There is a lot of fighting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, the only way to guarantee a villain like Thanos doesn’t keep causing problems is to beat him in a battle of strength. However, it’s easy to forget about all the work that leads up to the fight. In Avengers: Endgame, after the Mad Titan wipes out half of all living beings, the smartest remaining minds in the MCU attempt to find a solution to the problem and develop a machine that can essentially send them back in time. That’s not the only situation in the franchise that requires brains over brawn, though.
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The MCU is full of intelligent characters who would rather bury their head in a book than train to fight. However, they’re all cut from different cloths, and only one can earn the title of the smartest character in the universe.
7) Riri Williams
There are more than a few child prodigies in the MCU, but Riri Williams is the best of the bunch. She develops a way to track vibranium just because her teacher says she won’t be able to, which is something the United States government can’t even pull off. Riri also builds her own take on the Iron Man suit, and while it’s bulkier than the original, it has enough bells and whistles to help her fight the Talokanil in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
6) Rocket
The High Evolutionary’s goal is to create a perfect being, and he feels like he’s getting pretty close with 89P13. The raccoon is a whiz when it comes to technology, even figuring out what’s wrong with one of the High Evolutionary’s machines before the villain can. As he learns and grows, Rocket becomes an expert inventor, coming up with all sorts of gadgets that help the Guardians of the Galaxy in times of need.
5) Hank Pym
Hank Pym gets his crowning achievement out of the way early, creating Pym Particles that allow him to shrink himself or other objects to microscopic levels. He goes on to develop the Ant-Man suit and becomes a hero for a short time until his wife, Janet, disappears. Even after retiring, Hank can’t help but continue his work, aiding the new Ant-Man, Scott Lang, during his missions.
4) Bruce Banner
As the MCU makes clear on numerous occasions, gamma radiation is no joke, and Bruce Banner is the foremost expert on it. Sure, he flies too close to the sun and creates the Hulk, but he eventually takes care of that problem by blending his own personality with the giant green monster’s to create Smart Hulk. In his new form, there are very few that can beat Bruce in a battle of wits.
3) Tony Stark
Tony Stark is the smartest character in the MCU for a long time, with his first major feat being creating a mini Arc Reactor in a cave with a box of scraps. After escaping captivity, he never stops innovating, building countless Iron Man armors that get more and more advanced with each model. By the end of his life, he’s working with nanotechnology that allows his suit to form around him, which ensures that he never leaves home without his gear.
2) Shuri
The smartest person in the most technologically advanced nation in the world certainly deserves one of the top spots on this list. Shuri always has Wakanda firing on all cylinders, using vibranium to build complex rail systems and weapons. She even goes as far as to create a synthetic Heart-Shaped Herb to give herself the powers of the Black Panther after Killmonger destroys every trace of the plant in Wakanda.
1) Samuel Sterns
Despite only having two MCU appearances, there’s no doubt that Samuel Sterns, aka the Leader, is the smartest person in the entire MCU. He is exposed to Bruce’s blood in The Incredible Hulk, and it mutates his body, giving him what essentially is a super brain. Sterns can see countless scenarios at one time, allowing him to dictate outcomes from behind the scenes. He even deduces that there’s an entire multiverse and people looking to destroy it in Captain America: Brave New World.
All the Marvel Cinematic Universe projects are streaming on Disney+.
Do you agree that the seven characters on this list are the smartest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Who else do you think belongs? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image Courtesy of Lionsgate
