The Marvel Cinematic Universe kickstarted in 2008 with Jon Favreau's Iron Man. Ever since Tony Stark's first standalone adventure hit theaters, the superhero franchise has grown in ways few people imagined. The MCU has become a powerhouse and it continues to captivate audiences all around the globe with its compelling storylines, likable characters and eye-popping action sequences. With ten years worth of storytelling continuity spread throughout 19 movies (and counting) behind it, the MCU has introduced a large number of superheroes. Over the years, audiences have gotten to know a variety of now fan-favorite characters like Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy... the list goes on.
Each of those crime-fighters have offered glimpses of their powers and abilities through their galaxy-defending efforts and their constant encounters with powerful (and incredibly dangerous) supervillains. There's something interesting about the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however: very few of them have shown off their full potential on-screen. In fact, a large number of heroes in the franchise have demonstrated immense power levels in the comics that we've yet to see in the MCU. Because of that, let's take a look at 20 MCU superheroes who haven't shown their true power yet.
20 HULK
It's difficult to find a hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as tough as the Hulk. Over the course of 10 years, he's defeated a number of villains, including the Abomination, Loki and Ultron. We've seen the Green Goliath angry countless times in the franchise, but interestingly enough, it feels like we've never actually seen him lose control. As comic book fans most likely know, Hulk has no limits to his strength. The madder he gets, the most powerful he becomes. This ability has allowed him to go toe-to-toe with some of Marvel's strongest powerhouses, such as the Sentry, Ghost Rider and the Inhuman king himself, Black Bolt.
Prior to Thor: Ragnarok, Bruce Banner was shown to be somewhat in control of the Hulk, which allowed him to reign in the big guy. In Ragnarok, there were certain teases of just how brutal the Hulk could be without having Banner controlling him, but his true power was never actually shown on screen. In Avengers: Infinity War, Hulk was quickly dispatched by Thanos, and it wasn't clear whether Hulk was holding back, or Thanos was powerful enough to beat the hero in his prime. Regardless, the character was one of the lucky few to survive the Mad Titan's deadly snap, which means he'll play a big part in Avengers 4. The film is currently shrouded in mystery, but let's hope we get to see at least a glimpse of Hulk's true power in it.
19 SCARLET WITCH
Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe. Whenever she allows herself to lose control, she can do a number of different things, such as change reality and even create humans, as proven when she created her own children (it's a long, long story). The character is just as powerful in the MCU, but the people behind the franchise have been carefully building up her potential. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda was shown as a wild card. She wasn't experienced with her powers, and she could lose her grip on them quite easily. Eventually, she joined the Avengers, who helped her focus up and control her abilities.
Over time, Wanda demonstrated a deeper understanding of her powers. In Avengers: Infinity War, for example, she was able to hold her own against Proxima Midnight, one of Thanos' top lieutenants. She also proved essential in the Avengers' battle against Thanos' forces in Wakanda. During the fight, Wanda swooped in and easily destroyed Thanos' vehicles. Later on in the film, she showed how much her power had grown when she destroyed Vision's Mind Stone. That may sound easy, but it's not. The Infinity Stones are relics that predate the universe, and not many can come up to one and destroy it after a few seconds. Scarlet Witch's future in the MCU is unclear, but one thing's for sure: she hasn't tapped into her full potential yet.
18 SPIDER-MAN
Spider-Man may be one of the youngest heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he's also one of the most powerful. Ever since his appearance in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man has gone up against opponents like Steve Rogers, Scarlet Witch, the Vulture, Shocker and even Thanos. While Spidey has had different levels of success during these encounters, his strength is rivaled by only a few other heroes. It may be difficult to believe, but the insect-themed young man still has a long way to go in terms of his power level. In the comics, Spider-Man has been able to beat Luke Cage, the Fantastic Four and X-Men without much effort.
