Summary

TheMCUhas been proclaim for how it pelt its on - screen drama with jokes and levity , but this can sometimes importantly hamstring some exceptionally dangerous characters . There are many self - awarejokes in the MCUthat poke merriment at the absurdity of some concepts , but this can sometimes lead to herculean character from the comics becoming underpowered vessels for comic relief in the movies . That is not to say that this is always a unsound thing . After all , some of theMCU ’s most muscular charactershave been weakened for the sake of ensuring consistency and pretty believable stakes .

Nerfing an MCU characterand then turn them into the butt of a laugh can carry a sting ( particularly for fans of the comic book original ) , but they do n’t always miss the mark . In some instances , their foray into drollery can be see as an advance on their original characterization suited to the fence narrative . Rest assure , however , that these 10 character have the potential drop to be way more muscular than they appear in their various movies .

desire to watch up before the next release , or just revisit the universe for a refresher course ? Here ’s the order to watch the entire MCU timeline .

Collage of Iron Man, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, and Yelena in the MCU

10Adam Warlock Did Damage - But Could Do So Much More

First Appeared In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3 (2023)

WhileGuardians of the Galaxy Vol.3was easily the trilogy ’s most heart - wrenching installment , much of its laughable relief ( in the absence seizure of Rocket ) descend in the somewhat surprising guise of Adam Warlock as Will Poulter toy a muscular grownup with the mental capacity of a primitive child . shielder of the Galaxy Vol.3clarified that Adam Warlock ’s diminished power degree were thanks to the premature outgrowth from his cocoon . When his comer was tantalise inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 , however , it come with a sense of spooky anticipation for honorable reason : Adam Warlock is suppose to be one of Marvel ’s most powerful characters .

In the strip , Adam Warlock is at once tied to the Soul Stone and is , therefore , granted powers on par with one of the Infinity Stones . His world power stay to grow , however , with each rebirth he have , similar to how Ultron is an almost insurmountable threat . Adam Warlock inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol.3is the first iteration discover on - screen , meaning there is still plenty of time for Will Poulter ’s humorous delineation of the newfangled Guardian to grow in king .

9Surtur Can Go Toe-To-Toe With Odin

First Appeared In Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Surtur is lord of one of the Nine Realms - Muspelheim - so it stands to cause that his power measure up to his fellow land leaders . This did not seem to be the case , however , when he went up against Thor in the opening scenes ofThor : Ragnarok , where his dialogue with the God of Thunder ( who was not yet the swayer of Asgard ) help oneself make the picture show ’s distinctly comedic tone , with Surtur as the hindquarters of the caper . The ensue fight saw Thor make short work of Surtur ( without outright kill him ) , but the true statement is that Surtur could even go up against a full - powered Odin .

In the comics , Surtur ’s dominion over the realm of fire is more than capable of besting Thor . His divine ability see him pull wires vigor on a cosmic scale , with exposure only to icing . While at long last destroy an entire realm is surely nothing to sniff at , his tussle with Thor in the opening scenes was played for laughs that summarily diminished the dead on target power of the supreme Fire Giant .

8Grandmaster Could Outmaneuver An Uprising

Grandmaster is one of the Elders of the Universe , alongside the likewise gaudy Collector . Being alive for millennium is probably enough for the decadent ruler to ably outwit the uprising that finally depose him , but the true statement is that Grandmaster has more strings to his bow than a silverish natural language . InThor : Ragnarok , the impossibly likable villain trust on his military machine and " melt stick " to enforce his government agency . In the comics , however , Grandmaster is capable of contain his own in a super - powered dogfight with push manipulation , teleportation , telekinesis , and super strengthat his disposal . Hopefully , this mean that this is n’t the last the MCU sees of Goldblum ’s fantastic elderberry bush .

7Justin Hammer Is Far From Hapless

First Appeared In Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2includes a villainous double act in the anatomy of Whiplash and Justin Hammer , though without the former , there would n’t be much of a flick . Hammer is portray as being such a useless ( albeit uproarious ) tech billionaire in the movie that it beg the question of how he made his billions to begin with . The overarching jest is that his military tech always fail - thus leading him to enlist Ivan Vanko to lend his expertness - but Hammer was more than adequate to of besting Tony in the comics .

This went so far as successfully hacking into Tony ’s suit , engaging in shrewd incorporated espionage , and actually being unspoilt at his task . Sam Rockwell ’s portrait of the now - imprisoned Justin Hammer was still a highlight of theotherwise lambasted MCU movie , but there was plenty of chance for him to be more than a hapless contender incompetent of one - up his bane outside of enlisting outside help . The upcomingArmor war , however , could give Hammer ample opportunity to beam as a much more minatory business executive .

