The Marvel Cinematic Universe is easily one of the largest and most ambitious ventures in film history. Since its first project, Iron Man, the MCU has done a great job introducing stories, translating characters and expanding the universe. Audiences got to see great characters built through multiple films and one of the most ambitious projects come to life in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. With heroes like Thor and Hulk at its disposal, the MCU has a large collection of characters and stories available. Aside from storytelling and universe-building, the MCU did a great job representing superpowers.
Superpowers are the center of every superhero story. The MCU has an abundance of powers that give each hero an identity that represents them well. Iron Man has his vast wealth and intellect to create high-tech armor, Spider-Man is self-explanatory and Captain America is an enhanced super soldier. Though most powers are accurately portrayed on screen, one particular power hasn't been, and it's most obvious with two flagship heroes: Thor and Hulk.
The MCU Fails To Translate Super Strength
For superheroes, the three flagship powers are flight, super speed and super strength. Flight and speed have been accurately translated in the MCU, but for one reason or another, strength hasn't made an impact. The ability to lift heavy objects has been shown in the MCU, but not to its fullest extent, as the universe has shown it more as brawling than actual strength, which is where Thor and Hulk come into play.
Of all Marvel heroes, Hulk and Thor are considered two of the physically strongest beings in existence, but the MCU only got them half right onscreen. Thor has Mjolnir, flight and control over the weather, and Hulk has his gargantuan size and green color, but when it gets to super strength, it gets tricky. Both are believed to have immense strength and, in some ways, have shown it, but for the most part, their power is shown in slugfests instead of physical might. Outside the occasional lifting of a car, their power is contained to punching, which does little to separate them from the pack. Though concerning, there is a relatively easy fix.
The MCU Has Ways To Showcase Strength
The MCU needs to establish a baseline for strength. This is not to say that Marvel needs to explore the more outlandish powers like Hulk hitting someone so hard that the shockwave ripples through several dimensions, but it can be established in film. In Ang Lee's non-MCU Hulk, after the titular character is captured, he breaks out of a bunker, throws tanks and causes earthquakes by smashing the ground. The MCU would do well to incorporate such feats. For Thor, fighting with gargantuan mythical creatures, during which he absorbs blows and stops them effortlessly, is a great way to show his might.
A power as popular as super strength can easily be replicated onscreen, but Marvel hasn't yet. Thor and Hulk are supposed to be the physically strongest characters in the MCU but they haven't shown their full capacity. As long as the MCU exists, there is hope strength is put into focus, but for now, super strength isn't what it needs to be.