According to ComicBook.com, Thanos is still a popular baby name. In the four years since Avengers: Infinity War hit theaters and the Mad Titan became one of the most iconic villains in movie history, the name Thanos has risen 2,892 spots in the Social Security Administration’s Name Popularity Index. In the time since the Infinity Saga came to an end, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced a bunch of new heroes.
If Phase Four characters like She-Hulk, America Chavez, and the Mighty Thor were around when Thanos attacked in Phase Three, how well would they have fared in a fight against him?
Kate Bishop
When Clint Barton finally got his own solo project in Phase Four, he passed on the mantle of Hawkeye to similarly skilled archer Kate Bishop. Like Clint, Kate has the moxie and courage to make it as an Avenger, but she has no superpowers beyond her archery abilities.
Kate singlehandedly defeated the Kingpin, but she wouldn’t stand much of a chance against the purple kingpin. It would take a really special kind of trick arrow to kill Thanos.
Yelena Belova
Fans never got to see the original Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, fight against Thanos, because she gave her life to acquire the Soul Stone on Vormir. But how would her successor and surrogate sister, Yelena Belova, fare against the Mad Titan? Like Kate Bishop, Yelena has no superpowers.
But thanks to her Red Room training and all the terrible things she’s done for the KGB, Yelena is a lot more ruthless than Kate and has a lot more combat experience.
Ms. Marvel
Kamala Khan is one of the most enthusiastic young superheroes to join the MCU in Phase Four, eager to follow in the footsteps of Carol Danvers. She’s a shapeshifter who can manipulate cosmic energy like resizing her fist for an extra-painful punch.
Even if Ms. Marvel’s powers stood a chance against the might of the Mad Titan – which is a big “if,” because he withstood Tony Stark’s entire arsenal – Kamala is still figuring out how to control them, so she’s not ready to take on a villain like Thanos.
Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi is an immensely skilled martial arts master with superhuman strength. After his father bequeathed his signature weapon to Shang-Chi at the end of the movie, he’s now powered by the Ten Rings.
The Ten Rings are nowhere near as powerful as a fully equipped Infinity Gauntlet, especially in the hands of a near-unstoppable supervillain like Thanos, but they’re still capable of doing plenty of damage.
Captain Carter
Steve Rogers was the only Avenger who ever came close to pulling the Infinity Gauntlet off of Thanos’ hand. The Mad Titan effortlessly swatted away heroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man and Black Panther, but he had a genuine look of concern when Steve grabbed his gauntlet and yanked on it.
In an alternate universe, as seen in What If...?, the Super Soldier Serum was given to Peggy Carter instead. In that universe, when Thanos came to Earth, it would’ve been Peggy whose strength worried Thanos.
Mighty Thor
In Thor: Love and Thunder, Jane Foster acquired the thunderous powers of her ex-boyfriend Thor and adopted the moniker of “Mighty Thor.” Based on a promise Thor made years earlier when they were still together, Jane is worthy of lifting Mjolnir and summoning its godly might.
As demonstrated by Steve Rogers, Thor’s hammer can do some serious damage to the Mad Titan. Even if the Mighty Thor couldn’t defeat Thanos singlehandedly, she could slow him down.
She-Hulk
When Jen Walters’ blood was mixed with that of her cousin Bruce Banner in a car accident, she acquired his gamma-radiated ability to turn into a mean, green fighting machine. When the Hulk came to blows with Thanos, the Mad Titan defeated him in seconds, but Jen has more control of her powers than Bruce.
She-Hulk is as strong as the Hulk, and although Jen still has yet to figure out how to fight most effectively, she’s a lot stealthier in combat situations than her reckless smash-‘em-up cousin.
Moon Knight
Thanos fancies himself to be something of a god, but Moon Knight actually has the powers of a god. Not only is Marc Spector a cold-hearted mercenary who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty; he’s also the human avatar of the Egyptian lunar god Khonshu.
Khonshu only grants Marc his full godly capabilities when it will help him to do his own bidding. If Thanos stood in the way of Khonshu’s bidding, he would unleash his full wrath through Marc.
America Chavez
Any hero who can defeat the Scarlet Witch would stand a chance against Thanos. America Chavez could use her interdimensional superpowers to banish the Mad Titan to a universe made of fire or a universe made of acid or a universe made of Asgardian weaponry.
Alternatively, America could expose Thanos to the error of his ways through the eyes of his other self like she did with Wanda. What If...? already showed fans that there’s a universe out there where Thanos is a good guy.
Ikaris
The titular ancient aliens in Eternals are Marvel’s version of the Justice League. Speedster Makkari is a clone of the Flash, energy-conjuring Thena is a clone of the Green Lantern, etc. With his powers of flight, superhuman strength, and laser eyes, Ikaris is the MCU’s answer to Superman.
His villainous turn in the third act of the movie proves that he’s too powerful for his own good. If anyone from Phase Four could’ve stood a chance against the Mad Titan, it would’ve been Ikaris.