25 Most Powerful Cosmic Characters in the MCU, Ranked (2024)

After originally starting with heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has drastically expanded to include everything from intergalactic warriors and alien heroes to imposing supervillains armed with the power of Gods. As such, the story world has evolved to contain many cosmic beings imbued with immense power ranging from original heroes like Thor to new and mysterious celestial entities like Eternity and Arishem the Judge.

The ever-growing range of characters the MCU has on offer means that the ceiling on the franchise's power rankings just continues to get higher and higher. It is now at the point that some of the seemingly strongest MCU characters from the saga's early days barely qualify as mighty in the grand scheme of things. As the franchise continues to expand, it presents fans with new opportunities to see the most beloved and powerful characters in all their glory.

25 Ayesha

Played by Elizabeth Debicki

While she is sort of made a mockery of on her first appearance in the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, with her being outsmarted by the titular Guardians who she then hires Yondu (Michael Rooker) to pursue. However, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) is a being of incredible power, not only because of her impressive genealogy and skill set, but because of the influence she wields as the Golden High Priestess of the Sovereign as well.

In terms of her unique abilities, she is classified as having a genius level intellect, something that makes her a brilliant scientific mind as well as a masterful strategist and tactician. However, her most significant impact on the MCU may yet prove to be her grandest creation, with Ayesha being responsible for the Sovereign’s greatest weapon, Adam Warlock.

24 Lady Sif

Played by Jaimie Alexander

An underrated and, sadly, largely forgotten ally to Thor and the Warriors Three, Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) appears throughout the Thor movies as a capable Asgardian warrior. She was arguably the single best element of the much-maligned Thor: The Dark World, in which she was able to excel as a more central role that cast a welcome focus on her defining strengths and capabilities.

Included among these is her advanced strength, which is considered to be immense even by Asgardian standards. Her physiology also grants her enhanced durability, agility, stamina, speed, reflexes, and accelerated healing. On top of all this, she also shares Thor’s nigh immortality, and is supremely skilled as a combatant, as a sword wielder, and even as a linguist.

23 Nebula

Played by Karen Gillan

The darker and more spiteful of Thanos’ two adopted daughters, Nebula (Karen Gillan) is introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy as she is assigned, alongside her adoptive sister, to serve under the tyranny of Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace). While she becomes overly attached to her new master’s cause, the antagonistic warrior is soon swayed to the side of the Avengers when she finds a common enemy in her father, Thanos.

While she detests the Mad Titan, it can’t be denied how pivotal he is to forging her as the formidable and highly skilled combatant that she is. With her Luphomoid physiology being dramatically enhanced through Thanos’ physical experiments, Nebula possesses incredible physical strength, durability, agility, and even the ability to replay her memories through holographic projection.

22 Ronan the Accuser

Played by Lee Pace

The intimidating big bad of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) is a radical Kree warlord who seeks to continue the deadly feud even after a truce to the war has been agreed to. Hellbent on revenge, Ronan forges an alliance with Thanos, striving to retrieve an object known as the “Orb” in exchange for Thanos to use it to destroy Xander and its people.

Ronan is shown to have enhanced physical powers even by Kree standards, with his position as an Accuser and his advanced technology imbuing him with such strength that he was able to withstand the power of the Infinity Stone and bested Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) in combat with ease. He was only defeated by the Guardians when they used their combined power, including Star Lord’s (Chris Pratt) enhanced genealogy, to use the Infinity Stone against him.

Guardians of the Galaxy

PG-13

Adventure

Action

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

August 1, 2014

Director

James Gunn

Cast

Zoe Saldana , Dave Bautista , Vin Diesel , Bradley Cooper , Lee Pace , Chris Pratt

Runtime

121 minutes

21 Gilgamesh

Played by Don Lee

One of the strongest members of the Eternals, Gilgamesh (Don Lee) stands tall among the most powerful figures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Designed by the Celestials, Gilgamesh possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and accelerated healing while also being an immortal being with some ability to manipulate cosmic energy.

Additionally, he is also a master combatant with thousands of years of training in hand-to-hand combat, something that enabled him to not only defeat many enemies, but to subdue Thena (Angelina Jolie) when she experiences bouts of Mahd Wy’ry as well. The true might of his abilities that the comic books showcase was never brought to the screen in Eternals, but his physical might as well as his sense of duty and kindness made him one of the better characters to be introduced to the franchise in recent years.

