has to offer, including characters like Hulk, Hercules, and Thor. If Zeus had shown up to deal with Thanos in Endgame, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes could have stayed on the sidelines.

Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor

Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster will become the third MCU character after Thor and Captain America to wield Mjolnir into battle in Thor: Love and Thunder. As the Mighty Thor, Jane will presumably share Thor’s command over lightning and other Asgardian powers, including his immense strength. If so, Jane could have what it takes to challenge Thanos in a one-on-one fight in the same way that Captain America could in Avengers: Endgame. However, considering that neither Steve nor Thor could take him down, it feels rather unlikely that Jane would prevail when they didn’t. However, it does seem possible that she could hold her own against him longer than the majority of the MCU’s heroes.

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