6 MCU Villains Who Could’ve Defeated Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame

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Despite the many new villains introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Avengers: Endgame, Thanos remains the most popular antagonist in Marvel’s decades of films and shows. A lot of this comes down to Josh Brolin’s powerful performance, which brought a sense of weight and seriousness to the character. The writing for Thanos is also exceptional, ranking among the best in the MCU alongside the complex stories of Loki and Killmonger. This strong writing allowed Thanos to stand out by presenting a compelling, and even debatable, perspective on his own motivations.

Throughout his appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, we saw many heroes try to defeat Thanos, and some even managed to hurt him. The MCU has often shown us which heroes are strong enough to fight him, but it’s less common to consider who among the villains could actually stand up to Thanos. It’s a fun question to ponder, and while there aren’t many clear answers, we’ve identified a few villains who likely could have defeated him.

6) Ebony Maw

Lately, many Marvel fans have been discussing whether Ebony Maw could have actually beaten Thanos, suggesting his strong loyalty was his downfall. It’s a compelling idea, considering Maw’s incredible psychic powers – he easily overpowered heroes like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Thor. He even managed to subdue Doctor Strange, almost taking the Time Stone, and it was only Doctor Strange’s ability to manipulate time itself that stopped him. Basically, could Ebony Maw have won in a one-on-one fight with Thanos? It’s very possible.

Fans often wonder why Ebony Maw didn’t act differently. Like all of Thanos’ adopted children – including Nebula and Gamora – he was raised to believe Thanos was a savior and his power absolute. This intense indoctrination effectively erased any independent thought or self-belief he might have had.

5) Purple Man

In Avengers: Infinity War, the heroes devised a plan to ambush Thanos on Titan. Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Drax intended to restrain him, while Mantis would use her powers to calm him and allow them to remove the Infinity Gauntlet. However, if Thanos ever faced Kilgrave, the villain who controls minds, Kilgrave would likely win without a physical fight. Instead of struggling to take the Gauntlet off, Kilgrave could simply order Thanos to remove it himself. While Mantis is powerful, Kilgrave’s abilities are on a different level.

Even if Kilgrave couldn’t control Thanos directly, he could easily command a group of people to overwhelm him. Honestly, Kilgrave is more frightening than Thanos with all the Infinity Stones.

4) Xu Wenwu

Wenwu, the first to wield the Ten Rings, gained incredible power from them, including immortality and the ability to lead armies for centuries. His skill in martial arts, combined with the Rings’ power, likely made him the most formidable being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a very long time, even considering the changes to the established timeline.

Many questions remain about the Ten Rings and how they function within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially since we haven’t seen a follow-up to the Shang-Chi movie. However, it’s doubtful Thanos could control the Rings the same way he did the Infinity Stones, making it unlikely he could simply take them from Wenwu during a fight. This suggests the villain currently has a significant advantage, even if Thanos possesses some of the Infinity Stones.

3) Ultron

Marvel has officially acknowledged Ultron’s potential to defeat Thanos. An episode of What If…? demonstrated Ultron easily defeating Thanos by slicing him in half with the Mind Stone, without even needing to physically fight. The episode went on to show that if Ultron had the full Infinity Gauntlet, he’d become a multiversal threat—far more dangerous than even Thanos. Even without his final, Vibranium body, Ultron could likely defeat Thanos on his own. The Avengers only managed to defeat Ultron thanks to Wanda Maximoff’s chaos magic, which even Thanos struggled against.

2) Scarlet Witch

You might remember Wanda in Avengers: Infinity War didn’t defeat Thanos, and that’s true. But the Wanda who faced him was deeply broken by guilt and grief – she’d just killed her lover, only to have Thanos revive and kill him again. Despite being emotionally devastated, she still presented a significant challenge to Thanos, almost holding him off with magic from a single hand.

As a huge Marvel fan, I always knew Wanda was powerful, but seeing her in Infinity War and especially Endgame really cemented it. Apparently, Thanos had to bombard her with everything he had just to stop her! That leads me to believe that if the Wanda we see in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness ever faced off against Thanos, it would be game over for him, plain and simple. This Wanda isn’t just strong; she’s terrifyingly inventive with how she defeats her enemies, wiping out heroes without even a second thought. It wouldn’t even be a fight.

1) Cassandra Nova

The main villain in Deadpool & Wolverine has incredibly powerful mental abilities. She can inflict physical harm from a distance – even stripping the skin off someone ten feet away, as seen with Chris Evans’ character. She easily throws Deadpool and Wolverine around, controlling their bodies to make them hurt themselves, all without even touching them. Interestingly, the movie reveals she needs to physically touch someone to enter their mind. Considering how many characters managed to get close to Thanos in the Avengers films, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Cassandra Nova.

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2026-02-18 17:13