Of course, sheer power is entirely different from popularity - and that immediately eliminates some of the favourite names from the discussion.

While the likes of Captain America, Black Widow, Iron Man and Black Panther have dominated the box office with their respective movies, it doesn't make sense for them to be in contention here given that their powers are considerably outgunned by other members of the Avengers.

Specifically, we're talking about cosmic beings like Thor and Captain Marvel, with stars Chris Hemsworth and Brie Larson themselves engaging in friendly banter about who can truthfully boast to being the strongest on the team.

Many fans will be quick to point out that a certain witch may have pulled ahead of them both following the events of WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, while there's also an underdog argument to be made for Spider-Man – but we'll get to that in due course.

Read on for our analysis of the top contenders to be crowned strongest Marvel character, as well as our ultimate verdict on who can claim the title.

And if you want to revisit all of the Marvel titles to make a decision for yourself, check out our page on how to watch all the Marvel movies and series in order.

Who is the strongest Marvel character in the cinematic universe? The definitive guide

Doctor Strange

With the recent cinema release of Multiverse of Madness, Benedict Cumberbatch's one-time Sorcerer Supreme is fresh in our minds and he's certainly a candidate for strongest hero in the MCU. He is both custodian of ancient relic the Eye of Agamotto, designed to contain the dangerously powerful Time Stone, and one of the key protectors of our reality from the chaos of what lies beyond.

Indeed, in Marvel's What If...?, we were shown with no ambiguity that Doctor Strange holds within him the potential to destroy an entire universe, which is a fact referenced once again in his recent solo sequel. However, there's a crucial difference between those reckless variants and the Strange we have come to know in Earth-616 (ie, the mainline Marvel Cinematic Universe) – that being his discipline.

While he has had some rebellious moments (eg, using the Time Stone against Mordo's wishes, reading the Darkhold etc), our version of Doctor Strange has so far been able to stop himself from going over the edge. It's to the benefit of the universe that he has done so, but this very same restraint is what prevents him from becoming the most powerful person on this list. Heck, he can't even win a fight against Spider-Man. Speaking of whom, he's one of our next contenders.

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Hulk

It's impossible to have a conversation about who the strongest Avenger is without at least mentioning the Incredible Hulk. This enormous green rage monster is the physical embodiment of brute strength, capable of storming through any obstacle in his path and going toe-to-toe with even the most formidable enemies.

For a long time, Hulk's greatest weakness was himself. The uncontrollable nature of his angry outbursts often resulted in collateral damage, while his lack of intellect made him very difficult to reason with (as seen in the first two Avengers films). Bruce Banner was shown to have an even looser grip on his abilities during the events of Infinity War, where he was incapable of summoning his emerald alter-ego.

Therefore, it could be argued that he has only become more powerful since his evolution into the so-called Professor Hulk; an effective merging of his two personas that reliably affords the merits of both. But he isn't the only hero who's been doing some work on himself over the past decade or so, with a certain "friend from work" also benefitting from a considerable upgrade.

Spider-Man

At first glance, we would have grouped Spider-Man in the same class of characters as Captain America, Iron Man and Black Panther. Wildly popular without a doubt, but it's hard to imagine how they could rank among the most powerful heroes in the MCU. But after 2021's No Way Home saw Peter Parker give Doctor Strange an embarrassing defeat – using his intelligence and unrivalled agility to contain the sorcerer in the mirror dimension – we reconsidered our stance.

Of course, that wasn't the first time that Spider-Man showed incredible resilience. During the final moments of Avengers: Infinity War, when half of the universe's heroes were snapped out of existence, fans noticed that Parker took longer to disintegrate than his peers. That was no accident, with co-director Joe Russo explaining on the film's audio commentary that Spidey used his superhuman strength to physically resist the will of Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet.

Alas, he ultimately succumbed to its effects, but that is nevertheless an impressive feat for a teenager from Queens. Still though, while Spider-Man can stand proudly among the upper echelon of the Marvel pantheon, we're yet to see him best someone of true cosmic might. Certainly, he never registered as a threat to Thanos during their scrap on the desolate planet Titan, with the baddie vocally dismissing him as a mere "insect" (speaking figuratively, we assume, as spiders are arachnids).

Thor

Things didn't go well for Thor when he took on Hulk for the first time in 2012's The Avengers, but a later rematch on Sakaar makes a compelling case for how their power dynamic has shifted. What began as another trouncing for the Asgardian turned dramatically on its head when he tapped into the full extent of his power as the God of Thunder. Of course, Marvel cheekily avoided giving us a definitive answer on who is strongest by having the Grandmaster intervene in their battle, but all signs suggested that Thor was about to administer a knockout blow.

