5 Most Over-Powered Villains the Avengers Still Beat (So Much for Thanos Being Inevitable)

by

Being an Avenger isn’t easy. As Earth’s primary defenders against incredibly powerful threats, whenever the team is called to action, they know they’re facing a serious danger. Being among ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ means accepting that even in a world full of powerful individuals, there’s always a new villain capable of causing immense destruction. The Avengers never have it easy – being a member comes with significant risks, including injury or even death, and they consistently face opponents who are incredibly formidable and destructive.

For an Avenger to win a fight, they need to be mentally prepared. Entering a battle distracted, careless, or overly confident usually leads to trouble. However, sometimes the warnings about a dangerous enemy were exaggerated. While a villain might *seem* incredibly powerful, the Avengers’ teamwork and the villains’ own mistakes often made the fight much easier than expected. Here’s a look at some of the Avengers’ most unlikely victories – battles they probably shouldn’t have won, but somehow did.

5) Ultron

Every hero has an enemy, and for the Avengers, that enemy is Ultron. First appearing in 1963 as the creation of Hank Pym, an experiment in artificial intelligence, Ultron quickly became self-aware and dangerously hostile. He soon saw the Avengers as a threat and proactively attacked them. Since then, Ultron has remained one of their most persistent and dangerous foes – a villain who understands them exceptionally well.

Ultron is incredibly powerful due to his many abilities, but his greatest strength is his ability to learn and improve, just like a sophisticated AI. He constantly gets better with each passing day. Combine this with his ability to achieve a form of immortality by moving his consciousness and his mastery of technology, and you have an enemy who is almost impossible to defeat.

As much as I love a good villain, it’s always been clear to me why the Avengers keep beating Ultron. It really comes down to a few things. First, their team is just so well-rounded and experienced – Ultron’s a genius, sure, but he can’t predict *everything*. They always manage to find a weakness, which just proves even the smartest machines aren’t perfect. Then there’s his ego. Heā€™s that classic villain who thinks heā€™s better than everyone, and honestly, it seems like a built-in flaw in his programming. But the biggest thing? It’s the human spirit. The Avengers are willing to do *anything*, even sacrifice themselves, and that kind of courage is just something Ultron, with all his logic, can’t understand or counter.

4) Kang the Conqueror

It was inevitable that the Avengers would eventually cross paths with the time-traveling villain who wanted to rule all of time. His arrival in their present immediately put them on a collision course with his plans. This first meeting happened in *Avengers* #8 (1963), created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. As the team realized how powerful Kang was – and how dangerous he remained even when he wasnā€™t physically present – he quickly became a persistent and significant enemy, one they would have to fight again and again until they could completely defeat him.

Kang’s immense power comes from being born in the 31st century – roughly a thousand years into Marvel’s future. This gives him access to incredibly advanced technology that the Avengers can’t even comprehend, let alone fight. On top of that, his time travel has allowed him to gather countless resources and tools from the worlds he’s conquered, giving him virtually limitless power.

Even though Kang has his strengths, the Avengers repeatedly manage to beat him by using different tactics and taking advantage of his weaknesses. The Avengersā€™ varied powers and skills are a major reason why – Kang might be prepared for some heroes, but he often underestimates others. Because each Avenger is powerful in their own way, just one well-timed move can change the outcome of a fight. Additionally, Kangā€™s human side plays a role in his defeats. Despite being incredibly intelligent, heā€™s still prone to errors, and the Avengers, as a seasoned team, are skilled at capitalizing on them.

3) The Skrulls

At first, the Skrull Empire didn’t see Earth as important. However, the war between the Skrulls and the Kree, Earth’s location between their empires, and the presence of the Kree warrior known as the original Captain Marvel quickly changed that. Earthā€™s defenders, especially the Avengers, proved to be a constant problem for the Skrulls, who decided Earth needed to surrender. Their efforts to conquer the planet included a large-scale infiltration, famously depicted in the *Secret Invasion* comic series. After losing their home world to Galactus, the Skrulls, believing a prophecy that named Earth as their new home, launched a secret plan to take over and rebuild the planet in their own image.

