Contains spoilers for Thunderbolts* (2025)!As the MCU officially introduces the New Avengers to movie lore, fans have a lot of questions about the new team. One of the biggest is which iconic Marvel heroes have links to the group, as well as the biggest powerhouses who might be g up for hip alongside the Sentry and Bucky Barnes' Winter Soldier.

Here are the twelve strongest heroes to ever the New Avengers. We're counting both the original and 2015 incarnations of the teams, but not the heroes from 2013's New Avengers volume 3, since that series actually followed the Illuminati.

12 Spider-Man, aka Peter Parker

ed in New Avengers volume 1 #3 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch

The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was one of the founding of the team, uniting with Iron Man, Captain America, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Daredevil and Sentry to stop a mass breakout from the supervillain prison known as the Raft, with everyone but Matt Murdock uniting into a new team (thankfully, DD eventually signed up way later.) Indeed, Spider-Man and Wolverine inspired the entire New Avengers concept, with co-creator Brian Michael Bendis arguing that the Avengers should be "a big bag of the coolest stuff ever," starring Marvel's most popular heroes.

Spider-Man was also one of the New Avengers' longest-serving , sticking with the team through Civil War, Secret Invasion and the Dark Reign era, even hiding out with them during the period they were outlaw heroes. Spider-Man's immense strength and spider-sense make him an underrated powerhouse, bolstered by his homemade webbing, which has a tensile strength stronger than steel.

While living with the New Avengers, Spider-Man famously threw Wolverine through a window after one too many comments about his partner Mary Jane Watsom - a rare explosion of temper from the Web-Slinger.

11 Power Man, aka Víctor Álvarez

ed in New Avengers volume 4 #1 by Al Ewing and Gerardo Sandoval

Luke Cage was the most iconic leader of the New Avengers, but sadly he's not quite strong enough to make this list. His protégé Víctor Álvarez definitely makes the cut, however, with the ability to absorb and channel chi, granting him immense strength and even the ability to metamorph his body, for example forming a giant energy fist. The more the younger Power Man knows about an area, the more of its history and spirit he can channel and the stronger he becomes. He has also shown a limited ability to absorb the knowledge and skills of those whose chi he harnesses.

Power Man was a member of the New Avengers team founded by Sunspot, which later bought out AIM and used its resources for heroism as Avengers Idea Mechanics.

10 Iron Man, aka Tony Stark

ed in New Avengers volume 1 #3 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch

Everyone knows Iron Man - the billionaire weapons-dealer-turned-hero, utilizing an advanced suit to stand alongside heavyweights like Thor and Captain Marvel. Tony was both one of the New Avengers' founding and one of their worst enemies. While Iron Man initially encouraged Captain America to embrace this new team's potential - even arguing for Wolverine's inclusion despite his killer reputation - the events of Civil War saw Tony's heroic opponents gather under the New Avengers banner.

Following this split, Iron Man founded his own Mighty Avengers team, threatening to arrest the New Avengers whenever he encountered them. Eventually, Iron Man made up with Luke Cage's team, and even sold them Avengers Mansion for $1 as a show of respect and .

9 Sunspot, aka Roberto da Costa

ed in Avengers volume 5 #39 by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Deodato

A super-rich X-Men hero, Sunspot and his best friend Cannonball were asked to the Avengers during a period of massive expansion. Enjoying the newfound status of being an Avenger, Roberto later used his billions to found his own New Avengers, with the team later becoming Avengers Idea Mechanics and then the U.S.Avengers. Sunspot possesses incredible strength and energy powers and is an underrated tactical genius, often using his money to turn enemies into allies.

8 Smasher, aka Izzy Kane

ed in Avengers volume 5 #39 by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Deodato

Throughout Marvel history, Smasher has been a member of the Shi'ar Empire's Imperial Guard - a gigantic hero team who protect the sprawling alien civilization, recruiting different species of alien based on their unique 'powers.' However, in 2012, Izzy Kane (granddaughter of WWII hero Captain Terror) found a piece of the former Smasher's armor, becoming the first human to take up the name. Recruited to the Avengers by Captain America, she later ed Sunspot's New Avengers, splitting her time between the hero team, the Imperial Guard, and raising a baby with teammate Cannonball.

Smasher has enhanced speed and strength, as well as wearing advanced 'Exospex' goggles which provide their own abilities, including heat vision, telepathy and X-ray vision.

Smasher is the only Avenger to also the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, though Wolverine's son Akihiro was later honored with the warrior costume and name of Imperial Guard hero Fang.

7 Iron Fist, aka Danny Rand

ed in New Avengers volume 1 #27 by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu

With Luke Cage having such a major role with the New Avengers, it's no surprise that his close allies Jessica Jones and Iron Fist also served on the team. Iron Fist's time with the New Avengers included some of his most impressive moments of all time, with Danny Rand harnessing chi to bring down an entire helicarrier and send Hulk's son Skaar flying. While Iron Fist doesn't have superstrength equal to Luke Cage or Jessica Jones in an everyday sense, his Iron Fist powers allow him to unleash punches comparable to the strongest Avengers.

6 The Thing, aka Benjamin J. Grimm

New Avengers vol. 2 #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen

Best known as a member of the Fantastic Four, the Thing also ed the New Avengers after Luke Cage personally recruited him for the role. The Thing is one of Marvel's most respected heroes and fit perfectly into the family dynamic of the team, who often shared meals and leisure time. The Thing is incredibly durable and has strength second only to the Hulk, making him one of New Avengers' strongest heroes in a physical sense.

The Thing famously runs a recurring poker game for Marvel's heroes, helping to mend bridges and paper over grudges between heroes.

5 Manifold, aka Eden Fesi

Avengers volume 5 #39 by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Deodato

Easily Marvel's most underrated A-tier powerhouse, Eden Fesi is the Manifold of Earth-616 - someone with near-total control over space (though he describes it as more of a friendly relationship where he asks for favors.) So long as he knows where he is in relation to the stars, Manifold can teleport anywhere in reality and across dimensions, while also being able to use his powers in novel ways, for example bending light to become invisible and channeling the Sun's power to use as an offensive weapon.

4 Captain Marvel, aka Ms. Marvel, aka Carol Danvers

New Avengers volume 1 #48 by Brian Michael Bendis and Billy Tan

Today, Carol Danvers is known as Captain Marvel, but during her New Avengers days she was still known as Ms. Marvel. Despite persecuting the team in the aftermath of Civil War, Carol later ed as Luke Cage's second-in-command. While her control over cosmic energy and incredible strength usually make her a cosmic hero, Carol was also effective on the streets, helping to defeat the Hood's union of supervillains by combining her energy-absorption powers with Spider-Woman's venom blasts, unleashing a blast that took down several of Marvel's most threatening bad guys.

3 Wiccan, aka William Kaplan

New Avengers volume 4 #1 by Al Ewing and Gerardo Sandoval

The son of Scarlet Witch and the Vision, Billy Kaplan is destined to become the Demiurge - a godlike being who will rewrite the rules of magic. As a member of Sunspot's New Avengers, he was able to tap into that future power level, defeating the eldritch creature Moridun, also known as the first Sorcerer Supreme. Billy served on the team with his now-husband Dorrek VIII, aka the former Young Avenger Hulkling.