The MCU’s latest installments in the Multiverse Saga have confirmed that the “most powerful Avenger” debate doesn’t have a definitive answer.
Marvel Studios has shut down the debate around who “the most powerful Avenger” is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With dozens of powerful characters making their MCU debut in every Phase, it becomes increasingly difficult to know which ones are truly stronger than the rest. They have vastly different power sets, and many of them develop new abilities or achieve new feats that force the rankings to reorganize constantly.
There are some Avengers who stay at the top of the list, however. For instance, Captain Marvel, who single-handedly destroyed Thanos’ ship and fought one-on-one with the Mad Titan himself. There’s also Thor due to his natural Asgardian power, as well as Doctor Strange and his collection of magic spells, and Scarlet Witch and her innate chaos magic. Each of these Avengers has earned the title of the “most powerful Avenger” for different reasons. However, the Multiverse Saga has confirmed that there is no definitive answer to this debate.
The MCU Confirms There Is No Most Powerful Avenger
The rise of the MCU multiverse and all the different variables that affect the Avengers’ battles prove that the title of “most powerful Avenger” depends on the circumstances. For example, Avengers: Infinity War shows how Doctor Strange is on par with an Infinity-Gauntlet-powered Thanos, but it only takes a word from Black Bolt in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to obliterate 838’s Doctor Strange after Black Bolt and the Illuminati struggled to kill Thanos. Yet, another Doctor Strange, Sinister Strange, manages to destroy an entire universe all by himself. Meanwhile, Scarlet Witch kills the Illuminati effortlessly, even though she could be stopped by mere runes.
Similarly, Thor and Hulk often dispute the title, but Marvel’s What If…? proves how easy it would be for Hank Pym to annihilate all the Avengers despite being unable to stop Yellowjacket and Ghost. In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Kang the Conqueror brags about killing Thor and the Avengers, but He Who Remains, a Kang variant, is killed from a single stab wound. Each character’s skills and abilities dictate how powerful they can be, but there are many more variables at play, including the universe they inhabit. Even the most powerful Avengers can be defeated in at least one of the many universes in the Marvel Multiverse.
The Most Powerful Avenger Also Varies In Marvel Comics
In Marvel Comics, power rankings also vary wildly depending on the universe, the timeline, and the author. For example, Scarlet Witch is powerful enough to rewrite reality, but she can be neutralized by a single punch from Rogue. In another universe, the Punisher manages to kill every character, only to die when Deadpool does the exact same thing in a different universe. Even Squirrel Girl is able to defeat Thanos, Doctor Doom, and Galactus in her own storyline, similar to how the MCU’s Infinity Ultron uses the Infinity Stones to wreak havoc across many universes, despite the fact that his 616 counterpart is defeated within a single movie.
Some Avengers tend to rank high across most comic book universes — Thor, Vision, Sentry, Scarlet Witch, Hulk, and every Captain Marvel are some of those powerhouses. However, the massive amount of unique storylines and universes make it so that no character retains the title of “most powerful Avenger” for long. Now, the MCU is displaying the same issue. The debate will seemingly never have a definitive answer, but that makes it all the more entertaining.
