For as long as comic books have been around, fans have been arguing over power rankings and the results of imaginary showdowns between superheroes. This is partially because there are no definitive answers available, with every battle being situational with numerous variables in play, but also because it can be fun and allows obsessives to further engage with the material. It was thinking about that, along with the last decade-plus of action from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that birthed the concept for this feature: ranking all of the heroes not individually, but instead by categorizing them on different tiers.
Reflecting on all of the major heroes we’ve met in the MCU, we’ve managed to separate them all into five levels, going from the Expert Fighters to the God-Like Beings. Some of the determinations weren’t easy, but check out our choices below.
(Note: beyond power tier, characters are listed in alphabetical order)
Expert Fighters
The heroes on this level don't possess any kind of next-level technology, or special genes/DNA, but they more than earn their positions fighting alongside all of the other heroes thanks to their dedication and training.
Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff may have just been a human, but she was also a human who spent almost her entire life dedicated to spy craft – able to kick an unholy amount of ass and operate in near total obscurity.
Yelena Belova / Black Widow
Though her resume isn’t quite as extensive as Natasha Romanoff’s, Yelena Belova had a matching upbringing in the notorious Red Room, and it led to her developing both equal levels of trauma and equal levels of ass-kicking ability.
Maya Lopez / Echo
Echo has a dark background, having spent most of her life being manipulated by Wilson Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin and working as a criminal, but all those years did contribute to her becoming an expert fighter. She doesn’t have special abilities, but she does show in her eponymous show that she can go toe-to-toe with Daredevil.
Clint Barton / Hawkeye
Clint Barton is an above-average athlete and possesses a sharp killer instinct, but it’s when he is going full Hawkeye with a bow in his hand that he proves himself worthy as one of the original Avengers.
Kate Bishop / Hawkeye
Ever since Kate Bishop was saved by Clint Barton during the Battle of New York, she has known exactly what she has wanted to do with her life – and her superhero ambitions from a young age helped motivate the development of a great number of skills. She is a lithe gymnast and gifted in martial arts, but, of course, her number one talent is archery.
Joaquin Torres
Introduced in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, Joaquin Torres is a character with a bright future (<cough>the future Falcon<cough>), but for now, he is staying on the expert fighter level. He doesn’t have any particularly advanced or special training, but he is a dedicated soldier and first lieutenant in the Air Force.
Nick Fury
In addition to functioning well with advanced technologies, and certainly knowing how to aim a gun, Nick Fury’s greatest asset was front and center when he served as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. – which is to say that he is a mastermind character, and rather brilliant in the realm of intelligence gathering and compartmentalization.
Xi Xialing
She may not have the big power boost that comes from using the Ten Rings, but Xi Xialing is nonetheless not an individual to be confronted. In addition to having spent her entire life studying martial arts, she also is the head of one of the most powerful crime organizations in the history of the world.
Enhanced Humans
The heroes we classify as “Enhanced Humans” are those who aren’t biologically different than people you meet every day, but they have access to remarkable technology, training, and genetics and use them in a way that puts them above the folks using traditional tools and weapons.
Scott Lang / Ant-Man
As awesome as we’ve seen Scott Lang perform in his various films, deftly growing and shrinking in times of crisis, the Ant-Man technology has not exactly been perfected yet – but the potential is certainly amazing.
Matt Murdock / Daredevil
Though blinded in an accident when he was a young age, Matt Murdock a.k.a. Daredevil developed superhuman senses that actually allow him to see the world better than any normal person. There’s an argument to be made that he’s the best hand-to-hand fighters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s also near impossible to sneak up on him and he is a human lie detector.
Sam Wilson / Captain America
There’s perhaps a time in every person’s life when they wish they had the capacity to fly like a bird, but Sam Wilson a.k.a. Captain America gets to live that dream every time he is in battle. His use of his specialized wing technology is unmatched in the world, and with his soldier training, he certainly knows his way around firearms. Along with the new vibranium suit he got in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, he has leveled up in a big way.
Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel
It won’t be too long until this feature becomes populated with X-Men characters (perhaps earning their own special category?), but for now, Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel is the one mutant we know about in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As depicted in both the Ms. Marvel series and The Marvels, she has the ability to generate hard light – which she can use for both defensive and offensive purposes.
