After an entire decade of planning and plotting, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will come to a crescendo in just a couple of weeks. All of the heroes from all corners of the universe will descend on Earth to defend mankind against the Mad Titan Thanos on his quest for the Infinity Stones.
Now, while Avengers: Infinity War (and all of the movies in the MCU thus far, really) is about all the different heroes uniting to defeat Thanos and his army, there is a precedent for individual Avengers being able to take on the big bad Thanos by themselves.
Also, not only have Avengers in the past been able to take him on, but some have been able to defeat him.
Yes, we understand that one of the main themes in the MCU is unity, togetherness, and teamwork, but that said, there are going to be moments when individual Avengers and civilians alike are going to have to step up in order to aid the battle against the Mad Titan Thanos.
So with that in mind, we decided to figure out exactly which heroes could take on– and potentially take out– Thanos if they absolutely had to.
Here the 8 MCU Heroes Who Could Easily Take Down Thanos (And 7 Who Don’t Stand A Chance).
Could Take Him Down: Hulk
One of the most obvious choices on this list in the Hulk, as he is not only one of the most powerful Avengers, but the most similar in stature to Thanos.
Furthermore, Hulk has a higher level of durability than Thanos.
Not only is Hulk theoretically big enough to take on Thanos, but there is a precedent for it in the comics as well. In Marvel Zombies 2 #1, written by Robert Kirkman with artwork Sean Phillips, Zombie Thanos was complaining that they might not have such a difficult time sustaining themselves if the Hulk would stop blabbing so much.
Needless to say, the Hulk didn’t take too kindly to those comments, so he punched a hole through Thanos.
While the zombie versions of Hulk or Thanos have yet to be introduced into the MCU, the point to be taken here is that there is a Marvel Comics precedent for the Hulk being able to single-handedly defeat Thanos.
Doesn’t stand chance: Hawkeye
We hate to pile on the always loveable Hawkeye – he gets made fun of on the internet enough, after all – but let’s be honest: the most average Avenger would stand absolutely no chance against Thanos, the destroyer of worlds.
Hawkeye may be a good shot, but he pails in comparison to Thanos’ might.
Interestingly enough, though, is that Hawkeye isn’t seen in the latest trailer for Avengers: Infinity War and is the only Avenger not to have his own character poster (22 others did).
As to what this means, Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of Avengers: Infinity War, simply said “All will be explained when people see the movie” because it is “all tied into the story.”
As to what that means for father and husband Clint Barton, fans will have to wait until Infinity War to find out.
Could Take Him Down: Giant Man
One of the major subplots of Ant-Man was Hope van Dyne’s desire to take up the mantle of the Wasp and why Hank Pym would not let her.
Van Dyne’s mother Jane, the original Wasp, disappeared into a subatomic quantum realm, which in English, means she will spend the rest of eternity shrinking.
Because that type of thing is possible when the Ant-Man technology is applied to shrinking, that means it can also happen when applied to growing.
Now, while it’s unlikely that the Avengers master plan to defeat Thanos is to unleash the Giant-Man technology, cause Scott to infinitely grow, it’s certainly possible in the imaginary world of comic books.
Given that an infinitely expanding Scott Lang would end all of humanity, we doubt the Avengers used this tactic in Infinity War.
Doesn’t stand a chance: Winter Soldier
As the man long rumored to take up the mantle of Captain America after Steve Rodger’s eventual passing, the Winter Solider, although certainly kick-butt looking, would stand no chance in a one-on-one brawl with the all-powerful Thanos (not that many Avengers do stand a chance, so nothing personal).
Essentially a human being with a robot arm, the Winter Solider lacks the magic or trademark superpower to truly threaten the otherworldly Thanos.
The Winter Soldier is featured relatively prominently in the trailers alongside Captain America (especially in that massive battle that seems to take place near Wakanda), so ole’ Bucky Barnes certainly factors into the fight against Thanos and his army.
However, we seriously doubt he will fight Thanos directly.
Could Take Him Down: Vision
Vision is another one of the MCU characters who is so dangerous because his powers are so undefined.
In the Marvel Comics, Vision is loaded with superpowers, possessing superhuman senses, superhuman stamina, reflexes, speed, agility, strength, superhuman analytical capabilities, and the ability to process information and make calculations with superhuman speed and accuracy.
Vision is also one of the MCU characters currently in possession of an Infinity Stone (the Mind Stone is currently lodged directly in his forehead).
Therefore he’s certain to play a pivotal role in Thanos’ acquisition of the Infinity Stones and the Avengers fight back.
Whether he wants to or not, Vision is likely going to find himself face-to-face with Thanos or one of his goons, but luckily, he’s one of the Avengers with a legitimate ability to defend himself.
Doesn’t stand chance: Black Widow
While Black Widow is far from average when it comes to her spy abilities and looks – similar to her buddy Hawkeye – she is simply outclassed when it comes to a battle with Thanos.
Heck, she had a tough time dealing with Crossbones in Captain America: Civil War.
Not much is known about Scarlett Johannson’s Black Widow role in Avengers: Infinity War (other than the debut of her newly-dyed blonde hair).
However, given that Black Widow is one of the heartbeats of the Avengers team and is featured prominently alongside Captain America in the trailers, we definitely expect Black Widow to be a part of the fight. We just don’t expect her to square up with Thanks anytime soon.
Could Take Him Down: Groot
While Groot may be just a teenager by the time Avengers: Infinity War rolls around, he is one of the few characters on this list who has a comic book precedent of being able to take on Thanos.
In Avengers Assemble #8, Thanos takes on the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. While it takes an entire team effort to defeat the Mad Titan Thanos, at one point, Groot takes the spotlight, raining punches on the powerful Thanos.