Eternals

PG-13

Superhero

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

See Also

The 25 Greatest Marvel Heroes Of The Last Decade, RankedThe 100 best Marvel characters ranked: 40-21The best Marvel characters of all time rankedThe 100 best Marvel characters ranked: 20-1

*Availability in US

Release Date

November 5, 2021

Director

Chloé Zhao

Cast

Angelina Jolie , Gemma Chan , Richard Madden , Salma Hayek , Kit Harington , Kumail Nanjiani , Lia McHugh , Brian Tyree Henry

Runtime

157 minutes

20 Gamora

Played by Zoe Saldaña

The adopted daughter of Thanos, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) is a highly skilled master assassin, making her one of the most ruthless women in the entirety of the MCU. This makes her a formidable assailant to anyone who crosses her, but it also makes her one of the most intrinsic and essential members of, and core characters in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

In addition to being imbued with a ruthlessness and mastery of several combat disciplines courtesy of her upbringing under the Mad Titan, Gamora is also blessed with several physical enhancements because of her Zehoberei physiology. Included among these are her superhuman strength and durability, and her advanced agility, stamina, reflexes, and her accelerated healing. These assets were only further bolstered by Thanos’ bionic enhancements that molded her into the perfect warrior and assassin.

19 Sersi

Played by Gemma Chan

Another of the immensely powerful Eternals, Sersi (Gemma Chan) is granted an extensive range of physical powers, including enhanced strength, speed, stamina, and immortality, by the Celestials that designed her. Her standing even within the Eternals signals her true power, with the ancient superhero team naming her as their leader and the Prime Eternal after they discover that the previous Eternal to hold the position, Ajak (Salma Hayek), had been killed during an attack by the Deviants.

As a character, Sersi is largely defined not only by her power but by her love for humanity as well, something that has seen her develop a genius-level intellect and become an expert in fields of science. She led the Eternals to defeat Tiamut the Communicator before being abducted by Arishem the Judge to stand trial on behalf of Earth and mankind.

18 Peter Quill / Star-Lord

Played by Chris Pratt

As the lovable lead in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Peter Quill, also known by his self-prescribed codename Star-Lord, is often forgotten when calculating the MCU’s most powerful characters, but he shouldn’t be. While he was announced to be something more than just human in his MCU debut, the true nature of his genetic build wasn’t fully revealed until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

As the son of Ego (Kurt Russell), Peter Quill is effectively half celestial, making him one of the most powerful beings in all existence. While his true power remained dormant for quite some time, audiences got a glimpse of what he was capable of when he held the Power Stone alone for a brief period of time at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy. He also went toe-to-toe with Ego and held his own.

17 Valkyrie

Played by Tessa Thompson

Introduced to the series as a laconic drifter, Valkyrie (also known as Brunnhilde (Tessa Thompson) may be understated when it comes to showcasing the breadth of her power, but her abilities are not to be overlooked. Imbued with Asgardian physiology, she is incredibly strong, durable, and agile while also having accelerated healing and a drastically extended lifespan, being thousands of years older than even Thor (Chris Hemsworth).

Furthermore, her past life as the leader of the Valkyrie and one of Asgard’s most elite warriors grants her advanced combat skills with all manner of blades. It also made her a masterful tactician. Her powers seemed to grow greater still in Thor: Love and Thunder when she stole Zeus’ (Russell Crowe) thunderbolt, a device that functioned similarly to Thor’s hammer.

Thor: Love and Thunder

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Superhero

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

July 8, 2022

Director

Taika Waititi

Cast

Taika Waititi , Christian Bale , Natalie Portman , Tessa Thompson , Chris Hemsworth , ​Chris Pratt2 , Karen Gillan , Russell Crowe

Runtime

118 Minutes

16 Adam Warlock

Played by Will Poulter

As one of the newest inductees to the MCU, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) finally made his long-awaited movie debut in 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3. Created by the Sovereign to hunt down and kill the Guardians, Warlock in the Guardians film was basically a superpowered, artificially-created, cosmic baby with a lot of learning to do about morality.

While the film played him up for laughs, Adam Warlock in the comics is genuinely one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe. One of his most notable strengths is his ability to manipulate different forms of energy, even being capable of draining energy from other powerful life forms. If the MCU makes Warlock a central figure of the franchise’s future and realizes even a fraction of his power from the comics, then his standing as one of its most powerful entities will be indisputable.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

PG-13

Science Fiction

Action

Adventure

Release Date

May 5, 2023

Director

James Gunn

Cast

Zoe Saldana , Dave Bautista , Vin Diesel , Bradley Cooper , Karen Gillan , Pom Klementieff , Elizabeth Debicki , Chris Pratt

Runtime

150 minutes

Watch on Disney+

15 Dormammu

Played by Benedict Cumberbatch

When an entity is referred to as both “the Cosmic Conqueror” and “the Destroyer of Worlds,” then the terrible extent of its power simply can’t be debated. Appearing all too briefly as the wasted major villain in one of the MCU's best, Doctor Strange, Dormammu was revealed to be the being that imbued Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) and his Zealots with their powers, manipulating them with false promises of eternal peace.

