With the release of Infinity War, fans everywhere find themselves more excited than ever to enter the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and watch our favorite heroes take on the biggest threat of them all, Thanos. The Avengers are in for a real fight, since Thanos is one heck of a threat… or is he?
The superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be underpowered compared to other superheroes. This isn’t a knock on Captain America or Iron Man or the rest, but they don’t compare characters from other franchises/properties. If characters from other universes happened to show up in Infinity War, the fight against Thanos would be much easier. In fact, some wouldn’t even need to support of the Avengers and could take the Mad Titan out all on their own.
To measure this, let’s look at Thanos’ powers. Without the Infinity Gauntlet, he is as strong or stronger than Thor with fair speed to match, he is pretty much indestructible, and has scientific knowledge greater than anyone on Earth, which in turn makes him a master strategist. He also has access to cosmic power which he can use to release blasts from his hands and eyes. With the Infinity Gauntlet, however, he can manipulate all of reality, time, space and the minds and souls of others.
Seems tough for any hero right? Think again.
Here are 18 Non-Marvel Characters Who Could Defeat Thanos In Seconds.
18. HE-MAN
Thanos’ strength, speed, durability, and cosmic power are nothing to scoff at. Though he is known for using the Infinity Gauntlet as his main weapon, he is still a formidable foe without it, which is why it’s hard to stop him from gaining all the Infinity Stones and the Infinity Gauntlet. However, in a fictional beatdown, we think He-Man could be one of the few people to stop Thanos from using the Gauntlet.
He-Man’s strength is often described as being the greatest in the universe, and even if that is an exaggeration, he has been seen moving a moon in and out of orbit with his bare hands, which is still very impressive.
Furthermore, like Thanos, He-Man has access to an external power force, the power that allows him to power up himself and Cringer, meaning he could put up a decent fight even if Thanos had the Infinity Gauntlet.
17. THE SPECTER
You want to talk reality-warping? Then you have to talk about the Specter; DC comics’ cosmic, mystical, metaphysical judge of all who cross his path.
To put the Specter’s power bluntly, he has the abilities of a god, though they are limited to his duties as a judging spirt.
However, it’s not far-fetched that The Specter would be assigned to rid the multi-verse of Thanos, which would, in turn, grant him all the power needed to do so.
Since the Specter is given all the powers, abilities and tools needed to complete a task assigned to him, he would have everything to defeat Thanos just due to the fact that he has to face him. Though the Specter does have a weakness to magic and reality-warping forces that rival his own, he could easily take care of Thanos.
16. SPAWN
Who would win in the ultimate death match between cosmic powers/reality-warping abilities and the mysterious and often limitless powers of a demon? Would Thanos win, or would Spawn outclass the Mad Titan? Let’s find out.
To start, it’s not even a contest in terms of physical ability between the two, as Spawn’s strength pales in comparison to Thanos’, so the nature of their powers is the real decider of the fight.
We already know Thanos’ power with the Infinity Gauntlet, so how do they compare against Spawn’s demonic abilities? Well, strangely, enough, they are about the same. Both characters have the ability to control souls, time, the elements and reality itself.
The real kicker is that Spawn’s powers gather energy from evil, so just being around Thanos would give Spawn the power to defeat him.
15. DEATH
Thanos has had many encounters with Marvel’s version of Death, but what if he had to fight against another, possibly more powerful embodiment of Death - one he doesn’t share a love connection with? We are, of course, talking about the Death of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, whose powers are vast and immeasurable.
Thanos might be able to manipulate time, reality and the souls and minds of others with the Infinity Gauntlet, but none of that matters when facing an embodiment of mortality who has the power of an omnipotent god.
Though Death might be known for guiding spirits to the afterlife, she still has the power to end the life of someone if she so choose. All she has to do is think about Thanos being losing his life and bam, fight over.
14. RAVEN
As with Spawn, pitting someone like Raven against Thanos and his cosmic power makes for one interesting theoretical fight.
Though Thanos might have mighty cosmic power on his side, Raven’s powers are derived from both the magic she has studied and her demonic lineage.
As the daughter of Trigon, Raven has immense magical power, which she uses augment her arsenal of magical and psychic and abilities. Specifically, it is her telekinetic and telepathic abilities that make her so formidable, and who knows how her soul-self astral projection might fare against Thanos. Plus, when you bring in the dark magic of her demon side into the mix, Thanos doesn’t stand a chance.