6Miek Is A Far More Threatening Figure Physically And Politically

Across her several cinematic appearances , Miek is often present as a wordless sidekick , albeit with a lethal proficiency in wielding her steel - laden exoskeleton . The fact that she can not communicate , however , is a far cry from her comic book namesake -a aboriginal of Sakaar who practice force and wily in equal amount to accomplish " King " position among his race before bait against Earth alongside Hulk in several mirthful record runs , even manipulating the Jade Giant into continuing the assault on his household - world . uncalled-for to say , it is difficult to imagine flick Miek - who was last see acting as a escritoire to King Valkyrie - imitating these actions .

5Drax’s MCU Changes Made Him More Focused On Comedy Than Revenge

First Appeared In Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

In the funnies , Drax the Destroyer is single - tending in his sideline of Thanos , as that was the rationality for his creation at the hand of the Titan , Kronos , and possesses the powers to do so ( including flight).This mean Drax in reality present a threat to the Mad Titan , which is intemperate to imagine Drax in the movies accomplish without the help of other characters(such as in his competitiveness with Thanos on Titan ) . Instead , Bautista ’s Drax is one ofthe funniest characters in the MCU , turning him into a ego - aggrandizing meathead more likely to deliver one - liners than eat up blows .

4Korg’s Comedic Characterization Hides How Strong He Is

Taika Waititi ’s interpreting of Korg is iconic but betrays just how threatening he is supposed to be . The Kronan race to which he belongs is often portray as a Graeco-Roman incursive foreign species in the comics , with Korg in finicky coming up against Thor ( and being summarily shoot down ) in an attempt intrusion of Earth . As a prizefighter on Sakaar , however , Korg is a formidable belligerent , allying with Hulk and the Warbound to overthrow the Sakaar Empire before lend his superhuman long suit and survival to Hulk ’s efforts against the Illuminati . In contrast , Korg is more of a wisecracking sidekick and casual narrator in the movies .

3MODOK Is Way More Powerful Than The MCU Showed Him To Be

First Appeared In Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantummania (2023)

Between his character innovation and on - the - nose moniker , MODOK is an inherently ridiculous grapheme . So , it is no surprisal that the MCU determine to lean intemperately on him being the comic ministration pal to the more overtly nefarious Kang . One of the biggest defining features of MODOK omitted from his cinematic interpretation was his supreme intellect , which earned him the moniker of " Scientist Supreme " over A.I.M. itself in the comics . alternatively , Cross ' oversized braincase was explain by being hard disfigured when shrunk into the Quantum Realm . MODOK was also foray of his powerful psionic capabilities in the movies , instead being contribute a chair that simply shoot lasers alternatively .

2Klaue’s Sinister Comedy Belies An Extremely Powerful Origin

First Appeared In Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

Andy Serkis ' depicting of Ulysses Klaue was exceptionally memorable in how he tread the hunky-dory line between being clearly light-minded and chillingly minatory . His blithe disregard for authority by cracking trick and vocalizing in the aspect of danger made him an exceptionally charismatic baddie . This characterization flies in the grimace of how Klaue could single - handedly outwit the Wakandans , with the extent of his foxiness buried beneath a frivolous veneer .

This is especially stark when compared to his comic book similitude , Klaw . While Klaue sports a potent transonic prosthetic , the villain on which he is based eventually becomes compose entirely of sound . This makes the villain all but imperviable to everything but a vacuum , and not one to be felled by a simple bullet . His generation as a being composed of strait , however , does follow his death , mean that there is still a hazard that Klaue could reappear in all his wisecrack glory in afuture MCU project .

1Zeus Lives Up To His Name

First Appeared In Thor: Love And Thunder (2022)

One of the chief critique tear down againstThor : Love and Thunderwas how it relied so heavy on drollery . Aside from the titulary friend himself , one of the main victims of this comedic steer was the God of Gods , Zeus . As the decadent presider over Omnipotence City , the gulf between Russel Crowe ’s Zeus and the god of Marvel Comics is Brobdingnagian . While his weakness in the movie was almost sure intended to demonstrate the god ' self - impose descent into insignificance ( something that Zeus himself confirms inThor : Love and Thunder ’s post - credits setting ) , it still does a ill turn to the King of the Gods .

Unsurprisingly , funny book Zeus is a being more than capable of stand up against the likes of Odin and Thor . He is nigh - on imperviable to all damage , capable to switch shape , predict the future , and possesses all the super - human abilities that befit a god . In theMCU , however , Zeus experience a interchangeable nerf to his Norse counterpart , as he was easily bested and mortify by Thor after making light of the position border Gorr the God Butcher .

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man upset and determined in No Way Home

Nextwave team

Split image of MODOK (Corey Stoll) laughing and Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) flying

Surtur opening his mouth while breathing fire in Thor Ragnarok

Iron Man 2’s Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) holding a gun with gloves

Korg and Miek watching the destruction of Asgard in Thor: Ragnarok

Dave Bautista as Drax smirks in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

Korg (Taika Waititi) places his hands on his hips in Thor: Love and Thunder

Corey Stoll as MODOK smiling in front of flames in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Russell Crowe’s Zeus and his maidens in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Marvel Cinematic Universe