MCU: The Strongest And Weakest Members Of The Avengers

The Avengers are Earth's Mightiest Heroes, whether in the comics or the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eighteen years ago, Nick Fury welcomed Tony Stark to a "bigger universe." Back then, viewers could never have imagined just how vast this shared universe would become. The first Avengers gathered in 2012, and they've since reformed (and splintered) on so many different occasions. Some Avengers are literal powerhouses, while others are simply peak athletes with combat training.

The Multiverse Saga is building to a head, as universes collide. Avengers: Doomsday features a massive cast, with two new Avengers teams (the former Thunderbolts and another team led by Sam Wilson). But how powerful are the confirmed members of the Avengers through the MCU so far, and how do they compare? Here's every official Avenger so far ranked according to power, many of whom would give even Doctor Doom a run for his money.

20 Nick Fury

Strategic Skill Is Still A Power

Let's start with a character whose membership of the Avengers is a little more questionable: Nick Fury. The former SHIELD director is currently head of another organization called SWORD, although his future is uncertain after Secret Invasion. Nick is undoubtedly one of the best spies in the MCU, and he has literal decades of experience with alien and superhuman threats. Nick is a force to be reckoned with on the field, surviving an assassination attempt by the Winter Soldier, but his greatest skill lies in leadership and strategy.

Nick Fury is founder of the Avengers (he's even the one who named them). He's played a key role in many of their most dangerous missions, helping pull the team back together in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and so merits mention in this list. Still, given he lacks actual power, he's always going to be ranked at the bottom in terms of power levels.

19 Black Widow II

Natasha's Little Sister

Like her "sibling" Natasha, Yelena Belova is a survivor of the Red Room. She's trained as one of the best spies and assassins in the world, although Black Widow did suggest Natasha was the more skilled, which is why she's so low on this list. Whimsical and unpredictable, Yelena delights in networking; she made a surprising return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, albeit with a somewhat disarming base of operations.

Thunderbolts*' post-crredit scene seemed to confirm Yelena is playing a similar role to Natasha in the New Avengers. She appears to be the planner and coordinator, the de facto leader and strategist. Still, these skills are yet to really be shown, so Avengers: Doomsday will give a real sense of them.

18 Black Widow

The Skilled Assassin And Spy

The MCU's first Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff is one of the world's best spies. Like Hawkeye, she's taken on some of the Avengers' more challenging opponents; Ultron drones, the Black Order, and the Chitauri. Black Widow is an incredibly skilled hand-to-hand fighter who also uses advanced tech to supplement her abilities. Impressively, this is a woman who survived an actual Hulk attack in The Avengers.

Black Widow has to appear toward the bottom of this list, simply because she lacks any superhuman powers. She appears to be almost matched by Hawkeye, although Clint was able to bring her in, suggesting he's slightly more skilled — assuming the two don't pull their punches. Ultimately, Natasha became the heart of the Avengers, pushing them to reform after Thanos' snap.

17 Hawkeye

A Close To Superpowers As One Can Get

Clint Barton started out as one of SHIELD's most skilled field agents, and he's one of the world's most skilled marksmen. The Avengers demonstrated this perfectly, with Hawkeye even shooting Chitauri vehicles out of the sky while he was facing the other way. Hawkeye may not possess powers, but he's survived (and been a key part of) some of the biggest superhero battles in MCU history; this is a man who walked out of the Battle of Sokovia, after all.

Avengers: Endgame revealed Hawkeye became Ronin in the five-year time jump after Thanos' snap. In this identity, Clint abandoned his traditional bow and arrow in favor of other, more lethal weapons; he proved just as effective with those, taking on large groups of criminals as he traveled the world on a brutal killing spree. So while Hawkeye may not be powerful, that's less of an insult to his abilities than a compliment. There's a reason Hawkeye is still alive, and it's pure skill.

16 Red Guardian

The Soviet Super-Soldier

Alexei Shostakov likes to believe he is the Russian answer to Captain America, the man who once matched Steve Rogers. He didn't; Rogers was on ice at the time. More likely, Russia's super-soldier was going up against a skilled warrior who the US had temporarily turned into the latest Captain America. Far from illustrating his power, this places Red Guardian at the lower end of this ranking.