13. DANNY PHANTOM
At first glance, this might seem like a strange one, but hear us out. First of all, Danny Phantom has experience fighting a mad titan with a reality-warping gauntlet. No, not Thanos - one of Danny’s own villains: a ghost-controlling eccentric known as Freakshow, who once got his hands on the Reality Gauntlet, a weapon similar to the Infinity Gauntlet.
But, if experience isn’t enough to convince you, then how about this: the fact that Danny’s powers resulted from a portal between dimensions means that his body does not entirely reside on one plane of existence. There is a fair chance that Danny would be at least be partially unaffected by the Infinity Gauntlet, which would give him the opportunity to overshadow Thanos and make him give up the weapon.
12. HELLBOY
Once more, we have a demon combatant facing off against Thanos, though Hellboy is perhaps the most interesting of them all. However, though he might be the most interesting demonic entry on this list, he is also one of the most unlikely to win against Thanos, but that won’t stop us from arguing for his victory.
Hellboy is quite strong and durable and has a vast knowledge of the supernatural, making him a formidable foe when pitted against the things that go bump in the night. However, his spells and supernatural fighting items might not be enough against Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet. But, here’s the kicker, Hellboy is often saved by demonic and otherwise powerful forces because of his importance in bringing about the apocalypse. So maybe, if Thanos has Hellboy against the ropes, some force might come and defeat the Mad Titan in his stead.
11. THE MASK
This mischievous cartoon-character come to life has one thing that gives him an advantage over Thanos and the power of the Infinity Gauntlet: his reality warping powers. Thanos might be scary when wielding the Infinity Gauntlet, but if he were to face The Mask, he wouldn’t be the only one in the fight who could re-write the rules of reality.
In fact, The Mask’s power are to specifically effect the reality around him, not all of reality. How does this make him stronger than Thanos? Well, it means that while Thanos is bending reality to his will, The Mask would be unaffected, residing within his own bubble of reality, protected from all attacks.
The Mask is a cartoonish madman, and not even the universe’s greatest strategist can perfectly combat his unpredictable zaniness.
Plus, as long as his mask is on, The Mask is invulnerable to all physical harm.
10. BEN 10
Here we have another cartoon superhero with a surprisingly high amount of firepower. Right off the bat, Ben Tennyson and his Omnitrix make for a powerful combatant.
He has access to thousands of aliens, each with unique and powerful abilities that on their own are enough to give Thanos a run for his money.
The most powerful of all is Alien X, who is capable of manipulating reality to great extremes. Ben did not initially have control of Alien X, since it required debating and finding compromise between two entities within the alien’s body. Once he gained complete control of Alien X, Ben essentially became a god.
There is no doubt that Alien X’s reality-warping powers are superior to the Mad Titan’s, leaving him the victor in a fight.
9. DOCTOR FATE
Three words: Lord of Order. This title enough should be enough evidence to prove that Doctor Fate would be able to Destroy Thanos in a battle, Infinity Gauntlet or not. Whether or not he is actively attempting to, Thanos is creating chaos by using the Infinity Gauntlet, and Doctor Fate’s whole schtick is combating chaos using the mystic arts.
Speaking of mystic arts, let’s talk about Doctor Fate’s power; a vast mastery of magic that knows no rival. With his immense knowledge of magic and centuries of experience as the host of the ancient entity known as Nabu the wise, Fate would have no trouble combating everything that Thanos could throw at him with the Infinity Gauntlet. It would only be a matter of time before the Lord of Order could beat him.
8. ELAINE BELLOC
For those who have not read DC’s Lucifer, there’s no easy way to properly sum up Elaine Belloc’s character quickly, so let’s just cover the basics: Elaine is a young woman who started out with just the power to see ghosts but eventually gained complete omnipotence, essentially making her god. Got it? Cool, moving on.
As a physical manifestation of the universe in which she exists, Elaine is all-powerful and all-knowing, which makes her the most powerful being ever.
Granted that’s the DC Universe, but in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she could definitely give Thanos a run for his money as the two would probably be firing off reality-warping blasts at each other like they were snowballs.
7. ONE-PUNCH MAN
It isn’t merely Saitama’s physical powers that make him a formidable foe. Sure, he’s got superhuman strength, speed, and durability that is far beyond comprehension, but we have a theory that his true superpower is not just his superhuman physicality.
See, the reason that the manga/anime is called “One-Punch Man is because Saitama defeats all of his enemies in one single punch. This is a source of frustration for him, as he has grown bored of being a hero.
