It goes without saying that the MCU has several very intelligent individuals among its ranks, and then it has a few that can be technically classified as average when it comes to intelligence. Those that have above-average and superior intellects are typically those that either don’t do the heaviest fighting or don’t do so in their normal form. In fact, only a few people in the MCU are really that great when it comes to hand to hand combat versus using their intellect to overpower their enemies. Those individuals have still been seen to be some of the most notable fighters in the comics and even on the big screen, but in their normal form, they tend to excel more in their given fields and aren’t nearly as skilled in combat as those around them. The thing about the smartest individuals in the MCU though is that they tend to find ways to either overwhelm their opponents in various other ways. Some of them are rich, some of them usually don’t have a penny to their names, but all of them are capable of doing amazing things when it comes time to put their intellect to the test.
Here are a few of the smartest heroes in the MCU.
5. Stephen Strange
Before becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange was an actual doctor, a surgeon no less, so it’s easy to assume that he had to be more than a little intelligent when it came to his job. But once he learned that there were worlds beyond his own, his knowledge only continued to increase since he came to accept that what he knew wasn’t all there was to know. The trick of this character is that he has extensive knowledge of his own field, but also has the vast knowledge that’s been imparted to him as the Sorcerer Supreme, which means he’s not much of a physicist and he’s definitely not a genius when it comes to various other fields, but he’s still one of the smarter heroes around and worth listening to.
4. Hank Pym
Despite the explanation of how physics really work when it comes to shrinking and increasing one’s size, Hank Pym is considered one of the smartest in the MCU largely because he created the effect, he refined it, and he made it work in a way that no one else could since his Pym particles were vital when it came to Endgame and were invaluable during the Ant-Man movies. In his younger years, he was definitely a decent fighter, but he didn’t have to be highly skilled, largely because he couldn’t be tracked that easily and he still packed a pretty heavy punch when he decreased his size.
3. Bruce Banner
It was a bit humbling to see Shuri ask a question in Infinity War of Bruce that he couldn’t answer right away, but it’s also worth noting that working with Vision’s particular physiology and how the soul stone was connected to his body isn’t exactly Bruce’s specialty. It’s true, he has limits just like anyone, but he’s also been one of the smartest men in his field throughout the history of Marvel comics. He’s also been someone that’s been on the run and has been heavily persecuted since his change, while Shuri, as intelligent as she really is, has been kept up in Wakanda where she’s free to do as she pleases while learning a great many things.
2. Shuri
Shuri is kind of a nice surprise for a lot of people since she’s been kind of fun to watch when it comes down to what she can invent and how useful some of her inventions are. T’Challa’s sister is undoubtedly one of the smartest minds in the MCU, though one has to wonder if her father or mother were just as intelligent, or if this is something that skips a generation or two. It’s expected that she might be assuming the throne in the next Black Panther movie, which would be interesting to see since it would undoubtedly take her away from her inventions and laboratory more often than not.
1. Tony Stark
There are actually a few people in Marvel comics that have been seen to be at least at Tony Stark’s level if not above him, but there aren’t many since he’s one of the most intelligent people alive. This is a guy that managed to craft an Iron Man suit for almost every occasion and while he wasn’t exactly a self-made billionaire, it’s very likely that he could have been since his level of intelligence allows him to step in the ring with some of the most powerful members of the MCU thanks to his various Iron Man suits, and it’s not everyone that can take on the Hulk toe to toe and actually knock him out.
Intelligence can definitely rival strength any day.
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