Speed is a common term when talking about superheroes. One of the most popular superpowers is moving extremely fast. It helps heroes get to wherever they need to go in almost no time at all, they can use it in creative ways, and it makes them nearly unbeatable when fighting stronger foes. Some of the most popular superheroes have speed as their power. For example, DC Comics has the Flash and Superman. However, Marvel is no slouch when it comes to speedy characters as well, and the same goes for its expansive MCU. While they've never given large screen time to any one character to showcase their raw speed, there are many fast characters in the universe. A lot of it has to do with their improved physique overall, which grants an element of super speed. Whatever the case, there are some fast characters in Marvel's films despite the fact that speed has never been one of their most explored powers.

As the MCU grows larger, we are shown more characters with super speed. Now that we're over 20 movies and 10 years into this universe, there are a ton of fast characters to see. Who among them is the fastest, though, capable of running or flying better than anyone else? If put side by side in a race, who would be the ultimate winner? Get on your speed shoes as we rank the top 20 fastest characters in the MCU. This includes both heroes and villains, so be prepared to see a mix of characters on this list.

20 THE WINTER SOLDIER

At the bottom of our list is the Winter Soldier. While Bucky is often known for his military expertise, strength, and metal arm, he has proven himself to be speedy a few times. In Captain America: Civil War, he was involved in the car chase sequence with Captain America and Black Panther.

He was running as fast as the cars that were driving through the tunnel, which says a lot about the experimentation done to him by Hydra. He was created to be the ultimate weapon, so it makes sense that he would get enhanced speed as well -- it all helps to make him a stronger fighter.

19 CAPTAIN AMERICA

When Captain America was first created with the Super Soldier serum, the government didn't know just how impressive it would make him. His first act as a hero was to stop a Hydra spy from stealing their plans. Cap managed to chase him on foot while the spy was driving a car and figured out just how fast he had become.

Likewise, Captain America was also shown to be extremely fast during the car chase sequence in Civil War. On top of that, he was among the first two people to run ahead of the pack during the battle at Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War.

18 GAMORA

Gamora is the perfect soldier, but she was created by a psychopathic, all-powerful alien instead of human scientists. Through training and assistance from Thanos, Gamora became one of the deadliest weapons in the entire galaxy. While she is extremely agile and can win just about any fight that comes her way, she has also proven to be extremely quick.

She maneuvers her way through foes with ease, chase down others with no problem, and react quicker than anyone else around her. She was a key member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and her speed played a big role in that.

17 BLACK PANTHER

T'Challa, as the king of Wakanda, is granted access to a special plant that gives him the powers of the Black Panther. Couple that with his prime physical training and knowledge in many martial arts, and he is one of the strongest characters in the entire MCU.

This all comes together with enhanced speed that allows him to run faster than cars, catapault himself through the air at high speeds, and chase down even the fastest of opponents. Black Panther is close to the same level of speed as Captain America, but the precision and added agility make him edge out just a bit more.

16 LOKI

Loki is quick. He's cunning and manipulative, and the only way he can succeed in those areas is by being quick. Loki can move around with such finesse and poise that many characters don't realize where he is until it's too late. This bleeds over into his fighting style, where he strikes before people can react and reacts faster than others expect.

While the MCU films have never shown his speed by making him run, Loki, being a Frost Giant that is more capable than many Asgardians, there's no way that he is a slow character. He's also dangerously quick with his words.

15 YELLOWJACKET

Yellowjacket in Ant-Man

The Ant-Man suit was merely designed with the Pym Particles in mind. The user would be able to alter their size but keep their mass and momentum, which made them a serious threat to any unsuspecting foe. However, when Darren Cross designed the Yellowjacket suit, he had a few more enhancements in mind.

One such enhancement was a series of thrusters that enabled him to fly. He could speed through the air, zip around Scott Lang with ease, and fire lasers all at the same time. It was only through Lang's ingenuity that he was able to overcome the airborne speed of Yellowjacket.

14 SPIDER-MAN

Spider-Man in Homecoming

A young boy bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter Parker has a lot of raw power. While he doesn't quite have skills or formal training, all of his senses and physical attributes have been enhanced thanks to that one spider.

Not only is he strong enough to hold back Cul Obsidian's hammer and Winter Soldier's arm, but he's fast enough to zip around multiple opponents and detain them before they can do anything. Spidey proved quick enough to even get a good few blows on Thanos. His speed combined with his determination make him a serious asset to the Avengers.

13 WAR MACHINE

The War Machine suit was designed by Tony Stark, so it was meant to go pretty fast. However, Rhodey had a lot of new weapons attached to it for good measure, which became the staple of the armor. Because of the weapons and the seeming lack of advancements, the War Machine suit falls vastly short of the Iron Man suit in the speed department.

It can propel itself pretty quickly, but with all of that extra weaponry weighing it down, it doesn't even compare to Stark's other suits. Thankfully for Rhodey, the War Machine suit is still a potent weapon that can hold its own.

12 ABOMINATION

The Abomination was created as a result of Hulk. He was every bit as dangerous and powerful, though the Hulk has grown in those areas a lot. Abomination, with his increased physical form and monstrous appearance, got a noticeable speed enhancement along the way. He could rush his way through cars and throw himself across entire buildings with ease.

When he picked up speed, he was unstoppable force of destruction that mowed down anything that got in his path. He was even bigger than the Hulk during their encounter, suggesting that he was even faster at least for that film.

11 VULTURE

spider-man-homecoming

Adrian Toomes had a host of Chitauri technology when he designed the Vulture suit. The final suit had massive wings powered with human and alien technology. He could fly fast enough to catch up with massive planes and even zoom out of a tough situation before he could get caught. The only Spider-Man was able to stop him was by latching his web onto him somehow.

