Summary
The Avengersare without a doubt the most iconic superhero group in the Marvel universe. After making their debut in 1963, well over a hundred different characters have joined the Avengers at one point or another. The fictional team’s roster includes down-to-Earth heroes like Spider-Man and Hawkeye, as well as characters with otherworldly powers like Doctor Strange and Firestar.
There have even been plenty of characters who have only ever made it into Avengers off-shoot teams, like the West Coast Avengers or Young Avengers. Considering all these factors, let’s take a look atthe strongest Marvel heroes who have held a position in any Avengers lineup,spanning decades of Marvel’s comic book history.
Joe Simon & Jack Kirby
Team Affiliations
Avengers, Secret Avengers, New Avengers, Time-Displaced Avengers, Avengers Unity Division, Avengers Emergency Response Squad
Super-soldier physiology, elongated lifespan, adamantium shield
First Joined
Avengers#4 (1964)
This wouldn’t be a list about the Avengers without including their most iconic member. There can be arguments that there are former Avengers members who are more godly in their strength than Steve Rogers. However, as proven time and time again, there’s something aboutCaptain Americathat’s beyond human, and it’s not just the Super Soldier serum running through his veins.
Steve Rogers is as powerful as it gets for a regular human being, from his expertise in hand-to-hand combat tohis flawless use of a nearly indestructible adamantium shield. The MCU established that Chris Evans' Captain America is also capable of lifting Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, which is also consistent with the comics, in which Steve easily lifts the weapon to save the God of Thunder inThor#390 (1966).
Transformation, super-strength, super-speed, healing factor, fourth-wall-breaking
Avengers#221 (1982)
As a Hulk, Jennifer Walters earns a spot on this list for the simple fact that she’s physically intimidating. The lawyer cousin of Bruce Banner, Walters was saved by a blood transfusion with Bruce that allowed her to transform intoShe-Hulk. Unlike Banner’s uncontrollable other half, Jen can seamlessly transform between her Hulk form and her regular self at will, using it to her advantage in both battle and the courtroom.
Of course, Walters isn’t immortal, suffering a nearly fatal accident during a battle with Thanos after surviving a missile to her chest. However, what gives her the edge in most of her solo comics is the fact that She-Hulk can break the fourth wall,using this meta power to force writers to change her narrativesmid-comic, which is certainly a stronger ability than most Avengers can boast.
Super-strength, super-speed, teleportation, healing factor, Allspeak
Secret Avengers#1 (2010)
It’s true thatValkyrie, also known as Brunnhilde, became more popular as a comic book character thanks to Tessa Thompson’s portrayal of her inThor: Ragnarokand subsequent MCU movies. However, the character had already been an Avenger prior to that film, joining the Secret Avengers after being resurrected from her sudden death during Ragnarok in the comics. Like most Asgardians, death is rarely ever the end for Valkyrie.
Though she’s been to Valhalla many times, Valkyrie has been rescued again and again, proving that she is a powerful Avenger to keep on fighting as she does. As an Asgardian, Valkyrie possesses many godly powers, including the ability to see Death coming. She also has an indestructible sword called Dragonfang, given to her by Doctor Strange, and has even wielded Captain America’s shield.
Super-strength, super-speed, flight, healing factor, energy generation
Novais probably one of the biggest Marvel Comics characters whohas yet to make an appearance in the MCU. It’s a shame, since in the comics, Nova is among the strongest characters to ever join the Avengers. A member of the intergalactic police force called the Nova Corps, Richard Rider is one of many officers who wield the power of the Nova Force, an energy source that bestows him with superhuman abilities.
While Nova’s powers aren’t latent, they make him pretty unstoppable whenever he has access to the Nova Force. This power allows Nova to defeat lots of powerful cosmic threats in the Marvel universe, including the inevitable Death. His other victories include defeating Annihilus and Thanos, some of the most fearsome baddies in the entire history of Marvel Comics.
Weather manipulation, witchcraft, teleportation, telepathic resistance
Avengers#19 (2011)
Many Marvel fans may not even know aboutStorm’saffiliation with the Avengers, given the character’s stronger association with the X-Men. However, Ororo Munroe joined the Avengers back in 2011, though she left shortly after when the team was pitted against the X-Men over confronting Jean Grey, but still aided the Avengers inrescuing the X-Men from the Phoenix’s control.
Power-wise, Storm is certainly among the strongest mutants in the Marvel universe. With the power to control the weather, Storm has made it rain over a single individual and has affected the climate globally, making her a massive existential threat. Plus, she’s also been known to have expertise in witchcraft, which could always come in handy if the weather isn’t enough for some opponents.
