10 Marvel Heroes That Could Have Beaten Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War

Thanos may have made a few minor appearances here and there throughout the first decade of the Marvel Cinematic Unvierse, but the Mad Titan didn’t get a proper debut until 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, and he made the wait worth it. Infinity War made a point of showing just how easily Thanos could annihilate Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in one-on-one combat before destroying half the known universe with a snap of his fingers. In other words, Thanos is one bad dude who can solo most Marvel heroes who dare to stand up to him. Most of the Marvel heroes that is, but not all.

Between the Marvel characters not in the MCU when Infinity War took place and the ones who were either dead or nerfed by the time Thanos came around, there are, believe it or not, quite a few challengers that could have given ol’ wrinkle-chin a run for his money.

Thena

Whatever your thoughts are on Eternals, there’s no denying the Celestial-created cosmic beings are some of the most powerful in the MCU. As the group’s designated warrior, Thena would be the obvious choice to take on Thanos and, when doing so, give him a sound thrashing. Thena — like all Eternals — possesses superhuman strength, durability, speed, agility, stamina, reflexes, and healing, along with the ability to create weapons made of cosmic energy that are capable of piercing the skin of other Eternals/Deviants. That means they’re also powerful enough to shred Thanos’s nigh-invulnerable purple hide. Those weapons, along with Thena’s unparalleled skill in armed combat, make her a formidable, cosmic-level threat and more than a match for Thanos (had she not been in hiding at the time).

Odin

Odin Borson was known as the most powerful being in the Nine Realms. When his daughter Hela broke out of the prison he put her in and went on to slay all of the Valkeries — the most powerful warriors in Asgard — Odin defeated her single-handedly and re-imprisoned her. When his son Thor — considered by many to be the most powerful Avenger — started acting up, Odin stripped him of his powers and banished him to Earth with barely any effort at all. Had Odin not died shortly before the events of Infinity War, there is no doubt he would have made mincemeat out of Thanos.

Franklin Richards

It’s almost unfair to include Franklin Richards on this list because he outclasses Thanos by such an exponential amount any conflict between the two wouldn’t be a fight so much as it would be pest control. The son of Reed and Sue Richards of the Fantastic Four, Franklin has yet to make his way into the MCU but, given the nature of his powers, is undoubtedly already aware of its existence. That’s because Franklin Richards’ powers have been described as “above multiversal.”

Basically, while Thanos has to work his magenta butt off just to get enough power to snap away half of one universe’s population, Franklin can create whole new universes with barely a wave of his ungloved hand. When it comes down to it, Richards is simply on a completely different level than Thanos.

Adam Warlock

Adam Warlock and Thanos are like Batman and the Joker … at least in the comics. In the MCU Thanos died before his “arch-nemesis” was even born. There’s a good chance however, that had the two met in battle, Adam would have been the one walking away afterward. While not always depicted as physically stronger than Thanos, Adam Warlock has an unprecedented understanding of the way the Mad Titan thinks and his motives giving him the advantage psychologically.

But that’s in the comics. The version of Adam Warlock introduced in Gaurdians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was insanely powerful and that’s after being awakened from his cocoon prematurely. By the time Adam reaches his full potential it’s possible that Thanos, even with all the Inifnity Stones, might not have been able to take him in a fight.

Jean Grey (Phoenix)

If we had a nickel for every time the Fox franchise failed to acurately portray the power of the Phoenix Force we’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but still, it’s weird it happened twice.

Comic book Jean Grey however is an Omega Level mutant meaning her powers have no definable upper limit. And that’s without the Phoenix Force. With the Phoenix Force Jean Grey is an Omega Level mutant with the addition of unlimited, God-like cosmic abilities. To say that she would tear MCU Thanos a new opening or two is an understatement.

Galactus

Look, we know Galactus isn’t exactly a hero but he’s not really a villain either. He’s kind of above all of that, no pun intended. In any case the Devourer of Worlds definitely has what it takes to put an end to Thanos’s reign of terror if he so desired. While we won’t see just how powerful the MCU version of Galactus will be until The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters July, 25 if he’s anything like his comic book counterpart he’ll be more powerful than almost anyone else in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Galactus has been described as “the physical, metamorphosed embodiment of a cosmos.” In other words, while Thanos succeeds in wiping out half of all life in the universe, Galactus is a universe unto himself.

Cosmic Ghost Rider

If we said The Punisher could beat Thanos in a straight fight we’d be laughed out of every comic shop in America. If, however, we made the claim that Frank Castle with the combined powers of Ghost Rider and the Silver Surfer, wielding a chain forged from the bones of Cyttorak, could beat Thanos, we wouldn’t sound so crazy then, would we? Especially since it already happened.

Cosmic Ghost Rider is the very definition of OP but, welcome to comics, right? After all, Thanos’s power level isn’t exactly reasonable either. When it comes down to absurdly strong power fantasies Cosmic Ghost Rider manages to beat Thanos at his own game.

The Incredible Hulk

You may be thinking, ‘Didn’t Thanos beat him senseless in no time at all?’ Yes, but he almost had to for the plot of Infinity War. When you give a filmmaker the task of introducing a super-powerful villain into a universe full of crazy-strong characters the easiest way to help your new bad guy “get over,” as they say in Wrestling, is to show him taking down the biggest, toughest guy around. That’s why it makes sense from a narrative perspective for the Russo brothers to begin Infinity War by having Thanos crush the Hulk. But that’s also the MCU Hulk who has always paled in comparison to his four-color counterpart.

Marvel Comics Hulk is a different beast entirely. How powerful is he? Let’s put it this way, Thanos himself admitted during his initial quest to find all of the Infinity Stones that he was afraid to fight the Hulk until after he had them all in his possession. ‘Nuff said.

Squirrel Girl

If you’re wondering how a seemingly, low threat like Doreen Green AKA Squirrel Girl could possibly beat Thanos, don’t bother, because she already has. Yes, Squirrel Girl, a mutant with the power to talk to squirrels has canonically beaten Thanos in the main 616 universe. Not only did she beat him with nothing but her squirrel powers but it happened in the presence of Uatu the Watcher who said out loud for the reader’s benefit that Squirrel Girl had defeated, not a clone or other facsimile, but the real honest to goodness Thanos.

Now to be fair, the fight happened off panel and was clearly intended to poke fun at the sort of “can character X beat character Y” powerscaling debates fans love to spend countless hours on. However, a win is a win and if Doreen ever makes her way to the MCU it would be great if they honored her comic book roots by having her take down some ridiculously powerful villain off camera.

Magneto

Again, we might be stretching the definition of hero here but Magneto has enough good deeds under his belt to earn him a spot on this list. Besides, as a holocaust survivor if anyone has a reason for wanting to take down a power-hungry warlord hellbent on committing genocide, it’s him. Magneto’s ability to control even alien metals makes him the perfect opponent to go up against Thanos and his Asgardian crafted Uru mitten.

It’s highly suggested that the MCU’s Infinity Gauntlet is made of the same magical metal as Thor’s hammer givent that it was forged by the same person. Given Thanos’s hubris and tendency to monologue Magneto should have plenty of time to crush the Infinity Gauntlet into a tiny ball with Thanos’s hand still in it. Pretty hard to snap your fingers when they’ve been liquified.

Do you agree with our picks for which Marvel heroes could beat up Thanos or is there someone else you think has what it takes to defeat the Mad Titan? Let us know in the comments!