From a God of Thunder to a group of intergalactic outlaws, there is a litany of mighty heroes in the MCU. However, it's rarely simple for any of them to save the day. This is because they typically come up against a collection of equally sturdy villains.

By this point, there have been many of these rogues in the franchise, and they're all unique in various ways. One of those ways is their power level, as some are a lot stronger than others. And while many capable villains could enter the MCU in the future, these are the most powerful as of right now. Please note that any boosts received from Infinity Stones have been ignored.

Updated on December 20, 2023, by C.M Edwards: The Marvel Cinematic Universe has come light years from its early beginnings in phase one where a handful of superheroes joined together to save the world. As the stories from Marvel and Disney continued, the universe created began to fill with more and more characters from heroes, anti-heroes, and villains. The villains of the Marvel Universe encompass renegade soldiers and primordial beings that can devour planets. Countless times, the earth's mightiest heroes and heroes of the sort must face insurmountable odds with foes that have designed themselves to take anyone in their way down. Here are some of the strongest villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

25 Mysterio

Fought Spider-Man Using Illusions

• Spider-Man Far From Home
• Played by Jake Gyllenhaal

Quentin Beck is a disgruntled former Stark Enterprises employee who proves that one's strength of mind can sometimes do greater damage than actual physical force. Mysterio may not be the most powerful MCU villain; however, he causes enough chaos to get the Avengers' attention.

Beck's tricks landed him a free pair of Stark-made E.D.I.T.H. glasses, fit with a complex AI system that allowed the devilish fiend to assume control over a hoard of combat drones, and target them towards London. Mysterio's mastery of illusions is another valuable tool on the battlefield and can easily cause mass hysteria (and the need for a "new hero").

24 Killmonger

Fought Hand To Hand Against The Black Panther

• Black Panther
• Played by Michael B. Jordan

Michael B. Jordan starred as the main antagonist to the late Chadwick Boseman's Tachala with Eric Kilmonger, a US soldier turned renegade who sought to liberate marginalized people of the world with violence and the technology that Wakanda kept secret.

Showing brilliant strategy, Killmonger found his way into the throne room of Wakanda and challenged the Black Panther to a fight to the death. Kilmonger showed extreme skill and strength in armed, unarmed, and covert tactics, placing him as a high threat in the long list of bad eggs that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had to deal with.

23 Taskmaster

Defeated Red Guardian In Strength

• Black Widow
• Played by Olga Kurylenko

Black Widow may not have had quite the same impact as some of the movies in earlier phases of the MCU, but it definitely had its moments. The vast majority of those involve Taskmaster: a futuristic cyborg who was initially controlled by her deranged father, General Dreykov.

Whether or not future movies will delve deeper into the character's personality and motivations now that she's once again in control of her own destiny remains to be seen. Whatever happens though, there can be no doubts whatsoever about her raw strength and incredible combat skills, the latter of which are built around her ability to perfectly mimic her opponents' fighting styles.

22 Kingpin

Engaged In Hand To Hand Combat With Daredevil

• Daredevil Season 1
• Played by Vincent D'Onofrio

Kingpin is not necessarily the most powerful villain in Marvel history, however, he is certainly quite versatile, transversing superhero storylines as often as the multiverses. Hellbent on an eternal battle to reunite with his long-lost family, Kingpin has a catastrophic impact on the lives of both Netflix's Daredevil and Disney Plus' Hawkeye (as well as the iconic Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, although not technically MCU.)

This crime lord is proof that not all supervillains need to be superpowered, so long as they have enough influence over the seedy underbelly of society. Best known for his cold-blooded brutality, Kingpin doesn't always need fancy weaponry to get the job done. His personal potent army and a "simple" cane will do (although some high-end body armor can't hurt, either) Willie Fisk is not quite done with his mission and is due to return in 2024 for MCU's Echo and Daredevil: Born Again.

21 Green Goblin

Defeated Spider-Man On Numerous Occasions

• Spider-Man No Way Home
• Played by Willem Dafoe

Spider-Man has fought some of the coolest and strongest MCU villains around who often have scientific backgrounds, and No Way Home features the cream of the crop. With Doc Oc, Lizard, and Sandman as convenient distractions, Green Goblin manages to sneak past relatively unnoticed and effectively gains the upper hand over not one, but three webbed heroes (oh, and Doctor Strange, too).

When Norman Osborn loses the battle with the dark side, his antagonistic alter-ego gets to come out and play, equipped with his near-impenetrable armor, glorious Goblin Glider, superhuman upgrades, and malicious intent. Green Goblin's strategic intellect is just as dangerous, while his manipulation tactics and regenerative capabilities are top-notch.

20 Bucky Barnes

Bested Captain America In Combat

• Captain America: Winter Soldier
• Played by Sebastian Stan

This Super Soldier Serum recipient has a well of capabilities almost as deep as Captain America's, although technically still in the experimental phase of development. The genetically enhanced Winter Soldier draws even more power from his bulletproof cybernetic arm, compliments of the nefarious HYDRA.