The ruler of the Dark Dimension, his arrival at Earth at the end of the movie would have spelled the end of humanity had Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) not been in possession of the time stone. Able to trap Dormammu (also Cumberbatch) in a time loop, Strange was killed effortlessly by the villainous, planet-destroying megalomaniac countless times before he finally relented and agreed to leave Earth forever in order to be freed from the unending loop.

Doctor Strange

PG-13

Adventure

Action

Fantasy

Superhero

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

See Also

The 15 Most Powerful Marvel Superheroes Of All Time, Ranked - Looper

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 25, 2016

Director

Scott Derrickson

Cast

Tilda Swinton , Benedict Wong , Michael Stuhlbarg , Mads Mikkelsen , Scott Adkins , Benedict Cumberbatch , Rachel McAdams , Chiwetel Ejiofor

Runtime

126 minutes

14 Loki Laufeyson

Played by Tom Hiddleston

A trickster God who is often cast in the role of the mysterious antihero with a penchant for comic relief, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has come a long way since being the major antagonist of The Avengers and has become a fan favorite in the process. The only unfortunate thing about his standing in the MCU is it means his immense power is so often an overlooked quality.

While Loki's ability to use his magical powers to deceive his enemies (or Thor) has been made apparent throughout, something that hasn’t been explored quite so much is his own superhuman speed and strength, his razor-sharp intellect, and his tactical prowess. Here’s hoping the continued success of the Loki series can keep shedding new light on the fantastic character and what he has to offer.

Loki

TV-14

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

June 9, 2021

Cast

Tom Hiddleston , Owen Wilson , Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Richard E. Grant

Seasons

2

Main Genre

Superhero

13 Odin Borson

Played by Anthony Hopkins

At the beginning of the MCU, and at the introduction of Thor Odinson to the franchise, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) is regarded as the most powerful Asgardian to have ever lived, as well as the most successful ruler the kingdom has ever had. Once considered to be the greatest warrior in the universe, Odin is arguably past the peak of his powers when audiences meet him, but the legacy of his might and influence remains clearly apparent.

In addition to all the supreme powers his Asgardian physiology grants him, Odin is also in possession of such abilities as the Odinforce, a magical cosmic force that even grants him the ability to augment reality. Couple all that with his genius-level intellect, his mastery of military strategy, and his arsenal of immensely powerful weaponry, and Odin stands as one of the most powerful figures in the universe.

12 Thor Odinson

Played by Chris Hemsworth

While many are of the opinion that the mighty Thor is the strongest of the Avengers heroes, his standing amid the most powerful MCU characters across the board is a little more competitive. As an Asgardian, Thor is imbued with superhuman strength, speed, durability, and advanced healing, but he takes on an even more powerful standing as the God of Thunder armed with weapons like his beloved hammer Mjolnir, and then his trusty ax Stormbreaker.

Even looking only at his actions in the Marvel films, Thor has so often been the character whose immense power has proved to be the tipping point to help the heroes win their battles. It appears he is going to muster all of his power to take on whoever he'll be facing off against in the upcoming fifth Thor film.

Thor

PG-13

Superhero

Action

Fantasy

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

May 6, 2011

Director

Kenneth Branagh

Cast

Chris Hemsworth , Natalie Portman , Tom Hiddleston , Stellan Skarsgård , Kat Dennings , Idris Elba , Anthony Hopkins

Runtime

115 minutes

11 Hela

Played by Cate Blanchett

Thor's evil big sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) is a good example of a character who makes previously dominant heroes look like rookies. In her very first moments onscreen, she shattered Mjolnir without batting an eye, walloping audiences with the fact that Thor: Ragnarok would raise the MCU's power rankings to previously unseen levels. She is also the reason Thor unlocked his lightning powers.

The only way Thor was able to prevent Hela from taking over Asgard and going on a rampage across the Nine Realms was by summoning the fire demon Surtur and enacting Ragnarok, the end of days. Had she not been stopped here, Hela would have presumably gone on to become a major player in the MCU's cosmic landscape.

