Fans Rank 10 Smartest Characters in the MCU

Some characters in Marvel Comics have incredible world-breaking superpowers, some have strengths of unimaginable proportions, and some have wits.

Fans recently gathered on Ranker to determine who in the MCU is the most intelligent. While some names you will certainly expect, some will surprise you, so let’s go!

10. Loki

Loki is one of the most famous tricksters in the MCU and you really can’t pull off half of the things he did without being incredibly smart. Loki was smart enough to fake his own death several times, and to capture the throne of Asgard without a single drop of blood spilled.

9. Professor Erik Selvig

Professor Selvig has been a key figure in theoretical science since the 1970s, initially teaching at Culver University alongside Hank Pym and Bruce Banner. As a leading expert in cosmic energy within the MCU, his deep knowledge of theoretical astrophysics and ability to grasp abstract concepts made him an ideal collaborator for S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers.

8. Peter Parker

Peter Parker is young, but just like in the comics, he shows great scientific promise in the MCU. Parker is not only on his school’s academic decathlon team but also created his own web fluid from everyday materials that mimic a spider’s web. His technical skills have led to comparisons with Tony Stark, granting him access to top-secret scientific and engineering projects—all while he’s still a teenager.

7. Rocket Raccoon

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but the highest form of intelligence, and this is something that Rocket definitely proved. He is mostly famous for his sarcasm, but as ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ showcased, he is also one of the most intelligent characters due to his cybernetic enhancements implanted in him by High Evolutionary. This is also one of the reasons why High Evolutionary wanted to get his hands on him.

6. Vision

Vision didn’t start out as the all-knowing superbot he is now. He began as J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark’s A.I., and was later transferred into a body designed for Ultron. After the addition of the Mind Stone, he became the hybrid character known today. Vision’s intelligence is artificial in nature, still having one of the Infinity Stones serving as your literal mind kind of places you at the top of the intelligence list.

5. Doctor Strange

Even before he mastered the mystical arts, Stephen Strange was a brilliant neurosurgeon. Becoming Doctor Strange only showcased how unconventional Strange can be in his thinking. His greatest intelligence feat is definitely outsmarting Dormammu in his own domain.

4. Shuri

By the time we see Shuri in ‘Black Panther,’ she’s deeply immersed in Wakanda’s advanced technological society. As a princess, she develops cutting-edge tech for T’Challa, including the Vibranium Panther Habit. I don’t agree with her being ranked so high, but I guess she will have enough time to accumulate some feats now that she is MCU’s Black Panther.

3. Hank Pym

Hank Pym gained fame with his discovery of Pym Particles and initially worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. as the original Ant-Man. After his wife became trapped in the Quantum Realm, he left superhero life and founded Pym Technologies, making billions while supposedly abandoning his research. Pym is responsible for pretty much all of the technology that the Ant-Family uses.

2. Bruce Banner

Bruce Banner better known as the Hulk is both physically the strongest and one of the smartest characters in the MCU. With an M.D. and a Ph.D., he’s a renowned scientist who experimented on himself with gamma radiation, which, despite its risks, he managed to turn to his advantage.

1. Tony Stark

Tony Stark is not only a daring CEO and billionaire but also one of the sharpest minds in the MCU. Leading a cutting-edge tech company and designing both software and hardware sets him apart. While his Iron Man suit is his most famous creation, Stark also developed a time-space GPS in ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ enabling precise time and space travel.

Do you agree with this list? Let us know in the comments below!

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