Spider-Man has grown up into a powerful Avenger, and not every character can keep up with him on the battlefield.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe expands its cast of characters with each movie. In 2016, the MCU added Marvel Comics' iconic wall-crawling hero, Spider-Man, in the feature Captain America: Civil War. Marvel fans were delighted to meet actor Tom Holland's version of Peter Parker and watch him fight alongside, or against, more established MCU characters.
RELATED: Spider-Man's 10 Closest Friends in the Comics
This new Spider-Man is still just a kid, but he's growing up fast, and he has learned many hard-won lessons in his fights against Captain America, Vulture, Mysterio, and even the mighty Thanos himself. During the events of 2021's No Way Home, Spider-Man was at the height of his powers, and not all MCU characters, heroes or villains, are in his league in terms of combat power.
Given the experience of these two characters, it might be fairer to say that Spider-Man has reached Captain America's level. These New York City natives are vital Avengers who are close-range combat experts, though Spider-Man has far more ranged options than Cap with his many web-based techniques.
Spider-Man has Cap beat in ranged combat, but Cap balances things out with his indestructible shield and superior martial arts and leadership skills. Overall, it's safe to say that they are roughly even by now in most conventional MCU battles.
The illusion-based villain Mysterio is fairly powerful when he can set up the battlefield ahead of time to fool his enemies. He uses a swarm of Stark tech flying drones to project convincing holograms of monsters and natural threats, and this can fool anyone into thinking that a city is under attack.
But it's just illusions, and nothing more. Mysterio has no real combat prowess of his own, and he relies entirely on misused Stark drones and their weapons. If Spider-Man ambushed him on a city street, Mysterio would be helpless.
The beloved king of the hidden nation of Wakanda is known as the Black Panther, a suited superhero who will risk his life for his people and their way of life. T'Challa humbly assumed this mantle after the assassination of his father, T'Chaka, in Austria, and ever since then, he has proven to be one of Earth's best defenders.
RELATED: 10 Most Beloved MCU Heroes
Black Panther may lack Spider-Man's web-based techniques and spidey sense, but he makes up for that with his nigh-indestructible Vibranium suit and agile, panther-inspired martial arts. Black Panther can keep up with Spider-Man on any battlefield, no sweat.
The assassin Avenger Black Widow can easily overwhelm ordinary soldiers or mercenaries in single combat with her advanced martial arts and her basic weapons, but many MCU foes are simply too powerful for Black Widow's fists or pistols to handle, such as the members of the Black Order.
Black Widow tends to get left behind in battles such as the final fight against Ultron or the battle for Wakanda against Thanos' hordes, and Spider-Man could easily outperform her in those events. Instead, Black Widow truly shines during missions involving stealth, espionage, and sabotage.
The trained assassin Shang-Chi joined the MCU fairly late, not making his debut until the final battle against Thanos was already over. But he made up for lost time with his incredible melee combat skills and most of all, the power of the Ten Rings. During the battle in Ta Lo, Shang-Shi faced his Ring-wielding father and managed to claim these ancient weapons for himself.
RELATED: 10 MCU Villains Scarlet Witch Could Defeat By Herself
Now, Shang-Chi is set to be one of the MCU's best modern heroes. His formidable combat prowess and years of intense training mean he can handle almost any foe who comes his way, and he's right on par with Spider-Man himself in most regards. Those Rings are not to be taken lightly, even in inexperienced hands.
In 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, some new faces joined the MCU, including a few notable members of the Illuminati, Earth 616's own version of the Avengers. This group included the legendary Marvel Comics hero Reed Richards, a brilliant inventor and scientist.
Reed Richards has a gifted mind, but his body can't keep up. Perhaps he's stronger in the comics, but in the MCU, Mister Fantastic is underwhelming. He lost to a wrathful Scarlet Witch without landing a single blow on her, and his stretchy body seems lackluster compared to what Spider-Man can do. He's better off in his lab.
Iron Man's military friend, James Rhodey, has a high-tech suit of his own, painted in humble dark gray tones. This is War Machine, an armored Avenger whose combat style focuses more on bullets and missiles instead of Iron Man's energy beams. He also carries a nasty-looking stun rod that could knock out Captain America.
RELATED: Thanos' 5 Best Fights in the MCU (& Who Won)
War Machine can't shoot webs, but he can take flight with his rocket boosters, and not even Spider-Man has that much mobility. War Machine also has superior firepower at range and better defenses, though his melee attacks are underwhelming and slow, and he lacks the spidey sense. It all balances out.
The Guardians of the Galaxy are powerful when they fight together, but individually, they are a bit underwhelming compared to Avengers like Spider-Man. An example is Rocket Raccoon, an animal mercenary who cares more about cash and adventure than anything, though he can be a team player when necessary.
Rocket can use a variety of firearms and pilot small starships, but he simply can't perform on the same level as Spider-Man, who has superhuman physical abilities, his spidey sense, and web-shooters on his side. Rocket wishes he could do all that.
Iron Man described Doctor Stephen Strange as a "wizard" in 2018's The Avengers: Infinity War, but the same could be said of the Avengers' opponent, Ebony Maw. This member of the Black Order has minimal melee skills and low durability, but he makes up for it with his offensive telekinetic abilities.
Ebony Maw's physical prowess is far below Spider-Man's, but his telekinetic "spells" are easily on par with anything Spider-Man can do, and the effects of his telekinesis are more diverse than Spider-Man's web-shooters. It took a lot of work to finally defeat Ebony Maw and fling him into space.
The notorious Red Skull is one of Captain America's bitter enemies and a member of HYDRA. Red Skull sought to dominate Europe with his high-tech HYDRA army, only for Captain America and the Howling Commandos to vanquish his ground army.
Red Skull is a serious threat only because of his schemes and leadership skills and not his personal combat prowess. He can defend himself, to be sure, but he's nothing special compared to the likes of Spider-Man. He'd end up tangled in a web before long if they ever fought.
Louis Kemner has been a fan of Japanese animation since 1997, when he discovered Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z in elementary school. Now he's a bigger anime/manga fan than ever, and is ready to share what he knows with readers worldwide. He graduated high school in 2009 and received his Bachelor's in creative writing from UMKC in 2013, then put his skills to work in 2019 with CBR.com. He's always looking for a wonderful new anime to watch or manga series to read.