First 10 Avengers Members In History, Ranked by Power

The Avengers originally joined forces in Avengers #1 in 1963 by the creative team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. That issue saw Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Iron Man all coming to Rick Jones’ call to stop the Hulk before they realized that it wasn’t the big green guy who was to blame, but was instead Loki, the God of Mischief. From this point, things quickly changed with the team chasing off one member and then welcoming in a legend to join them. After just over a year, though, every original member quit and four new members joined, giving the team the last four of its first full 10 members starting in Avengers #16.

Here is a look at the first 10 members of the Avengers, ranked by power.

10) Hawkeye

Hawkeye ranks as the weakest of the original 10 Avengers members for a few good reasons. He is the only member of the first 10 who has no superpowers at all. He is an archer who is one of the best archers of any hero or villain in Marvel Comics, rarely missing when he takes a shot. Later in his career, he gained more military-style training, but he is very different from the character in the movies who worked for SHIELD. Instead, he is an arrogant, self-trained archer who has a will to win, but ranks lowest in power compared to most Avengers.

9) Wasp

Wasp has superpowers, but she is not so much a powerful member of the Avengers as she is a respected leader on the team. However, when the team was first formed, she was poorly written, as most women at the time were. Wasp had the Pym Particles that allowed her to shrink down and fly, while also shooting her sting blasts to stun enemies. She did improve over the years and went from being a sidekick to becoming a very powerful leader for the team, someone who could get the most out of her teammates. That said, in terms of fighting power, she ranks very low comparatively.

8) Ant-Man

Hank Pym was one of the first superheroes in Marvel Comics, and he got his start as Ant-Man. At this time, he used his Pym Particles to shrink himself down and maintained the strength relative to his size, which made him very strong. He was also able to reverse the growth formula and became the monstrous Giant-Man and then went back to his shrinking as Yellowjacket. However, his mental health issues hold him down, as they forced him into an early retirement, although he has come back more than once to take his role as a hero again.

7) Black Widow

While some fans might think Black Widow is also an Avengers member with no powers, that is untrue. Natasha is actually extremely old, equal in age to heroes like Captain America and Winter Soldier, as she has an extended lifespan thanks to being artificially enhanced in the Black Widow Ops Program since she was an infant, which included getting Russia’s version of the Super-Soldier Serum. She is an expert fighter and tactician, trained both by the Red Room and SHIELD, and is the deadliest of any member of the first 10 Avengers.

6) Captain America

Captain America was not a founding Avengers member. Instead, it was Avengers #4 when Captain America was found frozen in ice and pulled out and saved, never aging since the ice had maintained the age he was when he was lost in World War II. He quickly proved himself and joined the Avengers in that issue, and has become one of the team’s most respected members and leaders in the decades that followed. As for his power level, he has the Super Soldier Serum flowing through his body, which gives him superstrength, agility, durability, and more, making him one of the most powerful fighters in Marvel Comics.

5) Iron Man

The fifth and sixth Avengers members could realistically swap places depending on the creative team, but for most intents and purposes, Iron Man remains the more powerful member of the team when compared to Captain America. While Cap is strong, and he has actual superpowers thanks to the Super Soldier Serum, Iron Man has his armor, which offers firepower that could pretty easily take out Cap if the two were actually trying to hurt each other. They have fought several times, including during Civil War and at the end of the Incursions, and both times they fought to a basic draw, so this is the one spot where the ranking could be reversed.

4) Quicksilver

Quicksilver was one of four new members to join the Avengers when all the founding members quit, and Captain America had to put together his own team. Those members included Hawkeye and Black Widow, as well as Quicksilver and his sister, the Scarlet Witch. While Quicksilver is extremely powerful, he actually ranks below his sister in power because her magic is some of the strongest in Marvel Comics. However, Quicksilver is extremely powerful thanks to his speed-based powers, where he can end almost any fight before anyone else knows it has started.

3) Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch is the current Sorcerer Supreme in Marvel Comics, which proves her power levels. While she was not the chosen one, she took the role for herself when the Cloak of Levitation and Eye of Agamotto chose her after Doctor Doom perished. That said, she was already one of Marvel’s most powerful characters before this ever happened. She destroyed the Avengers in Avengers Disassembled, and she rewrote history in House of M. She depowered almost every mutant on Earth with three words, and those acts alone make her more powerful than pretty much any sorcerer ever to walk the Earth.

2) Thor

Thor is not only a god, but he might be the most powerful god in Marvel Comics. He was powerful enough to take over as the ruler of Asgard after his father lost the position. He has actually killed Galactus in battle and remains arguably one of the strongest Avengers ever to exist, regardless of when they joined. He also showed his might in a fight with Iron Man, where he decimated his former Avengers teammate and then admitted he had always held back in fights because his true power could destroy anyone. With the Odinforce, he is even stronger, and Thor remains near the top of all Marvel heroes and villains in regard to power.

1) Hulk

The most powerful of the Avengers’ first 10 members is the Hulk. He was the monster that the team formed to fight before realizing that Loki was pulling the strings and Hulk was a victim and not a villain. However, the Avengers chased Hulk away after their next big battle because they made it openly clear they didn’t trust him, so Hulk didn’t want to fight by their side anymore. Over the years, it has been shown that Hulk has no limits to his power level, and he just gets stronger the angrier he becomes. It has also been shown that Hulk will live to the end of the world while everyone else dies, and this proves he is the strongest Avenger there has ever been.

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