The world of Marvel Comics is vast and wide, and it's filled up with some of the most exciting characters and superhero teams in all of comics. Among those teams are the thunderbolts; while they have gone through many changes and a revolving door of teammates, the thunderbolts remain one of the most dominant superhero teams outside of the Avengers.
The team is made up of usually undesirable heroes that don't work well with others or that have a shady past. In some instances, full-fledged former villains have joined the team for a short time. Nevertheless, the team members of the Thunderbolts are some of the most powerful in the Marvel Universe and command significant amounts of respect among their peers. Here are some of the most powerful members of the Thunderbolts ranked.
8 Zemo
Baron Helmut Zemo is the founding leader of the Thunderbolts, originally intended to be the next Masters of Evil; Zemo's position shifted after Captains America’s apparent death. As the leader of the Thunderbolts, Zemo is in charge of a number of super-powered individuals, which is no small feat for a regular human.
Zemo is an expert strategist, master swordsman, and king of all manipulators; controlling a handful of egotistic rowdy anti-heroes and villains is child play for the Iron Cross. Zemo has multiple feats under his belt that more than warrant his right to lead; defeating Captain America in single combat, leading a siege on the Avengers mansion, and surviving death multiple times.
7 Deadpool
Deadpool is a character who needs no introduction, having one of the largest fan bases in Marvel Comics. The Merc with a Mouth is a widespread thorn in every marvel character's side upon meeting them with his constant beratement and sarcasm.
Wade is an experiment gone partially right from the Weapon X program. He has hyper-regenerative abilities and is able to recover from any damage done to him, however, his ability leaves him deformed with rare skin cancer. Out of all Deadpool's abilities and skills, his most prominent is his ability to break the "fourth wall". Wade Wilson is the only character in the Marvel universe who knows he’s in a comic book.
6 Red Hulk
Red Hulk is the alter ego of General "Thunderbolt" Ross, a long-time villain of the original Green Hulk and former leader of the Thunderbolts. Ross became a Hulk after the events of World War Hulk, making a deal with super-villains for power.
The unique nature of Ross’s transformation is that his personality remains intact, unlike Bruce Banner. Other ways that the Red Hulk is different from the original is he has additional powers like heat manipulation and energy absorption, able to take on the powers of ghost rider and the venom symbiote after being exposed to both during the Circle of Four event.
5 Moonstone
Moonstone has had a lengthy history in the Marvel universe; she has joined several teams and constantly played both villain and hero over the years. While Moonstone was an original member of the Thunderbolts, her life prior was filled with wrongdoings and making some powerful enemies.
However, once she joined Zemo and the others, she grew very accustomed to a hero's life, willing to turn a new leaf. Moonstone’s powers are comparable to that of Mrs. Marvel; after encountering a Kree power gem, she obtained the ability to alter gravity, fly, and manipulate her voice which she has used to defeat the Red Hulk.
4 Skarr
Skarr was a fresh recruit to the Thunderbolts that was led by Luke Cage; this was after Skarr, and the New Avengers put an end to Norman Osbourne's Dark Avengers. Powerful is an understatement when talking about Skarr; he’s the son of the Hulk and Caiera the Oldstrong and gifted with the powers of both.
Skarr’s first appearance was in a grudge match against his own father while he was in the World Breaker state and fought to a standstill. Skarr reconciled with his father and followed in his footsteps, becoming a hero.
3 Venom
Venom has had many hosts over the years; Eddie Brock was the second who became addicted to the power of the symbiote and went on a rampage of villainy against Spider-Man. Later on, Brock would be reformed and use the black symbiote for good, reassuming the moniker of Venom.
As of late, Venom's powers have expanded dramatically during the Carnage and King in Black events, where He became the god of all symbiotes after defeating Knull. While Venom's new powers are relatively new and yet to be explored, he is worthy of being one of the Thunderbolts' most powerful members.
2 Juggernaut
Juggernaut is almost always the most powerful member of any team he decides to join. Cain Marco is known as the unstoppable Juggernaut for a reason, as once he begins to move, no force on earth can stop him. This power is bestowed upon him while using the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, an ancient object blessed by the god of the crimson cosmos.
While possessing the Crimson Gem, Juggernaut is the exemplar of Cyttorak, enhancing his natural abilities significantly. Although Juggernaut's immense strength and stamina have him constantly taking on entire teams of heroes like the Avengers, the heroes that can face him one-on-one are few and far between.
1 Ghost Rider
Known as an anti-hero to his peers, Ghost Rider is much more than a super-powered hero. There are several Ghost Riders, Johnny Cage being the former member of the Thunderbolts; each Ghost Rider is a spirit of vengeance, gifted with dark powers and abilities from Mephisto. This makes each Ghost Rider nearly unstoppable, especially when searching for the target of their vengeance.
Ghost Rider has fought the likes of the Hulk, Doctor Strange, and Mephisto himself. For a time, after defeating Mephisto, Johnny became the king of hell, which made him the most powerful Ghost Rider in the Marvel universe and the most powerful member of the Thunderbolts.