The Marvel Cinematic Universe has found a lot of success adapting characters and stories from the Marvel Comics we all love. While Marvel is all about super powered heroes saving the universe from cosmic-level threats, there are stories and characters which are more grounded than others. Some characters do not possess any super powers at all and all they have is the human spirit to push them to achieve great feats. The movies and TV shows of the MCU have constantly proven that people relate to characters who are more grounded and human; in fact, some of the best characters in the MCU have no super powers at all.
The following list of characters might not have extraordinary abilities or enhancements like the Super Soldier Serum, but they are some of the best characters from the MCU; without them, the MCU wouldn’t feel the same.
6) Black Widow
While in the original Marvel Comics, Natasha was trained in the covert Red Room Academy and was injected with a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum, in the live-action movies, Black Widow does not possess any super powers; she is simply portrayed as ‘peak human’, making her powers more similar to Batman than Captain America. She is an expert in martial arts and has gone through expert espionage training with marksmanship, mastery of tactical stealth, and use of high tech gear, making her worthy of this position. Moreover, she is a fearless warrior who is not afraid to sacrifice her life for her friends.
5) The Punisher
The Punisher is not a traditional superhero; he is an anti-hero. He is trapped in a perpetual state of war, triggered by the assassination of his family. Even if Frank Castle is particularly not a good person, the guys he kills are far worse than him; when you look at his character and psyche from a philosophical point of view, he is a very complex and tragic character driven by grief and revenge. He is an expert in martial arts, a tactical genius, and has an unmatched tolerance for pain. His background in Force Reconnaissance and Special Ops grants him deep knowledge of survivalism, military communications, and combat medicine. His hand-to-hand combat skills, elite marksmanship, mastery of arms, and extreme endurance make him worthy of this position. The Punisher lives by one code: punish the criminals and save the innocent.
4) Hawkeye
Hawkeye (Clint Barton) is a master marksman and a peak-human combatant. Even though he doesn’t have any innate superpowers, his near-superhuman reflexes, perfect accuracy with marksmanship, and extensive training with S.H.I.E.L.D. allow him to hold his own alongside The Avengers. Before his time as an Avenger, Barton was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s finest special agents. He excels at infiltration, information gathering, and reading the battlefield to turn plans against opponents. While he is a master archer, he isn’t limited to bows; Barton’s hand-eye coordination allows him to quickly master and utilize nearly any object as a weapon. Even though he seemingly retired in the MCU from being Hawkeye, as a Marvel fan, it would be great to see him back as Hawkeye again.
3) Kingpin
Wilson Fisk (Kingpin) has no superhuman abilities. Instead, he relies on peak-human physical strength, mastery of martial arts, genius-level intellect, and limitless criminal-world resources. He shows superhuman endurance and pain tolerance, capable of shrugging off brutal attacks that would incapacitate a normal human in moments. Moreover, Kingpin’s manipulative nature and hold over New York make him a brilliant strategist. While he can get emotional at times and make rash decisions, Kingpin always has a backup plan. His superhuman-level strength, vast political & criminal reach and durability make him a dangerous villain who doesn’t have any superpowers.
2) Iron Man
Iron Man is a genius who is mainly seen with his self-engineered powered armor. While his suits provide superhuman abilities, his most lethal skill is being an unrivaled engineer. When the discussion of Iron Man comes up, we have to look back at that iconic line yelled by Obadiah Stane in Iron Man (2008): “Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps.” Throughout the Infinity Saga, Tony Stark’s story was central to the MCU’s wider narrative. His development as a hero is the best adaption of Iron Man we have seen, ever. He can hold his own against gods and aliens without breaking a sweat. His sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame makes him the greatest hero there is.
1) Pete
No reason, Pete just the goat.