The endless fictional world of Marvel Comics includes all sorts of outlandish characters but at the end of the day, some of their most interesting heroes and villains happen to be warriors with abilities that fall within the limits of the humanly possible.
Under the right circumstances, even geniuses, commanders, billionaires and special agents that have no enhanced skills can hold their own against superpowered Gods, formidable mutants or magic-performing aliens. Here are the 10 most powerful heroes and villains from Marvel Comics who are not in possession of superpowers.
10 Night Thrasher
Dwayne Taylor is the founder and leader of the New Warriors. His foes suffer under his highly efficient Japanese martial arts strikes, which have on one instance made him equal to the Punisher himself.
Night Thrasher is a terrific acrobat, a talented weapons designer and a programmer. He is resilient to telepathic and mental attacks and his armor makes him an even tougher fighter, not to mention the fact that it provides Taylor with numerous useful gadgets that grant tactical superiority.
9 Whiplash
There is nothing overpowered about Anton Vanko, other than the terrifying design of his electric whips that are incredibly dangerous and devastating to anything they strike.
Whiplash has vast scientific knowledge comparable in some way to that of Iron Man since his armor and weapons are based on Stark's designs. The armor is bullet-resistant and offers a night vision mode. Vanko is strongly built and surprisingly athletic.
8 Hawkeye
Arguably the greatest archer in Marvel Comics, Clint Barton has worked very hard to perfect his bow and arrow skills. As far as his physical conditioning is concerned, his eyesight is perfect and his strength, speed and stamina are developed to a maximum extent.
Barton is not only educated in different types of weaponry; he is fully capable of crafting them from scratch. Additionally, Hawkeye is trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat, which has allowed him to emerge triumphant against other high-ranking soldiers.
7 Ka-Zar
Kevin Plunder, better known as Ka-Zar, is a savage warrior that has spent the majority of his life surviving the wilds and all the terrifying beasts that linger inside. He is incredibly athletic, a superb hunter and he is renowned for being a better fighter than even the enhanced Kraven the Hunter.
Both of Plunder's endurance and strength levels are off the charts. His equipment includes a Vibranium belt, a knife and a slingshot.
6 Batroc
Training harder than any Marvel character has ever had to, Captain America: The Winter Soldier's Georges Batroc has repeatedly managed to push the limits of his body to become the ultimate fighter. His strength, agility, reflexes, speed and jumps are beyond anything any regular soldier can pull off.
Mainly active as a mercenary, he has fully mastered savate - the French version of kickboxing. Despite the fact that he is fully trained in using all kinds of weapons, Georges rarely needs them.
5 The Punisher
Very few, if any warriors without superhuman abilities can come out alive after a battle with Frank Castle, aka The Punisher. He is capable of using numerous refined skills - from a variety of martial arts and mastery of different types of guns to piloting aircraft and engaging enemies with bladed weapons.
Castle is extremely strong and resilient and has performed surgery on himself on multiple occasions. The Punisher's strategic thinking and extensive Special Ops training give him an additional edge over his opponents.
4 Kingpin
The most feared underworld boss of Marvel's New York City and the nemesis of Spider-Man, The Punisher and Daredevil at certain points in time, Wilson Fisk is much more than a ridiculously wealthy and influential mobster.
One of the many frightening things about his appearance is that his large body is composed almost entirely of muscle, so he is definitely pushing the limits of human strength. His organization skills allow him to command and hold on a leash a number of powerful superheroes and villains. He is also trained in judo and wrestling.
3 Black Widow
Despite being injected with a special serum that boosts her immune system and lifespan, Black Widow doesn't get any kind of a fighting advantage against other non-enhanced Marvel warriors. Natasha Romanoff made a name for herself in the KGB before joining S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers.
Her endless list of abilities includes peak strength, resilience and speed, various martial arts and lethal assassination techniques, in-depth knowledge of weapons, vehicles, hacking and espionage and of course - the skills of a dancer and a seductress.
2 Moon Knight
Often described as "Batman with a personality disorder" by fans, Marc Spector aka Moon Knight is a mentally unstable crime-fighter with a fascinating set of skills. A former Marine and an Olympic medalist, Moon Knight is a superb pilot and detective. He knows his way around any and all weapons and can put to good use various forms of combat.
Spector's bleak past has made him extremely resilient to pain. His armor is bullet-proof and is equipped with various useful tools. The Moon Knight's cloak allows him to slow his descent in the case of high jumps.
1 Iron Man
Tony Stark doesn't need superpowers - he built them for himself. His mechanic suit of armor makes him as physically powerful, fast and agile as any superhero out there, not to mention the fact that it gives him flying capabilities. His talents as a businessman and tactician are matched by his genius-level knowledge.
The Iron Man suit is equipped with more features than one can count - protective, offensive, healing, not to mention the in-built A.I system.