10 Most Powerful Characters In The MCU

The MCU is full of powerful characters. I mean, of course, it is. It’s literally a cinematic universe based around the Marvel comics, full of superheroes (and supervillains) who have the strength that us mere mortals couldn’t comprehend.

Movie after movie, however, a hero goes up against a villain, and there’s always someone who comes out on top; even among these beings, there’s a hierarchy.

Due to our love for the MCU, here is a compiled list of the strongest of the strong, the ones who could take out all the other Marvel characters (and some who actually already did — thanks, Thanos!). If one of these characters makes an appearance in an MCU movie, the chances of them winning any conflict are really high, which makes it all the more entertaining for us.

10. Ego

The father of Star-Lord, Ego made an appearance in the second Guardians Of The Galaxy movie. For a while, it almost seemed like he might actually be a good guy, but of course, he wasn’t. Not only was Ego a morally reprehensible human, but he was also really powerful and extremely hard to beat. This was because he was Celestial, someone with the power of pretty much an entire planet and a God-like complex to go along with it. He's definitely one of the more powerful villains we’ve come up against in the MCU.

Fortunately, he was defeated, but not easily. I knew it was going to be tough from the moment the word ‘Celestial’ was even mentioned.

9. Doctor Strange

Stephen Vincent Strange was a neurosurgeon, making it pretty obvious that he was an intelligent guy from the beginning. That means he became a pretty awesome superhero.

He’s a skilled sorcerer. Actually, he’s the most skilled sorcerer in the entire universe when it comes to the Marvel version of things. He gets his powers from ancient entities, and although they aren’t all done on his own, it doesn’t seem to matter in the end. He can take out most villains through sheer skill, and though he isn’t one of the more popular heroes (probably because he isn’t one of the Avengers), it’s no reason to underestimate him. This guy knows what he’s doing and how to use those powers he’s honed.

8. Thanos

And we're back to villains! Of course, Thanos was going to be mentioned on here. He was a powerful villain even before the infinity stones or mentioned sparingly throughout the MCU, but then he got ahold of literally every single Infinity Stone. Then, well, he now controls every aspect of reality. He used those powers in Infinity War to wipe out half of the universe’s population with a click of his fingers.

He’s terrifying, which means he’s entertaining and a great villain, but it does make me wonder how on earth they’re going to continue the movies and give the heroes any hope of standing up to Thanos, let alone defeating him.

7. Thor

The first one of the Avengers to be mentioned, Thor definitely deserves a place here. He’s slightly unlike a lot of the Marvel heroes in that his origin story isn’t on Earth. His powers aren't even derived from circumstances of some kind of freak accident. He’s Asgardian, a being who just literally isn’t human and has never been under the impression that he is. Son of Odin, his powers are hardcore enough without his hammer, and when you give him Mjolnir... Well, his place on this list is more than deserved.

Thor’s family are just a group of incredibly powerful beings. It’d be a crime not to give him the nod he deserves.

6. Dormammu

Doctor Strange may be powerful, but he met his match when he came up against Dormammu. The power that he wields is almost impossible to comprehend because it’s inter-dimensional; it could literally end the world if that was what Dormammu wanted to do. He had to be trapped in a time loop to be stopped. Need I say more?

He’s definitely one of the scarier villains, simply because he’s the one who could do the most damage if he had been left untapped. He could literally bring on the apocalypse. Thank Heavens we have Doctor Strange around to deal with that.

5. Scarlet Witch

She doesn’t necessarily look like one of the most powerful characters in the MCU. She’s fairly unassuming at first glance, actually. But Scarlet Witch is not to be underestimated.

Wanda Maximoff underwent experiments when she was younger, along with her twin brother, and ended up with some pretty amazing powers, including but not limited to, telepathy, telekinesis, and energy manipulation. She’s played a key part in the MCU over the past few years and her presence only seems to be getting stronger, which is great — she’s one of the strongest characters around. I love that she’s a woman with such power.

4. Surtur

Surtur is a villain that people don’t seem to give a lot of thought to, but he literally brought on the Asgardian doomsday. It’s kind of funny that he was so dedicated to the prophecy that said he would, though. Say what you like about the guy, but his determination and dedication to the cause were pretty admirable.

In all seriousness, Surtur took out an entire planet and didn’t even need Infinity Stones to do it. It seems to go without saying that this is a villain who could have—well, who did—cause an insurmountable amount of damage. Just be glad it wasn’t Earth he took out.

3. Loki

Of course, the brother of Thor, Loki, has to have a mention here. He doesn’t appear very physically strong, but as the God of Mischief, the number of tricks up his sleeve make him a really powerful character. Or, well, made him a really powerful character. He was no match for Thanos in the end. Rest in peace.

Despite his grisly end, Loki was a very powerful being while he was alive, and caused Thor, along with everyone else, huge amounts of grief while they were at odds. As a villain, he’s going to be widely missed in the MCU. He was a huge presence, and not just because of his godly powers.

2. The Hulk

The Hulk is definitely the most powerful hero in terms of sheer physical strength. He’s Bruce Banner’s alter-ego, and couldn’t be less like the scientist. When Banner transforms, he’s a near-mindless monster and his strength can do incredible damage, making him a worthy Avenger; but it probably would be nice for Bruce if he had a little more control over the monster inside.

Despite him being difficult to control, his superhuman strength and durability have come in real handy in terms of lending a helping hand against villains when need to be. He also has regenerative healing, as well as all of his strength and stamina, which only adds to making him a terrifyingly intimidating force to go up against.

1. Odin

A close-up shot of Anthony Hopkins' Odin

Unfortunately, Odin doesn’t get to flex much in the movies. On the first appearance, he seems like a frail old man — the father of Thor and Loki who just seems pretty sick of everyone’s antics. But Odin shouldn’t be underestimated. He surpasses all of the other Asgardians in terms of his abilities and holds a powerful magical spear that only serves to help him.

It’s a shame we don’t really get to see the extent of Odin’s power very much, but no doubt if he got involved more often, he might just be the most powerful character in the whole of the MCU.