Monica Rambeau
Monica Rambeau may still not have an official superhero name, but her powers are legitimate. Thanks to her multiple passes through Wanda Maximoff’s hex barrier in WandaVision, she has the ability to “manipulate and see all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum” (as she explicitly puts it in The Marvels). The limit to her gifts has not yet been seen, and she has been able to add new talents to her resume – like flying.
Okoye
Members of the Dora Milaje don’t possess any specific gifts in their appointments to protect the king of Wakanda, but they do receive both advanced weaponry and upper echelon training, and in both respects Okoye demonstrates herself an expert. Her equipment may not outwardly appear as advanced as others on this tier, but the scene in Black Panther where she uses a spear to stop a speeding car dead on the road argues otherwise.
Alexei Alanovich Shostakov / Red Guardian
We don’t know for a fact whether or not Alexei Alanovich Shostakov a.k.a. Red Guardian has ever fought hand-to-hand with Captain America, but at the very least we know that he could. He’s not quite in the same shape as either Steve Rogers or Sam Wilson, but the guy has Super Soldier Serum in his blood and is quite formidable because of it.
Peter Quill / Star-Lord
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, there is a stretch where the Legendary. Star-Lord would belong much lower on this list, but as things currently stand, he belongs among the enhanced humans. Not only are his literal enhancements listed during the booking sequence in Guardians of the Galaxy, but he also has access to kick-ass alien tech like his ankle rockets, mask, and twin blasters.
Cassie Lang / Stature
There are many obvious downsides to being the child of a superhero, but things have worked out quite well for Cassie Lang. Now that she has grown up, she has made great use of the advanced resources in her household and become a hero in her own right. As of Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, she has developed expert use of Pym Particles and is skilled at utilizing her growing and shrinking abilities in battle.
James “Rhodey” Rhodes / War Machine
With all due respect, James “Rhodey” Rhodes is pinned to this tier as a result of not quite having the genius intellect of his best friend – but he still stands as one of the more formidable heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only is the regularly-updated War Machine armor outfitted with all of the bells and whistles of the Iron Man suit, but Rhodes also has extensive military training and command experience.
Hope van Dyne / Wasp
Just about everything written above about Ant-Man also applies to Hope van Dyne a.k.a. Wasp, though she is technically always one spot above him. Assuming that she also has the capacity to grow like her partner and communicate with insects (we have no reason to believe otherwise), her suit is also outfitted with both wings and blasters, and she is a superior fighter.
James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes / Winter Soldier
James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes has certainly had a rough go at life, having spent decades as a super assassin, but at least he got some nifty powers out of the experience! Having a vibranium arm is pretty amazing by itself, but there is also the suggestion that he was given some kind of knock-off Super Soldier Serum by Hydra, giving him some extra kick in a battle.
The Extra-Terrestrials
This is a more nebulous category, as extraterrestrial races in the Marvel Cinematic Universe possess abilities beyond human biology, but the full extent of those abilities and other physical attributes aren’t made entirely obvious.
Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock was created by The Sovereign to be a perfect entity. Ultimately, “perfect” might be a stretch, but he is certainly incredible. As seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he can fly through the cosmos without the use of a ship, is nearly indestructible, and he can manipulate cosmic energy.
Cosmo
First appearing as an exhibit in The Collector’s museum in Guardians of the Galaxy, Cosmo has since become a full-fledged member of the team. Though she was born a normal dog, her journey into outer space has seen her become something else, as she can communicate telepathically and has limited telekinetic powers.
Drax
Drax doesn’t have a great deal going for him in the brains department, but boy, is he durable and strong. Not every Marvel hero can jump into the mouth/stomach of a giant alien monster and emerge totally unharmed.
The Eternals
The Eternals aren’t traditional extraterrestrials in that they were specifically made by the Celestials and not naturally born, but this feels like the proper tier for them regardless. Each of the 10 team members has a particularly special gift – be it Makkari’s speed, Druig’s mind control, or Sersi’s matter manipulation – and while they are not immortal, they live for thousands upon thousands of years.
Gamora
Gamora in the comics sports the nickname “Deadliest Woman In The Universe” and her on-screen counterpart has done a great deal to live up to that reputation. She is ferocious and dangerous, particularly with a blade in her hand (but a massive gun broken off from a spaceship also works just as well).
