The MCU is home to some of Marvel Comics' most iconic superheroes and other characters, from the star-spangled Captain America to the high-tech Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk and Black Widow the assassin. These characters are elite fighters, but the MCU never takes them too seriously. They are, after all, works of fiction, and so are cartoon characters, such as Pokémon.
These characters can be compared to Pokémon, mostly in terms of their abilities and combat style, and the Avengers each have an equivalent in the Kanto region of the Pokémon world. This represents the classic Generation I in the games, and a team of these beloved Pokémon can match the Avengers perfectly. How do they compare?
10 Iron Man: Blastoise Is Heavily Armored & Has Ranged Attacks
Iron Man can fly while Blastoise cannot, but aside from that, the two of them are fairly similar. Blastoise is the ultimate turtle Pokémon of the Kanto region, the final evolution of Squirtle and Wartortle. Like them, it has a tough shell to match Iron Man's durable suit, and it has twin cannons for ranged attacks.
Those water cannons can be compared to Iron Man's palm blasters and other energy emitters, and if necessary, Blastoise can perform fearsome melee attacks while enduring the opponent's own close-range attacks.
9 Captain America: Marowak Throws Bones With Expert Precision
Marowak is the evolution of Cubone, and this small Pokémon is quite tough for its size. Unlike Cubone, Marowak isn't preoccupied by grief, and it can focus on its battles perfectly. Marowak has a thick skull head, which roughly matches Captain America's trademark shield on defense. And that's just the start.
Like Captain America, Marowak is a bit "plain" compared to more colorful Pokémon or Avengers, but it's still a powerhouse, and it can throw that bone like a boomerang. This may remind MCU fans of Cap throwing his shield like a Frisbee to knock out opponents from afar.
8 The Incredible Hulk: Machamp Is A Melee Monster
While the Incredible Hulk doesn't have four arms, he and the mighty Machamp are remarkably similar, being melee-oriented brutes with a sharp mind to back up those formidable muscles. The Hulk does all his best fighting up close, and so does Machamp.
In fact, Machamp can hold the opposing Pokémon with two arms while pummeling it with the other two, and the Hulk would do that if he could. The Hulk draws strength from sheer anger, and no doubt a furious Machamp is equally fearsome in a gym battle.
7 Thor: Electabuzz Throws Lightning Punches
Several electric Pokémon can be found in Generation I, but the mighty Asgardian Thor isn't a self-destructive warrior like Electrode or a small, quick fighter like Jolteon. Instead, Thor has the most overlap with Electabuzz, a humanoid Pokémon with an ongoing feud with Scyther.
Electabuzz is frighteningly powerful, and it can charge up its electricity and deliver knockout thunder punches in melee combat. From a distance, it can use Thunderbolt and Thunder Shock to dispatch the opponent, a strategy Thor can appreciate greatly.
6 Black Widow: Hitmonchan Can Really Throw A Punch
Black Widow is an agile martial artist and assassin, using anything from her bare fists to pistols and rifles to get the job done. Black Widow can take on whole groups of ordinary human foes with ease, and against stronger foes, she can keep the enemy busy and avoid hostile fire until a stronger Avenger finishes the job.
Black Widow's melee emphasis and her lack of magical abilities makes her similar to Hitmonchan, a normal-type Pokémon that's famed for its incredible punches, as its boxing glove hands would suggest. In a boxing ring, no Pokémon will last long against a Hitmonchan.
5 Hawkeye: Beedrill Can Fire Pointed Missiles From Its Body
Hawkeye is an expert archer, a ranged specialist who can hit any target from afar with specialized arrowheads. There aren't any archer Pokémon in Generation I, but a case could be made for Beedrill, a bug-type Pokémon that is famed for its pointed drills. which can pierce almost any target to deal damage.
Beedrill can fly, unlike Hawkeye, and it has more melee options than him. Then again, it can use Pin Missile, a technique that fires pointed projectiles at the enemy, similar to arrowheads. When Beedrill does that, it becomes an archer Pokémon of sorts, and a well-trained Beedrill won't miss.
4 Scarlet Witch: Alakazam Is A Wizard Pokémon
Wanda Maximoff, or Scarlet Witch, was one of the first wizards to join the MCU, and she made her debut in The Avengers: Age of Ultron as an antagonist alongside her speedster brother. Wanda soon joined the Avengers and ditched Ultron, and she has been a loyal hero ever since.
Wanda is famed for her hex-like abilities, which can affect both the body and mind, and this makes her similar to many psychic-type Pokémon. Among Kanto Pokémon, she is most similar to the ultra-psychic Alakazam, a genius Pokémon with bizarre but creative techniques at its disposal.
3 Vision: Porygon Is An Artificial Being
Vision is an artificial Avenger, and he had the Mind Stone embedded in his forehead to help him function. He may be a synthetic being born of Iron Man, but he is considered a real person by his fellows, and Wanda was grieving when she was forced to kill him to protect the Mind Stone from the villainous Thanos.
Porygon is also an artificial being, a computer program of a Pokémon that can assume a solid form to fight in battles. It also has some evolutions in later generations, such as Porygon-Z.
2 Spider-Man: Growlithe Is Quick & Cheerful
Generation I doesn't have any spider Pokémon, but it does have Growlithe, a cuddly fire-type Pokémon that matches Spider-Man in terms of melee combat and personality. Spider-Man doesn't use any fire, but he does move quickly across the battlefield, and the little Growlithe is also a fast-moving fighter, especially when it uses Agility.
In addition, Growlithe and Spider-Man have similar personalities, being cheerful and enthusiastic companions who will do anything for a friend. In particular, Spider-Man is eager to impress his mentor, Iron Man, and will happily dive into any battle to prove himself.
1 Black Panther: Persian Is Haughty & Ferocious
King T'Challa, or the Black Panther, can be compared to Persian in more regards than their shared feline theme. Persian the Pokémon is a lofty and sophisticated cat that isn't easy to please, and it might view itself as the king of the forest. Black Panther isn't arrogant or fickle, but he is dignified and aloof as a proper king.
Black Panther and Persian are quick and ferocious melee combatants, using sharp claws to shred the opponent and using their agility to avoid retaliation. The main difference is that Persian lacks Black Panther's ultra-tough vibranium defenses.