We think that this is because Saitama has the power to manifest whatever strength necessary to defeat his enemies, which means that not even Thanos can beat him. All it will take is one punch and the Mad Titan will be toast.
6. DEADMAN
Like Danny Phantom, Deadman’s powers as a ghostly spirit make him much more powerful than one might think. For one thing, Boston Brand exists on a plain of existence between life and after-life, often being invisible to everyone except mediums and similar spirituals. This already gives him an advantage over Thanos since he cannot be seen or touched, and though magic can affect him, the comics never said anything about cosmic energy.
His greatest power is his ability to possess others.
Though someone with a strong mind is able to push him out, Boston can still take over their body for a few moments. This is just long enough to take over Thanos and make him give up the Infinity Gauntlet or even destroy himself. He might not seem like much, but Deadman has a pretty good chance of defeating the Mad Titan.
5. ATOMIC ROBO
Now this one might seem a bit far-fetched, but hear us out. Atomic Robo is a robot created by Nikola Tesla who goes on scientific adventures that usually end up with him fighting some giant trans-dimensional monster.
Aside from his beyond superhuman intelligence, Robo is incredibly durable and immune to most conventional weapons, which, paired with his incredible super strength and mastery of all variety of weapons, makes him a force to be reckoned with.
Though Robo’s physical power might pale in comparison to Thanos’, he’s got intelligence to rival that of the Mad Titan, making him just as good of a strategist.
Furthermore, Robo has dealt with plenty of reality-warping enemies and his ability to scientifically explain and analyze these rips in reality make him capable of finding a scientific tactic against the Infinity Gauntlet.
4. INVINCIBLE
Another physical powerhouse is Mark Grayson of Robert Kirkman’s Invincible, whose alien lineage makes him one of the strongest beings in his, or any other universe. A half-Viltrumite, Mark is gifted with super strength, speed, and durability - all of which have only gotten stronger over time. He also has the ability to fly, all of these abilities making him a powerful fighter and superhero.
Against Thanos’ physical abilities, there’s no contest. Invincible would clearly win.
Invincible has beaten tougher enemies before and destroyed them with little to no effort.
Up against the Infinity Gauntlet, Invincible still has his determination, which has won him a lot of seemingly impossible fights. Even if he lost the first time around, his ability to recover and regenerate even stronger than before would give him the necessary power to take out Thanos.
3. ALL-MIGHT
All-Might is one of the greatest heroes of justice to ever grace superhero media. Well, at the very least, he’s the greatest, and strongest hero in the world of My Hero Academia, since his power knows no rival amongst his peers.
All-Might is so strong that most of his attacks consist of just using the wind pressure created from his punches.
Yes, you read that right: All-Might is so powerful that he punches from a distance so he doesn’t obliterate everyone he fights. Imagine that power going up against Thanos without holding back. It would be over before Thanos could even think of what he wanted to do with the Infinity Gauntlet!
Even with the injuries that All-Might sustained, which only allow him an hour of power usage a day, this hero of justice could easily defeat Thanos.
2. GOKU
Our third and final anime entry on this list is none other than Goku, perhaps one of the most beloved Shonen characters in all of pop culture history.
A Saiyan from Planet Vegeta, Goku’s natural alien physiology grants him immense strength and power, which has gotten stronger and stronger as time has gone by, either by training or by surviving near-death experience.
Goku’s power is high enough on its own, but he also has various Super Saiyan transformations on his side. Super Saiyan levels 1-3 multiply his power exponentially for as long as he can maintain the forms, and his Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue forms give him the power of a god, which is more than enough to take on Thanos.
Plus, there’s also his Ultra Instinct Ability, which gave him the fighting skills to defeat a god-like being without even going Super Saiyan.
1. SUPERMAN
Last, but not least, we have the Man of Steel himself, Superman.
Superman’s strength and overall power is, to put it bluntly, ridiculous. Not that this is a bad thing. In fact, it’s what would make him win in a fight against Thanos, even with the Infinity Gauntlet. Superman’s powers, which are powered by the sun, and thus practically infinite, are more than a match for the Mad Titan, so much so that a fight between them isn’t even fair.
Superman could literally destroy Thanos. Even if he didn’t want to end his life, he could still destroy the Infinity Stones in the palms of his hands or destroy the Gauntlet itself with nothing more than his laser vision. Any chance that Thanos might have at using the Infinity Gauntlet would instantly be destroyed by Superman’s immense power.
What other non-Marvel characters could be called in to defeat Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know in the comments!
