5 Marvel Heroes That Could Have Beaten The Leader in Captain America: Brave New World

The Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to keeping villains alive. In the early phases, bad guys rarely made it to the end of a movie. Whiplash, Iron Monger, Laufey, Ronan, Alexander Pierce, Ultron, and Aldrich Killian are just a few of the notable examples of villains who died during their first appearance. However, there are a select few who fight heroes and live to tell the tale, such as Loki, Red Skull, and Abomination, who made his debut in The Incredible Hulk. Bruce Banner’s lone solo movie features its fair share of Marvel evildoers, but one of them doesn’t break bad until years later.

Samuel Sterns, aka the Leader, spends a long time plotting his revenge against Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who captures him and uses his big brain to solve problems. Sam Wilson must put an end to his scheme in Captain America: Brave New World, fighting Red Hulk and proving Isaiah Bradley’s innocence after the bad guy frames him for an assassination attempt. Sam Wilson isn’t the only Marvel hero up for the task, though.

1) Black Panther (Shuri)

Shuri is one of the smartest people in the MCU, being responsible for the majority of Wakanda’s incredible technology. She also just happens to be the country’s protector, Black Panther, a title that provides her with all kinds of abilities, including super-strength and durability.

If Shuri had to deal with the Leader, it wouldn’t take her long to figure out that he was trying to orchestrate a global catastrophe. She would get ahead of the situation, and even if she had to fight Red Hulk, her inventions gave Sam the ability to hold his own, meaning she’d be unlikely to have much trouble.

2) Ant-Man

While Scott Lang doesn’t have Shuri’s mind, he’s far from an idiot. In a past life, he was an engineer who landed himself in jail after pulling one over on his company and returning money it had stolen to its rightful owners.

Scott’s intelligence makes him a good candidate to take on the Leader, but it’s his abilities with the Ant-Man suit that put him over the edge. He can shrink down to avoid Sterns’ men and capture him with ease, and even if things get tough with Red Hulk, Giant-Man is waiting in the wings.

3) Spider-Man

Peter Parker finds himself in a similar situation to Scott Lang. He’s very smart, as seen when he tries to help all the villains in Spider-Man: No Way Home get rid of their powers and get their lives back.

Spider-Man’s one knock is that he’s a bit naive and would probably try to help the Leader. However, once he realizes he’s beyond saving, all bets are off, and the hero would do everything in his power to keep people safe.

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4) Thor

Thor isn’t exactly the guy to call for a battle of wits. Typically, he lets his strength do the talking, using his magical weapons to throw down with some of the most powerful villains in the MCU.

An underrated part of Thor’s character, though, is his heart. He cares deeply about people, so if he learns that civilians are in danger, he’s going to jump into action. The Red Hulk would be no trouble for him, and with his ability to fly, there wouldn’t be anywhere for Sterns to hide where he couldn’t find him.

5) Smart Hulk

While the rest of the heroes on this list have what it takes to beat the Leader, only Bruce Banner has real stakes in the game. After all, it’s his blood that gives Sterns his abilities, making him the root cause of Brave New World‘s events.

As the Smart Hulk, Bruce has brains and brawn, which allows him to go toe-to-toe with both Leader and Red Hulk. He’s not going to fall for any tricks, either, as he’s too smart to play into his enemy’s hands. In truth, had Brave New World been another Hulk solo movie, it would’ve been over pretty quickly.

Captain America: Brave New World is streaming on Disney+.

Do you think the heroes on this list could have beaten the Leader in Captain America: Brave New World? Who else do you think deserves a spot? Let us know in the comments below!