Mephisto is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most powerful characters despite only appearing once, and the same goes for Sentry, begging the question of who is the most powerful out of them. While it might not be great box office-wise, Marvel is having a solid year when it comes to new characters and impactful storylines in the MCU’s 2025 releases.

Sentry was the first to enter the MCU. The character was the surprise villain of Thunderbolts*. Bob Reynolds was revealed to have two sides: the superhero Sentry and the evil Void. Both super-powered versions of Bob are incredibly powerful. The character will be back for one of the MCU’s biggest movies, as Lewis Pullman has been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday.

Instead of debuting in a movie like Sentry, Mephisto’s first appearance came in the MCU’s latest TV show. After being rumored to appear in the franchise since 2021’s WandaVision, the devil finally joined the MCU in Ironheart. The series only included Mephisto in its final episode, but it was enough to show that his immense power clashes with that of Sentry.

Mephisto’s Powers Explained

The MCU Has Showcased The Range Of His Abilities

Mephisto is a master manipulator. Behind his ability to sweet-talk multiple characters is the fact that he is easily one of the MCU’s most powerful beings. In his brief Ironheart role, Mephisto was able to talk both Parker Robbins, aka the Hood, and Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, into making deals with him. What he gave them was quite surprising.

For Parker, Mephisto came up with a hood imbued with dark magic that allowed him to become invisible, control bullets’ trajectory, and more. As for Riri, in exchange for something she would not miss, Mephisto simply resurrected her best friend, Natalie. While MCU characters have come back to life in the past, a straight-up resurrection like Mephisto did is shocking.

Beyond what he did for both characters, Mephisto’s displays of power in Ironheart included him silencing a family with nothing but a stare in their direction. The MCU’s Mephisto can also open portals and read minds, and he easily forces Riri out of her Ironheart armor with a hand gesture. Mephisto also jokes about how Dormammu is not on his level.

Dormammu is the lord of the Dark Dimension. In 2016’s Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Marvel hero could not directly beat him in a fight, so he had to exhaust Dormammu. If Mephisto is to be believed about Dormammu, he should be more powerful than one of the MCU’s biggest heroes. Marvel Comics could help clarify his powers.

In the source material, Mephisto is indeed extremely powerful. However, the height of his powers comes from his Hell-like dimension. I believe that he could have transported Riri and Parker to his realm — disguised as a pizza place — to make deals with them. That said, if he did not, it would mean Mephisto got a power boost in the MCU.

Sentry’s Powers Explained

The Thunderbolts* Character Is Easily The Most Powerful New Avengers Member

There are two sides to Lewis Pullman’s Bob. As Sentry, he is one of the Marvel Comics characters who resemble DC’s Superman. In Thunderbolts*, it becomes clear that few MCU characters stand a chance against him. Sentry made quick work of the Thunderbolts in the former Avengers Tower. Sentry could very well have killed the team if he wanted to.

Sentry’s powers include super strength, speed, durability, reflexes, flight, and more. These are usually tied to Superman, but unlike the DC hero, Sentry also has psionic powers, such as telekinesis, telepathy, and so on. At one point, a kill switch was used to take him down. However, Sentry’s healing factor ensured the character was able to return to full strength quickly.

Beyond his Sentry side, Bob gets some frightening powers when he turns evil. As the Void, the character is able to prey on his victims’ biggest fears. He transforms many New York citizens into shadows on the pavement and creates a growing darkness that threatens to take over the city. The Void sends them to rooms where their fears rule.

Why Mephisto Is More Powerful Than Thunderbolts*’s Sentry

The Devil Has A Strength That Ties To Sentry’s Weakness

While both of them have shown just how powerful they are in their MCU debuts, I don’t think there is any doubt that Mephisto is a step above Sentry. Sure, the latter is essentially Marvel’s version of Superman, with the addition of psionics and a dark side that makes him even more of a threat. However, Mephisto can target Sentry’s weakness.

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As Thunderbolts* focused on, Lewis Pullman’s Bob is incredibly fragile mentally. The character has dealt with a dark upbringing that led to him making bad choices and ultimately signing his life away to become Sentry. Mephisto would inevitably be able to manipulate Sentry into doing his bidding or simply take him down. After all, he easily manipulated Riri Williams.

There is also the fact that at the end of Ironheart, Mephisto remained at full power. However, Sentry is not around in the MCU at the moment, nor is the Void. In Thunderbolts*‘s post-credits scene, Bob stuck around with the New Avengers, but he is not turning into Sentry out of fear of unleashing the Void. He is just Bob.

Which MCU Characters Can Rival Mephisto’s Immense Power?

Not Many Heroes And Villains Could Go Up Against Mephisto

If Mephisto is truly more powerful than Dormammu, like he claims, then I don’t see how Doctor Strange could defeat him. Thanos, if he had the Infinity Stones, could try, but even then, Mephisto should be able to take him down. Captain Marvel certainly has the raw power to do some damage in a fight with Mephisto.

However, Carol Danvers can’t manipulate reality. As such, I believe the only MCU hero powerful enough to take on Mephisto would be Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch. We have seen how her chaos magic essentially knows no bounds, and Wanda Maximoff could find a way to outwit and overpower Mephisto, as long as they do not fight in his domain.

Finally, there is one MCU character who I’m convinced could defeat Mephisto no matter the circumstances. That would be Aubrey Plaza’s Death, who debuted in Agatha All Along. Death is a force of nature and thus seems unstoppable from what we have seen of her. In the end, while powerful, Sentry is not one of the MCU characters to rival Mephisto.