In fact, during his fight with the mutant team, Wolverine remarked how lucky they were when Spidey simply quit the battle. Despite his high power levels, however, Peter Parker has rarely allowed himself to use the full extent of his abilities. Similar to his comic book counterpart, the MCU Spider-Man is constantly restraining himself so as to not accidentally hurt anyone. The closest he got to using his full strength was when he took on Thanos alongside the Avengers. Surprisingly, that still was only a small taste of his potential. Avengers 4 and Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 (official title pending) are coming, so perhaps those movies will give audiences a better idea of just how strong the beloved wall-crawler is.
17 GAMORA
Gamora is called the deadliest woman in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and she certainly lives up to the title. She's both feared and hated around the criminal underworld (as shown when she was imprisoned in the Kyln in Guardians of the Galaxy). The hero has pulled off some mind-blowing feats of strength over the course of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. She cut open a giant, seemingly indestructible beast, took down a number of Nova Corps guards with ease and also battled her adopted sister Nebula to a standstill. In spite of all of that, though, the character hasn't shown the same level of strength as her comic book counterpart.
Gamora's strength in the comics is off the charts. To give you an idea of how powerful she is, she was able to withstand the full heat of the sun while trying to save his fellow superheroes during the Guardians of the Galaxy storyline, "Legacy" . It's unclear whether the MCU version of Gamora is just as powerful or slightly weaker. Either way, however, the fact that the MCU's Gamora hasn't shown that same level of power is completely understandable, seeing how she hasn't been in situations that have required her to use her full strength. Sadly, it looks like fans won't get the chance to see a fully powered-up Gamora in the future, as she met her demise in Avengers: Infinity War after Thanos sacrificed her to obtain the Soul Stone.
16 GHOST RIDER
Robbie Reyes, aka Ghost Rider, made his way into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. back in 2016. The fiery avenger brought a different dynamic to the show, as he was completely different from the usual super-powered individuals Coulson and his team had encountered up until that point. Ghost Rider was vicious, unforgiving, and powerful enough to take down someone like Quake in a one-on-one fight with relative ease. To fans' dismay, however, Robbie Reyes never got the opportunity to unleash the full might of the Spirit of Vengeance. In the comics, Ghost Rider is one of the most powerful superheroes out there.
Throughout the years, the fiery antihero has been able to take on characters like the Hulk, Blackheart and even the Avengers and still come out triumphant. Comic books and live-action adaptations are different things, but going by everything Ghost Rider did in the show, it was clear that he was much more powerful than he let on. Unfortunately, the character exited Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. after Season 4, and it doesn't look like he'll come back to the show in the near future. Still, who knows? Perhaps one day we'll get to see what a fully powered-up version of Reyes' Ghost Rider looks like.
15 GROOT
Among the many heroes in the MCU, Groot may seem like the most harmless of the bunch. He's adorable, compassionate and he's always there for his friends when they need him. Still, despite his friendly demeanor, Groot can actually be a pretty dangerous adversary. As shown in Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and even Avengers: Infinity War, the adorable tree creature dispatches most of his enemies with an ease that would make the Hulk jealous. It may be hard to believe, but in spite of his great feats of strength over the years, Groot hasn't actually tapped into his full strength. As it turns out, it seems like Marvel Studios has only scratched the surface of what the dancing-prone superhero can do.
In 2017, Vin Diesel revealed during an interview with USA Today that Groot's final form hasn't yet been revealed, stating: "The first Groot we saw was a freshman in college. [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's] Groot is in nursery school. Wait 'til we see the full-fledged working-man Groot." The comic book version of Groot is incredibly powerful, so that opens a number of possibilities for what the MCU can do with the character when he's at his strongest. It's tough to say when or even if the hero will show off his ultimate form (especially taking into account his death at the end of Avengers: Infinity War), but it could be great to see Groot's true power on-screen.