Bucky Barnes is a trained soldier and highly capable on the battlefield, skills which are enhanced even further by his augmented body, which also ages slower than a regular human. His rapid healing often comes in handy while his speed and stamina allow him to outmaneuver even the Black Panther himself.

19 The Red Skull

Bested Captain America In Combat

• Captain America
• Played by Hugo Weaving

The Red Skull was one of the earliest villains to appear in the Marvel cinematic universe, in the Captain America origin story starring Chris Evans in phase one.

The Red Skull served as the megalomaniac that lead a branch of the Nazi regime in a different direction from the war and had also been empowered by the super soldier serum, the same as Steve Rogers. Red Skull was just as strong and fast as Captain America, but he was more brutal and used his strength to decimate his foes with no mercy.

18 Arthur Harrow

Took On Moon Knight And Scarlet Scarab At The Same Time

• Moon Knight Season 1
• Played by Ethan Hawke

The cult leader Arthur Harrow is a devout servant of the almighty devourer of souls, the goddess Ammit, who he believes will purge the world of unnecessary evil as soon as she is set free. Dr. Victoria Grail and Moon Knight do not share the "good" doctor's sentiments, although he is just one of many villains on Marc Spector's overflowing agenda.

Much like some of the strongest Marvel villains, Arthur Harrow does not have any epic, natural-born superpowers, which doesn't mean he shouldn't be feared. A genius intellect with immoral intentions is potent enough to incapacitate the world if given the chance. Fortunately for Harrow, he receives some upgrades for his MCU debut and is able to channel Ammit's magic (an ability that doesn't feature in the comics), along with a mystical staff and a nifty, highly judgmental tattoo to boot.

17 Agatha Harkness

Drained The Life From Several Witches At Once

• WandaVision Season 1
• Played by Kathryn Hahn

The launch of Disney Plus has allowed the creative minds behind the MCU to take a somewhat different approach to the way that it introduces new heroes and villains. Rather than having to rush them out to the center of the stage straight away, the long-form nature of episodic television provides opportunities for slow-burning scenarios instead, as evidenced by WandaVision.

Agatha Harkness' eventual reveal came not only as a shock but also at the perfect moment in the show's scintillating solitary season. When all's said and done, Agatha ends up being more of a foil for Wanda than a true villain, helping both her and the audience to realize just how powerful she truly is. Nonetheless, the Salem Witch Trial survivor is immensely powerful and will no doubt demonstrate this further when her recently announced spinoff series eventually rolls around.

16 Ebony Maw

Bested Doctor Strange In Magical Combat

• Avengers: Infinity War
• Played by Tom Vaughan-Lawlor

Because both Infinity War and Endgame had to juggle so many characters, Ebony Maw's screen time in the two movies was limited. However, his antics on Earth showed that he's a powerful being.

Fighting against Doctor Strange, he barely broke a sweat as he used his telekinetic abilities to incapacitate the sorcerer. In fact, the hero barely landed a blow on the Black Order member. The only thing that stopped him in his quest to get the Time Stone was Spider-Man's quick thinking and knowledge of James Cameron's Aliens.

15 Yon-Rogg

Trained Carol Danvers

• Captain Marvel
• Played by Jude Law

Captain Marvel's greatest foe is expected to instigate more chaos again in The Marvels (in November 2023), because Yon-Rogg clearly didn't get his fill of death and destruction the first time around! Commanding the formidable Kree forces and teaming up with Ronan the Accuser from time to time, this tyrant is hellbent on mass genocide while extending the Empire's reach.

Yon-Rogg (aka Magnetron) values the Kree above all else, channeling Hitler in his attempt to "purify" the realm. Carol Danvers is supposed to be his greatest project yet, seeing as the pair are virtually on par with power levels; however, she is particularly stubborn about joining the cause. His Life Force consumption, superhuman strength, Gravitational Manipulation, and other tricks hidden up his sleeves are deemed inefficient in overpowering Captain Marvel, but it seems he has not yet given up hope!

14 Ronan The Accuser

Harnessed The Power Of An Infinity Gem

• Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1
• Played by Lee Pace

Ronan spent much of Guardians of the Galaxy with the Power Stone in his possession. Thus, it's difficult to determine his strength without. Yet, the fight he had with Drax the Destroyer on Knowhere shows he was a beast before the cosmic boost.

During the brawl, the Guardian wanted vengeance for the death of his family. However, Ronan beat him down without really trying. Drax, on the other hand, gave it his all but couldn't do any damage. And it's not as though the Destroyer is a weakling.

13 Kurse

Won In Hand To Hand Combat Against Thor

• Thor: The Dark World
• Played By Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

As Thor: The Dark World is generally considered among the worst MCU movies, many people forget about Kurse. He was the powerhouse of Malekith's army, thanks to a Kursed stone that heavily enhanced his abilities.

So much so that he was too strong for even the mighty Thor. Kurse put a beating on the son of Odin, which only ended when Loki intervened. The Avenger might've done better had he been able to get a hold of his hammer, but Kurse batted the thing away - an impressive feat in and of itself.

