The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has evolved a lot over the years, with several teams forming, and some standout leaders, but not all leaders are created equal. In the past, most superhero movies focused on solo heroes, but the MCU has done an incredible job shifting the focus to hero teams.

However, in order to create a functional superhero team, there are a lot of egos at play that need to be reined in. That’s why it’s so important to have a good leader in place, who won’t raise themselves above their teams, but can also build and use the strengths of their allies.

With that in mind, the MCU has provided some incredible examples of great leaders, and some less than spectacular heroes. Each one led their allies in very different ways, and the results were directly connected to how their teams performed.

Ikaris

First up, and at the very bottom of the list, we have Ikaris. Ikaris was the leader of the Eternals, a group of nearly immortal beings who were ᴀssigned to Earth to fight monsters known as Deviants, and ensure the planet progressed as planned. However, Ikaris’ ego ended up leading him down a darker path.

While leading his family through countless missions over the millenia, Ikaris learned the truth about their mission. Despite believing they were protecting the humans and the Earth, their mission was actually to prepare the way for a new Celestial to be born out of the planet, destroying all life on Earth in the process.

Ikaris took this mission to heart, and began to give it far more value than his teammates, including his romantic partner, Sersi. Ikaris then spent time lying and manipulating his allies, and having Ajak killed, all in an effort to bring about the Emergence and destroy the planet that he and his allies spent thousands of years protecting and fostering.

As far as being a leader goes, Ikaris broke the trust of his teammates, and treated them all as less than himself. This is no way to lead, and it resulted in several deaths and his own demise.

Ajak

While Ikaris was the tactical leader of the Eternals, Ajak served as a spiritual leader. Ajak appears to have had a genuine care for her allies, but she was also the only Eternal who knew the true purpose of their mission before they arrived on Earth.

However, despite her deception, Ajak put her team first. After seeing how the Avengers were able to protect the Earth and reverse the effects of Thanos’ snap, Ajak was inspired to turn away from her mission, and instead focus on protecting the planet they had spent thousands of years developing.

Her noble intentions at the end of her life mean she is a marginally better leader than Ikaris, but it doesn’t entirely help to raise her higher in the ranks.

Captain Marvel

Carol Danvers was one of those strong solo heroes who had no desire to work in a team. While heroes on Earth worked together as the Avengers, Captain Marvel continued to forge her own path, and work alone. However, she made mistakes when she worked alone, and the isolation made her a less effective hero.

Thankfully, Carol had a team thrust upon her due to their linked powers, which all involved manipulating and controlling light and energy. In The Marvels, Carol finds herself entangled with Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau, aka PH๏τon.

Initially, Carol resisted her new team, but over time, she began to recognize that together, they could be better heroes. When Carol focused on training and fighting together, she displayed a natural leadership quality, and The Marvels became an effective and powerful team.

Peter Quill

Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, is another character who initially showed a preference for working alone. In Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s revealed that he was kidnapped as a child, and raised among a crew of ruthless space pirates known as the Ravagers. Understandably, he was hesitant to form a new team.

However, when Peter ended up imprisoned with a group of misfits like him, they ended up becoming a team almost by accident, finding that they worked well together. However, Peter was not always a strong leader. Teammates like Rocket frequently argued about who was actually leading the team, and Peter had very little control.

He had a natural leadership quality, and could often inspire and direct his allies, but the challenges to his leadership made things complicated. And ultimately, it felt more like a dysfunctional family than a superhero team.

Rocket Raccoon

All of that being said, Rocket Raccoon actually did display the qualities of a leader, and once he was able to let down his walls and be vulnerable to his allies, mutual respect exponentially increased. On top of that, Rocket is a genius engineer and tactician.

This means that Rocket can direct his allies with incredible efficiency. He also earned their respect, and was able to recruit several new team members to the Guardians after Peter Quill chose to return to Earth. Now, Rocket leads the Guardians into a new era.

Iron Man

Iron Man was never a traditional leader, and for the most part, he struggled to work in a team early in his superhero career. As a genius and billionaire, Tony Stark didn’t exactly play well with others.

However, when the world was in danger, Tony was able to put his own selfishness aside, and step up to work with his allies in the Avengers team. While he always served as kind of second-in-command to Steve Rogers, Tony did lead a hero team when the Avengers split after the Sokovia Accords came into effect.

As a leader, Tony was able to earn the respect of his peers, and they put their trust in his guidance and instruction in a way that led them to form an effective team. However, with their biggest conflict coming from former friends, Tony and his peers pulled their punches, hoping for a peaceful resolution.

Yelena Belova

One of the most impressive characters to come out of the Multiverse Saga to date is Yelena Belova, the sister of Natasha Romanoff, and the new Black Widow in the MCU. Yelena was raised as an ᴀssᴀssin in the grueling Red Room program, where she excelled from an early age.

However, this left her scarred and bruised physically and mentally, believing she was only useful as a killer. Despite this, Yelena desperately wanted to embrace being a part of a family. And in Thunderbolts*, she finally got the chance to do just that.

Yelena naturally fell into the position of being a leader among the misfit former ᴀssᴀssins and mercenaries who became known as The New Avengers. As the emotional core, and one of the most skilled and experienced fighters, Yelena was a natural choice to lead.

However, the team also has Bucky Barnes, formerly the Winter Soldier, who could easily step up as a leader. But Bucky’s strengths lie in being a soldier, and having someone else issuing orders, as seen when he worked alongside his old friend Steve Rogers.

Captain America (Steve Rogers)

Speaking of Steve Rogers, Steve was the original leader of the Avengers team, and thanks to his experience in World War II fighting alongside the Howling Commandos, he knew exactly what was required of a leader.

Steve has natural leadership ability, with his inspirational guidance, his incredible tactical knowledge, and his ability to work with people according to their strengths. This all combined to make him one of the best leaders to ever appear in the MCU, and one that would be hard to compete with.

Sam Wilson has now taken on the mantle of being the next Captain America, and leader of the Avengers, but we have yet to see him lead a team of more than two people. With that in mind, I can’t fairly judge his leadership ability until he steps up in the upcoming MCU movies like Avengers: Doomsday.

Reed Richards & Sue Storm

However, there are two people that could arguably be seen as more effective leaders together than Steve was on his own. While Steve served as the leader of the Avengers, fulfilling all the duties that role entails, he had help from his peers like Tony Stark, who were able to make him a better leader when they worked together.

Likewise, The Fantastic Four has two people that effectively fill the role of leaders. Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, is the most intelligent man alive. And his mind makes him an incredible tactician. However, he relies heavily on his teammate and wife, Sue Storm, to ensure that he doesn’t act purely based on logic.

Sue Storm, aka The Invisible Woman, serves as the emotional core of The Fantastic Four, but more than that, she is a capable and experienced leader who has managed to unite nations through her diplomacy and wisdom.

Together, Reed Richards and Sue Storm make an unstoppable pair who are capable of achieving anything, and creating a team that literally becomes a family. Evidently, the MCU isn’t short on leaders, but there are a few that stand out as being the most effective and worthy.