7 MCU Characters Way More Powerful Than They Seem

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced a wealth of Marvel characters into its continuity since it began. Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, the movies of the MCU have continued to expand the scope of the franchise, making it the most successful cinematic shared universe in the world. As well as shattering box office records, the MCU’s stories of good against evil have gripped a global audience, with its many incredibly powerful characters capturing the collective imagination of fans everywhere. There are a great deal of powerful figures within the MCU, including immortal cosmic beings and literal gods.

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While many of the MCU’s most powerful characters are obvious, there are others that are less noticeable. These characters haven’t fully demonstrated their abilities within the franchise, or have otherwise been written with their comic book powers obscured or toned down for narrative purposes. Not all of the MCU’s most powerful characters broadcast their strength in their appearances to date, making it easy to overlook how formidable they truly are.

Split image of Thena in Eternals and Black Bolt in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

7) Malekith

Christopher Eccleston as Malekith in Thor: The Dark World — Image courtesy of Marvel

Many powerful MCU characters have died, but few died in as disappointing a manner as Malekith. The villain of the much-maligned Thor: The Dark World, Malekith’s blend of alien physiology with magical abilities made him an incredibly dangerous foe. The closest his only MCU appearance got to establishing this was showing him wielding the Aether, later revealed to be the Reality Stone. Malekith simply wasn’t given enough depth or time to demonstrate how powerful he really was, which is especially wasteful considering how dangerous he is in the comics.

6) The Grandmaster

Grandmaster in Thor Ragnarok — Image Courtesy of Marvel

Considered by many to be a god-tier Marvel character ruined by the MCU, it’s fair to say that Jeff Goldblum’s version of the Grandmaster didn’t quite do the comic book character justice. In fairness, this wasn’t due to Goldblum’s performance as much as it was Thor: Ragnarok‘s comedic tone, which ultimately prevented the movie from establishing just how powerful the Grandmaster truly is. While the movie hints at his god-like power, it doesn’t really depict the character as anything more than a hedonistic despot.

5) Korg

Korg in Avengers: Endgame — Image courtesy of Marvel

Another character introduced in Thor: Ragnarok whose power level the MCU failed to appropriately convey is Korg, Thor’s rock-skinned Kronan friend. Since his introduction, he has been used exclusively as comic relief, with the movies only really touching on how powerful Korg can be, as he possesses some of the most underrated superpowers in the MCU. As well as remarkable strength and durability, Korg is a formidable fighter, making him a hugely powerful ally for the heroes of the MCU. Sadly, the MCU has so far only really used Korg as the butt of its jokes.

4) The Leader

Leader in the MCU — Image Courtesy of Marvel

First introduced way back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Samuel Sterns’ transformation into the villainous Leader didn’t materialize until 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World. Serving as the main antagonist of the Phase 5 movie, the Leader’s supreme intellect is his greatest strength, and it makes him one of the most powerful MCU villains introduced since Avengers: Endgame. However, the Leader is fairly unassuming and seems, at a glance, simply to be another creepy but relatively insignificant antagonist, hiding the true depth of the danger he poses to the wider MCU.

3) The Collector

Benicio Del Toro as The Collector in Guardians of the Galaxy — Image courtesy of Marvel

The Collector made his full MCU debut in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, played by Benicio del Toro. The Grandmaster’s brother was written as an eccentric collector of rarities and powerful artifacts, and so the Collector’s true nature as one of the most powerful aliens in the MCU was not explored. The character has only been sparingly featured within the franchise, which has not yet even scratched the surface of how powerful he is capable of being.

2) Sersi

Gemma Chan as Sersi in Eternals using her powers — Image courtesy of Marvel

The Eternals were introduced as one of the MCU’s most exciting new teams post-Endgame, but the poor performance of their movie seemingly put a damper on any plans to further explore their story. The members of the team each possess a different main ability, and were all shown to be pretty powerful in their own right. However, Sersi’s ability to transmute matter on a molecular level is one of the best MCU powers, even though it isn’t talked about. Its incredibly broad range of potential applications mark Sersi as a deceptively powerful MCU character, even without mentioning her Eternal physiology.

1) Eternity

Gorr reaching Eternity in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) — Image courtesy of Marvel

Eternity has been featured in the MCU, but the franchise didn’t really establish him as a being in his own right. However, delving deeper into the character highlights just how powerful Eternity actually is, as he’s the temporal embodiment of the Marvel Universe. At a glance, Eternity is an implacable quasi-being used as a plot point in Thor: Love and Thunder, meaning that many fans missed just how powerful he really is.

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