There is no question that Goku is one of the toughest and strongest anime heroes to exist. From his child adventures in Dragon Ball to his current battles in the Dragon Ball Super manga, the Saiyan warrior is still throwing down with universal threats most other heroes couldn't even come close to dealing with.
Goku is constantly pushing himself through training. But his level of power leaves the number of training partners for the fighter kind of limited. Fortunately, if the warrior decided to find himself in the Marvel Universe, there are quite a few heroes that could probably keep up with Saiyan and at least get him to work up a sweat and appetite.
10 Hulk Is The Strongest There Is
The Hulk could make a perfect training partner for Goku and what's even more fascinating is that the difficulty for the Saiyan could increase depending on one of Hulk's forms. Hulk's Savage form without a hint of the mind of Bruce Banner could keep matching Goku in terms of raw strength that could increase the angrier he got.
However throw Worldbreaker Hulk into the mix and not only has Goku got a super-strong opponent to deal with, but one with enough cunning and strategy that could make a sparring match into an episodic back and forth reminiscent of the Z series. And Devil Hulk's strange body transformations could add in another level of intensity, although it's doubtful if this version would dare to have anything to do with the hero.
9 Thor Could Be A Battle With A God
With so many powerhouses in the Marvel Universe, it's easy at times for fans to forget about Thor. And that's a shame because the hero has proved numerous times why he is one of Marvel's most powerful heroes and one that could definitely keep up with Goku.
Thor is a Norse god who has managed to go against Hulk multiple times in earthquaking slugfests. He's got lighting along with the powerful Mjolnir to counter Goku's energy-based attacks. And for a bonus feat, God proved to be so powerful that during AvX he managed to knock out the Phoenix Force. Speaking of the Phoenix Force.
8 Phoenix Equals Omega Level Training
If Goku needed a Marvel Hero to keep up during his Ultra Instinct phase, then perhaps an Omega Level hero is in order. Marvel has a good list of Omegas, but one of their most notable has to be a Phoenix hosted Jean Grey. Few in the Marvel Universe can even stand up to Grey with this amount of power.
Without the Phoenix Force, Jean is already pretty powerful with her telepathic and telekinetic powers, but it's doubtful if she could actually make Goku even sweat. But throw in the Phoenix Force, an entity of Death and Rebirth that pushes her powers way beyond to the point of being able to destroy planets like it's nothing, and the table turns with Goku would possibly having to worry about making the mutant break a sweat.
7 Gladiator Can Confidently Go Toe To Toe
Gladiator is often compared to Superman, which is fair given their similar look and abilities. After all, Gladiator has super strength, speed, flight, heat vision, frost breath, and just about every ability fans could check off from the DC hero.
But his impressive powers are tied to his confidence, which has led to his downfall a few times to even been once defeated by the X-Men's Cannonball. That's kind of embarrassing for a character of his stature. Gladiator could definitely make for an interesting training session for both he and Goku. Where Goku could strengthen his abilities, Gladiator could strengthen his confidence.
6 Shang-Chi's Masterful Use Of Chi Could Keep Him Up
Shang-Chi might seem like a surprise entrant for a training partner. After all, he's not a god, mutant, or superpowered alien. He's just a mortal man. But it's arguable that thanks to his mastery of chi control and manipulation Shang-Chi has the potential to keep up with Goku.
Fans might forget that while still a mortal, the kung-fu master has been able to take on superpowered beings. And Ares, the god of war, once remarked that Shang-Chi was one of the few mortal men who could take on a god. Besides, in terms of martial arts technique, there's no telling what Goku and Shang-Chi could learn from each other.
5 Hyperion's Training With Goku Would Be Super
While Gladiator is the Marvel Superman homage with a bit of a twist, Hyperion appears to be probably the most faithful version in a sense. At least he's faithful when talking about his heroic version instead of King Hyperion or a version strictly raised by the government.
Hyperion has all of the tools to keep up with Goku, including super-strength, flight, speed, and Atomic Vision. The upper limit of his powers depends on the writers, but honestly, there's little doubt that Goku would have to work extra hard to work up Hyperion.
4 Blue Marvel Could Be The Ultimate Challenge
Blue Marvel is one of Marvel's most powerful combined with a brilliant scientific mind. He'd probably have more in common with Gohan combining their smart minds. But as far as training against Goku, he could easily prove to be a steep challenge for the battle-tested warrior.
Blue Marvel has super strength, flight, and molecular manipulation which could already lead to an interesting sparring session for Goku. But it's his mastery of energy generation and manipulation that could lead to some awesome energy beam tussles between the two.
3 Silver Surfer Rides The Kamehameha Wave
To be fair, Silver Surfer isn't just a hero that could keep up with Goku in training but seems like one of the few that could completely take out Goku in a real fight. The Surfer's cosmic powers go beyond just mere super strength and energy manipulation.
He can also time travel, survive in any type of environment including the vacuum of space, and even create interdimensional portals. To be honest, his powers put him more on the level of an Angel like Whis, which means Surfer would be a great training coach rather than a partner.
2 Nova With Worldmind Could Be A Worthy Partner
It's a shame that Nova is usually placed in underrated status among Marvel's heroes when it comes to powers. The cosmic hero has proven numerous times that he deserves to be ranked among Marvel's heavy hitters, and that's also why there's no doubt the hero could train easily with Goku.
With the Worldmind Supercomputer, the hero has access to the history, techniques, and powers of thousands of Nova Corps members. And besides super strength and flying at supersonic speeds, the hero could also perform energy manipulation and absorption, meaning he could take a couple of Kamehamehas or five.
1 Captain Marvel Could Easily Spar With Goku
Captain Marvel has been amazing Marvel fans, especially within the MCU. With her powers and abilities, her name is often brought up as someone who could outright defeat much of the Dragon Ball cast. That's a debate for another time, but it is clear that she has all the makings for a great training partner with Goku in terms of abilities.
She's a powerhouse of super speed, flight, strength, and energy projection, as well as a skilled military strategist. Captain Marvel could push Goku to reach new mastery with Ultra Instinct, especially if she turned her powers up with her Binary form.