In spite of Thor’s reputation as a powerhouse and the God of Thunder, the MCU actually boasts several characters even stronger than him.
Thor is indeed a force to be reckoned with, but he’s far from the strongest character in the MCU. Since the early days of the Avengers in the 1960s, Thor has been regarded as one of the most powerful forces on Earth in Marvel Comics. And while this perception of him has carried over to the MCU, there are quite a few characters in both the comics and the movies with power levels even higher than Thor’s.
As the Marvel Universe grew, there came to be more heroes and villains in his universe who could match up with him. Now, the MCU boasts other top-tier characters like Hercules, Namor, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, and Kang. Fights Thor has shared with Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok and Captain Marvel in Marvel’s What If…? show that while some may be capable of stalemating him or at least posing a physical challenge to him, most of these are either on his level or below it. However, there are, in fact, some characters who can legitimately claim to be stronger than Thor.
Odin
Even at the time of his MCU debut, Thor wasn’t the MCU’s strongest character. That title, at that time, belonged to Anthony Hopkins’ Odin. The patriarch of the Norse pantheon and the King of Asgard, Odin possessed an incalculable degree of power in the MCU, even at his advancing age. It was made evident in Thor that Odin is the most feared being in the Nine Realms – and for good reason. The Frost Giants didn’t dare to make their move on Asgard until after he had fallen into the Odinsleep. In addition to wins over the Frost Giants, Odin has also prevailed over threats as strong as Hela and Surtur in the MCU’s past.
Hela
The events that took place in Thor: Ragnarok left little doubt as to which of Odin’s children is the most powerful. The movie proved it wasn’t Thor when Hela, played by Cate Blanchett, shattered Mjolnir into pieces. Clearly, Thor was no match for the Goddess of Death, who overpowered Thor a second time when they engaged each other in a rematch. Even after unlocking a new upgrade, Thor’s own strength wasn’t enough. Thor being forced to summon Surtur (sacrificing Asgard in the process) to beat Hela perfectly demonstrated the gap between him and his older sibling.
Gorr the God Butcher
Another character with the power to best Thor in combat is Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher. Armed with All-Black the Necrosword, the Thor: Love & Thunder villain could contend with the combined forces of Valkyrie, Thor, and Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor. The sword came equipped with so many astounding abilities that a character like Gorr, who would otherwise be powerless without it, could slay gods with relative ease. Thor stood revealed as one of the most challenging foes Gorr had faced, but he wouldn’t have won without Jane’s interference at the end of the movie.
Uatu The Watcher
Marvel’s What If…? revealed that a character above the power levels of every hero secretly resides in the MCU. A cosmic being who prefers to watch from the sidelines, Uatu the Watcher doesn’t typically use his cosmic abilities for fighting. But as evidenced by his showdown with an Infinity Gauntlet-powered Ultron in the animated series, Uatu is more than capable of holding his own in a battle. Apparently, the cosmic energy that flows within the Uatu’s veins enables him to go toe-to-toe with a character who has all the Infinity Stones. This accomplishment is a feat Thor can’t rival.
Scarlet Witch
During Avengers: Age of Ultron, there was a sense that the two strongest characters on the roster that fought Ultron were Thor and Hulk. But as it turned out, the team unknowingly included a much stronger character in the form of Scarlet Witch. Like her Marvel Comics counterpart, Scarlet Witch was a hero whose potential went untapped for years. The final fight in Age of Ultron allowed for a glimpse into what she can do, with Endgame taking that a step further by indicating that she can beat Thanos one-on-one. In WandaVision’s ending, she accessed her full power and gained full control over her Chaos Magic powers. It would appear that Chaos Magic is the most powerful form of magic in the MCU.
Thanos
Thor nearly killed Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War with a surprise attack, but came up short in the end. This signaled that Thor is close to Thanos’ power level, but other fights go to show that the Mad Titan is still the superior being. Thanos dispatched Thor with ease in Infinity War’s opening scene. Admittedly, Thor’s failure to make much of a dent can be chalked up to him not having a weapon, but Endgame revealed that even with Stormbreaker, Thor is at a disadvantage against Thanos. Thor took a beating from the villain and had to be saved by a Mjolnir-wielding Captain America.
Ego The Living Planet
Brought to life on the big screen by Kurt Russell in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the Celestial has a history as one of Thor’s strongest adversaries. Debuting in 1966’s The Mighty Thor #132, Ego was a cosmic threat Thor typically needed help to stop. That made sense, considering that Ego was so strong that Galactus himself was forced to regard him as a rival. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 took liberties with the character by making him a Celestial with a human body, but managed to stay true to his fearsome image and capabilities.
Dormammu
Introduced in Doctor Strange, Dormammu may very well be the strongest living villain in the entire MCU. Known as the Lord of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu is an interdimensional being with untold power in the MCU. Doctor Strange, unable to stop him with force, had to use a time loop spell to get Dormammu to agree to halt his invasion attempts. This idea that Dormammu is a nearly unstoppable villain is backed up by the comics, which have consistently showcased Dormammu as a villain whose full power trumps that of all Marvel heroes when in the Dark Dimension.
Surtur
Thor defeated Surtur in Thor: Ragnarok, but it’s important to note that the villain wasn’t at the peak of his power during their fight. Centuries ago, the all-powerful Surtur lost the majority of his strength when he was defeated by Odin, one of the few beings in the MCU strong enough to stop him. Surtur regained his destructive potential in Ragnarok’s ending when Thor resurrected him. The movie confirmed that a fully rejuvenated Surtur can effortlessly dispose of the Hulk and even kill Hela herself.
Infinity Ultron
Officially designated as “Infinity Ultron” by Marvel Studios, this character is an alternate timeline version of Ultron who appeared in Marvel’s What If…? Armed with all six Infinity Stones, Infinity Ultron effectively weaponized each of them in the series, making him close to indestructible. The way he used the Stones seemingly positioned him above Infinity War’s Thanos on the MCU’s power scale. Uatu the Watcher challenged him but couldn’t beat him, forcing a handful of multiverse powerhouses to band together to stop him. A multiversal Thor was among his many victims in the show.
