The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of strong characters, but the movies haven’t always portrayed their power levels the same way as the original comic books. Starting with Iron Man in 2008, the MCU has introduced many characters from Marvel Comics, adapting various storylines. While the films draw from the comics, they’ve created their own sense of which characters are the most powerful, and it doesn’t always match the established power rankings from the source material.
It’s not surprising that some characters haven’t gotten a fair shake when adapting from the comics to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While some heroes and villains are incredibly powerful on the page, they often appear much weaker in the movies. This means certain characters aren’t living up to their full potential in the MCU.
7) Drax the Destroyer
Drax provided a lot of the humor in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, making them some of the funniest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the films didn’t really showcase how incredibly strong he is in the comics. While his powers have changed over time in the comics, Drax is consistently portrayed as one of Marvel’s most formidable fighters, able to battle characters like Thanos, Captain Marvel, and Adam Warlock. The movies largely ignore this power, instead relying on Drax for simple, but successful, comedic moments.
6) Taskmaster
The MCU’s portrayal of Taskmaster ultimately fell flat, culminating in a lackluster death in Thunderbolts that highlighted a significant waste of the character’s potential. While not a problem with the changes to her origin story, the Black Widow version felt like a watered-down version of the comic book character and wasn’t given enough chance to demonstrate her full capabilities. The MCU treated her as expendable, failing to capture the complex and dangerous nature of Taskmaster as she’s known in the comics.
5) Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock is incredibly powerful in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but so far, the films haven’t really showcased his full potential. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hinted at his abilities, the movie version wasn’t nearly as strong or impressive as the character is in the comics. Instead of a cosmic powerhouse, the MCU’s Adam Warlock came across as immature and only used a small part of his true power.
4) Mantis
Mantis is a surprisingly powerful character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and many fans believe she’s much stronger than what’s been shown on screen. While the movies portray her mainly as someone who can feel and manipulate emotions, the comic books reveal a wider range of abilities. She’s not just an empath; she can also control energy, is a skilled fighter, and can heal quickly. This makes her movie version seem less powerful in comparison to her comic book counterpart.
3) Quicksilver
Quicksilver’s death remains one of the most surprising moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also reveals how limited his powers were in Avengers: Age of Ultron. While the MCU version of Quicksilver had super speed – his most defining trait – he lacked many of the other abilities that make the character popular in the comics. Given that he was quickly killed by gunfire, it’s clear the MCU’s Quicksilver wasn’t as powerful or developed as his comic book version.
2) Kang the Conqueror
Kang was initially expected to be the major villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Multiverse Saga, but his story ended up being less impactful than fans hoped. While he’s a formidable, universe-threatening enemy in the comics, the MCU version was defeated fairly quickly in his first two appearances, and we never really got to see the full scope of his power.
1) Hulk
Despite often claiming the Hulk is one of their most powerful heroes, Marvel movies frequently portray him as surprisingly weak. In the comics, the Hulk is essentially immortal with nearly limitless strength fueled by his anger. However, the movies have consistently held him back, keeping his powers at a more controlled level. While it’s understandable why the MCU would choose to limit his abilities, it often makes their version of the Hulk feel much less impressive than the character in the comics.
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2026-02-19 21:41