The Avengers are commonly referred to as "Earth's mightiest heroes" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that has become increasingly more and more true as heroes get added to the constantly expanding roster with every movie.

The team has a healthy balance of characters with God-like abilities and those who are mere mortals. While the characters that are on the weaker side can sometimes be overlooked by fans, they have shown that they are just as capable as the others, even if they may not be as powerful. But who is the strongest Avenger and who is the weakest?

Updated on January 31st, 2022, by Shawn S. Lealos: The MCU has expanded greatly since it expanded onto Disney+ with individual shows, on top of the movies on the release calendar. These shows took many characters from the Avengers movies and used them to help introduce the next level of MCU heroes. These new depictions of the heroes have changed up who the strongest Avengers are as well as who the weakest members of the team are. It also changes who the Avengers really are, with most of the original members of the team when things first started phasing out and some of the supporting cast now moving up the ranks.

Updated on May 4th, 2022, by Kevin Pantoja: It seems like every couple of months, there's a new addition to the MCU's long slate of heroes. Most recently, that new arrival is Marc Spector, better known as Moon Knight. As the subject of his own Disney+ series, audiences have been given plenty of chances to really get to know a lot about the character. They understand his motivations, are sympathetic to his heartbreaking backstory, and have come to see just how powerful he is, which would all make him a welcome addition to the roster of the Avengers.

Hawkeye/Kate Bishop

Kate Bishop kneeling on ice in Hawkeye

While Kate Bishop is not technically an Avenger yet, she received Clint Barton's blessing, and he hinted at even giving her his name at the end of Hawkeye on Disney+. There is also hope that she is one of the people who lead the way for a Young Avengers team in the MCU. However, for her power, she ranks below everyone.

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Kate is talented, there is no doubt about that. She can hold her own against thugs like the Tracksuit Mafia and she somehow survived a fight with Wilson Fisk. However, she is young, has a lot of training to do in actual fighting, and is still a raw talent with room for growth.

Nick Fury

Maria Hill and Nick Fury in the MCU

Nick Fury is the man who started it all. Many people might not consider him a member of the Avengers, but he is the man who brought the entire team together. He is the ultimate founder of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and he is also a powerful character in his own right.

He survived an all-out attack from Winter Soldier and helped battle Loki in the first Avengers movie. His true power comes in his leadership skills and what he provides the team with, but he is also no slouch in a fight and proved in Captain Marvel that he could hold his own against most normal bad guys.

Hawkeye/Clint Barton

Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye aims a bow in a forest in Avengers: Age of Ultron

Although he is an extremely skilled marksman, Clint Barton is often considered to be the weakest member of the team seeing as he's just a regular guy with a bow and arrow. That certainly means that Hawkeye one of the weakest Avengers.

The fact that he's on a much different level than the rest of the team is actually one of the best parts of the character and grounds him, especially since it's clear he has a lot more to lose than them. He also has a lot of experience in battle, which he has used to guide stronger characters like Wanda Maxmioff in the past.

Moon Knight/Marc Spector

Mr-Knight-Transformation-And-Powers-In-Moon-Knight-Episode-2

Like the aforementioned Kate Bishop, Marc Spector isn't officially a member of the Avengers right now. However, his appearance in the MCU could change that at some point, even if there aren't ever any future Avengers films.

Though his dissociative identity disorder can make him unpredictable, Moon Knight is undeniably powerful. He's an impressive detective and is a skilled fighter, evidenced by how he can take out hordes of enemies all alone. He doesn't quite have the abilities of some top-level Avengers but he'd beat several of them in hand-to-hand combat.

Ant-Man/Scott Lang

Scott Lang revealing his identity in Ant-Man

Ant-Man has mostly appeared in comedic scenes. However, when the chips were down and the Avengers needed help beating Thanos, he stepped up and became part of the team, assisting them in learning more about the Quantum Realm and at least helping them save the day.

Ant-Man is also pretty powerful, as his strength remains high in proportion to his size and he can pack a mean punch when no one sees it coming. However, at the end of the day, Scott Lang is still not that experienced, and that means that, even with a super-powered suit, he doesn't match up with most of the Avengers.

Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff

Natasha standing among the wreckage in Black Widow

Even though she is a master assassin, Black Widow, also known as Natasha Romanoff, is still also at the bottom of the list in terms of strength. Like Hawkeye, she has shown herself to be capable of competing against some of the Avengers' more challenging opponents like the Chitauri, the Ultron drones, and the Black Order.

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She often has to rely on additional gadgets like her Black Widow's bite and her batons in addition to various firearms. It is those things and her long history as an assassin that give her a slight edge over her other mostly normal humans.

Falcon/Captain America/Sam Wilson

Sam Wilson suits up as Cap in a heroic pose

Sam Wilson is an ex-soldier who uses an advanced winged jetpack to fly and utilize in combat. He was recently made the new Captain America, and people have raised concerns about the fact that he's just a regular guy in a jetpack, so if he loses it, he's basically out of a fight against any superpowered being. His wings do, however, work as both offensive and defensive weapons, which make him a worthy opponent for most villains.

The upgraded version of his suit that he uses in Captain America: Civil War also has a lot of bells and whistles that help him while on mission including his drone, Redwing. During The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he also showed an ability to more than hold his own in a fight against people who took the super-soldier serum.

Winter Soldier/White Wolf/Bucky Barnes

The Winter Soldier looks back at something in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Bucky Barnes is one of the many characters in the MCU to have taken a version of the super-soldier serum in his blood, although his was created by Zola. The fact that his new arm, which he was gifted by T'Challa, is completely made out of Vibranium, also gives him a newfound advantage.

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However, as it was shown by Spider-Man in Civil War, that won't do much against some of the more powerful individuals. Bucky is very likely to win the majority of the fights he gets involved in but that simply wouldn't be the case if he took on some of the stronger members of the Avengers, putting him towards the bottom.

Captain America/Steve Rogers

Chris Evans as Captain America in Civil War movie

Due to the super-soldier serum in his veins, it can be easy for fans to remember that while Steve Rogers is much stronger than the average human, he is still weaker when compared to the other members of his team.

While he can do things like keeping a helicopter from taking off with his bare hands and jumping from a plane without a parachute, he usually isn't a match for characters like Thanos or Loki. Of course, he does also command a deep level of respect from everyone and Cap has a never-say-die attitude in battle that makes him tough to defeat.

War Machine/James Rhodes

War Machine from Captain America Civil War

There is no reason that War Machine can't eclipse Iron Man in pure power as the MCU moves on. With Tony Stark dead, it is Jim Rhodes who appears to move into the role as the MCU's armored hero, and that will play out in the Armor Wars series on Disney+. War Machine also has things at his disposal that Iron Man never had.

War Machine has the U.S. Government at his back. The weapons he can add to his armor could make him one of the MCU's deadliest heroes. However, he also broke his back in Captain America: Civil War, and there is no telling how powerful he really is with his past injuries.

Black Panther/T'Challa

T'Challa first sees Nakia in Black Panther

The fate of the Black Panther remains something the MCU has yet to address. For the moment, he is still around until the company decides how to write T'Challa out of the movie world. This means that Black Panther is still technically an Avengers ally and one who is very powerful.

He has the power of an entire government behind him, but that also means he is limited by what he can do to protect his country. As for pure powers, he has the power of the Panther and his Vibranium suit and gadgets make him a formidable opponent to anyone, regardless of power level.

Iron Man/Tony Stark

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man aiming his repulsors in Iron Man 2008

Tony Stark is the final member of the Avengers who is not an enhanced human in some shape or form. Despite that, there's a clear reason why Iron Man is one of the leaders of the team. For starters, he's the first superhero to debut in the franchise and for another, Tony has a genius-level intellect that is almost unmatched among his fellow Avengers.

That brain is what really helps put Tony above the rest of his fellow humans as it helped him create his incredible suit of armor. Over the course of the MCU, Tony's suits have become so advanced that he's basically got an answer for any situation. Whether it be a fight against Hulk, fixing a broken ferry, or chasing down a spaceship, Tony can do it all.

Shang-Chi

Shang-Chi about to fight Wenwu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

The newest addition to the MCU is Shang-Chi, debuting early in 2021 in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Technically, he's not an official member of the team just yet but his post-credits scene interaction with Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers shows that he'll play a significant part going forward.