Red Guardian may be a super-soldier, but he lacks the tactical awareness of others. Like most of the New Avengers team, he's a lot weaker than his predecessors; the Contessa probably hoped to use this to control them. Red Guardian's shield is far weaker than Steve Rogers', too.

15 Falcon/Captain America

Captain America Without The Super Soldier Serum

The second Captain America, Sam Wilson is a former paratrooper who uses an advanced winged jetpack in combat. He's incredibly skilled in aerial combat, playing a key role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier's epic final battle, but that jetpack is a weakness; without it, he's grounded. The wings and thruster units have been enhanced by Wakandan technology, though, so those issues may well have been resolved. The wings themselves are vibranium now, meaning they can absorb kinetic energy and re-release it.

Captain America: Brave New World proved Sam Wilson doesn't need the super-soldier serum. There, Sam managed to hold off a rampaging Red Hulk for a surprisingly long time. Sam's greatest edge lies in his empathy, because he was able to talk the Red Hulk down before he was killed at Thunderbolt Ross' hands. As Captain America, Sam wields the traditional shield - but he doesn't quite have the skill level of Steve Rogers there.

14 Ghost

You Can't Hit What You Can't Touch

Ava Starr is easily one of the most powerful members of the New Avengers. Exposed to the power of the Quantum Realm, she's not entirely in-phase with reality. This means Ghost can turn invisible and intangible, making her almost impossible to see or hit. What's more, Ghost spent some working as a black ops SHIELD agent, meaning she's a skilled spy.

Introduced in Ant-Man & The Wasp, Ghost's powers were dangerously unstable. There, the heroes learned she lived in constant pain, and believed the progression would eventually kill her. There were hints the Pyms found a solution, and she showed no sign of this in Thundernolts*.

13 The Winter Soldier

Super Solder Serum And Expert Hand-To-Hand Skills

The Winter Soldier is one of the most skilled assassins in history, and the cyborg super soldier has gradually adapted to a world of superhumans. While he struggled in Captain America: Civil War (easily beaten by Spider-Man), Thunderbolts* gave viewers a sense of just how competent Bucky Barnes has become. A smart strategist, Bucky prefers to arm himself with the right weapons to take down a target.

The Winter Soldier is one of the MCU's many super-soldiers, and he has the further edge of a cyborg arm; the original one was created by Hydra, but his modern one is Wakandan tech, made of vibranium. Bucky is able to hold his own against most ordinary humans, even enhanced ones if he has Batman-style prep time, but he'll still be overwhelmed by most people with powers.

12 Captain America/Steve Rogers

The Only Perfect Super Soldier To Date

The only survivor of Abraham Erskine's super-soldier experiments, Steve Rogers is an absolute powerhouse. It's not just that he's strong and touch; these powers are complemented by an incredible will and tremendous combat experience. This was perfectly demonstrated in Captain America: The Winter Soldier's elevator scene, when he took on an entire SHIELD tactical response team, breaking out of the Triskellion and neutralizing SHIELD's air support. Later, in Avengers: Infinity War, his strength surprised even Thanos.

Steve Rogers is returning in Doomsday, but this will be a different version of the Star-Spangled Man With a Plan; not a variant, but rather one who has been reunited with Mjolnir. When he holds Thor's enchanted hammer, Steve gains all the power of the Odinson himself. Still, this is borrowed power rather than his own, explaining why Steve isn't being bumped up further.

11 Black Panther

Skill And A Mystical Blessing

It's hard to say whether King T'Challa of Wakanda should really be considered an Avenger; he never officially joined, and we can't really consider every single person in Endgame's final battle to be a member. Still, he was certainly considered one of the Avengers' most important allies, working alongside Steve Rogers in Avengers: Infinity War. It seems fair to place him in this ranking.

Introduced in Civil War as the latest Black Panther, T'Challa was able to fight Captain America to a standstill due to his super-soldier abilities. He got something of a power-up in Black Panther courtesy of Shuri, who gave him a new Vibranium costume to absorb and reflect kinetic energy, a massive boost to T'Challa's combat effectiveness. In addition, he has a different form of power; political sway, as the king of an entire nation.