Thor: Ragnarok

PG-13

Superhero

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

November 3, 2017

Director

Taika Waititi

Cast

Chris Hemsworth , Tessa Thompson , Cate Blanchett , Tom Hiddleston , Mark Ruffalo , Idris Elba

Runtime

130 minutes

10 Ikaris

Played by Richard Madden

As an archetypical superhero imbued with great power and a strong sense of responsibility, Ikaris (Richard Madden) has often been compared to DC's Superman through the comic books, and it is easy to see why with his appearance in Eternals. His long list of abilities includes super strength and speed to go along with other powers like flight and laser vision.

His abilities in combat were put on full display in the film as well, with Ikaris fighting against three of his fellow Eternals at once, and more than holding his own. Ultimately, he was not defeated in battle, though he did find himself unable to fight his former wife Sersi (Gemma Chan), and took his own life by flying into the sun after failing in his mission and betraying his friends. As such, fans will never get the chance to see how he would fare against other powerful beings within the MCU.

9 G’iah

Played by Emilia Clarke

One of the newest figures in the MCU, G’iah (Emilia Clarke) also marks one of the most powerful characters in the franchise as the daughter of Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) with a hatred for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) given his inability to find her species a new home. Fueled by this spite, G’iah starts working with the Skrull Resistance which leads to her enhancing herself with the Extremis before using the Harvest to bolster herself with the abilities of all the Avengers and their enemies.

This means that in addition to her ability to shape-shift, which all Skrull possess, she also has near limitless power, including super strength and energy manipulation. There have been serious discussion about whether the events in the final episode of Secret Invasion make her the most powerful being in the MCU.

Secret Invasion

TV-14

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

June 21, 2023

Creator

Kyle Bradstreet

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson , Ben Mendelsohn , Olivia Colman , Emilia Clarke , Christopher McDonald

Seasons

1

Main Genre

Superhero

8 Captain Marvel

Played by Brie Larson

Though fans are divided when it comes to their opinions of Captain Marvel, there is no doubt that she is one of the MCU's most powerful characters, and maybe even the strongest hero to date. Exposure to the Tesseract imbued her with the ability to create and manipulate cosmic energy without apparent limit, and a blood transfusion from a Kree warrior gave her further superhuman abilities that enabled her to hold her own against Thanos (Josh Brolin) himself.

Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) is so powerful that, were she not constantly off-world, many of Earth's foes would have had a much harder time making any headway. While her impact in The Marvels was somewhat undersold by a weak antagonist, Captain Marvel still stands as one of the most pivotal and powerful characters in the future of the MCU.

Captain Marvel

PG-13

Superhero

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

March 6, 2019

Director

Anna Boden , Ryan Fleck

Cast

Brie Larson , Samuel L. Jackson , Jude Law , Clark Gregg , Djimon Hounsou , Gemma Chan , Ben Mendelsohn , Lashana Lynch

Runtime

7 Surtur

Voiced by Clancy Brown

Surtur (voiced by Clancy Brown) is often left out of the MCU power rankings discussions, which is understandable as he was a relatively minor character within Thor: Ragnarok, and was handily dispatched by Thor at the start of the movie. However, this Surtur was in a severely weakened state. The fire demon was defeated by Odin millennia earlier, but claimed he was destined to lay waste to Asgard as part of the Ragnarok prophecy.

When next fans see Surtur, he is revived at his full power as part of Thor's plan to defeat Hela. Ragnarok is realized and Asgard is sacrificed to prevent Hela from wreaking further havoc, meaning that Surtur actually succeeded in his goal, but also killed himself in the process. Nevertheless, an entity that can destroy one of the Nine Realms deserves a place on the MCU's cosmic leaderboard.

6 Kang the Conqueror

Played by Jonathan Majors

Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), the villain of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, was a member of the Council of Kangs, a group of every version of the scientist Nathaniel Richards from every universe in the multiverse. These men came together to help each other's universes and govern the multiverse together. But when some of them attempted to take over one another's universes, the Multiversal War broke out. In the face of all of this, the Council deemed Kang the Conqueror too dangerous and exiled him to the Quantum Realm.

Being the most dangerous member of the group ruling the multiverse is no small feat. Kang the Conqueror also wielded powerful armor which imbued him with a range of powers in addition to the deadly energy manipulation, telekinesis, and force fields he already had. He used these abilities to build an empire in his exile.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

PG-13

Superhero

Action

Comedy

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Director

Peyton Reed

Cast

Paul Rudd , Evangeline Lilly , Jonathan Majors , Kathryn Newton , Michael Douglas , Michelle Pfeiffer , David Dastmalchian , Bill Murray , Corey Stoll