The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around since 2008, and it certainly didn't waste time. The MCU has introduced many heroes from all walks of life during its existence. Some of them are ordinary people with no special powers, others are gifted with abilities or even gods. With such a rich variety of superheroes, it's easy to lose track of who's how old.
Especially since the MCU likes to play with its timeline. As a result of Thanos's snap, many characters are of a different age than they should be. Others barely age as it is. In the end, it might come as a surprise who some of the oldest superheroes in the MCU are and who are some of the younger ones.
Updated on November 30th, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: There's a wide array of superheroes in the Avengers, as some are human who age normally, and others either age differently thanks to alien physiology or being frozen in ice. There's large age discrepancies on the team from the teenage Peter Parker to the days old Vision to the over 1,000 year old god Thor. That huge variety of ages amongst the heroes makes for very different levels of experience amongst the heroes in addition to differences in their power levels.
The Oldest MCU Superheroes
Sersi
Thanks to the introduction of the Eternals to the MCU, the audience now knows there are beings on Earth who are thousands of years old. Sersi is one of the oldest people on the planet. Until the events of the Eternals movie, she might not have even considered herself a superhero since her role amongst the group was largely to help humanity with everyday life.
Sersi came to Earth with her group of Eternals thousands of years before the present day, but she was born long before that in the World Forge. Her exact age is unknown.
Loki
Loki is raised amongst the Asgardians, though by birth, he's a Frost Giant. Both species live much longer natural lives than human beings. There are ancient myths based around Loki's life amongst humanity, after all.
Some fans might not consider Loki a superhero since his introduction to the MCU is as a villain, but Loki has experienced a lot of growth thanks to movies like Thor: Ragnarok and his own Disney Plus series. He's proven that he can be counted on to help save the day.
Nick Fury
Nick Fury is one of the older human Avengers who ages naturally, as he was born in 1951. Though Nick Fury doesn't have superpowers, he's certainly an important part of the Avengers and was the one who decided to bring them all together in the MCU in the first place.
Avengers: Endgame takes place in 2023 so he would have been 72 years old, but he disappeared during Thanos' snap so when he appeared briefly in Endgame he was 67 years old.
War Machine
James Rhodes is another character who ages naturally and didn't disappear when Thanos snapped his fingers and decimated the population. Rhodey was born in 1968 and would have been 55 during Endgame.
Rhodey is War Machine in the MCU and has a very similar suit to Tony Stark as Iron Man, but is a few years older than his best friend Stark.
Makkari
Another member of the Eternals seen in the MCU's movie of the same name, Makkari doesn't appear to spend quite as much time amongst humanity as Sersi. Instead, she's a bit more mischievous, stealing priceless artifacts throughout her thousands of years on Earth.
She is at least as old as Sersi though as the to arrive to Earth together, and are both revealed to have had their memories repeatedly erased after visiting multiple worlds over the course of centuries. Like Loki, Makkari is also the inspiration for some of humanity's myths: specifically those of the Greek god Mercury.
Bucky Barnes
Funnily enough, Bucky is originally a young sidekick to Captain America in the comics. But that's not the case in the MCU where Bucky is at first the one who's protecting the small and weak Steve Rogers from harm. In a way, he's like Steve's older brother. Bucky was born on the 10th of March 1917.
Thanks to the experiments conducted by Hydra and to the fact that he spent a better part of the 20th century on ice, he still remains young - at least physically. When in reality, he's easily one of the oldest superheroes in this fictional universe.
Thor
Thor is a God and as such, his physiology works on an entirely different level from humans. Even though his youthful enthusiasm and boisterous character suggest the opposite, Thor is actually quite old.
Thor isn't ashamed of his age so he revealed in Avengers: Infinity War that he was around 1500 years old. And it's safe to assume he could live for many more millennia if something bad doesn't happen to him first.
Captain America
The good old Captain America is now truly old. After defeating Thanos, Steve went back in time and decided to live out his life with the love of his life, Peggy Carter. When he once again showed up in the present day, he was already an old man. But even when he first joined the Avengers, Steve was already old, if not physically, then on paper at least.
Captain America was born on the 4th of July 1918. He got frozen in 1945, awakened in 2011, and went back in time in 2023. According to official information, he then got to live to be at least 106.
Captain Marvel
Alright, the fact that Thor or Captain America are old will hardly come as a surprise to anyone. But how about Captain Marvel? She too belongs among the oldest superheroes in the MCU - even though it's difficult to say so just by looking at her. Ever since Carol Danvers gained her powers, it seemed like she stopped aging.
But that doesn't change the fact she was born in the mid-1960s so she should be around 58 years old in Avengers: Endgame. Yet she barely looks like a woman in her thirties. If she continues to stay young, she could very well be in the MCU for a long time.
