With another year of the MCU at an end, the roster of Marvel heroes continues to grow — and figuring out which MCU hero is the strongest is harder than ever. 2022 saw the introduction of the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 bring heroes such as powered-up Cassie Lang and Adam Warlock into the fold.
With such a wide roster of characters from Marvel Comics on the big (and small) screen, the debate forever rages on about who is the strongest hero in the MCU. In order to rank the MCU heroes weakest to strongest, some rules must be established. Only super-powered or tech-enhanced characters who have been the leads of movies or shows will be considered. So while the likes of Kate Bishop and Black Widow won't qualify, there are still so many MCU superheroes to rank based on their strength, which included power level and skills in battle.
Falcon/Captain America
Sam Wilson might be a skilled soldier in his own right, good enough to be one of the few test pilots for the EXO-7 Falcon wing harness, but his enhancements are perhaps the weakest of all the Avengers tech. However, Sam showed in Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+ that he knows how to utilize his gear with unparalleled tactical efficiency.
Being able to fly definitely gives him the advantage in a fight, but his hand-to-hand combat skills have been seen as inconsistent. However, now armed with Steve Rogers' old shield and taking on the mantle of Captain America, Sam seems to be becoming a more formidable fighter — and when he takes the center stage in Captain America: New World Order he'll have a chance to prove himself further.
Daredevil
Though fans are still waiting for Matt Murdock to headline his new She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. With his heightened senses, Daredevil is able to take on an army of thugs at the same time. Being blind is no setback for Daredevil, as his sonar-sensitive hearing provides him with total situation awareness — which makes his martial arts training and acrobatics even deadlier. Of course, he is also seen bloody and bruised far more than some of the other Marvel heroes, showing that he is certainly vulnerable. He also lacks any kind of super-strength or healing, which prevents him being higher on the list.
The Wasp
After she was teased in an Ant-Man, Hope Van Dyne proved she was ready to get in on the action. The Wasp possesses the same shrinking abilities as Ant-Man which can make her a very tricky opponent in a fight. While she lacks some of Ant-Man's impressive abilities, she does have him beat with wings and a blaster. It should also be noted that she is a much more skilled fighter than Scott Lang outside her suit. The only thing holding Hope back on this list is that, so far, she's had less screen time.
Ant-Man
Like The Wasp, Ant-Man's ability to shrink yet at will is a very effective power to have — especially when coupled with the thieving prowess and ingenuity of Scott Lang. On top of that, Ant-Man can also grow in size, packing a much bigger punch. This supersized version of Ant-Man, as seen in Captain America: Civil War, can have even powerful heroes like War Machine, Spider-Man, and even Tony Stark himself pausing to consider their options.
But a lot of the charm of Scott Lang, the man beneath the Ant-Man mask designed by Hank Pym, is that he doesn't seem to really belong as a hero. He is unsure of himself and gets scared easily, showing that awesome power also relies on someone capable of wielding it. This is why, despite having perhaps more potential than some heroes higher up on the list, Ant-Man ranks among the weakest MCU heroes.
Ms. Marvel
As one the youngest heroes in the MCU Ms. Marvel, a.k.a. Kamala Khan, has become one of the The Marvels could change this.
War Machine
The War Machine armor grants James 'Rhodey' Rhodes superhuman strength, reflexes, flight up to Mach 3 speeds, and an entire arsenal of offensive and defensive weapons. War Machine would likely be equal to Iron Man in power were it not for the men beneath the armor. Rhodey is a better pilot, but Tony Stark is a genius who perfects and improves his suit constantly. If the two were to come to blows, Iron Man is only ever one upgrade away from besting War Machine — and the fight might not happen at all if the paranoid Tony Stark installed a kill-switch before relinquishing the War Machine armor to the US Government.
Winter Soldier
Making his debut in Captain America: Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes has evolved into a formidable hero in his own right. Given the same super soldier serum as Captain America, Winter Soldier gained low-level superhuman strength, speed, durability, and advanced healing. Add to this his bionic arm, and Bucky is a force to be reckoned with. What holds him back from being on a par with the likes of Captain America is his the after-effects of his brainwashing at the hands of the Soviet Union. He is a stone-cold killer focused only on the mission at hand. As Bucky Barnes, he loses some of that edge but remains a formidable super-soldier.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is another younger hero who is gradually showing his strength over time — and presently it's really only his youth and inexperience holding him back from being higher up on the list of MCU heroes ranked by power. Spidey's powers include the proportionate strength of a spider, wall-crawling, increased speed and durability, superhuman agility, and enhanced senses.
Combined, these abilities make Peter Parker a pretty tough opponent, but in comparison to the other Avengers, they come up a bit short. He has been seen handling the likes of Falcon and Winter Soldier with ease, but doesn't stand a chance against Captain America. Cap's combat experience and tactical genius combined with super-strength prove to be more than a match for Spider-Man, even with a Tony Stark-designed suit. With more Spider-Man movies on the horizon for the MCU though, Peter Parker could find age and wisdom bring him up a few rungs on MCU hero power ranking charts.
She-Hulk
Given that she has the gamma blood of her cousin Bruce Banner running in her veins, Jennifer Walters, a.k.a. She-Hulk, certainly trumps most MCU heroes when it comes to raw strength. Indeed, fans were able to see some incredible feats from her, including smashing through walls and splitting a parking garage in two. However, She-Hulk is certainly the most comedic MCU show and therefore less action-oriented. Viewers haven't really had the chance to see She-Hulk showcase her powers against a formidable foe, but chances are that it would be impressive. Until then though, there's simply not been enough of Jen doing superheroics and demonstrating the upper limits of her power for her to rank higher on the list.
Shang-Chi
For much of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the titular Shang-Chi was seen as a non-superpowered hero — an exceptional martial artist, but one capable of nothing much that a real-world Kung Fu master couldn't achieve. Credit where credit's due, when it comes to fighting skills alone, Shang-Chi stands out among the most proficient in the MCU. What places him above the likes of She-Hulk and Spider-Man, however, is that his skills seem to be getting an upgrade as he acquired the mystical and powerful Ten Rings. Shang-Chi was able to go toe-to-toe with Wenwu and defeat the Dweller in the Dark using the rings and that is likely only the beginning of what he is capable of.