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In terms of pure hand-to-hand combat skills, you won't be able to top Shang-Chi. He trained his entire life in that department and even defeated his father in that kind of fight. Shang-Chi also combines that with what he learned from his mother's side of the family and the Ten Rings themselves, making him even more impressive.

Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Spider-Man standing next to train tracks

He might be the youngest Avenger but there's no denying just how powerful Peter Parker is. His abilities as Spider-Man have made him strong enough to stop Bucky Barnes' metal arm with ease, catch a moving vehicle, lift up a building that collapsed on him, and even go toe to toe with Thanos.

The main thing holding Spider-Man back from ranking higher is simply that other members of the Avengers are among the strongest beings to ever exist. It's next to impossible to top them. Plus, Parker's youth is another thing that he struggles with, causing him to do rash things, which would hurt him against stronger opponents.

Vision

Vision points in Age of Ultron

Vision was created by Ultron and then brought to life through the combined efforts of Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Thor. His body is made of a combination of organic tissue and Vibranium, which makes him extremely durable.

His main power is derived from the Mind Stone in his forehead which allows him to emit a laser beam and control his other wide array of powers, including density manipulation. He also has the honor of being one of the few characters that were considered worthy by Mjolnir, along with Thor and Captain America. He was previously considered to be the most powerful character after his introduction, with Scarlet Witch, Corvus Glave, and Thanos being the only characters to overpower him on-screen.

Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange

Dr. Stephen Strange was trained by the Ancient One in Kamar-Taj and became the guardian of the New York Sanctum Sanctorum after the death of Daniel Drumm. With minimal training, Strange was able to take on Kaecilius and his group of zealots as well as create a time loop strong enough to trap Dormammu for an infinite amount of time.

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By the time of Avengers: Endgame, he was skilled enough to take on Thanos, who was in possession of several Infinity Stones. His expansive knowledge of the mystic arts grants him a wide range of abilities including the power to see into the future, making him one of the MCU's best defenders. Maybe after he learns more, he can be at the top.

Hulk/Bruce Banner

Smart Hulk in Avengers: Endgame.

There was a time when Hulk was considered the strongest of all of the Avengers. In the comic books, Hulk seems to be the most powerful of them all. That being said, he has had his ups and downs in the MCU over the years. First, Bruce Banner and Hulk had trouble communicating, which caused him to lose fights he shouldn't have.

Although the two have mended fences and now work cohesively, Hulk is always at his strongest when he's angry. That aspect of his persona has lacked a bit in recent MCU films though as he's not quite as mad as he has been in the past. That means he falls behind some of his partners.

Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers

Captain Marvel powers up

Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has been the topic of discussion about who the strongest character in the MCU is thanks to her powers which she received. Despite only appearing in two films so far, her feats have already been on display and she's certainly among the strongest.

Not only was she able to singlehandedly destroy an entire fleet of Kree ships on their way to Earth in Captain Marvel, but she was also able to destroy Thanos' ship with one hit, go head to head with the Mad Titan himself, and take a hit from the Power Stone without a scratch.

Thor

Thor Stormbreaker Mjolnir

Thor is by far the strongest member of the original team considering he is the literal God. He gained a major boost in power following the events of Thor: Ragnarok after losing Mjolnir and learning that his hammer wasn't the source of his strength.

Even without his iconic weapon, he was capable enough to take on Hela's army of the dead. He further demonstrated his strength and durability while taking the full force of a star in Avengers: Infinity War when forging his new weapon, Stormbreaker, and almost killing Thanos at the end of the film. He then went on to actually kill Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, which is no small feat.

Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff

Scarlet Witch Avengers Endgame

Scarlet Witch has always been the Avenger with the most untapped potential. She was able to destroy an Infinity Stone in Infinity War which was while managing to hold Thanos back with the other hand. She was also moments away from killing Thanos in Endgame, resulting in him having to focus all of his ship's weapons on her.

That was enough to consider her near the top but Wanda Maximoff, known as Scarlet Witch, is the officially most powerful Avenger now. That was clear in WandaVision, where she dove deeper into her abilities, taking over an entire town and basically bringing Vision back to life in some shape or form. Her chaos magic has made her the Scarlet Witch and her power level is not even a question anymore.

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