The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe‘s 2025 movies showcase quite a few powerful characters that fundamentally change both franchises’ power rankings, with some of them standing a step above the rest. The DCU’s Chapter One started strong with James Gunn’s Superman movie. While the film focused on the Man of Steel, there were plenty of DC characters in it.
While DC had a single movie, Marvel Studios released three: Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. All three introduced multiple powerful heroes and villains that should come back in one or more movies in the MCU’s slate. When taking into account both franchises, a few MCU and DCU characters clearly stand above the rest, power-wise.
15
The Thing
First up is The Thing, who is not a lightweight in any way. To start, I believe it is important to note that the list is purely based on the characters’ feats in their movie appearances for the MCU or the DCU.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm easily ran through a building’s pillars, pulled a big ship by himself, and threw a truck at Galactus. However, the character barely scratched the villain. The Thing was also sent to space with one hit.
14
Mister Fantastic
Reed Richards’ powers are quite unique, with Pedro Pascal’s Mister Fantastic being able to creatively stretch his body in any way he sees fit. Reed did not have any major displays of power in his MCU movie.
The best displays came when he defeated a Super-Ape, used his powers to climb Galactus and buildings, and showed off his impressive endurance when Galactus tried to tear him apart, but Reed resisted. That last feat, allied with his genius-level intellect, pushes Reed above Ben.
13
The Engineer
Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor created the Engineer. The DC character was infused with nanites that allow her to shape her body in any way she sees fit. This leads to her using many weapons — mainly buzzsaws.
The Engineer proved herself a powerful foe to Superman and other DC heroes. She took down Krypto with her nanites and almost did the same to Superman. However, despite enveloping him externally and internally, Superman escaped.
12
Metamorpho
In Superman, Metamorpho’s powers were highlighted right from the moment he first showed up onscreen. The hero is able to turn his body into any element through transmutation. That led to him using Kryptonite against Superman on Lex Luthor’s orders.
Later on, Metamorpho transformed his body into a squid-like rocketship to fly, attacked enemies with acid, and even created a sun-like element to recharge Superman’s powers. His powers are formidable, but he is still holding back.
11
Mister Terrific
In terms of raw power, Mister Terrific is not stronger than any of the characters that appear before him on the list. However, when it comes to displays of power in Marvel and DC’s movies, the latter did great for Michael Holt.
One of Superman‘s best scenes is focused on Mister Terrific. In it, with the help of his T-spheres, Mister Terrific easily takes out an entire army of Lex Luthor’s Raptors and scientists. His genius-level intellect and advanced technology go hand in hand.
10
Human Torch
The Human Torch is one of the best characters in The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ cast. Early on, the MCU movie confirmed that Johnny Storm can absorb flames when he swiftly ended a large-scale fire. Johnny can also fly and throw flames.
With the new suit Reed made for him, the Human Torch can even use his powers in space for a brief period. Johnny was the only one who could keep up with the Silver Surfer.
9
Green Lantern
Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, the first Green Lantern to appear in the new DCU, was one of Superman‘s splashiest characters. With a mere flick of the wrist, Green Lantern could create giant energy constructs.
He took down tanks, fought a kaiju, and more throughout Superman. Green Lantern’s power ring also allows him to fly, and Guy Gardner can muster up quite a lot of energy. His creativity also led to diverse constructs.
8
Red Hulk
Red Hulk is a character who has the potential to climb the ranks if he returns to the MCU. Essentially, Red Hulk was unstoppable in Captain America: Brave New World. He fought Sam Wilson’s Captain America and was the clear winner.
Like the Hulk in his savage state, Red Hulk is incredibly powerful. However, he was talked into stopping his rampage by Sam. Different from most characters on the list, Red Hulk is held down by himself, as Thunderbolt Ross does not want to let loose.
7
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer showed how powerful she was time and again in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Perhaps her most impressive display of power was when the Silver Surfer escaped the pull of a black hole.
Shalla-Bal also took on the Fantastic Four by herself, even pursuing the characters when their ship entered “hyperspace.” She can fly extremely fast with her surfboard and is even strong enough to push Galactus through the portal.
6
Invisible Woman
Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm is, without a doubt, the most powerful version of the Invisible Woman in live-action. The Fantastic Four: First Steps often showed her classic powers, with Sue projecting force fields to defend people.
She could also make herself and others invisible. However, Sue Storm’s biggest display of power in the MCU was the fact that she was able to, single-handedly, push Galactus across New York City. The true scope of her powers is impressive.