That bombshell fight seemed to plant Thor at the very top of the MCU pecking order, but several other characters have come to the forefront since the events of Ragnarok, with one of the most notable being Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel. In the lead-up to her introduction, producer Kevin Feige promised that she would be "the most powerful character" in the franchise moving forward, which became a rather controversial topic among some fans. Even stars Brie Larson and Chris Hemsworth joined in on the bickering, as seen in a viral clip from the Avengers: Endgame press tour.

But while there's certainly room for debate, Thor's claim to the title of strongest Marvel character is definitely weakened by those comments from Feige, given that he is the grand architect of this universe.

Thanos

Thanos took on the entire MCU and won (at least, initially). That's impressive. The Mad Titan is arguably the most formidable villain that our heroes have faced to date, boasting incredible strength and durability even without the added benefits of a fully equipped Infinity Gauntlet. While Thor ultimately killed him in the original timeline with the freshly welded Stormbreaker, that doesn't necessarily prove that the God of Thunder is stronger than him.

Indeed, his initial blow just prior to the snap seemed more to do with lucky timing than anything else, catching Thanos off-guard following his violent acquisition of the Mind Stone from Vision. Meanwhile, due to the severe nature of his injuries, Thanos was unable to defend himself when Thor beheaded him shortly after on his retirement farm, so that can hardly be regarded as a fair fight.

Their encounter just prior to Endgame's final battle is far more telling as both are on top physical form and you'll notice that Thanos has Thor thoroughly on the ropes. Indeed, he very nearly kills the God of Thunder by driving Stormbreaker through his chest, but Captain America fortunately stops him with a little help from Mjolnir. While the combined might of the Avengers did eventually take Thanos down, there were only two members that left him truly rattled on an individual basis.

Captain Marvel

Back to Captain Marvel now, who is one of the only characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who could conceivably come out on top in a one-to-one brawl with Thanos. We see that during the final battle in Endgame, where at one point she is the only person left standing to prevent him from unleashing a second snap. Her incredible strength is on full display here, keeping the monstrous foe from closing his fist and being comically unfazed by his feeble attempt at a headbutt.

In the end, Thanos is forced to use one of the Infinity Stones to bat Captain Marvel away, but had he not had the unfair advantage of a fully equipped gauntlet, it seems quite possible that she could have kept him restrained. It's no surprise given the seemingly limitless amount of cosmic energy coursing through Carol's veins, which she absorbed during an explosive encounter with the mysterious Tesseract.

As previously stated, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige once touted Captain Marvel as the franchise's most powerful character while drumming up anticipation for her debut. But a lot has happened in the three years since her initial solo outing, with one character in particular levelling up significantly in that time. At long last, let's talk about Wanda.

Scarlet Witch / Wanda Maximoff

It's hard to overstate just how far Wanda Maximoff has come since her introduction in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where essentially all she did was tear apart a couple of robots. In the present day MCU, she has fully embraced her role as the fabled Scarlet Witch, commanding a frankly terrifying level of power that she is not afraid to use.

Captain Marvel might be an even match for Thanos in terms of strength, but Wanda is evidently leagues ahead. When they cross paths on the battlefield in Avengers: Endgame, she disarms him without breaking a sweat, with Kevin Feige pointing to that moment as a clear indication of the changing tides. At a Q&A with New York Film Academy in late 2019, he publicly shifted his stance to support Wanda as the MCU's most powerful hero.

"If you look at Endgame, Wanda Maximoff was going to kill Thanos," he said. "That’s as scared as I’ve ever seen Thanos. And if he hadn’t said, ‘Decimate my entire team to get her off of me,’ I think she would’ve done it.”

That's not even to mention all the post-Endgame drama that she has been involved in. Controlling the minds of an entire town and creating life from nothing in WandaVision was a staggering feat, but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness really emphasised Wanda as an unstoppable force of nature. The universe's greatest sorcerers and the combined force of the Illuminati were all powerless to stop her, with Maria Rambeau's crushing defeat at her hand seemingly proving that Wanda's witchcraft trumps Captain Marvel's cosmic energy.

In an interview with Empire Magazine, Feige added: "No character seems to be as powerful as Wanda Maximoff. And no character has a power-set that is as ill-defined and unexplored as Wanda Maximoff."

The verdict

At the time of writing, Wanda Maximoff (AKA the Scarlet Witch) is the strongest Marvel character. However, we'll be keeping a close eye on emerging players in the films to come and will update this list accordingly if a new challenger rises.

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