Groot
Groot is easily one of the weirdest entities we’ve seen thus far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with his odd reproduction/growth cycle. In a fight he can grow his limbs to great lengths, and they possess awesome versatility.
Kraglin
When Kraglin was first introduced in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, he was just a mid-ranking member of the Ravagers, but he has upped his game over the years. He is now well battle-tested, having been a member of the Guardians for years, and he is (finally) trained in the use of Yondu’s whistle-controlled Yaka arrow.
Mantis
The unique ability demonstrated by Mantis that has mostly defined her character is her empathic sense – able to feel the feelings of anyone she touches – but she is also a pretty tough cookie. Many fans were quick to note her prominent position on the Avengers front line in the initial charge against Thanos’ army in Endgame, and that is an awesome display of courage.
Nebula
Thanks to her adoptive father’s awfulness, Nebula is arguably more machine than biological being – and while that’s horrible in the grand scheme, it also makes her a formidable hero. Her technological parts are replaceable, making her particularly durable, and she very much puts her all into battle.
Phyla
Truth be told, we don’t know much about Phyla in the Marvel Cinematic Universe beyond the fact that she was one of the children being kept captive by the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. That being said, what she can do must be awesome, as she can be spotted at the end of the blockbuster as part of the brand new Guardians of the Galaxy lineup.
Rocket
Born a racoon and getting some excellent upgrades courtesy of torture at the hands of the High Evolutionary, Rocket is just as nimble as any raccoon, but is also a skilled improviser/innovator with a knack for hardware and an insatiable taste for explosions. You just have to put aside his perpetual bad attitude.
Yondu Udonta
Yondu Udonta was not an alien to be trifled with when he was equipped with his special fin and Yaka Arrow. The guy could clear a battlefield with a few simple whistles and look effortlessly cool while doing it.
Hyper-Powerful Heroes
The characters on this level have notable weaknesses, and they aren’t quite at the level of potentially altering the functions of solar systems, but they do have tremendous gifts and properly aligned hearts and minds to utilize those tremendous gifts well.
America Chavez
America Chavez is an interesting entry on this list, as while many gifts and strengths discussed here have to do with offensive and defensive capability, what America can do exists on a different scale. She is still learning how to control her power as of the end of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, but her ability to travel between realities is very special and future training could eventually see her rise up a few tiers in this feature.
T’Challa / Black Panther
T’Challa a.k.a. Black Panther’s energy-absorbing suit made of an indestructible vibranium weave would alone qualify him for this tier, but on top of that, he also had the enhanced abilities provided by the sacred heart-shaped herb and was an effective and powerful leader. He was decisive, commanding, and definitely dangerous in combat.
Steve Rogers / Captain America
People joke about Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America being a hero born from steroids, but the truth is much more complex than that. More than just making him strong, the Super Soldier Serum that Cap took had the effect of enhancing who he was at his core, and that is a truly perfect and good human being. His greatest gift is arguably that his moral compass permanently points true north – but on top of that he also happens to essentially be the peak of human physicality.
Tony Stark / Iron Man
Tony Stark had a special brain, and his use of that special brain effectively changed the entire universe. His creation of the Iron Man suit is obviously a work of pure genius, but this is also the guy who gets credit for co-creating true artificial intelligence (albeit the end results aren’t great) and successfully cracks time travel. He may not have been a near-god (the invincibility bit really would have helped at the end there), but his intelligence alone more than qualifies him for this tier.
Marc Spector / Steven Grant / Moon Knight / Mr. Knight
With gifts bestowed upon him by the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, Mark Spector/Steven Grant has many weapons and abilities at his disposal as he carries out his terrifically harsh form of justice. He’s not too gifted when he is scared nebbish Steven Grant, but he kicks a whole lot of ass as trained mercenary Marc Spector, and he has a great many powers when fully suited up – including enhanced speed, strength, stamina and endurance as well as flight and the ability to summon Crescent Blades.
Shang-Chi
For years, Shang-Chi ran from his past as the son of Wenwu, but after his adventure in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, he has embraced his roots and, in so doing, become an incredibly powerful hero. In addition to having brilliant martial arts skills, he also has complete control of the mystical Ten Rings, which not only enhance his natural abilities but make him an immortal.
