Fans love tier lists, especially when it comes to comparing the supposed strength and power of various fictional characters against each other. The argument over who would win in a fight between Goku and Superman has existed for as long as the World Wide Web reached commercial use, after all.
But when it comes to mainstream comic books, a character’s powers and abilities can be altered or changed completely depending on whoever has writing duties at the time, which makes cataloging their progress arduous, if not impossible. Characters can go through so many different iterations, each being vastly different than the one that came before them. That being said, even within set storylines, characters can see unexpected growth or lapse in strength.
We’ve combed through some of the appearances and history of the most well-known and powerful Marvel characters out there, and have assembled the ones who’ve changed drastically right here. These characters might seem strong (or weak) when you first get to know them, but true fans know that things aren’t always as they seem on the surface. People change, and so do these heroes and villains, as we’ll see in the following list!
Here are 15 Marvel characters that have grown in power since their original appearances as well as 15 who got nerfed harder than Silver Age Superman. If we missed any major ones, let us know in the comments; it would have been impossible to list every single character here, so we just chose some of the best ones!
30 Stronger: Hulk
As a gamma-powered green giant who styles himself as “the strongest there is,” it’s only natural that Hulk would add some extra gains to his already impressive physique. When Marvel introduced the concept that Hulk’s strength would increase the madder he would get, it was only a matter of time that his rage would reach such a critical level that he would wage war with the entire Earth and its mightiest heroes, as seen in the World War Hulk story-line. Currently, the Hulk possesses a more supernatural ability, acting like a horror movie monster.
29 Weaker: Thanos
Moviegoers have just recently witnessed the Mad Titan’s cinematic curb-stomping of pop culture’s favorite heroes courtesy of Avengers: Infinity War. Yet comic fans have witnessed the unstoppable power that Thanos once possessed decades ago with the Infinity Gauntlet story-line, which at the time had Thanos reign as the single most powerful enemy in the entire Marvel Universe. Since losing the gauntlet, Thanos would continue to be an occasional threat, but would never reach the heights of power that he once held in his single gloved hand.
28 Stronger: Captain Marvel
One of the big advantages of adapting Marvel’s heroes to the big screen is that they can do away with decades of messy comic continuity. Captain Marvel’s are among the messiest, once starting out as Ms. Marvel before undergoing several, often ill-conceived character changes before finally adopting her current moniker and a power set that includes cosmic blasts, super strength, and flight that nearly puts her on the same tier list as the Phoenix. Small wonder that Carol has been set up to be the one to lead the counterattack against Thanos in the next Avengers movie.
27 Weaker: Jean Grey
Speaking of Phoenix, Jean Grey’s most iconic story-line is undoubtedly the Dark Phoenix saga, where the once leading lady of the X-Men had to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect the universe from her uncontrollable, indestructible power. It’s been several resurrections since then, and not only has Jean been upstaged by several telepathic characters over the years, she has even regressed to her original starting levels thanks to one of comics’ favorite clichés, time travel.
26 Stronger: The Punisher
As one of the most popular “ordinary human” Marvel characters, Frank Castle has often dabbled with the supernatural in order to supplement his own mortal limitations while still possessing a limitless arsenal of firearms and war vans. These days, he roams the cosmos as the Cosmic Ghost Rider, becoming a more literal Spirit of Vengeance than the original Ghost Rider ever could while also possessing the same meta campiness that Deadpool used to exclusively enjoy. He’s really gone places.
25 Weaker: Rogue
Fans of the early 90s X-Men animated series will remember Rogue as being a super-powered southern belle who could wallop even the biggest of Sentinels with ease. That’s because it turns out that her super strength and flight were taken by Carol Danvers, aka the aforementioned Ms. Marvel. Eventually, Rogue returned these powers in the comics, leaving her significantly more fragile, though she can still borrow the abilities of other superheroes when the situation calls for it. Currently, she possesses some of the power (and consciousness) of Wonder Man, who is certainly no slouch.
24 Stronger: Cyclops
Cyclops has taken a lot of blows to his pride over the years, even in other media: in the 90s animated series, his stuffed shirt couldn’t protect him from Wolverine’s sucker punches. In the movies, he was so unremarkable that he was taken out within the opening minutes of the third film The Last Stand. Despite the questionable writing decisions that plague the character, his recent comic book accomplishments have shown off just how much punch his punch lasers can produce, being able to vaporize entire Sentinels when the situation calls for it.
23 Weaker: Red Hulk
During his original debut, the Red Hulk was one of the most recent examples of being written as “overpowered” to an obnoxious degree. Able to absorb radiation while simultaneously emitting it like a walking gamma bomb, Rulk took to showing off his superiority over the green original even further by taking out some of his fiercest enemies and sucker-punching The Watcher just for good measure. After being stripped of some of his abilities, Rulk redeemed himself by joining the Avengers for a time before eventually losing all his powers and returning to his original human form, General Ross.
22 Stronger: Gwen Stacy
This next entry may be considered cheating, since Spider-Gwen is technically an alternate universe version of the original Gwen Stacy. However, the breakthrough popularity of the spider-powered substitute has all but ensured that Marvel will never go back to the original (and in hindsight unremarkable) powerless Gwen. Spider-Gwen can now be found in just about every piece of Spider-Man media, including cartoons and the upcoming CG film Into the Spider-Verse. At the rate she’s going, it won’t be too farfetched to expect her own solo film and/or animated series in years ahead.
