10 Best Hand-to-Hand Fighters in Marvel Comics

I sat in my office a few days ago fantasizing about different “who would win between” battles. The more I thought about it, the more I became entertained by my thoughts. I then wondered, if some of the best fighters in Marvel Comics fought against each other, who would come out on top.

Of course, I picked the regulars:

• Captain America vs Red Skull
• Wolverine vs Sabretooth
• Gamora vs Thanos
• Hulk vs Thor

And then picked the obscures:

• Groot vs Squirrel Girl
• Nova vs Magneto
• Annihilus vs Wasp
• Mr. Fantastic vs Drax The Destroyer

Eventually, my thoughts drifted and I began to wonder just who the best fighters in Marvel Comics were. I sat back, deep in my thoughts, and decided on 10. These are in no particular order with the exception of number one. That person is the best fighter around.

List of the best fighters in Marvel Comics:

10. Captain America

Not only is Captain America one of the most decorated characters in Marvel history, but he is also a survivor of multiple wars, battles, fights, and skirmishes. He is trained in nearly every known fighting style known in existence and has gone toe-to-toe with some of the biggest and worst villains in the world. Without bragging too much, this list includes Thanos, Red Skull, Winter Soldier, and The Incredible Hulk. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that he leads one of the most powerful teams in comics.

Captain America is the quintessential good guy and will stop at nothing to rectify a situation should he see that there has been an injustice. For these reasons and so much more, for this list, Captain America is a no-brainer.

9. Bucky Barnes

Speaking of Captain America, it wouldn’t be a list of top fighters if it didn’t include the man that he has been most responsible for. Not only did Captain America mold the man that Bucky became during World War Two, but he freed him and brought him back to the good guys after years of mind-poisoning at the hands of the enemy.

Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, is one of the predominant fighters in the history of comics. He has repeatedly had to fight for every square inch he has been given and will probably have to do so for the rest of his life.

He knows exactly how to disappear and will reappear only when the time is right. He can control his cybernetic arm with his mind and in case you’ve forgotten, easily caught Cap’s Shield in the Winter Soldier movie. Think about it this way, when Captain America was presumed dead, Bucky picked up the shield and continued the legacy.

8. Iron Fist

I suppose if you’re good enough to beat a dragon in combat, you should probably be considered for the list of Best Fighters in Marvel Comics. Look, I can’t stress this enough. He beat a dragon. A dragon. And what did he do afterward? He plunged his hand into his heart and absorbed his power.

Not only is Iron Fist prolifically trained in nearly every style of martial art, ninjitsu, and combat, he can channel his Chi down to his fist and into a ball of fire. With it, he can break just about any known material in existence. Not only could Iron Fist punch just about any contender before they blinked, but he could also do so twice.

There’s a reason he picked up and became Daredevil when Matt Murdock was unable to do so.

7. Black Widow

What needs to be said about a woman who was tortured and trained by the Russian KGB in a place called the Red Room? As a result of the training, Natasha Romanov was given the title of best recruit, called Black Widow, and sent out on some of the most dangerous missions…ever. I repeat, she beat out a group of people training to be ruthless killers and spies.

Don’t let the masquerade as a superspy fool you, Natasha Romanov is battle tested. She has successfully beaten up an impressive list of adversaries.

1. Dr. Doom
2. Crimson Dynamo
3. Bullseye
4. Red Skull
5. Loki

And has done so with ease. She has single-handedly brought down A.I.M on more than one occasion and isn’t afraid of daunting challenges. For these reasons and more, she is deserving of the list.

6. Black Panther

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A Wakandan King. Need I say more? Not only is he the greatest fighter hailing from a remote group who prides themselves on their intelligence and ability to fight, but he has also learned just about every fighting style known to man.

This, of course, includes the various secret forms from his homeland! Couple that with the fact he ingested a herb that takes his abilities to just under superhuman and you have a recipe for unrivaled.

And it gets better. Because he is the Black Panther, he also possesses the ability to call upon the knowledge of every previous Black Panther that ever walked the Earth. So, not only can he call on his own abilities and knowledge, he can call upon the abilities and knowledge of countless others.

Yeah, Black Panther is a beast. Yeah, Black Panther is a part of the best fighters on the Marvel Comics list.

5. Daredevil

What list would be complete without the Man Without Fear, Daredevil? Yes, Daredevil definitely makes the Top 10 Best Fighters in Marvel Comics. And he does so with ease. Tell me, who else can stand up to Bullseye, Elektra, Kingpin, and The Hand and walk away unscathed? Very few, that’s who.

From a very young age, Daredevil was trained by a man named Stick, preparing him for the endless fighting he’d engage in as he aged. Because of the accident that left him blind, his remaining senses have been heightened.

He is able to hear and feel things long before they happen. In case you’re wondering, this means that he can feel the movements around him as they happen. As a consequence, his reflexes are razor sharp.

He, of course, uses this to his advantage. It’s no wonder the criminals of Hell’s Kitchen walk a little quicker when he’s around.

4. Wolverine

What list would be complete without the Canadian animal, Wolverine? I really can’t say anything that you probably don’t already know. Like most others on this list, he has trained in just about every fighting style known to man.

What makes Wolverine different is not that he uses each style to his advantage, but rather he has something called a berzerker rage. When he unleashes it, Hell hath no fury like what you witness. Go and read Old Man Logan and watch him rip through the Hulk from the inside out if you don’t believe me.

He is brash, crude, won’t hesitate to “finish” the job, and because of his healing factor, nearly impossible to stop. Oh, and it helps that because of his ability to heal, he doesn’t really age. Because he doesn’t age, he doesn’t slow down. It is for these reasons and more that he is the perfect fit for the Top 10 Best Fighters in Marvel Comics.

3. Taskmaster

Truthfully, I had a hard time putting Taskmaster on the list. It isn’t because he can’t fight nor is it because he isn’t deserving of a spot. It was more because he can only fight because his power of mimicking anything that he sees allows him to. Without it, I don’t think he would be nearly the fighter he is today.

That aside, Taskmaster has trained agents, fought against the likes of Captain America, and done these with very little formal training. He could enter any fight unprepared, simply watch his opponent, learn what they know in seconds, and use it against them. He is both methodical and tactical in his approach, and these two qualities make him extremely dangerous. And for these reasons, he makes the cut.

2. Elektra

Scorned by the death of her father, Elektra left her life in New York behind to train with the same man who trained Daredevil. Feeling unfulfilled, she left him and began training with a group of ninjas known as The Hand. Not only does she become the best of them all, she quickly rises to the top.

Eventually, she leaves The Hand and makes her way back to New York to become one of the foremost assassins in the Marvel Universe. To work for the likes of the Kingpin, you have to be pretty good at what you do, and Elektra is more than pretty good. She has trained with numerous weapons but her preference is always to go back to the sai.

1. Shang-Chi

Question: What happens when you possess no superpowers in a universe filled with superpowers?

Answer: You develop your ability to fight to be so strong that it in itself is considered a superpower.

By far, of all the characters, Shang-Chi is number one in the Top 10 Best Fighters in Marvel Comics list. Unlike many other martial artists, Shang-Chi is a Grandmaster. If you don’t know what that means, understand that it means he wins way more battles than he loses.

Just like the aforementioned Iron Fist, Shang-Chi can focus his Chi into energy. This enables him to dish out some serious damage without taking any in return. Couple this with his honed skill to control his nervous system so that he may feel no pain, and you have a recipe for one bad man.

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