Vulture's wings alone made him an extremely powerful foe. Not only did they give him insane levels of speed, but they are also incredibly durable, capable of destroying entire buildings and cutting through most surfaces.

10 ULTRON

Avengers-Age-of-Ultron-church-scene

Ultron was designed by Bruce Banner and Tony Stark, so there was bound to be some impressive technology inside him. With Stark's framework of the Iron Man suit within Ultron, the robot was able to fly at top speeds on par with what Tony's suits could do at the time. Ultron could attack without warning, dashing at his foes and grappling with them before they had a chance to react.

This speed was also reflected in the numerous Ultron robots that could fly quickly and strike the Avengers from all angles. However, Stark's technology would later surpass what he did with Ultron.

9 THE ANCIENT ONE

The true capabilities of the Ancient One were never fully shown to use in Doctor Strange. All we really knew about her was that she was incredibly powerful, using mind-bending spells to change reality and beat her opponents. However, it's safe to assume that, being the Sorcerer Supreme, she was extremely quick as well.

With magical abilities like teleportation and reality shifting in her repertoire, she was capable of being anywhere in the world in an instant. Having spent years learning all of the tricks of magic and the Dark Dimension, the Ancient One could've likely done so much more.

8 VISION

vision in captain america: civil war

Vision was created to be the perfect body for Ultron. A synthetic life form powered by an Infinity Stone, he was always destined to be one of the MCU's strongest characters to date. As such, Vision can also fly at incredible speeds, dashing through the air and taking down Ultron bots with little effort.

He could outperform many Avengers. In Captain America: Civil War, he could chase down heroes during the airport battle in just a matter of seconds. It's unfortunate for the team that his powers were dampened in Avengers: Infinity War, otherwise Thanos might not have won the battle.

7 HULK

Hulk and Thor Clash

The Hulk is easily one of the fastest characters in the MCU. After his appearance in The Incredible Hulk, his abilities only seemed to get better each time. In The Avengers, he was shown capable of leaping through entire buildings with no problem, dashing through Helicarriers with ease, and smashing everything in the process.

Hulk is fast enough to jump incredible distances, traverse a space arena in a few seconds, and even burst through Hydra bases without a scratch. His skills have only gotten more impressive, and it'll be interesting to see what Marvel will let him do next. Hopefully, we'll see in Avengers: Endgame.

6 THANOS

Thanos uses the Infinity Gauntlet to pull down a moon in Avengers: Infinity War

Despite being one of the biggest villains in the MCU, Thanos is no slouch in the speed department. From the opening moments of Avengers: Infinity War, we see that his reflexes are quick enough that he can outmatch the Hulk, both in speed and power. When Thanos is finally seen in action on Titan, he can rocket himself through the air, taking down anyone in his path.

While more of a stoic type of villain, Thanos more relies on his power than his movement. That said, he is more than capable outpacing some of the MCU's quickest heroes -- he managed to catch Spider-Man off guard after all.

5 HELA

Cate Blanchett as Hela

Hela was easily the strongest Asgardian before Avengers: Infinity War. Even Thor, Valkyrie, Loki, Korg, and Hulk working together wasn't enough to defeat her, so they had to use Surtur to destroy Asgard in the process. On top of her strength was a ridiculous amount of speed.

Hela could dash through opponents with ease, zipping her way through an entire Asgardian army that couldn't even touch her. Hela also proved to get around Asgard quickly, returning to the throne in just a few short minutes to battle Thor. There was no getting away from her, and she only became faster over time.

4 IRON MAN

iron man 2008

Tony Stark's Iron Man suits have only gotten more impressive with each new movie. The original design let him fly at the speed of an F-22 raptor, which is one of the fastest airborne crafts in existence. Iron Man could travel to entirely different countries in just a measly afternoon, but that only got better over time.

In Avengers: Infinity War, the Iron Man suit was built with nanotech, which allowed Stark to form a powerful thruster that allowed him to catch up with an alien spaceship. It seems that Iron Man has reached the peak of his great power and speed.

3 THOR

We have yet to fully comprehend Thor's new abilities as of Avengers: Infinity War. With the help of the Stormbreaker ax, he has become a warrior even stronger than his own father. Thor can summon the Bifrost at will and fly even better than he used to with Mjolnir.

He can traverse the entire galaxy in just a few short moments, zoom through the air at crazy levels, and even have the speed that's arguably better than Iron Man's. Even with Mjolnir, Thor was fast enough to outrun a fire dragon from Surtur's realm and get across Asgard in a matter of seconds.

2 CAPTAIN MARVEL

Captain Marvel

While the true capabilities of Captain Marvel have yet to be revealed, she has already proven to be one of the fastest characters in Marvel Comics. With Kevin Feige already stating that she's one of the strongest characters in the MCU, it's likely that she'll be just as potent in the films as well.

If the most recent trailer is anything to go by, Captain Marvel can propel herself in the air at breakneck speeds. With her history as a pilot, her learning to fly will probably be an important aspect of her superhero training. Time will tell, but this is a safe bet.

1 QUICKSILVER

Of course, coming at the top of our list is Quicksilver. Introduced and destroyed in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Quicksilver had quite the speed powers when fighting Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

He could run faster than Thor's hammer could fly, blast through dozens of Ultron robots before they even knew what hit them, save all kinds of people in a matter of seconds, and even save Hawkeye by soaking up an attack from a jet. Being the only character in the MCU to be designed around super speed, Quicksilver is easily the fastest one in that world (or he was for a brief time).