With the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War marking the end of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many fans are naturally taking a look back at the last ten years of the franchise and the characters, worlds and stories its brought to life -- before Thanos destroys them all. With a rich well of powerful heroes and villains to draw from 18 movies in, as well as the impending threat of the Mad Titan Thanos about to descend on the entire Marvel Universe, fan discussions regarding the power level of certain characters are more prevalent than ever. While many of the MCU’s heroes are so formidable thanks to their unique abilities and potent power sets however, we thought we’d take a look at the MCU’s strongest characters in terms of raw physical strength.

Characters from both Marvel’s movie and TV efforts are fair game when it comes to this ranking, but a character’s strength must derive from their own physical form rather than an exoskeleton or piece of armor -- leaving the likes of Tony Stark and Diamondback ineligible to be the strongest there is in the MCU. So without further delay, here are 20 of the MCU’s brawniest characters, ranked from weakest to strongest.

20 JESSICA JONES

As revealed in the second season of Netflix's Jessica Jones, after suffering a near-fatal car crash that killed her entire family and left her in critical condition, Jessica Jones was unknowingly subjected to extensive experimentation at the hands of IGH, a somewhat shady scientific organization fixated on genetic editing and other unsavory medical practices.

While the experiment was a success, Jessica was granted superhuman strength, allowing her to bend metal, lift heavy objects and stop cars in their tracks.

Despite her strength however, there’s a distinct lack of on-screen super-strength usage in Jessica Jones, with the show favoring character and story over bombastic superheroics. Because of this, it’s tough to nail down exactly where Jessica lands on the super-strength scale, but one thing’s for sure -- she’s no joke.

19 THE WINTER SOLDIER

The titular villain of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes, was the result of a clandestine experiment carried out by HYDRA, who were secretly using S.H.I.E.L.D. as an incubator at the time. Brainwashed and given a powerful bionic arm, the Winter Soldier was kept on ice for decades, only thawed out to perform various bloody hits on enemies of the organization, including Tony Stark’s parents.

Quickly proving himself to be more than a match for Captain America, Winter Soldier’s strength seems to be about on par with his former best pal’s, giving him highly enhanced combat capabilities. Able to go toe-to-toe with some of Marvel’s stronger heroes, the Winter Soldier’s strength even allows him to catch Cap’s shield mid-flight, before launching it back at its sender with tremendous power.

18 CAPTAIN AMERICA

Although the Star-Spangled Avenger is certainly one of the most formidable heroes the MCU has to offer, much of his ability comes from combat experience, skill and sheer determination.

In terms of raw strength, Captain America is far from the most powerful hero on the Avengers’ roster, which only makes Cap’s feats of strength all the more impressive.

Thanks to the potent Super Soldier Serum coursing through his veins, Cap can toss around regular humans like they’re nothing, tear logs in half with his bare hands, and even kick cars into his enemies. Perhaps his most impressive feat to date came in Captain America: Civil War however, when he stopped a helicopter from taking off by holding onto the landing pad with one hand, and the helicopter with the other.

17 BLACK PANTHER

One of the MCU’s more recently introduced heroes, Black Panther has quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with thanks to his powerful suit, catlike reflexes and superior strength. Granted his powers by the Heart-Shaped Herb native to Wakanda, Black Panther’s power far surpasses peak human level, which explains his ability to run faster than a speeding car -- after all, that would require some serious leg strength.

Yes, we're sure the Vibranium suit helps him out, but we also know that due to ingesting the Herb, he has some power behind his punches. In his first appearance as Black Panther, T’Challa even managed to tackle the combined efforts of Captain America and the Winter Soldier, with the character handily besting Bucky in hand-to-hand combat several times over the course of Captain America: Civil War.

16 LUKE CAGE

While Marvel’s Netflix characters haven’t been afforded much interplay with the larger Marvel Universe thanks to the somewhat insular nature of shows like Luke Cage, the sheer physical strength of Luke is clearly amongst the highest in the MCU despite his street-level status and not being involved in the larger picture.

In fact, Luke is so absurdly strong that the shows frequently use this to comical effect, having Luke knock out a whole host of criminals and henchmen with a mere tap.

Able to perform the typical kind of tasks associated with super-strength such as punching through brick walls and crushing steel, there’s no denying that Luke’s impenetrable skin also boosts his power, allowing him to maximize the potential of his strength without inflicting physical harm upon himself.

15 SPIDER-MAN

Despite only being 15 years old as of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker is nevertheless one of the most physically powerful human characters introduced in the MCU so far. Easily besting both Falcon and Winter Soldier simultaneously in his MCU debut, Peter Parker was able to catch one of Bucky’s powerful blows without breaking a sweat, before laying an impressive beatdown on the seasoned assassin.

Later fighting Captain America -- a highly experienced super soldier -- Spidey almost wins, with Cap’s superior combat skills ultimately trumping Peter’s superior strength. Spider-Man’s most notable display of strength came in Spider-Man: Homecoming though, in which he manages to hold together two separate halves of a sinking ferry for a considerable amount of time after the ship is blasted in two by one of Vulture’s weapons.

