The original six MCU Avengers possess varying degrees of power. Here’s a detailed breakdown of their power levels and how they compare to each other.
The original six Marvel Cinematic Universe Avengers posses varying degrees of power. The original Avengers team assembled in 2012’s The Avengers, going on to appear in three more team-up movies, minus Hawkeye in Avengers: Infinity War. The original team memorably consisted of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye.
2019’s Avengers: Endgame saw the original team disband, with two of their number dying in the movie’s ending. Their deaths and Steve Rogers’ fateful decision made way for a new version of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to form in the MCU’s future. But while the MCU has turned the page on the Infinity Saga’s Avengers, the six characters are likely to remain synonymous with the team name for years to come. Here’s a breakdown of the original Avengers roster, their respective powers, and how they compare to to each other.
Hawkeye
Hawkeye is the only original Avenger to not get a solo movie, which proves how Marvel itself sees the character a step under the other Avengers. That said, Disney+’s Hawkeye series allowed audiences to appreciate the hero’s contribution to the MCU more. Hawkeye is every bit true to his comic title of Earth’s Mightiest Marksman, with his archery skills being second to none in the MCU. The hero is also a skilled hand-to-hand fighter, with his time as Ronin revealing how deadly the character can be when not holding back against villains. But while the character is a worthy addition to the Avengers, he is no match for most of his teammates. After all, Clint Barton doesn’t share any superhuman qualities.
Black Widow
Natasha was raised in the Red Room, an organization that reconditioned her mentally and physically to become one of its Black Widows. She became the most famous graduate of the Black Widow Program, later defecting from the KGB and joining SHIELD. Black Widow became a superhero, saving the world countless times and displaying a wide berth of skills while doing so. Black Widow is a proficient hand-to-hand fighter with extraordinary agility and reflexes that make her superior to nearly every human hero and villain in the MCU.
However, she’s not in the same league as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, or Hulk. But, she did prove in Avengers: Endgame that she’s not the weakest of the six heroes. The film featured a sequence where both Black Widow and Hawkeye attempted to sacrifice themselves to save the other’s life, with Natasha besting Clint in the end, cementing her as the better fighter among the two.
Iron Man
Robert Downey, Jr.’s Iron Man is the MCU’s founding hero. The character is one of Marvel’s most powerful, with Tony Stark’s genius-level intellect putting him a step above the vast majority of the MCU’s heroes. After all, Tony Stark did solve time travel, which allowed the heroes to defeat Thanos and bring back all those who had been snapped out of existence by the villain five years prior. Iron Man is a great threat to any villains, and even heroes, he crosses paths with. The character’s intelligence, paired with his suits, make him a force to be reckoned with.
Tony’s suits can absorb Thor’s lighting and use it as a source of power, while his Hulkbuster suit allows him to go toe-to-toe with Bruce Banner’s destructive alter ego. Stark’s suits can also analyze his opponents’ hand-to-hand fighting patterns and deploy countermeasures, as seen during his fight with Steve Rogers in Captain America: Civil War. Over the years, Stark’s suits have only evolved, with the more recent versions being made up by nanotechnology, giving Tony an even bigger edge over enemies. Iron Man also grew to become selfless, saving the universe by using the Infinity Gauntlet, even though he could not handle its power, dying after saving everyone.
Captain America
While there might be a debate regarding Iron Man and Captain America’s power levels, Steve Rogers manages to edge out Tony Stark, having defeated him in Captain America: Civil War. Rogers is the Avengers’ leader, with the character likely being the most respected figure by other heroes in the MCU. The Sentinel of Liberty is one of the MCU’s best hand-to-hand fighters and comes equipped with some exceptional abilities, courtesy of the Super Soldier Serum.
Captain America has enhanced strength, speed, endurance, reflexes, and more. Combining them with his fighting skills, Steve is capable of taking down opponents even stronger than him, including Spider-Man. Just how talented he really is was on display in the fight between Thanos and the Avengers trio of Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. It was arguably Steve who gave the villain his biggest challenge. That was due to Captain America lifting Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer, showing he was worthy of holding one of the universe’s strongest weapons.
Hulk
Hulk might have led the list of most powerful Avengers at one point, but that was before he underwent significant changes. The character possessed perhaps the greatest brute strength in the MCU, as evidenced by his fights with Abomination, Hulkbuster Iron Man, and Loki. Hulk also managed to wield the Infinity Gauntlet and survive, showing his famous durability. What leaves the character as the second strongest MCU Avenger rather than the first is what happened in Endgame. Banner has finally learned to control his existing powers with the Smart Hulk form. This was good for Banner, though it came at the cost of his power level. Currently, Hulk has less of the rage that made the hero so strong in the Infinity Saga.
Thor
Thor was always one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes, and the character has only grown in strength with every appearance, cementing him as the most powerful of the original Avengers. While Thor had a crisis of faith that led him to believe his powers were only due to his connection to Mjolnir, the character has since discovered that they come from within, with Thor being able to summon lightning at will. Thor has had many displays of power in recent MCU movies, like the Asgardian sustaining the full might of a star in Avengers: Infinity War. Thor’s powers and newfound confidence make him the strongest of the original Avengers, and quite possibly the most powerful member in the team’s entire history.