21 Weaker: Wolverine
The problem of being one of the most popular comic book characters of all-time with an incredibly overpowered healing factor is that Wolverine has had to endure all sorts of ludicrous punishment. No matter how much damage was done to him, Wolverine would bounce back from every injury thanks to his healing ability. This get-out-of-jail-free card was recently taken away, leaving Logan to finally start facing the same limitations as most other heroes. Given the unending popularity of the character, it’s only a matter of time before he’s put back on the “stronger” side.
20 Stronger: Dr Doom
As if being a brilliant dictator with an army of Doombots wasn’t enough, Doom has consistently shown off his indomitable will that allows him to control even the most powerful of Marvel’s McGuffins. Currently, he now faces Thor and his fellow Asgardians with the power of… well, everyone. From Dr. Strange’s magic to Ghost Rider’s powers of vengeance to even Iron Fist’s mastery of chi. While no doubt this latest incarnation of Doom will be dealt with in the usual manner, whatever future defeat he faces will do little to break his unbreakable resolve.
19 Weaker: Jubilee
Another X-Men character best known for her role in the 90s animated series, Jubilee has never really been able to shake off her rookie status, thanks largely to an unremarkable power set that barely stings beyond a firecracker barring the rare occasions where she could channel a more devastating blast. She recently was able to get a bit of a power upgrade at the expense of living as a vampire (don’t ask), but even this transformation was eventually reversed, putting her back in the D list of mutants.
18 Stronger: Nick Fury
Nick Fury is another mainstay Marvel character who has had decades of convoluted history tossed aside when his character was adapted for the big screen. Despite his comic counterpart using a serum to extend his life, Fury was still considered a regular human being…until he was given a recent cosmic upgrade from The Watchers, turning him into The Unseen. Despite the potential of this new form, the power-up is actually a punishment, in which Fury can only observe the events of the universe unfold without directly interfering. Spoilers: he interferes anyway.
17 Weaker: Carnage
When Carnage first appeared to terrorize Spider-Man’s hometown of New York, the wall-crawler had to team up with his former enemy Venom in order to bring down the insane offspring of the latter’s symbiote… and they still couldn’t take him on in a two-on-one fight. Over the years, Carnage has been reduced to a former shell of his unstoppable self, instead often being used as a pawn from other villains in order to build bigger and badder symbiotes. Now known as Poison Carnage, the former red terror might soon rise up again.
16 Stronger: Iceman
For most of his career, Iceman was often considered among the lower tier of X-Men, until the possession of his body by Emma Frost had opened his eyes to the potential of his ice-manipulating powers. Now considered an Omega-class mutant, Iceman has consistently proven his prowess in battle, with telepaths like Jean Grey helping him to master his latent abilities even further. Ironically, he was also considered the most overpowered character in Capcom’s X-Men: Children of the Atom fighting game, which released around the same time as his comic book upgrade.
15 Weaker: Magneto
While the most recent film appearances of the X-men’s most iconic villain have often been criticized for over-relying on Magneto’s mastery of metal, his comic book counterpart has largely been just as powerful, at one point even being capable of tearing out Wolverine’s adamantium from his skeleton. Nowadays, his powers have weakened considerably, requiring the use of Mutant-specific supplements in order to bring out his best. At least he is still capable of telling the difference between a real gun and a wooden one.
14 Stronger: Gamora
The film version of Gamora is no slouch in combat, but is otherwise known more for her tactical abilities rather than raw power. That job is best reserved for Drax the Destroyer, after all. In her current comic incarnation, however, Gamora is more of an unstoppable adversary, gathering the Infinity stones and taking out anyone who opposes her, even her longtime friend/lover Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord). It remains to be seen what the final outcome will be, but hopefully her fate in the comics will be much kinder than it was in the films…
13 Weaker: Franklin Richards
The son of Reed and Sue Richards, and a character whose very existence breaks the logic of comic book timelines, Franklin’s latent powers once allowed him to create an entirely new universe housing many of the heroes who fell in the battle against Onslaught. These days, his powers aren’t nearly as omnipotent, with writers content to having him travel the stars engaging in some good old-fashioned interstellar hi-jinks. Given Marvel’s love for retconning its universe, however, it’s only a matter of time before Franklin busts out the big guns once again.
12 Stronger: Bucky
One of the most drastically changed characters when adapted to film, Cap’s longtime friend was less of a big brother figure and more of a Robin-styled sidekick in the comics, complete with tights and a mask. For the longest time, Bucky’s sacrifice was considered one of those iconic tragedies that would never be undone, until he eventually returned as The Winter Soldier. Fans who have followed Bucky’s career after his resurrection in the comics may also have insider information on just how the next Avengers movie may end.
11 Weaker: Vision
An advanced machine originally created to be the villain’s ultimate masterpiece, Vision’s compassion for life instead had him joining the Avengers as well as forming a relationship with Wanda Maximoff, aka The Scarlet Witch. This curiosity for human life continued to grow in the comics, where Vision was able to create his own family of sapient machines, though it has also affected his immortality; after having his nano-core corrupted, Vision chose not to seek repairs and instead chose a finite life in order to truly live as one of the very humans he so admired.
