Every Phase 4 Character Who Could Have Stopped Thanos

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Thanos was the MCU’s ultimate villain during the Infinity Saga, but Marvel’s Phase 4 has already introduced several characters who could have stopped the Mad Titan. Similar to the Marvel comics, the MCU is now at a point where it has to keep increasing the power levels in order to justify the several new characters and storylines. After a decade was spent building up how powerful Thanos and the Infinity Stones were, it might be curious that so many Phase 4 characters seem stronger than Thanos – but it makes sense considering the comics.

It’s important to note that the MCU differs from Marvel Comics in many ways, including power levels and characters’ backgrounds. For example, while Eternals introduced Starfox as the “brother of Thanos,” not much has been revealed about Thanos’ backstory in the MCU. The only parameter to analyze Thanos’ powers and strength in the franchise are therefore Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and even still a lot of Thanos’ fights in the MCU saw the Mad Titan powered by at least two Infinity Stones.

Between new alien species, gods, entities, and ordinary fighters powered by magical weapons, Marvel’s Phase 4 has increased the MCU’s power level in a way that no other phase had done. After Endgame, the MCU is now more open to all the corners of the Marvel universe, which means adding a plethora of characters whose skills surpass that of the Avengers and their first few villains. Here’s a breakdown of every Marvel Phase 4 character who could have stopped Thanos.

Gilgamesh

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While all the MCU’s Eternals have a basic set of abilities due to their shared origin, Gilgamesh takes the lead when it comes to physical strength. That is made clear during the times the Eternals engaged with the Deviants, as Gilgamesh could punch them much more easily than the other Eternals. Thanos is a genetically modified Eternal-Deviant in the comics, and while that particular background was not brought into the MCU, the characters revealed in Eternals are among the few who can be directly compared to the Mad Titan. Eternals introduced Thanos’ brother, suggesting that Thanos’ Eternal-Deviant comics origins might be referenced in MCU. That adds a lot more context to Thanos’ power level without the Infinity Stones, and it makes the comparison with the Eternals more justified. As the strongest Eternal, Gilgamesh is a top contender for characters who could defeat Thanos in the MCU. Unlike most of the Avengers, Gilgamesh would not need any overly complicated strategy to fight the Mad Titan. Instead, Gilgamesh could engage Thanos in hand-to-hand combat – and the outcome of the Gilgamesh versus Thanos fight could be in favor of the Eternal, had it happened before the Mad Titan had all the Infinity Stones.

Sersi

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Establishing that the Eternals are among the top contenders for who could defeat Thanos in the MCU, Sersi cannot be overlooked. Sersi is not as physically strong as Gilgamesh, but her unique matter transmutation ability would make her a formidable adversary for any MCU character. Sersi could defeat Thanos, but not by engaging in hand-to-hand combat right away. Initially, it was established in Eternals that Sersi could only transform matter from non-living things. However, towards the end of Eternals, Sersi finds out that she can actually use her matter transmutation powers on living things. Sersi was powerful enough to transform the body of a Deviant and to stop the Celestial Tiamut from being born on Earth, both of which established Sersi as one of the most powerful characters in the MCU. Sersi could do the same with Thanos in a fight. With the right amount of concentration and perhaps a distracted Thanos, Sersi could stop Thanos before the fight even began.

Arishem

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Arishem, just like all the Celestials, would have no problem defeating Thanos – especially one without the Infinity Stones. Thanos was one of the strongest living creatures in the universe, granted, but he was far from an all-powerful entity like the MCU's Celestials. It’s not easy to compare living creatures with entities, but it’s safe to say Arishem the Judge could easily destroy Thanos. As an entity above living creatures, Arishem’s physical strength cannot be compared to that of any human or alien previously established in the MCU. Arishem has existed for billions of years, meaning that his body can endure almost any conceivable stress. Whereas Thanos needed the six Infinity Stones to erase half of the universe, Arishem is able to shape life and the cosmos by default. That said, when Thanos had all the Infinity Stones in the comics, the Mad Titan was able to defeat a few Celestials. Arishem could have stopped Thanos at any moment until at least the final moments of the Battle of Wakanda.