12 Abomination

Faced The Hulk Head-on

• The Incredible Hulk
• Played by Time Roth

Despite being one of the first entries in the MCU, The Incredible Hulk introduced a villain who was among the strongest the series has ever seen. That creature was Abomination and, perhaps due to the timing of the movie's release, rarely gets the credit or the respect that it deserves.

The giant brute boasted similar power to the Hulk and matched the green monster blow for blow. There were even moments during their battle in Harlem when he seemed to be too much for the hero. Abomination might've eventually lost the fight, however, he still managed to dust himself off in time to cause some trouble for She-Hulk.

11 Namor

Defeated M'Baku In A Single Blow

• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Played by Tenoch Huerta

As an immediate enemy to the rest of the world but a potential ally to the Wakandans, the charming "K'uk'ulkan" could quite easily classify himself as a Demi-God of sorts—think Hermes merged with Poseidon ruling a vibranium-fueled Atlantis, with a deep-rooted hatred for humanity. The King of Talokan can control the seas with just a thought and flood entire cities with ease, while his siren-inspired kin lure their foes to a watery death with their ethereal voices.

Namor barely needs to rely on weaponry during battle, as his sharp reflexes and superhuman speed are (almost) unmatched while his winged feet grant him added range and a potent unpredictability factor. He draws powers directly from oxygen, be it aqueous or vapor (but a water source is preferred), theoretically giving him an unlimited supply of energy reserves. The Talokanil have created an extensive range of hydro-based ammunition that explodes with an instant tsunami or slices their foes to smithereens.

10 Ultron

Fought The Entire Team Of Avengers

• Avengers: Age Of Ultron
• Played by James Spader

Since WandaVision, fans have come to appreciate Age of Ultron more than ever. Yet, something that could never be questioned about the movie is the might of its villain. Ultron was an ever-improving machine who altered his form throughout the story.

With his most impressive upgrade, he was too much for individual Avengers. Even Thor couldn't defeat him alone, as he needed assistance from Iron Man and Vision to finally get the upper hand on the menacing antagonist.

9 Adam Warlock

Defeated Nebula With Brute Strength

• Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
• Played by Will Poulter

Fans may have only gotten a brief glimpse of Adam Warlock in a tell-tale end-credit scene and a teaser trailer, but it is quite evident that Ayesha's secret weapon should not be underestimated. Technically handcrafted by the Golden Gal herself, Adam is:

"The next step in [the Sovereign's] evolution... more capable of destroying the Guardians of the Galaxy"

Adam is the very epitome of perfection, right down to his DNA and, while his MCU origin story differs greatly from that of the comics, it is safe to assume his powers will still be similar to the source material (besides, perhaps, the Soul Gem element, although there is something rather suspicious embedded in his forehead). Adam's comic counterpart can manipulate metaphysical quantum energy and, with his Orb of Eternity in tow, he can spy on numerous realms from afar. Apart from time-traveling, Adam could be considered a Doctor Strange counterpart in terms of power and potency.

8 Thanos

Took On Every Member Of The Avengers And Won

• Avengers: Infinity War
• Played by Josh Brolin

When Thanos had all the Infinity Stones in his possession, he was the most powerful individual in the MCU. Admittedly, without them, he was not quite as mighty, but he remained stronger than most. Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man found this out when they took on the 2014 version of the Titan. While the three Avengers landed some blows, the villain laid them all out by the end of the fight. And there wasn't a Gauntlet in sight.

Related: Thanos Memes That'll Crack You Up

After a series of epic battles, the remaining Avengers eventually gained the upper hand, although many paid the ultimate price in the end. Thanos achieved his goal of wiping out a large majority of the population and there seemed to be no hope in sight. However, he underestimates the power of a woman scorned, allowing Scarlet Witch to tip the balance in the heroes' favor, while Iron Man gives Thanos a taste of his own medicine.

7 Kang The Conquerer

Took Control Of Multiple Timelines

• Loki Season 1
• Played by Johnathan Majors

Although a version of The Conquerer also features in the Loki series (one of many more to come), He Who Remains is not quite as fearsome as the Big Bad in the Quantumania storyline. Kang is the de-facto Master of Fate and self-declared Master of Time, capable of tinkering with the very essence of life, rewriting destiny while disregarding the concept of the natural order.

Stemming from the depths of the Quantum Realm itself, where he essentially reigns as king, Kang is the worst thing to hit the MCU since Thanos. For the most part, The Conquerer's epic armor is the source of his powers, rendering him virtually invincible. So even though Ant-Man has seemingly incapacitated the mighty foe, The Avengers shouldn't get too comfortable, because The Kang Dynasty is fast approaching.

6 Gorr The God-Butcher

Faught Thor And Jane Foster Simultaneously

• Thor: Love And Thunder
• Played By Christian Bale

Thor: Love and Thunder saw many new and returning faces return for the fourth installment in the Thor franchise. This time around, Thor would face a dominating force that was the product of his own making. Gorr the God-Butcher possessed an incredible hatred for all gods due to the death of his daughter when their prayers went unanswered. Gorr went on to slaughter countless gods and attacked Thor and Jane Foster using a god-killing blade called the Necrosword. Gorr's power was nearly unmatched, but at the same time, it was slowly killing him.