14 LUKE CAGE
After years of fans asking to see him on-screen, Luke Cage made his MCU debut in his own Netflix TV series. The show's first season was well-received by fans, and Mike Colter was praised for his spot-on portrayal of Harlem's hero. Despite his relatively short tenure in the MCU, Luke Cage has already faced a number of tough bad guys. He faced off against a powered-up Cottonmouth and even helped the Defenders battle the Hand, an ancient cult hellbent on taking over the world. While we've seen Cage do a number of impressive things with his super strength, the character still has a long way to go when it comes to his powers.
In the comics, Cage is one of the most powerful superheroes out there. He can beat up baddies like Venom and Wrecker without breaking a sweat -- he can withstand falls from great heights (as proven when he jumped off Norman Osborn's tower) and can even go toe-to-toe with the Hulk on a good day. The MCU's version of Luke Cage is quite tough, but he's constantly holding back. Given how he hasn't faced the kind of cosmic or larger-than-life threats his comic book counterpart faces on a daily basis, he hasn't been able to let loose and see how powerful he is. Considering the grounded setting of his show, Cage probably won't be put in a situation in which he's forced to use the full extent of his strength.
13 GIANT MAN
Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, is relatively new to the MCU. He made his debut in 2015's Ant-Man, and he joined the Avengers a year later in Captain America: Civil War. In the film, he helped Steve Rogers during his fight with Iron Man's team of Avengers. Halfway through the fight, Ant-Man decided to create a diversion so that Captain America and Bucky could escape to take care of Zemo. To the Avengers' surprise, Lang greatly increased his size and became Giant Man. As Giant Man, the hero put up a good fight and gave characters like War Machine and Spider-Man a run for their money.
Unfortunately for Scott, however, he wasn't really familiar with his gigantic form at that moment. This resulted in his movements being quite clunky and heavy. In the comics, Giant Man can be remarkably limber and quick when fighting thanks to his years of training. In the MCU, Scott Lang hasn't really had time to train as Giant Man, which explains his difficulty in handling his bigger form. Fortunately, that will most likely change in Ant-Man And The Wasp, since the film's trailers have shown Scott having a better grasp on his Giant Man abilities. Hopefully, we'll get to see Scott in full control of his larger form moving forward.
12 RONAN
For their first film, the Guardians of the Galaxy had to face Ronan the Accuser, a crazed Kree warrior who allied himself with Thanos to destroy Xandar, the home planet of the Nova Corps. At the time of his introduction, Ronan was one of the most frightening villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was vicious and also happened to be incredibly strong. The disgraced Kree soldier took on Drax by himself, defeated the Guardians of the Galaxy without breaking a sweat and was even able to hold (and fully control) the Power Stone, a relic that usually disintegrated the people who touched it. Surprisingly, despite these impressive feats, Ronan still didn't show off his true potential on screen.
In the comics, he's a highly intelligent individual and a master strategist. He also holds one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, appropriately called the Universal Weapon. The hammer-like device grants him the power of flight, the ability to shoot energy blasts and even allows him to control matter. Ronan met his demise at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, but the big blue fella has a bright future in the MCU. The character is expected to appear in 2019's Captain Marvel, once again portrayed by Lee Pace. We don't know what kind of role Ronan will play in Carol Danvers' standalone film, but it will be exciting to see how the movie handles the baddie.
11 SHURI
There are a lot of smart people in the MCU. Audiences are familiar with geniuses like Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, but there's one hero who's proven to be much smarter than them: Shuri, princess of Wakanda and T'Challa's little sister. The character debuted in Black Panther and it was evident from the get-go that she was the brightest mind in the MCU. Wakanda is known for its advanced technology, and that reputation is mostly owed to Shuri. She's also responsible for outfitting the Dora Milaje with their weaponry and T'Challa with his snazzy Black Panther costumes.