Hank Pym
Hank Pym's heroic deeds weren't truly ever shown in the MCU - with one brief flashback into his past being the exception. Nevertheless, he was once the original Ant-Man so he deserves a spot on this list. And no-one should also forget the scientific work that makes him an impressive individual, a force to be reckoned with. Hank Pym's exact date of birth, unfortunately, isn't known.
He was born sometimes between 1941 and 1950. That would make him 77 years old in 2023 at the oldest, or 68 years old at the youngest. Just for comparison, Pym's actor Michael Douglas was born in 1944, so judging by him, Hank Pym's birthday could be somewhere around the same time.
The Youngest MCU Superheroes
Shang-Chi
One of the newer heroes introduced to the MCU, Shang-Chi also happens to be on the younger end of the spectrum. Though his father is one of the oldest villains in the movies, Shang-Chi's mother only meets him in the 1990s.
Thanks to plenty of flashbacks in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the audience knows that he was born sometime in 1999. Shang-Chi also wears a shirt denoting him as a member of the class of 2017, fitting into that same timeline. That would make him about 24 following the Blip since it appears he wasn't one of those who disappeared during the Snap.
Kate Bishop
Kate Bishop might not been officially invited to join the Avengers (yet) like Spider-Man, but her near superhuman feats with a bow and arrow, and her commitment to protecting the people around her, certainly make her seem like a superhero.
Kate was about ten years old when the Battle of New York happened in The Avengers movie in 2012. With the events of Hawkeye set after the Blip, that would put her right around 22. Of course, she could also, technically be 18 as there's some debate amongst fans as to whether or not she survived the events of the Snap or not. Either way, she's one of the youngest heroes.
The Hulk
Though Bruce Banner and Tony Stark are likely right around the same age in the MCU, the Hulk part of Bruce Banner isn't. His personality is separate from that of Bruce, and his "birth" occurs during the events of The Incredible Hulk.
That means Hulk's life starts in 2008 right around the same time Tony becomes Iron Man and Thor pays a visit to Earth. By the time the events of Avengers: Endgame roll around, Hulk is only about 15 years old, while Bruce Banner is a few decades older.
Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff is another character in the MCU who ages naturally just like Nick Fury. She was born in 1984 and would have been 39 years old in Endgame making her about middle of the line but still on the younger side of the Avengers team.
There's a story line in the comics saying Natasha was born in 1928 and keeps her youth and an enhanced longevity of life from a serum, but the movies never introduced this storyline, so Natasha is one of the younger Avengers.
Gamora
Infinity War took place in 2018 and Gamora would have been 29 years old, in Zehoberei years, when that movie took place. It's unclear whether Zehoberei years are the same as Earth years, but if they are she would have been 29 years old and one of the younger members of the team.
She's most likely younger now as she returned as a younger version of herself in Endgame and it seems as though she's there to stay for future MCU movies although it's unclear exactly how old she is currently.
Vision
Vision used to be one of the most powerful superheroes in the MCU. That's not a bad score, especially considering how young he was. Vision only came to life in 2015 after Tony Stark had created Ultron. Vision then joined the team and fought alongside Iron Man during the Civil War.
He formed a romantic relationship with Scarlet Witch. Unfortunately, Thanos killed Vision in Avengers: Infinity War. By the time it happened, Vision was only 3 years old. Even though he didn't look and behave that way. That makes Vision the youngest Avenger.
Groot
The original Groot sacrificed his life to save his friends in the first Guardians of the Galaxy. Luckily, this wasn't the end of him as his offspring, Baby Groot was born the same year and he continued in his adventures with the team.
He was one of the victims of the snap but when Bruce Banner reversed the disaster in 2023, Groot came back to life. His pace of aging is different from humans but he still remains one of the youngest superheroes in the MCU.
Spider-Man
When Tony Stark recruited Peter Parker to fight alongside him in the Civil War, Spider-Man was just 14 years old. His exact date of birth was revealed in the last year's Spider-Man: Far From Home.
When Peter goes to pick up his passport before the trip to Europe, the passport reveals that he was born on the 10th of August 2001. That makes him 5 years younger than his actor Tom Holland. Spider-Man was one of the snapped heroes, so even though he should be 22 years old in 2023, physically, he's just around 16/17.
Shuri
Even though Shuri doesn't belong to any superhero team, doesn't have a fancy costume or a mask - or even a superhero name - it's difficult to deny she's a hero.
Not only is Shuri super intelligent and capable of inventing things other people can only dream of, but she's also not afraid to go into battle. Most notably, she joined the showdown against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Shuri was born in 1998.
Scarlet Witch
There's some debate about whether or not Wanda Maximoff will stay amongst the Avengers as her path has led her to some dark places in the comics. But for now, Scarlet Witch belongs on the list.
Her age was never explicitly stated but judging by the available clues, she was about 17/18 in Avengers: Age of Ultron which would put her year of birth to 1997/1998 - making her more or less the same age as Shuri is. Like Shuri and Spider-Man, Wanda disappeared in the Snap, still putting her in her early twenties when she returns.