Ikaris

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Ikaris’ physical strength is on par with that of Gilgamesh, but the Richard Madden Eternals character also has heat vision and flying abilities. Ikaris’ set of skills is unlike that of any MCU character, to the point he was even compared to Superman in a rather curious in-universe reference to the DC superhero. Ikaris alone could oppose Thanos in a way that most of the Avengers could not, as he would be able to fight the Mad Titan both at close distance and at long range. The flying skills would give Ikaris the upper hand in a fight against Thanos, especially one without all the Infinity Stones. In fact, Ikaris’ heat vision could even come in handy if Ikaris were to try to remove Thanos’ gauntlet from far away. The comics establish that Thanos is stronger than Earth's Eternals, but the same cannot be assumed for the MCU. Thanos struggled against characters who had a diverse set of skills like Wanda and Captain Marvel, meaning that an Ikaris versus Thanos fight in the MCU could end with the Eternal’s victory.

Scarlet Witch

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While Wanda has been a part of the MCU ever since Phase 2’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, the concept of Scarlet Witch as an entity was only introduced at the beginning of Phase 4 with WandaVision. The MCU decided to introduce the Scarlet Witch as an entity, retconning Wanda’s powers as magical rather than just something created by the Mind Stone. Wanda had been one of the strongest MCU characters from the beginning. Even still, her appearances throughout the Infinity Saga did not do the character justice compared to how strong Wanda is in the comics. Marvel’s Phase 4 fixed that by focusing on Wanda’s reality-warping abilities, which were elevated by the events of WandaVision and the Darkhold. By the time Doctor Strange meets Wanda in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Scarlet Witch was already one of the strongest beings in the entire multiverse. The Scarlet Witch killed the Illuminati in a matter of minutes without breaking a sweat, the same Illuminati team that was able to defeat Earth-838 Thanos. The Scarlet Witch could end a fight against Thanos in the blink of an eye, even if Thanos has the Infinity Stones, simply by bending reality around Thanos’ body as she did against Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange 2.

Zeus

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The Marvel gods are generally characters who could defeat Thanos, and now Phase 4 has introduced one of the strongest MCU gods – Zeus. Not much was shown regarding Zeus’ powers in Thor: Love and Thunder, with the Russell Crowe character serving more as a plot obstacle in Thor’s journey than as a hero or villain. That said, Zeus had his signature Thunderbolt in Thor: Love and Thunder, a magical weapon that would make Thanos struggle. Both Infinity War and Endgame showed Thanos having a difficult time against Thor, the God of Thunder, and its two weapons – the Mjolnir and Stormbreaker. Zeus seems to be on par with Thor in the MCU, meaning that a fight between Zeus and Thanos would most likely not end well for the Mad Titan. Zeus could fight Thanos both from a close distance and long range thanks to the Thunderbolt, and it would probably not take long before Zeus could hurt Thanos.

Gorr The God Butcher

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While Gorr himself is not particularly powerful, the Thor: Love and Thunder villain became a menace to the universe upon acquiring All-Black the Necrosword. When wielding the Necrosword, Gorr received superhuman strength, superhuman stamina, superhuman intelligence, and the ability to travel through other dimensions. Gorr the God Butcher made a name for himself by going on a god-killing spree throughout the universe, and while most of it happened offscreen, Thor: Love and Thunder established Gorr as one of the most powerful villains to have been featured in the MCU – if not the most powerful. Gorr was able to fight Thor and Mighty Thor at close range, meaning that he would be able to do the same against Thanos quite easily. Thanos’ sword and armor would not be able to stop Gorr and the Necrosword, and not even the Infinity Stones would be of much help against an adversary who could travel to other dimensions and cast Shadow Monsters to fight on his behalf.

Hercules

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Hercules was introduced in Thor: Love and Thunder’s post-credits scene, and while his power level in the MCU is still unknown, Hercules is one of the strongest Marvel heroes in the comics when it comes to sheer physical abilities. Hercules would win in hand-to-hand combat against most heroes and villains in the comics, and if the MCU brings that to the big screen, then Hercules is sure one of Marvel’s Phase 4 characters who could have defeated Thanos. Unlike the Hulk, Hercules could have beaten an Infinity Stones-less Thanos in hand-to-hand combat relatively easily. That said, when it comes to a Thanos powered by all six Infinity Stones, Hercules might not have too much of a chance.

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