As Black Panther fans will surely know, though, Shuri's only gift isn't scientific knowledge. In the comics, the character is also a remarkable fighter. At one point, she even took on the mantle of the Black Panther, and has been in charge of protecting Wakanda alongside her brother ever since. Shuri's future in the MCU moving into Avengers 4 and the planned Black Panther 2 is a mystery at the moment, but the people in charge of the franchise have stated they would be interested in exploring different wearers of the Black Panther mantle. Given that, it won't be surprising if we get to see Shuri protecting Wakanda in a black vibranium armor at some point in the future.
10 CAPTAIN AMERICA
Steve Rogers is one of the best fighters in the MCU. He's tough, agile and incredibly resilient. Over the years, the hero has tested his might against baddies like the Red Skull, Winter Soldier, Loki and even Ultron, a villain made out of the strongest metal on Earth. Still, despite all of those feats strength, the good ol' Captain has never actually unleashed his full power. In the comics, Steve Rogers usually holds back when he's fighting someone, but he can be an extremely powerful opponent whenever he decides to let loose and unleash his full might on his enemies. The MCU version of Captain America seems to be just as powerful as his comic book counterpart.
In Avengers: Infinity War, for example we got an idea of how powerful Cap is when he single-handedly stopped Thanos and even managed to hold him back for a few seconds. That's an impressive feat, especially considering how the only other hero who was able to hold back the Mad Titan during the invasion Wakanda was Scarlet Witch. Avengers 4 is coming around and Captain America is expected to be a big part of the film. It's unclear how things will develop for Earth's Mightiest Heroes in their fourth cinematic outing, but it would be exciting to see Steve Rogers fully take advantage of his Super Soldier powers while defending the universe.
9 BLACK BOLT
In 2017, Marvel brought the Inhuman royal family to lifes in Inhumans, an ambitious ABC TV series filmed entirely with IMAX cameras. Surprisingly, unlike most of Marvel's endeavors, Inhumans wasn't well received. One of the most criticized aspects about the series was the treatment of its star superhero, Black Bolt (played by Anson Mount). The Attilan monarch is one of the most respected superheroes in Marvel's comic book universe due to his immense power. To give you an idea of how strong he is, Black Bolt has gone toe-to-toe with powerhouses like Thanos and Hulk. To the dismay of fans, the show's version of the character didn't get to show off his strength.
There were a few glimpses of his superhuman voice spread throughout the eight-episode first season. Other than that, though, it was difficult to tell that Black Bolt was one of the strongest crime-fighters in the Marvel universe. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Black Bolt will get the chance to demonstrate his potential in live-action soon. Inhumans was cancelled due to its poor reception, leaving Attilan's royal family in a state of limbo. It's unclear whether there's a chance of Black Bolt resurfacing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point in the future. However, considering how controversial and disliked Inhumans was, the monarch will most likely stay away from the MCU for the foreseeable future.
8 MEDUSA
Much like Black Bolt, Medusa is a very powerful superhero. Given her importance in the Marvel Universe, fans were understandably excited to see the hero brought to life in live-action. Serinda Swan delivered a remarkable performance as the long-haired monarch, but the character wasn't exactly done justice in terms of her abilities. In the comics, Medusa's greatest weapon is her hair. She controls it to fight, for transportation and even to lift heavy objects that the average human wouldn't be able to lift. As if that wasn't awesome enough, Medusa also possesses super strength, super human reflexes and durability.
Most of these abilities weren't on display in the show, and she was portrayed as having no powers aside from her hair control and enhanced durability. Unfortunately, the character also didn't get the opportunity to show audiences what she could do with her hair. Early on in the show, Medusa got her head shaved by Maximus during his takeover of Attilan. This resulted in Medusa being without her signature hair for the entirety of the series' first season. As disappointing as it may be, it doesn't look like we'll get to see any more of Medusa for the foreseeable future. As mentioned above, Inhumans was cancelled, which doesn't bode well for the future of the genetically-enhanced superheroes in the MCU.