Super-strength, super-speed, teleportation, flight, molecular manipulation, immortality
New Avengers#10 (2005)
MCU fans will soon be introduced to “Bob” in this year’sThunderbolts*movie. While the character may not seem like much,Sentrywill be a hugely important character going forward. Known as the “Golden Guardian of Good,” Robert Reynolds actually has two personas: The heroic Sentry, and the villainous Void, who both battle for control over the same superpowered body.
It’s said that the super-soldier serum used on Bob is 100 times stronger than the ones used on Captain America and Wolverine, which says a lot about how physically strong he is as a character. His greatest feats include lifting a Helicarrier, destroying Ultron, and even disarming Doctor Doom. Hopefully, the MCU’s Thunderbolts don’t get on this character’s bad side.
Super-strength, super-speed, energy manipulation, flight, healing
Avengers#184 (1979)
It goes without saying thatCarol Danvers is one of the strongest charactersin the Marvel universe. Originally debuting as a US Air Force officer, Danvers becameMs. Marvelafter her genetic code is melded with that of the first Captain Marvel, an alien named Mar-Vell. However, as the comics went on, Danvers began to outshine the original Captain Marvel and ended up taking his mantle.
Power-wise, Carol is immensely powerful on a cosmic scale, capable of flying between planets without any life support, and has even lifted a dead Celestial with no help. Even her healing factor is stronger than most other superheroes, allowing her to absorb magical energy. As Binary, she is even capable of light-speed travel and full control over electromagnetic energies.
Thor Odinson, Donald Blake, King Thor, God of Thunder, All-Father
Creators
Don Rico, Hy Rosen, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, & Larry Lieber
Avengers, New Avengers, Avengers of 1,000 A.D., Avengers Shi’ar, Hydra’s Avengers, Avengers Unity Division
Abilities
Godly strength, superhuman speed, flight, invulnerability, telepathy, weather control, healing factor, Allspeak, Mjolnir
Avengers#1 (1963)
There aren’t many Avengers who are just straight-up gods, but of the ones that are, few can compare to theMighty Thor. Having lived for thousands of years, Thor has avoided ever seeing Valhalla thanks to his near-omnipotent abilities to control the weather as well as his trusted hammer, Mjolnir, which few are able to wield with as much ease as the Norse god can.
After Odin dies in the comics, his son Thor is imbued with the “All-Power,” which allows Thor to have even more limitless power than he normally would, at the cost of needing to rest afterwards. Fromomniscient knowledge to frankly broken superpowers, there are not many Marvel characters who can outmatch Thor, except for…
Avengers, Secret Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Cosmic Avengers
Transformation, unlimited strength, super-speed, immortality, healing factor, telepathic resistance, energy manipulation, genius intellect
Out of all the Marvel characters that Thor is unable to kill, who would’ve thought it’d be his fellow Avenger, Bruce Banner? A scientist who becomes the victim of gamma radiation, Banner transforms into the unstoppableHulkwhenever he gets angry, turning him into a rampaging immortal monster. Not only has Bruce defeated Thor numerous times, but he’s even knocked out his teeth!
As for other characters in the Marvel universe, the Hulk can deal some pretty nasty damage to all kinds of superheroes. He once ripped Wolverine in half, kicked the wind out of Hercules, and has often made the Avengers look like action figures the way he tosses them around. If anyone wants to beat the Hulk, they’ll have to be able to break reality itself. Luckily, our final entry on this list does just that.
Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Hydra’s Avengers, Avengers Unity Division
Nexus being, witchcraft, chaos magic, energy manipulation, reality warping, telepathy, flight, teleportation, time manipulation, necromancy
Avengers#16 (1965)
Wanda Maximoff may seem to most like nothing more than a sorceress, but don’t be fooled.The Scarlet Witchis among the most powerful entities in Marvel Comics,simply because she’s a Nexus Being. Simply put, Wanda is the center of the entire Marvel universe, with the ability to affect space-time itself, but even outside of her cosmic importance, her powers are just too broken.
Famously, Wanda wiped out the world of mutants in theHouse of Mstoryline, and has utilized Chaos magic to wreak havoc on friends and foes alike. Her witchcraft has allowed her to break the laws of physics, possessing a hundred times the powers that some of her Avengers teammates only have fractions of. It’s a good thing she seemingly died in the MCU, because she could easily wipe the floor with most heroes and villains.