Shuri / Black Panther
Shuri may be younger, but already she has an IQ on the level of Tony Stark’s, plus she has direct access to what is essentially an unlimited supply of the greatest resource on the planet. Her inventions – including the Black Panther suit – are astonishing, and one can only imagine what she will be able to come up with as she learns more about the world outside Wakanda and devises ways she can help. Now that she has taken the Heart-Shaped Herb, she is firmly in this tier.
Peter Parker / Spider-Man
As we know him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man is definitely still green, but there’s just no arguing that the kid isn’t special. Once again we have a case of a hero possessing an impressively sharp and innovative mind, not to mention a perfect attuned sense of right and wrong, but he also has all of those wonderful gifts provided by the spider bite, including wall-crawling, super strength, off-the-charts agility, and his famous spider-sense.
Valkyrie
There exists a particular power gap between Valkyrie and Thor, as she doesn’t have the ability to fly or control lightning, but as a warrior-class Asgardian she is still a beyond-formidable force to be reckoned with, and well suited to become the new king of the realm after Avengers: Endgame. Plus she earns significant bonus points for being the kind of badass who is trained to ride a Pegasus into battle.
Vision
Under normal circumstances, Vision would probably rank as one of the god-like beings on this list, but that’s kind of hard to do right now given that he is presently dead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon. Still, there’s no denying what he is able to do – from the fact that his intelligence is made up of all existing intelligence, to his capacity to control every cell of his form. He’s not flawless or immortal, as demonstrated by his mistake in Captain America: Civil War and his death in Avengers: Infinity War, but he is also easily one of the most powerful heroes we know about thus far.
Wong
Doctor Strange may have a demonstrated knack for magic, but Wong was studying the art long before the former brain surgeon arrived at Kamar-Taj, and his skills are not to be underestimated. His knowledge of spells and conjuring is matched by few on the planet, and that means quite a lot when you consider what magic has the capacity to do and its significance in the grander scheme of the multiverse.
God-Like Beings
To put it bluntly, the denizens of the Marvel Cinematic Universe should be superbly happy that these characters fight with the good guys. This tier features the heroes who are not only practically invincible and technically ageless, but could also crack a planet in half if not careful with their respective abilities.
Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel
Kree and human DNA individually both have some excellent biological advantages, but when you mix them together the results are extraordinary. At her most powerful Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel can become imbued with a remarkable level of energy, and her advanced control of that energy makes her nearly indestructible.
G’iah
While G’iah would have originally been categorized under “The Extra-Terrestrials” given that she was born a Skrull, the events of Secret Invasion level up her game significantly – and there’s an argument to be made that she is the most powerful being in the universe. After all, she is made to possess the abilities of many of the heroes on this list – including Captain Marvel.
Bruce Banner / Hulk
One day, Bruce Banner was a nerdy scientist with a curiosity about Gamma radiation, and then the next he was a man who could turn into an invincible giant green rage monster by losing control of his temper. Now that the two halves of himself have merged post-Avengers: Endgame, and his intelligence operates alongside his brawn, he is permanently one of the most powerful beings in the universe.
Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk
Because Jennifer Walters is a full-on Hulk, there’s no doubt that She-Hulk belongs on the same power tier as her cousin Bruce Banner. The real question is: how does one count her ability to break the fourth wall? That meta awareness is quite a special gift to go alongside her remarkable strength and indomitability (and let’s not ignore that she can control her emotions much better than Hulk can).
Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
When we first met Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, she was capable of some cool mind tricks and effective energy manipulation, but since then her magic has come a long way, and she has become one of the most powerful entities in the universe. To put it simply, in Avengers: Endgame, Thanos literally had to order open fire on the entire battlefield, including on his own men, just so that he wouldn’t lose a one-on-one fight with her, and she has only grown more powerful since then.
Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Strange may only have a few years of experience as a wizard under his belt, but he is an exceptional kind of fast learner, and what he can do is phenomenal. He is a hero with immense power (including the ability to change reality) and is quite formidable.
Thor
It says it right in Thor’s nickname: the God of Thunder. It’s true that he isn’t really a god, but instead an incredibly powerful alien who seemed to be a god to 13th century Scandinavian humans – but it’s still an apt name. While it used to be believed that the Asgardian’s greatest powers came from his hammer, Mjolnir, including flight and lightning conjuring, but Thor: Ragnarok changed the canon to show that he is much more than just the wielder of his bestowed weapon.
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