While the teenage offspring version of Groot is likely unable to give Thanos the same test his father would have been able to, we’ve seen what a full-grown Groot is capable of.
Not to mention, Groot will have the rest of the Earth to use to his advantage, something he does not normally have access to will traversing the cosmos with the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Doesn’t stand chance: Star-Lord
While Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord may be one of the audience’s favorite MCU characters, he’s by no means the strongest.
Now, while Star Lord’s heritage, and therefore power, was further explained and fleshed out in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the extent to which that power goes is still unclear, meaning we cannot definitely say he could easily defeat Thanos.
Based on what we’ve seen of him in the trailers, Star-Lord looks as though he’s going to be used mostly as comic relief.
However, given that he’s now romantically involved with Thanos’ adopted daughter, the two crossing paths at some point throughout the course of the two movies isn’t all that unlikely.
Also, if that does happen, we wouldn’t fancy Star-Lord’s chances in a one-on-one matchup with Thanos, especially because he’s dating his daughter.
Could Take Him Down: Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch is one of the more intriguing members of the Avengers given that the limits of her powers are generally unknown, though we hope that she will be further explored in Infinity War.
Easily one of the most powerful Avengers, Scarlet Witch is a powerful sorceress who possesses the ability to alter reality in unspecified ways.
In addition to her distinct and unique ability to alter reality and those in it, Wanda Maximoff is also an expert combatant with the ability of telepathy, telekensis, and has an excellent knowledge of sorcery– something only Doctor Strange currently possess for the Avengers.
Captain America would be wise to take the training wheels off young Wanda Maximoff when the Mad Ttian Thanos roles into town.
Doesn’t stand a chance: Ant-Man
While his large and in charge alternative may stand a chance against the almighty Thanos, the default version of Scott Lang’s titular Ant-Man wouldn’t stand a chance.
Now, while he may be able to survive, that doesn’t mean he’d be able to put on a fight against Thanos.
Given his inclusion in Avengers: Infinity War (along with essentially every other character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man (and maybe Giant-Man), are likely to have a very specific role to play in the plot.
While Ant-Man may not be the most powerful Avengers, he has one of the unique skill sets of anyone on the team.
How those unique skills are applied to help defeat to Thanos have yet to be seen, but we can guarantee it won’t be Ant-Man who delivers the knockout blow.
Could Take Him Down: Captain Marvel
While she has yet to be officially introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel is rumored to be one of the most powerful heroes that the Avengers have to offer.
Speaking with IGN, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige once said of Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers: “What is one of the coolest things about it is she will be by far the most powerful character we’ve ever introduced in the movie.”
He continued: “‘How do you find those limitations? How do you find those vulnerabilities?’ is something that is sort of at the crux of the story that we’re putting together.
So, given that the Head of Marvel Studios thinks Captain Marvel will be one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU, she has as much of a chance to take out Thanos as any of the other heroes on this list.
Doesn’t stand a chance: Loki
While Loki has been a major anti-hero for the majority of his run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which is a lot of films, by the way), we expect Loki to complete his hero arc during Avengers: Infinity War, becoming the full-blown hero he likely always wished he was.
However, despite his potentially heroic intentions, Loki wouldn’t stand an ounce of a chance in a single-handed scrap with Thanos.
While Loki may be able to gain a temporary advantage due to his patented trickery and cunning, he certainly won’t be able to easily defeat Thanos.
Based on what’s been shown of Loki in the trailers, he seems likely to find himself in a precarious situation.
Whether Loki’scaptivityy is part of one of his trademarks ruses is yet to be seen, but either way, we have feeling his chances of making it out of Infinity War alive aren’t too great.
Could Take Him Down: Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange is one of the more unique, and therefore most powerful, Avengers due to his mastery of magic.
Due to the fact that Eye of Agamotto is actually the Time Stone– and Thanos just so happens to desperately want the Time Stone– Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange is likely going to be a major player in Avengers: Infinity War.
Considering that The Infinity Stones are some of the (if not the) most powerful cosmic forces in the galaxy, Doctor Strange could theoretically overpower Thanos with the right combination of spells, strategy, and teamwork.
However, given what we’ve seen of Stephen Strange in the trailer, things don’t seem to be going to swimmingly for Doctor Strange.
So while Strange easily taking down Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War is unlikely, it’s certainly not impossible.
Doesn’t stand chance: Captain America
This one hurt considering that Captain America is the heart and soul of the Avengers (and because he looks so cool doing hand to hand combat with Thanos), but Steve Rodgers, aka Captain America, wouldn’t stand a chance against Thanos.
Captain American may be the heart and soul of the Avengers, leadership intangibles don’t help you fight interdimensional planet destroyers.
The fact is that other than Hawkeye, Ant-Man, and Black Widow, Captain America is the most human, and therefore one of the weakest and most mortal.
While nothing is certain at this point, many fans expect Captain American to be one of the significant casualties of Avengers: Infinity War, however, whether that ultimate sacrifice happens in the first or second part of the movie is yet to be seen.
Could Take Him Down: Thor
If Anthony and Joe Russo are to be believed, then Thor, the God of Thunder, is going to have a major influence on the happenings of Avengers: Infinity War.
In fact, Joe Russo even told Fandango that the newly one-eyed Asgardian “has a really interesting arc in the film. He hasn’t been at the forefront of other Avengers movies but he certainly has a very important role in this film.”
Given Thor’s history in the comics, that’s quite the interesting comment from the director of the movie, as there is a precedent for Thor being able to defeat Thanos.
In the comics, Thor used Mjolnir to hammer Thanos to death in Thor Vol.2 #25, written by Dan Jurgens and illustrated by John Romita Jr.
Which other MCU heroes do you think are powerful enough to take on Thanos? Let us know below in the comments!