14 GAMORA

While Guardians of the Galaxy never pitched Gamora as a character known for her super strength, her actions in both Guardians movies indicate that her power level is greater than many people realize. It makes sense, given that Thanos genetically moulded Gamora into the perfect killer -- after all, Thanos wouldn’t claim a character of average strength as his daughter, would he?

Shown to be capable of breaking through Groot’s vines without issue during their first skirmish, Gamora also wielded a gigantic cannon with ease in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2.

Then she went on to tear apart a crashed ship to save Nebula. Given her close, bitter ties to the Mad Titan himself, it seems that Gamora is set to play an even larger role in Avengers: Infinity War, where it’s likely we’ll witness even more impressive feats of strength from the Deadliest Woman in the Universe.

13 DRAX

Although it’s definitely true that the MCU’s version of Drax the Destroyer has been heavily nerfed when compared to his comic book counterpart, it’s clear that the character is still a physical powerhouse boasting an incredible amount of raw strength. Earning himself a reputation as a brutal warrior prior to his role in Guardians, a vengeful Drax easily pins Gamora against a wall with one hand during the pair’s first interaction.

Drax continues to showcase his strength throughout the rest of the movie, using his powerful legs to leap a dozen feet in the air, grabbing a large guard drone before tearing it in two with considerable ease. His strength also allows him to brush off blows that no other member of the Guardians would likely live through, surviving the Milano crashing directly into him and even tanking a powerful blast from Ronan’s Power Stone-imbued hammer before immediately fighting back.

12 GIANT-MAN

Sure, the science of how Giant-Man is any stronger than regular Scott Lang is a little murky, especially given the established rules of how Pym Particles work, but just go with it. Making his first appearance as the super-sized Scott Lang in Captain America: Civil War, Giant Man was one of the famous airport battle’s biggest wildcards, requiring the combined efforts of several heroes to take him down.

Swatting aside the likes of War Machine and Spider-Man during the battle, Scott also manages to tear the wing off an airplane before launching it at a taken-aback Iron Man.

As strong as he is however, Giant-Man is also extremely clumsy and unaccustomed to his newfound power, but with some training could easily stand as one of Marvel’s heaviest hitters and an important part of any Avengers team he may end up on.

11 ULTRON

Initially created by Tony Stark as a form of global protection from potential extraterrestrial threats, Ultron soon turned on his creator -- and humanity as a whole -- hoping to rid the planet of humans altogether. Despite the fact that the rogue AI was a formidable opponent for the Avengers immediately upon his birth, things only got worse once he received a Vibranium upgrade from Ulysses Klaue, vastly increasing his strength.

While the earlier incarnation of Ultron was capable of holding off the Avengers long enough to formulate a plan, the upgraded version of the character was capable of grabbing even Thor by the throat, a feat that not many beings in the MCU can claim. Nevertheless, Ultron’s strength was ultimately no match for the Hulk, who punched him into the horizon with a single strike not once, but twice during the movie’s climax.

10 VISION

The incredibly powerful Vision has a whole array of superpowers under his belt, with super strength being just one of many. Despite the breadth of his abilities however, Marvel hasn’t downplayed Vision’s physical strength in any way, making him one of the strongest heroes in the entire franchise.

Created by Ultron, Tony Stark and Helen Cho, Vision is made of synthetic Vibranium, giving him a powerful physical form.

Ignoring the fact that he managed to pick up Mjolnir, Vision has also proven himself capable of other amazing feats, ripping Ultron Bots in two with his bare hands and even knocking Giant-Man off balance with very little effort. With the Russo Brothers confirming that Vision’s strength is on a level comparable to Thor and Hulk, it seems we haven’t seen the android’s full potential just yet -- here’s hoping we do in Avengers: Infinity War!

9 ABOMINATION

A British super soldier working under the orders of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, Emil Blonsky transformed into the hideous Abomination after being injected with Bruce Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood in The Incredible Hulk. Growing to a size larger than even the Hulk, Abomination could also use his protruding bones as a weapon, giving him a slight edge over the Green Goliath.

Able to wreak havoc across Harlem by destroying anything and everything in sight, Abomination’s default level of strength appears to be even greater than that of even the Hulk's, allowing him to destroy helicopters, level buildings and toss around cars like baseballs. Regardless of his vast strength however, Blonsky was ultimately outclassed by the Hulk, whose anger gave him the additional strength required to defeat Abomination.

8 THOR

Unbelievably strong even by Asgardian standards, it goes without saying that Thor’s strength is utterly godlike. Able to hold his own against the likes of the Hulk -- as well as several other of the Universe’s most powerful beings -- Thor may well be the Avengers’ most powerful hero, all things considered.

While many have considered Mjolnir to be Thor’s greatest asset, Thor: Ragnarok proved otherwise by giving us perhaps the most powerful version of the character on the big screen.

All this despite spending most of the movie sans hammer. Capable of dishing out and taking blows from gods and monsters alike, Thor is a warrior through and through, with his transcendent level of strength making him not just one of Earth’s mightiest heroes, but the Universe’s, too.

