MCU Power Rankings for Early 2022

During the summer of 2020, I tried something. I unveiled my first ever MCU power rankings.

At the time, Black Widow had suffered a delay, and we were in that weird purgatory where nobody knew when another film would debut.

Since then, much has happened in the MCU, both good and bad. Ergo, now seems like the perfect time to take another shot at the power rankings. Let’s get started!

1)    Captain Marvel

Okay, we’ll start with the same rules as last time. Power matters some but not as much as you might expect.

Most members of The Avengers are pretty badass, after all. Still, only two of them could go toe to toe with Thanos and hope to hold their own.

One of them, Carol Danvers, wrecked an intergalactic battleship just by flying through it. Even Godzilla wouldn’t try that.

Until The Marvels comes out, I doubt that Captain Marvel drops out of the top spot.

2)    Scarlet Witch

Closure can do wonders for a superhero.

When I did this last time, I emphasized that Wanda Maximoff suffered the worst fate in the MCU.

She lost her robot ally, her twin, and her husband. The woman went insane and stole her android lover’s corpse from a military facility.

Then, things got really weird. Watch WandaVision if you doubt this.

Still, parenthood can change a person, even if it’s fake. Also, interacting with your dead husband and a person you think is your dead twin can be cathartic.

Wanda’s power is beyond her understanding, and she’s about to enter the Multiverse of Madness. I’m expecting big things.

3)    Captain America

Yes, Sam Wilson technically drops a spot from last time. Still, that’s more a reflection of Wanda’s return to semi-sanity.

For Wilson’s part, he carried his own storyline by shutting down a terrorist organization.

Along the way, he also befriended another person who had taken Super Soldier Serum. Oh, and he proved to everyone that he deserved the Shield.

Wilson is now the unquestioned Captain America and will get his own movie next year.

4)    Doctor Strange

So, thanks to What If…?, we now know the outer limits of Stephen Strange’s abilities. Also, we have emerging concerns about his moral compass.

The first trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness indicates that both versions will meet, thereby cementing that the arrogant doctor is his own worst enemy.

Still, he swallowed the souls of like 80 things in that episode. Dude’s pretty strong.

5)    Bucky Barnes

Bucky has a friend again! Bucky has a friend again!

Hey, it’s a big deal. His only other friend willingly returned to World War II-era society.

Steven Rogers gave up microwave popcorn and funny animal videos rather than stay in the present and hang with Bucky. That had to hurt Bucky’s self-esteem.

Anyway, the Winter Soldier has also found some closure after confessing to a kindly old man about an unfortunate murder.

Apparently, Disney+ shows are where Avengers go to overcome their regrettable backstories.

6)    Pepper Potts

I’ve decided to move Pepper up a few spots because I underrated her last time.

In addition to owning all the Iron Man suits, she has her special Rescue armor. Oh, and her daughter loves her somewhere in the low 6 to 900 range.

No, it’s not 3,000, but it’s still a large number. Speaking of large numbers, Pepper Potts’ bank account is pretty stacked.

Yes, she’s still a grieving widow. Let’s be honest about the fact that she doesn’t miss some of her late husband’s overheard, though.

7)    Black Widow

The last Black Widow died heroically. Her childhood “sister”, Yelena Belova, has since replaced her in the job.

Well, that may be me inferring actions that haven’t occurred yet. I consider her the Black Widow although she’s more of a morally ambiguous character at the moment.

What we do know is that Belova finds herself oddly drawn to Kate Bishop. They’re absolute magic together.

So, Marvel achieved its primary goal of creating a second generation of Black Widow and Hawkeye as buddies. Not coincidentally…

8)    Kate Bishop

I’m ranking Kate Bishop in the same range as Belova, even though the difference in their skill seems dramatic.

Remember that Belova has received Red Room training since childhood. Despite her obvious skill and natural advantages, she’s only fought Bishop to a draw. Twice.

Sure, the rooftop encounter gets explained anyway by the element of surprise. Belova didn’t expect Bishop to be there.

Similarly, when Bishop knew Belova would try to save Clint Barton, neither side “won” the fight. However, Belova would have if the struggle had continued.

Still, we should consider that Kate Bishop had started fighting crime like three days ago. She was as green as possible.

With some development, likely from her two new friends, Bishop will develop into a skilled fighter.

Right now, she’s the MCU Rookie of the Year, and that’s reason enough to put her in the power rankings.

9)    Loki

Pro: Still not dead.

Con: In love with himself in a very literal, albeit alternate reality sense.

10) Sharon Carter

Okay, she’s on the run, hiding out in the middle of nowhere. She’s also wanted for betraying the American government. Her situation seems poor, at least on the surface.

However, looks are often deceiving, something that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier proved.

The series used Carter as a misdirect before revealing that she’s the mysterious Power Broker, the person who runs Madripoor.

As the quote goes, it’s better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. Carter is the living proof of it.

11) Peter Quill

As I type this, filming recently started on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and I’m fascinated by its potential.

After all, Avengers: Endgame left Quill in a terrible spot.

He lost the love of his life, not that long after discovering that his father was a murderous god-planet.

There’s no country song to cover this topic.

Also, Quill is currently traveling with a far superior person. Of course, I mean…

12) Thor

Sure, Thor might have the muscles and the looks and the multiple hammers.

Again, looks can be deceiving, though. Thor recently lost his father, encountered an unknown sister who tried to kill him and watched Loki die.

Also, Thor’s miscalculation against Thanos caused trauma for the entire MCU. He bears responsibility for that…and has the beer gut to prove it.

Finally, and I’ll admit this isn’t a big deal, Thor seems really bad at Xbox Live. That troubles me.

13) Vision

Vision recently died. Then, he lived. Now, he’s dead…and alive? I dunno. Right now, he feels like Schrodinger’s Android.

One day, the so-called “White Vision” will likely regain his knowledge and/or soul. When that happens, people will cheer, and he’ll remember Wanda.

For now, we’ll have to take solace in the fact that some version of Vision remains.

Also, there are twin Vision babies boys, although they may be fake or trapped in a Hell dimension.

Imagine what Wanda and Vision’s marriage counseling sessions would sound like.

14) Spider-Man

You’re probably surprised. After all, Peter Parker just anchored the most popular movie since Avengers: Endgame.

Spider-Man: No Way Home could accurately claim that it saved the theatrical experience. Movie-going appeared to be a dying medium before this film.

Now, No Way Home is ready to pass Avatar to enter the top three in the all-time domestic box office.

So, why have I ranked him so low? Have you seen Spider-Man: No Way Home? Yeah, that’s why.

The good news for Peter Parker is that he could easily flip into the top three when the next film comes out. But that’s probably three years away…

That’s our MCU power rankings! What do you think? Where would you rank the strongest characters in the MCU? Let us know below!

Feature Image Source: Marvel Studios

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