7 THE NOVA CORPS
Guardians of the Galaxy introduced the Nova Corps into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The team, led by Glenn Close's Irani Rale, arrested the Guardians at the beginning of the film, but they ultimately joined them in their fight against Ronan the Accuser. Curiously, the Nova Corps in the movie were a big departure from their comic book counterparts. In the film, they were portrayed as a space police force with advanced technology, but no superpowers. In the comics, the Nova Corps vary in abilities depending on their rank, but each Corps member has at least super strength and invulnerability.
The prospect of seeing the Nova Corps using their powers to defend Xandar against Ronan and his forces was exciting. However, there was no time to delve into what they could do due to everything that was already happening in the film. Fortunately for fans of the shiny space cops, there may still be an opportunity to delve deeper into the Nova Corps mythology because as it turns out, the Novas could have a promising future in the MCU. As revealed by Kevin Feige, there are tentative plans to bring the Nova Corps to the big screen. When or if that will happen is a mystery at the moment, but if those plans end up coming to fruition, we could finally see just how powerful the Nova Corps is.
6 BLACK WIDOW
Black Widow is a very competent fighter. Despite not having any powers of her own, she's faced off against characters like Ant-Man and Crossbones, and has even fought her way through Chitauri soldiers and Ultron minions (which happened to be made out of vibranium). It may be easy to think that Natasha Romanoff couldn't be any tougher than she already is, but there's actually room for her to grow and become even more powerful if we take a look at the character's source material. In the comics, Natasha ages considerably slower and can heal quicker than the average human being (depending on the severity of her injury) due to the procedures performed on her while in the Red Room.
Black Widow also has enhanced reflexes and durability, which has allowed her to withstand some pretty powerful hits. As if all of that wasn't impressive enough, she also has enhanced speed, making her faster than the average Olympic athlete. The MCU's Black Widow hasn't shown any of these traits in the movies, but it probably won't be long until we discover the full extent of her impressive abilities. Marvel Studios is currently working on a solo film for Natasha Romanoff. While it's not a sure thing that we'll get to see all of Black Widow's superhuman abilities brought to life on the big screen, we'll probably get a better sense of her true power.
5 QUICKSILVER
Avengers: Age of Ultron introduced Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, respectively). The characters were well-received by audiences, but fans noticed that Quicksilver wasn't as powerful as his comic book counterpart. In the comics, Quicksilver is a remarkably fast individual, and has even been able to dodge lightning from Thor himself (to put that in context, that's really hard to pull off). While the character was fast in Age of Ultron, his speed was nowhere near as high as in the comic book world. In fact, the young man even had to take breaks when he ran too fast, as shown during the battle of Sokovia.
Throughout the film, however, he did offer glimpses of a far greater speed, such as when he outran Thor's hammer during a bout with the Avengers, and when he saw a bullet coming at him in slow motion. Given that, it's easy to see that Quicksilver was simply not using the full extent of his powers. Unfortunately, it doesn't look while we'll get to find out how fast he was in the MCU, as he died after being shot by Ultron during Age of Ultron's third act. There have been rumblings of Quicksilver possibly making an appearance in the upcoming Avengers 4, but even then, we probably shouldn't expect to see the hero take full advantage of his speed anytime soon.
4 IRON FIST
In 2017, Netflix released Iron Fist. The show focused on Danny Rand as he returned to New York City to take on the criminal underworld as Iron Fist. Season 1 was an origin story for the young hero. Despite his fighting expertise and ancient mystical abilities, Danny was still learning to hone his skills. This resulted in a considerably powered down version of the crime-fighter. Yes, the strength of his glowing fist was impressive, but he didn't get the opportunity to achieve his full potential. Unsurprisingly, fans weren't happy about that. Fortunately, Danny evolved in The Defenders, a miniseries that paired him up with Jessica Jones, Daredevil and Luke Cage to battle against the Hand.