7 KURSE

Serving as a loyal lieutenant in Malekith’s army of Dark Elves, Algrim -- later becoming Kurse -- is likely one of the MCU’s most forgettable secondary villains, despite his great power and lasting impact in the lives of Thor and Asgard at large. Transforming into one of the Kursed, a powerful breed of Dark Elf consisting of pure darkness, Kurse escaped his cell in Asgard and incited a brutal battle, with the monster eventually besting the powerful Asgardian warrior Frigga, Thor's mother, easily subduing her before delivering the fatal blow.

As well as murdering Frigga, Kurse would also go on to (seemingly) kill Loki, with Thor unable to stop him. It’s rare to see a character surpass Thor in sheer physical power, but there’s no denying that even the God of Thunder wasn’t strong enough to put an end to this monster.

6 HULK

Do we really need to say anything? He’s the Hulk! Strong enough to level cities, punch out giant demonic wolves and rise to the top of Sakaar’s gladiator pits, even Loki is terrified of the Hulk thanks to his more-than-godlike levels of strength. In fact, the Hulk is the high watermark that the strength of other characters is often compared to.

While most characters have a set limit for their strength however, the Hulk’s power only increases with his rage, meaning we likely haven’t even seen the peak of his abilities yet.

The strongest superhero currently residing in the MCU, it’ll be interesting to see how Hulk’s strength measures up against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War -- and whether or not he’ll survive the battle.

5 HELA

She may not have the rippling muscles or bulky stature that Marvel’s strongest characters tend to exhibit, but Hela is perhaps the most potent threat to face the MCU thus far. Making a memorable entrance in Thor: Ragnarok by immediately snatching Mjolnir out of mid-air before crushing it effortlessly, it’s clear that Hela is superior to even Thor in terms of physical strength.

Exiled from Asgard by due to her voracious appetite for war, it’s eventually revealed that Hela helped Odin conquer the Nine Realms, with Odin growing to fear Hela’s power and lust for control. This fear was well deserved it seems, as Hela managed to lay a heavy smackdown on Thor several times throughout Ragnarok, leaving him with one less hammer (and one less eye) by the story’s climax.

4 ODIN

The ruler of Asgard for countless millennia, Odin is arguably the most powerful Asgardian, both in raw strength and magical ability. Having conquered the Nine Realms alongside his daughter Hela, the All-Father has commanded a huge level of fear and respect over the course of his long lifetime, managing to maintain a (relatively) peaceful relationship with the surrounding realms.

Having conquered even the strongest denizens of the Universe with the help of the Odinforce, Thor has openly admitted that Odin is leagues stronger than himself.

This is especially in his prime, in which he managed to overpower the likes Surtur and Laufey to keep the peace. Odin even managed to trap the supremely powerful Hela in the realm of Hel to thwart her bloodthirsty designs, which is an unbelievably impressive feat in itself -- so it’s a shame that the now-deceased god isn’t around to help out in Infinity War.

3 SURTUR

Having been defeated by Odin millennia before the events of Thor: Ragnarok, Surtur starts off the movie as a shadow of his former self. The ruler of Muspelheim, this fiery demon is quickly dispatched by Thor in the opening minutes of the movie, leaving him more than a little humiliated considering the Ragnarok prophecy, which dictates that he’ll one day destroy Asgard.

A desperate Thor later restores Surtur’s full power in order to destroy Hela, with the demon’s size rapidly increasing to a cosmic scale. With his newfound strength, Surtur fulfils his prophecy by destroying an evacuated Asgard and presumably killing Hela, showing off his strength in the process when he swats aside an eager-to-smash Hulk with ease -- although Hulk admittedly gets a good hit in.

2 THANOS

The culmination of ten years’ worth of world-building and storytelling, Thanos is finally set to rock the MCU to its core in Avengers: Infinity War, in which the Mad Titan will finally embark on his campaign to lay waste to everything. While Thanos is nigh omnipotent with his trusty Infinity Gauntlet, the character is also one of the most powerful beings in the Universe even without the glove -- a fact stated by Korath, Gamora and Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy.

While we haven’t seen much of Thanos in action just yet, there’s no doubt that he’ll take the crown as the MCU’s strongest character.

Capable of beating Marvel’s mightiest heroes to a bloody pulp in an instant, Thanos’ strength dwarfs that of even the Hulk, which is no doubt part of what’ll make him such a potent threat even prior to his acquisition of the Infinity Stones.

1 DORMAMMU

It may seem like a curveball to have Dormammu sitting at the top of this list rather than Thanos, but all we can say is thank God Dormammu doesn’t have the Infinity Gauntlet. An interdimensional being seeking to conquer all the known dimensions of the Universe, Dormammu is said to have unlimited apocalyptic power, meaning his physical strength alone is unmatched by any other entity in the MCU so far.

With nicknames like "The Intent Of All Evolution", "The Cosmic Conqueror" and "The Why Of All Existence", Dormammu’s strength is incomprehensible to the human mind, with the entity only able to be defeated through Infinity Stone-based trickery rather than outright combat. Dormammu’s future in the MCU is unclear as of yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dormammu appear again as a future big bad following the completion of Thanos’ story.