The Mad Titan Thanos debuted in Marvel comics in 1973 and has been one of the most powerful beings ever since. In the comics, he is known for wanting to please Lady Death and destroying the Avengers. In the MCU, he's obsessed with balancing the universe and destroying the Avengers. However, no matter which portrayal of Thanos is being discussed, he is constantly in search of the Infinity Stones and the Infinity Gauntlet... for destroying the Avengers.
Any character who holds the Infinity Gauntlet already has incredible power, but what are the limits of the user without those powers? Thanos has gone toe to toe with some of the biggest characters Marvel has to offer, both with and without the Gauntlet. When he isn't wielding the Gauntlet, which Marvel characters would defeat the great Titan?
10 Professor X's Mind-Bending Powers Would Disrupt Thanos
Professor X is the leader and founder of the X-Men and has the ability to connect with people through their minds. He's shown that he can mentally overpower some of Marvel's most notorious characters and is considered one of the smartest minds in the Marvel Universe. Thanos is no slouch when it comes to smarts, he's even considered a genius when it comes to planning his attacks. Unfortunately for Thanos, Professor X has a whole team of superpowered mutants willing to fight for him, and even if he didn't, he could manipulate Thanos and make him forget everything he ever knew.
9 Hulk's World Breaking Powers Would Smash The Mad Titan
Thanos and Hulk have battled on screen and in the comics several times, with both sharing a few victories over each other. However, when Hulk is at his angriest, he becomes a world-breaking goliath and an unstoppable force. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos beats Hulk without help from the Infinity Gauntlet.
However, Hulk wasn't at his most volatile and was starting to become humanized, thanks to his bonding with the God Of Thunder in Thor: Ragnarok. Thanos is an absolute brute even without the Gauntlet, but when Hulk is at his worst, he would smash Thanos through the cosmos.
8 Magneto's Metal Mayhem Would Shatter A Titan
Thanos has very strong armor that he wears for all his battles, which protects him from normal enemies. Magneto is not a normal enemy and would most likely strip Thanos of all his armor. Using his magnetism, Magneto could fly around and use any metal objects to throw at or tie up the Mad Titan. Thanos would even be at a disadvantage if he had his Black Order by his side because Magneto could call his Brotherhood of Mutants, a group filled with a lot of powerful mutants.
7 Thor Is A God That Thanos Will Never Be
Similar to the Hulk, Thanos and Thor have fought each other on several occasions. Thanos has even thrown Thor around like a rag doll but Thor got his revenge and chopped off his head in the MCU. Thanos was only able to overpower Thor because he had the Power Stone and was flanked by his Black Order.
Thor eventually helps build Stormbreaker and nearly kills Thanos, who has a complete Infinity Gauntlet on. Thanos snaps half of all living things away before Thor can kill him, but in Endgame, Thor went for the head and killed Thanos. This proved that the God of Thunder could defeat the Mad Titan with or without the big gold glove.
6 Jean Grey's Phoenix Force Is Too Much For The Titan
Professor X's mind control and telepathy are off the charts but even he has been overpowered by Jean Grey. When she is in her regular form, Jean is one of the strongest mutants in the world. When the Phoenix Force takes over, her powers are unparalleled. Thanos could have two gauntlets filled with Infinity Stones and the Phoenix would be able to disintegrate them. The Phoenix even has Cosmic awareness which means she could see Thanos on any planet and he would have no way of planning his offense against her. Thanos couldn't even hide from Jean, let alone defeat her in a fight.
5 Wolverine's Endurance Would Outlast Thanos
Even without the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos still has the strength to rip his foes in half. The problem with fighting Wolverine is that he can be ripped in half but will survive and heal his injuries within seconds. Thanos could throw him around like a toy, beat him to a bloody pulp, or stomp on his claws. It wouldn't matter because Logan would keep getting up and using those claws to slice and dice through Thanos and his armor. Thanos wouldn't be easy to destroy, even without the Gauntlet, but he wouldn't be able to regain his strength. Meanwhile, Wolverine wouldn't ever weaken.
4 Captain Marvel's Cosmic Powers Could Control A Cosmic King
Captain Marvel showed her strength against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, even overpowering him with a full Infinity Gauntlet. He had to separate the Power stone from the Gauntlet just to get her off him. Captain Marvel could use her superhuman strength, speed, and stamina to get the upper hand on a gauntlet-less Thanos. She could also absorb his Cosmic energy and shoot it back out at him, which would knock him unconscious. If Thanos was somehow able to stay in the fight, Captain Marvel could transform into her Binary form and photon blast him back to Titan.
3 Deadpool Doesn't Care If He Takes Damage
Deadpool can heal just as quickly as Wolverine but he has one advantage over Weapon X. He doesn't have a care in the world. Thanos could rip his head off and the Pool boy would still talk trash, which would likely lead to Thanos getting frustrated or just giving up. Thanos could kill him a million times and Deadpool would reconstruct himself just to annoy the Mad Titan. Finally, when Thanos least expects it, DP could pull out his two machetes and slash through his armor.
2 Scarlet Witch's Strength Is Infinite Without A Gauntlet
Much to the chagrin of the Mad Titan in Avengers: Endgame, Wanda used her incredible powers to lock up and lift Thanos with ease. Take away his Infinity Gauntlet and his army, Thanos would be decimated by the Scarlet Witch. Even if they fought on Titan, Wanda could use her mind to pick up Thanos' chair and set it down on top of him. His strength would be no match for her mental manipulation and magic spells. If she wanted, she could turn Thanos into a little purple bunny and he could do nothing to stop her.
1 Galactus Would See Thanos As Nothing More Than A Snack
Thanos has been known to take over planets when wielding his Gauntlet. However, without it, he's really just a gladiator with immense power. Either way, his strength or cosmic powers would be no match for the planet eater, Galactus. Thanos could play King on his throne on Titan all he wants but when Galactus comes to his neighborhood, Titan will be devoured by the World Eater like any other planet.