The Avengers have long been on the frontline against the greatest foes imaginable, which means that the team needs to have tough, rough and ready heroes. Toughness can mean a lot of things; sometimes it means how physically strong someone is, other times how durable, and others times how mentally strong. The toughest are more than just the ones with the most power, they’re the ones who can take the worst and come out of it triumphantly, regardless of what they’re facing. All of the team, in some way, is tough, but there are some members of the team who take that to another level. They’ve gone through some of the toughest things imaginable and have come out of the other side ready to defeat whatever is front of them.
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Some Avengers are just built different. They’ve lived through the wars, and have the scars to prove it. They are the heroes that everyone rallies around, the warriors who can take on all comers. They don’t break or bend, they stand firm, their physical and mental toughness making them unbeatable titans. These are the ten toughest Avengers, and their sheer hardiness have made them amazing members of the group.
10) The Vision
The Vision is all about dependability. The android Avenger was created by Ultron to destroy the team, but has since become one of the most stalwart members of the group. The Vision is physically tough, his phasing powers allowing him to either walk through any damage or increase his mass to a ridiculous extent to allow him to tank blows, and has mastered using these skills in combat. He’s super strong and his solar lasers are devastatingly powerful, making him one of the team’s heaviest hitters. While the Vision has broken mentally in the past — his mental toughness is all the more impressive when you realize he’s still basically a child in a lot of ways — he always fights his way back, proving that he’s more than just circuits. The Vision is one of those heroes who everyone looks up to and trusts, and they know that he will always be there, ready for action.
9) Wonder Man
Wonder Man is low key one of the Avengers’ greatest powerhouses. Simon Williams chose to be given ionic energy powers from the Masters of Evil to save his corrupt brother Eric from his own actions, helping battle the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes until he decided to help them, losing his life in the process. However, his ionic powers meant that he was basically invincible, and he returned to life. He can take tremendous amounts of damage in combat, and is superlatively strong, but that’s not all that makes him impressive. His life has been terrible for him, constantly betrayed by his brother, dying, being reborn and feeling like a pawn in the lives of others (especially Scarlet Witch), even realizing the problems of the Avengers and trying to fix them from within and without. However, he’s always gotten back in the fight and proved that even as a pacifist, he’s a capable hero even without punching. He’s a rock for the team, a favorite of long time Avengers fans.
8) Red Hulk
The Red Hulk joined the Avengers after the defeat of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers, helping battle against the Hood when he got the Infinity Gauntlet, and helping in Avengers vs. X-Men. He was put on the team because of how tough everyone knew he was. He had run through nearly every major hero in the Marvel Universe at this point, and everyone knew that he was General Thunderbolt Ross, one of the Hulk’s most obsessed foes. Ross has always been a man who is carved out of stone, having more than earned his rank in battle. He’s smart, at times vicious, and never stops. It doesn’t matter what you put in front of him, he will keep bashing his head into it until it falls. That’s just the kind of person he is, and his gamma powers took that to another level. He believes in his mission and his country, and will survive anything thrown at him until he accomplishes his goals.
7) Wolverine
Wolverine is the best there is at what he does, and what he does is survive. Wolverine’s healing factor and adamantium skeleton make him almost indestructible, and his style of fighting is built around being able to take tremendous damage; this is a man who chooses to take on the Hulk and has been rather successful. However, that’s not all that’s tough about him. Wolverine has been put through some of the most terrible things you can imagine, having seen, done, and had done to him the stuff of most people’s nightmares. His greatest enemies seem to take a special pleasure in tormenting him and the events of his life hasn’t been easy. He’s constantly fighting the beast inside him, but that doesn’t stop him from jumping into difficult situations to save the world or his friends. He’s as tough as his bones, and that’s saying something.
6) Captain America
Captain America is one of Marvel’s greats, and his toughness has always been a huge reason why. Young Steve Rogers went through some hard things, and never stopped, finally being chosen to become Captain America. Since then, he’s been able to get through everything in front of him, from Hitler and Red Skull to the greatest evils in the entire Marvel Universe. Cap never breaks, physically or mentally. He is all of the strength of the United States, a man who is the embodiment of freedom. It doesn’t matter what he’s gone though, he’s always ready for more. He has seen the worst evils, and this served to make him even tougher than he was before. That’s how he rolls; the stronger and worse the enemy, the tougher he is.
5) Iron Man
Iron Man is known for his armor, but that’s not why he’s tough. Tony Stark is a man constantly facing off against his own demons, doing his best to harness them and not allow him to destroy himself. He’s been completely successful at fighting his alcoholism, constantly battling against the urge to throw it all away. He’s made mistakes, but he always does his best to save the day. He’s the kind of person who seems unstoppable; he keeps doing everything he can to solve any problem, never letting anything persuade him to give up. He’s exactly the kind of person who you want watching your back; he can take anything thrown at him and will do anything to save the day.
4) Hercules
Hercules is sometimes looked at as a wannabe Thor, but he’s ridiculously tough and powerful. Known as the Prince of Power, Hercules is the son of Zeus and has been blessed with near-infinite strength and fantastic durability. He’s faced off against some of the strongest beings out there, and has survived some amazing battles. Hercules loves life and that has helped make him extremely tough. He wants to live the next day, he wants to laugh and love, and, most importantly, he wants everyone else to as well. He can seem hedonistic, but that’s a big part of what makes him so tough. He loves life and the universe, and will go through anything to make sure it keeps existing another day. Nothing will stop him, and that why he’s become a legend.
4) Hyperion of Earth-13034
Jonathan Hickman’s run on Avengers is a modern classic, bringing together the most powerful roster of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes ever. One of that team’s heaviest hitters was Hyperion, who had survived the Incursion that destroyed his world. He had tried to hold the two Earths apart but failed and survived the resulting conflagration. He was one of the only beings we’ve even seen do that, if not the only, and he proved his toughness as an Avenger over and over again. He lost his entire universe, yet he soldiered on and gave his all to save the rest of them. There’s a core of unbreakable toughness in him, making him a man who will not allow anything to stand in his way.
2) Thor
Thor is the God of Thunder, and has been proving his toughness for ages. He’s battled against every enemy in Asgard and proved their superior, and has been doing the same since he came to Midgard. He’s the Avengers’ greatest warrior, and has the kind of strength, power, and durability you can only get from a god. He’s a hero with an indomitable will, one who never says die. He can take stupefying amounts of damage in battle, and is exceptionally strong in every way imaginable. Thor has devoted himself to protecting the mortals of the universe, and will not allow anything to hold him back from that. His innate toughness is a huge reason he’s been as successful as he has been, and every Avengers knows that even death won’t keep Thor from winning.
1) Hulk
The Hulk is the strongest one there is, his gamma powers making him the most powerful being on Earth. The Hulk, physically, is basically indestructible. His durability scales with his strength and his healing factor is one of the best ever. Death isn’t really a factor for him; he’ll just come back through the Green Door. The Hulk and the various alters were created by Bruce Banner to help him get through the horrific abuse he suffered as a child, and have helped him get through everything since then. The Hulk is unbeatable, and only gets stronger the more damage he takes, whether that be physical or mental. For the Hulk, the fight doesn’t end until his enemies are on the ground, and he’ll suffer through anything to make that a reality.
Who do you think is the toughest Avenger? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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