As a movie buff, I’ve always found the Skrulls fascinating. One Skrull on its own? Manageable for the Avengers. But a whole team? That’s when things get seriously scary. They weren’t just strong; they were a real threat to everything. They had a natural knack for fighting, combined with really advanced tech. But their biggest weapon, hands down, was their shapeshifting. It made them incredibly dangerous because you literally never knew who was a Skrull. Then they upped the ante with the Super-Skrull program – not only could these Skrulls *look* like anyone, they could copy their powers too! And it didnā€™t stop there – later versions could even combine powers *and* hide from telepaths. Seriously, a nightmare for anyone with superpowers!

The Avengers have consistently defeated the Skrulls by using a clever strategy. They first eliminated the Skrullsā€™ biggest strength – their ability to disguise themselves. Thanks to technology created by heroes like Iron Man and Black Panther, the Avengers could identify Skrull imposters, stopping surprise attacks and uncovering spies. Secondly, the Avengersā€™ diverse team works together in unpredictable ways, something the Skrulls havenā€™t been able to overcome. Important heroes always manage to disrupt Skrull plans when it matters most. Finally, fighting amongst themselves has consistently weakened the Skrulls, making it easier to manipulate them and diminish their power.

2) Thanos

Thanos, often called the ā€œMad Titan,ā€ is a powerfully strong character in the Marvel Universe. Born on the planet Titan as a mutant, heā€™s driven by a constant desire for power and a need to prove himself to the being known as Death. His pursuit of the Cosmic Cube – believing it would give him control over everything – brought him into conflict with the Avengers, leading to several massive battles that threatened the entire universe.

Let me tell you, even *before* Thanos started collecting those Infinity Stones, he was a serious force to be reckoned with. We’re talking about a guy who’d already conquered a ton of planets – incredibly strong, brilliantly strategic, and never doubted himself for a second. He wasn’t afraid to go head-to-head with the biggest, most powerful beings in the universe, like Galactus and even Odin! The Infinity Stones? They just took him to a whole other level. They didnā€™t just *boost* his powers, they turned him into something godlike, giving him absolute control over time, space, and reality itself. It was terrifying to watch.

Even though Thanos seemed all-powerful, the Avengers and their allies managed to defeat him on several occasions, especially after he collected all the Infinity Stones. They didnā€™t win by simply overpowering him. Instead, they focused on weathering his attacks, reducing the harm he caused, and keeping his victories as small and brief as possible. This strategy allowed them to reveal Thanosā€™s weaknesses, ultimately creating a chance to strike a powerful, winning blow – similar to how Adam Warlock fought him in issue #6 of the Infinity Gauntlet comic.

1) Mephisto

Though Mephisto isnā€™t usually one of the Avengersā€™ main foes, theyā€™ve clashed with him many times, often in battles. This happens when his plans endanger their friends or disrupt the stability of the universe. Heā€™s constantly working to gain power, and that sometimes forces the Avengers to intervene. When his schemes become too dangerous to overlook, the team steps in to stop him. A good example is in *Mephisto Vs.* #4, where Mephisto attempts to control Thor, prompting the Avengers to come to their teammateā€™s rescue.

Mephisto is a remarkably powerful Marvel villain, mainly because heā€™s incredibly difficult to defeat. Heā€™s exceptionally strong and intelligent, a skilled manipulator, and almost impossible to harm. He’s effectively immortal, resisting conventional attacks and even death. Beyond that, Mephisto is a master of magic, able to alter reality, steal souls, summon demons, and control time. He can also control minds, travel between dimensions, and fully heal from any injury, making him a hugely dangerous, cosmic-level opponent that very few heroes can hope to overcome.

Even though Mephisto seemed unbeatable, the Avengers found a way to defeat him using two main tactics. First, they figured out his weaknesses and used them against him. Unlike some villains, Mephisto has to follow certain rules – heā€™s often bound by his own promises, for example. By understanding these limitations, the Avengers could control his immense power. Simply refusing to make a deal with him severely limits his ability to influence others. Second, the Avengers utilized their often-overlooked strength: teamwork. This wasnā€™t just about coordinated attacks; it was also about supporting and encouraging each other, which made them more resistant to his mental manipulation. Mephisto consistently underestimated this strength, leaving him open to unexpected and damaging physical attacks that he struggled to withstand.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in theĀ ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/comics/news/every-marvel-comics-editor-in-chief-ranked/embed/#

Read More

2025-09-15 18:15