The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of incredible characters, with many of its heroes and villains boasting incredible powers. Since the very beginning of the franchise in 2008, the MCU has grown to encompass an ever-expanding range of characters, with the core hero team of the Avengers at its very center. Many of the movies of the MCU have put the Avengers at the heart of the franchise’s narrative, establishing them as the most powerful hero team within the live-action Marvel continuity. Audiences have seen many strong heroes introduced into the MCU, but just because they are immensely powerful, it doesn’t immediately qualify them as an Avenger.
Even the heroes who command the best MCU powers aren’t always valued members of the Avengers. In fact, many of the franchise’s strongest heroes have never been able to claim membership in the iconic superhero team across both the MCU and the comics. Though some of the following characters have abilities that could seriously shake up the MCU, they haven’t ever qualified as being worthy of joining the Avengers.
7) Wong
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Though he isn’t quite among the MCU’s strongest magic users, Wong is undeniably a powerful character. As the current Sorcerer Supreme of the MCU, Wong’s magical expertise cannot be understated, and that makes him a pretty powerful character. However, Wong has never been an Avenger. The closest he came was when he acted as a housekeeper for one iteration of the New Avengers, which, in all honesty, is a complete waste of his powerful talents.
6) Thena
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Eternals is considered one of the MCU’s worst team-up movies, but that doesn’t change the fact that its heroes wield god-like powers. Thena’s MCU abilities involve using cosmic energy to craft powerful weapons, but she also possesses other powers due to her physiology. In the comics, she has even more powers, but she has still never been a member of the Avengers, despite having joined the Heroes for Hire at one point as well as being a prominent Eternal.
5) Ikaris
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Another member of the Eternals who has never been a part of the Avengers is Ikaris. In the MCU, Ikaris possesses the power of flight and can project beams of cosmic energy from his eyes, and stands out as one of the most powerful MCU characters to have died. The comics see him boast an even larger array of powers, but despite being one of the characters occasionally named as a Marvel counterpart to DC’s Superman, Ikaris has never been asked to join the Avengers.
4) Black Bolt
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Black Bolt is commonly cited as one of the most powerful male heroes in the Marvel Universe. His ability to create shockwaves with his voice is remarkably powerful, even though he wasn’t able to use it in his brief appearance in the MCU. Despite being one of the most powerful characters to have appeared in the MCU, Black Bolt’s allegiance has always lain with the Inhuman Royal Family and the Illuminati, and he has never been an official Avenger despite fighting alongside them on occasion.
3) Adam Warlock
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Officially introduced into the franchise in 2023 as part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Adam Warlock is one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU. The powers that he commands are as plentiful as they are varied, and though the MCU has only really scratched the surface with the character, he’s already hugely powerful. He may be a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but he’s never been an Avenger, instead claiming allegiance only to the Guardians and the Infinity Watch.
2) G’iah
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Secret Invasion may have been one of the worst entries into the MCU, but it established one of Phase Five’s most powerful characters. G’iah is a Skrull, but in addition to her natural shapeshifting abilities, she has been enhanced by the Harvest, giving her the combined powers of countless MCU characters. As she doesn’t command such an impressive array of abilities in the comics, it’s perhaps unsurprising that she has never joined the ranks of the Avengers.
1) Franklin Richards
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Franklin Richards’ MCU story has only just begun, but he has already been set up as one of the franchise’s strongest characters. In the comics, Franklin is a hero in training, but the scope of his power is truly massive. As one of the most powerful beings in the entire Marvel Universe, it’s perhaps surprising that Franklin Richards hasn’t ever been an Avenger, but then again, he is only a child, so that could well change some time in the future.
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