The Avengers are by far the most important team of heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchise’s first phase was geared toward introducing its founding members and establishing the team, which went on to form the cornerstone of the MCU’s Infinity Saga. The movies of the Multiverse Saga may have seen the Avengers take a back seat, but they remain the most influential team within the wider continuity of the franchise. Every Avengers movie features a stacked cast of heroes showing off their most powerful abilities, proving to audiences and their teammates that they deserve to be considered one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
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Unfortunately, among all the incredibly powerful Avengers in the MCU, superpowers occasionally get lost. The MCU has, on occasion, seemed to completely forget about an established power, introducing an ability and then neglecting to have the character in question make use of it again. There are also many well-established powers from the comics that MCU characters have that are glossed over in the franchise, leading to a frustrating and seemingly inconsistent hierarchy of power.
7) Captain America’s Superhuman Speed & Stamina
There are many who consider Captain America one of the MCU’s best Avengers, owing to his important role within both the team and the wider franchise. However, one of the first abilities he exhibited has seemingly been forgotten in the years since. After being transformed by Erskine’s serum, Steve Rogers displays remarkable speed and stamina, chasing after a speeding car without seeming remotely fatigued. However, later MCU movies show Rogers clearly exhausted after even relatively short fights, and his ability to run at exceptional speeds has only been briefly used since.
6) Tony Stark’s Technopathy
Whether or not the MCU’s Tony Stark is a technopath isn’t entirely clear, as the franchise doesn’t address the idea. However, in the comics, it’s a key part of Stark’s role as one of the Avengers’ greatest tech experts, which is a role that he also played throughout the Infinity Saga. Stark’s innate ability to create and manipulate technology is certainly a part of his MCU depiction, but it seems as though the franchise forgot that the comics made him a full-blown technopath.
5) Thor’s All-Tongue
Throughout the hero’s time in the franchise, Thor has put on some impressive displays of power in the MCU. One ability that he has only clearly demonstrated once is known in the comics as the All-Tongue: the power to effortlessly understand all forms of communication. The MCU touched on the All-Tongue in Avengers: Infinity War with a comedic moment after Thor first meets Groot, but the idea hasn’t been mentioned or expanded upon since.
4) Doctor Strange’s Time Looping
It’s no secret that Doctor Strange is one of the MCU’s most powerful magic users, but the franchise seemed to forget one of his most overpowered abilities in a crucial moment. In Doctor Strange, the sorcerer uses the Time Stone to trap Dormammu in a time loop, eventually forcing him to a stalemate. However, when Thanos arrived to battle the Avengers on Titan, Strange seemed to forget all about this ability. Considering it could have bought the heroes the crucial minutes needed to beat Thanos, it’s a power that really shouldn’t have been forgotten.
3) Thor’s Control of Lightning
Thor’s status as a powerful and immortal MCU character often sees him ranked as one of the strongest Avengers, but that didn’t stop the franchise from forgetting one of his most important abilities. After his introduction, Thor’s ability to wield lightning as a weapon was completely absent from his subsequent appearances up until Thor: Ragnarok, when Taika Waititi reestablished the forgotten power. Though it doesn’t seem likely the MCU will forget again, the fact that it ever overlooked Thor’s lightning powers at all seems especially odd.
2) Hulk’s Immortality
Since the Jade Giant was first introduced, there have been a few times that the MCU has made Hulk look weak. Not only is he one of the strongest MCU Avengers, but the Hulk also has an incredible ability that very few other characters possess: he’s effectively immortal. This was established in passing when it was mentioned that Bruce Banner had attempted to end his own life, but that Hulk simply emerged just in time to prevent his death. This is in line with the comics, where the Hulk is an immortal figure of pure rage, but it’s something that the MCU seems to have overlooked in the years since mentioning it.
1) Iron Man’s Perfect Targeting
Iron Man has been one of the most popular MCU characters ever since he was first introduced, but he also has an ability that the franchise forgot all about. In 2008’s Iron Man, the hero was shown using an advanced targeting system that simultaneously took out multiple enemies who were shielding themselves with civilians, effortlessly landing a shot on each of them. This perfect targeting is something that the MCU never made use of again, and every subsequent Iron Man appearance saw him regularly missing enemies as he fired repulsor blasts, seemingly forgetting all about his advanced targeting technology.
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