In all of his incarnations in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos is one of the most dangerous foes the heroes have ever fought. Whether it is through the use of the Infinity Stones, or through his sheer physical power, Thanos is able to defeat nearly every hero who stands up to him, including powerhouses like the Hulk, and Doctor Strange.

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Nonetheless, he is not unstoppable. Most of the time, when he is on his back foot, it is the result of multiple heroes working together. Still, there are some characters, both heroes and villains, who could give Thanos a good fight, with the victor unclear.

8 Odin Was Asgard's Allfather

Odin stands with his spear Gungnir and his raven Munin in Thor

Audiences get few actual demonstrations of Odin's might in the Thor films, but by reputation and by his past deeds, it is immense. Odin was able to defeat the Dark Elves and Frost Giants, and even able to keep Hela imprisoned despite her immense power.

Even as an old man, it Odin's power—greater than that of his son, Thor—could be enough to overpower Thanos. Nonetheless, the Titan has killed gods before, so Odin's victory is not assured.

7 The Ancient One Is More Powerful Than Strange

Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One in Doctor Strange.

In Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange is one of the only heroes capable of fighting Thanos on anything like even ground, using a repertoire of spells to threaten Thanos, restrain him, and even counter attacks from the Infinity Gauntlet.

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The Ancient One is even more powerful, having had hundreds of years to perfect her techniques in the Mystic Arts, and the Sorcerer Supreme of her era. If the Ancient One and Thanos were to fight, the victor would be uncertain.

6 Ego's Powers Are Immense, But With Vulnerabilities

Ego In MCU

When finally forced to fight in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, viewers see that Ego, previously a creator and manipulator, is perfectly capable of handling himself in combat. Despite Peter Quill's skill, and rapidly-increasing Celestial power, Ego is able to use his abilities to force Quill onto the defensive, and ultimately it takes all of the Guardians and a cunning plan to stop him.

In a direct fight, Ego's regenerative and transformative abilities would make a good match for Thanos' immense durability and strength, and could prove too much for the Titan. Despite this, Thanos is a cunning opponent, and could potentially learn about Ego's vulnerable brain and defeat him.

5 Vision Spends Infinity War Wounded

Vision using the Mind Stone as a weapon in Captain America: Civil War

Throughout Avengers: Infinity War, Vision is wounded, having been hit with a sneak attack early in the film. As a result, he is fighting at vastly diminished capacity, and unable to bring his strongest abilities to bear.

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When not injured, Vision is nearly indestructible, capable of phasing through attacks that might harm him, immensely strong, and able to fire powerful blasts from the Mind Stone. He might have a harder time matching Thanos than some others, but he could nonetheless give the Mad Titan a better fight than many other Avengers.

4 Professor Hulk Could Come Out On Top In A Rematch

Bruce Banner and Hulk together as Professor Hulk in Avengers: Endgame

An early sign of just how much raw power Thanos possesses, even without all of the Infinity Stones, is when he beats the Hulk in a fight early in Infinity War. However, much of his victory doesn't come from his strength, but from his superior intelligence and technique.

Hulk is clearly strong enough to hurt Thanos and initially puts the Mad Titan on his back foot. However, Thanos recovers, and uses strikes that specifically throw Hulk off-balance and put him on the defensive, compared to Hulk's flailing, rage-fueled strikes. With training, and Banner's intelligence, a rematch could see the Hulk's strength put to better use, resulting in a much more even fight.

3 Captain Marvel & Thanos Are Two Of The Strongest Figures In The Galaxy

Captain Marvel in front of a planet in Avengers: Endgame

Carol Danvers and Thanos clash in Avengers: Endgame, but their focus in that fight is not on harming the other, but fighting for control of the Infinity Gauntlet, and the resulting struggle is short. As a result, audiences didn't get to see both bring their full power to bear.

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Both are nearly indestructible, with almost nothing harming Thanos and Marvel shrugging off a devastating headbutt from him. Thanos is so hard-pressed in their fight that he resorts to striking her with the Power Stone, but he nonetheless shows some advantages, throwing her around their arena. A longer battle between the two could be one of the most impressive in MCU history.

2 Kaecilius Combines The Power Of Two Dimensions

Kaecilius opposing the heroes in Doctor Strange

Throughout Doctor Strange, Kaecilius is the film's biggest threat, at least until Strange comes face to face with his master, Dormammu. The villain spends much of the film menacing Strange and Mordo with his sheer power. A big part of his strength is that in addition to his natural magic, he is boosted by magic from the Dark Dimension.

Magic from the physical dimension is shown to be perfectly effective against Thanos, and between his sheer power and the versatility both types of magic give Kaecilius, he could give Thanos a good fight.

1 Hela Is The Most Powerful Of Odin's Children

Hela prepares to fight Thor

At the time they meet in Thor: Ragnarok, Hela is the greatest physical threat Thor has ever faced. She proves herself exceedingly resilient, recovering from Asgardian weaponry and even Thor's most powerful lightning, and her blades are able to slay other gods.

Only growing more powerful over time, Hela could certainly match Thanos blow for blow. They are likely to be equally matched in nearly every regard, from their skill and their stamina to their strength. A fight between them could go either way, and the winner would be in a position to dominate the galaxy.

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