While the Avengers put up a good fight against Thanos, and eventually overcame the Mad тιтan, they suffered a terrible loss in their first encounter that some of the newest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) heroes may not have needed to endure. No doubt, the original Avengers were all-stars in the MCU, but the power levels have shifted since then.

With the rise of the Multiverse Saga, there have been a handful of new heroes introduced to the MCU that have significantly shifted the balance of power. And with these new heroes in place, it’s hard to imagine they would have struggled quite as much fighting Thanos as the Avengers and their peers did during the Infinity Saga.

Wolverine

First up, and potentially the hero with the least chance to succeed against Thanos in a solo fight – Wolverine. Wolverine may not be a new hero for Marvel movies as a whole, but he had his MCU debut in 2024 when he traveled through the multiverse in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine.

Now, this version of Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman and hailing from a reality where he failed his former friends the X-Men, seems a little spent. When ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool first meets him, he struggles to even get his claws drawn. However, he drastically improves throughout the movie.

Wolverine’s incredible healing factor is also something that makes him nearly invincible, with another version of the hero even managing to take down Jean Grey after she was consumed by her powerful alter-ego, the Phoenix.

Wolverine would put up a grueling fight against Thanos, and likely manage to do some serious damage with his Adamantium claws that could have made all the difference if he was present for the fight in Avengers: Infinity War.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool

Another spectacular healer, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool, has regrown entire limbs and sections of his body, proving that his healing factor is at least equally impressive to Wolverine. However, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool is also a much more unpredictable rival, which could give him an advantage in a fight against Thanos.

Thanos manages to acquire all the Infinity Stones by the time Avengers: Infinity War concludes. With these powerful gems in his possession, Thanos can do incredible things to gain an advantage over his rivals. However, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool’s unpredictable nature could prove challenging to combat.

In addition, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool is more than willing to use excessive and aggressive force. In a fight against the Mad тιтan, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool would likely use every dirty and brutal trick in order to take down Thanos. By whatever means necessary.

America Chavez

America Chavez first appears in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where she is being actively pursued by an enraged Wanda Maximoff. The reason for this is that America has incredible powers that appear to exist nowhere else in the multiverse.

America can open portals across realities, and travel from one dimension to another with very little effort. This power comes so naturally to America, that she has accidentally traveled and sent others through these portals, which has led to some complex situations, such as losing her parents across the multiverse.

However, after gaining a little more mastery of her abilities, America could prove an incredible ᴀsset in a fight against a character like Thanos. By opening a portal, America could send Thanos to a distant reality where no sentient life exists.

And because the Infinity Stones only work in their specific realities, as revealed by the Time Variance Authority in Loki, Thanos would be left completely helpless. Evidently, America could prove to be one of the best defenses against a villain like Thanos.

Mister Fantastic

Next up, Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, is shown to be one of the most intelligent people to ever live. His creativity and ingenuity appear to exceed even Tony Stark’s, as Reed was able to transform the world in an era similar to Earth-616’s 1960s into a futuristic utopia with technology that exceeds even the modern day.

Reed was able to figure out how to make cars fly, teleport, and travel at speeds faster than light. And when Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds, came to consume his world, Reed was able to exponentially improve his teleportation device in a matter of weeks.

It’s hard to imagine that Reed couldn’t have figured out some alternative plan to help dispose of Thanos before he caused any real damage on Earth-616. However, it appears that no such character exists on Earth-616.

Invisible Woman

And of course, alongside Reed, his incredible wife, Sue Storm, stands out as an even stronger hero. While Reed has the power to stretch his body, it’s fair to say that his true power comes from his brilliant mind. Meanwhile, Sue’s stunning skills in diplomacy may be impressive, but the extent of her power is mind-boggling.

When Reed’s plan fails to come to fruition, Sue is forced to use her abilities to bend light, create force fields, and manipulate the environment, to push Galactus through the streets of New York, and into a deep space portal. All the while, Galactus was standing taller than the majority of skyscrapers in the city.

Sue’s powers are extraordinary, and she could absolutely gain the upper hand in a fight against Thanos. From finding a way to peel the Infinity Gauntlet off of Thanos’ arm, to simply trapping him, Sue’s powers could have proven the difference in winning or losing against the Mad тιтan.

Sentry

Now, Sentry’s powers have been hailed as exceeding those of a god. However, this engineered superhero was granted his abilities through a new and enhanced version of the same super soldier serum that turned a feeble Steve Rogers into the formidable Captain America.

When Sentry is pitted against a room full of heroes that consists of three super soldiers, someone who can manipulate the quantum realm, and a highly skilled mercenary, Sentry was able to swat these heroes down like flies with almost no reaction to their attempts to stop him.

Sentry is clearly very powerful, but he has an alter-ego who is arguably even stronger – Void. Void, the dark side of Bob Pullman, has the power to alter reality and create shadow dimensions, while also spreading his power and influence far and wide.

Thanos was clearly a formidable foe, but against Sentry, it feels as though the Mad тιтan would have struggled to maintain his advantage for very long. However, Sentry isn’t the biggest threat against a villain like Thanos that has recently been introduced to the MCU.

Eternals

Instead, that honor goes to the Eternals, near-immortal beings created by the Celestials and tasked with fighting Deviants on the Earth. These powerful beings have a range of abilities, and millenia of experience working together in a team, having arrived on Earth in 5000 BC.

Now, in the comics, Thanos is also an Eternal who possesses a rogue Deviant gene. But even if this wasn’t the case in the MCU, the Eternals have incredible power, and near-endless stamina and endurance that would likely give them the upper hand in fighting a being like Thanos. However, they were forbidden from interfering unless Deviants were involved.

As such, the Eternals were forced to stand by and watch as the heroes lost to Thanos, and half of the population across the universe was snapped out of existence. If the Eternals were allowed to step in, it’s hard to imagine Thanos could have succeeded.

Evidently, Thanos was ultimately brought down by the Avengers after they found a way to reverse his initial snap, but if any or all of these heroes were present earlier in the timeline, it’s hard to imagine he could have snapped his fingers in the first place. Regardless, the MCU has progressed, and the heroes are much stronger now.