In the show, Rand proved to have a better understanding of his physical and mystical abilities. He could channel his chi more efficiently and he could even take on numerous members of the Hand by himself. Still, as fans of the Iron Fist mythology will know, that only scratched the surface of what Danny can actually do. In the comics, Iron Fist is one of the best fighters in the Marvel Universe, and his iron fist is feared by the criminal underworld. Danny Rand will get the chance to shine on his own once again in Iron Fist Season 2. Danny is expected to grow as a character in this second chapter, so it's possible we'll finally get to see the hero unleash his full power.
3 AYO
Ayo is an esteemed member of the Dora Milaje. The character made her live-action debut in Captain America: Civil War and continued to protect the king of Wakanda in Black Panther. Ayo had a relatively small role in the movie, but she proved to be a competent fighter and a loyal defender of the throne. During the movie's third act, the brave soldier got together with her fellow Dora Milaje teammates to take down Killmonger and the Border Tribe. Then, in Avengers: Infinity War, she fought alongside Wakanda's forces and the Avengers to defeat Thanos' Outrider army. Ayo didn't show any special abilities aside from her fighting expertise, but she could have a bright future ahead.
In the comics, Ayo broke away from TChalla's rule alongside her girlfriend, Aneka and stole a couple of experimental combat armors. All suited up and free from the king of Wakanda, Ayo and Aneka became the Midnight Angels, a duo that liberated imprisoned women all around Wakanda and welcomed them into their army. Ayo eventually patched things up with T'Challa but she joined forces with him once again on the condition that he was no longer allowed to rule them. Since then, she became more a partner to Black Panther, and they worked together to protect Wakanda. Where the character will go after Infinity War is a mystery, but it would be exciting to have her take up her Midnight Angel identity moving forward into the Black Panther franchise.
2 M'BAKU
The MCU offered a different taken on M'Baku, one of Black Panther's greatest enemies. In Black Panther, M'Baku started out as an adversary to T'Challa, as he challenged the young king in ritual combat for the throne of Wakanda. The Jabari leader lost, however, and he ultimately forged an alliance with T'Challa to defeat Erik Killmonger and the Border Tribe. M'Baku returned to the MCU in Infinity War, in which he aided the Avengers during their fight against Thanos' invading forces. During both conflicts, M'Baku showed a great level of strength. He was able to lift a human adult with ease and didn't even break a sweat when taking on a number of trained adversaries.
That's quite impressive but M'Baku's power could be far greater. In the comics, the character attained superpowers after bathing in the blood of a white gorilla (they're comics, don't think about it). He gained super strength, increased stamina, superhuman reflexes and enhanced speed. The MCU version of M'Baku has yet to display any of these abilities, but it's entirely possible that we'll get to see the character get his comic book powers at some in the future. The MCU tends to build up its characters before getting them to the level of their comic book counterparts, so it will be interesting to see where the franchise takes M'Baku after Infinity War.
1 DRAX
Gamora isn't the only powerhouse in the Guardians of the Galaxy. The team also has Drax, the literate, lovable alien with a knack for violence. Ever since his first appearance, Drax was established as a force to be reckoned with when he intimated a group of criminals in the Kyln. Over the course of the two Guardians of the Galaxy films, Drax has offered fleeting glimpses of his power. In the first movie, he survived an encounter with Ronan, withstood a direct attack from a Nova Corps battle droid and was also able to send his enemies flying with just one punch. Such power is enough to make any villain flinch, but there's more to Drax's abilities that we haven't yet seen.
Going by the comics, Drax can be much more powerful than he lets on. In fact, depending on how mad he is, he could very well be considered on the same level as a hero like the Thing. Much like Gamora, however, Drax's MCU version hasn't been put in situations that have required him to unleash his full might. At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Drax was killed alongside most of the Guardians of the Galaxy when Thanos erased half the universe with the Infinity Gauntlet. Because of that, it's unclear whether he'll return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. If he does come back, it would be great for him to take advantage of his strength to show just how powerful he is.