The MCU is constantly branching out to near-unstoppable lengths. Introducing new superheroes became the talk of the town as soon as we entered Phase 4 of the franchise and left behind the iconic Infinity Saga. Through franchises like Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Black Panther, the MCU slowly introduced advanced technology, science, and thought it what was originally a more-grounded approach to the comic book superhero movie. Phase 4 effectively widened the scope, further diving into the Multiverse, magic, and the intersection of technology, science, and ethics.
As a result, it’s only natural that the MCU franchise would feature some of Marvel’s most brilliant minds. Smart heroes are needed to save the universe from all kinds of threats. Of course, the question is: who are the smartest MCU heroes? Here’s our (far from definitive) list of nine of them.
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9 Thor
Marvel Studios
Many may question our choice of including Thor in this list, but let’s not forget that the God of Thunder is in fact 1500 years old. Do you expect him to be unknowledgeable about the topics of the universe, especially when his father ruled the Nine Realms? Even if he didn’t take any interest in learning new information, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid it with all the experience he’s had over the thousands of years of his life. Thor can keep up with Banner in a conversation about physics pretty easily. He can fly and operate any spaceship. Asgard is even overall classified as a more advanced nation than Wakanda.
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8 Scott Lang
A lot of people see Scott as nothing but a mere thief whose humor lights up the heavy situations that happen in the MCU. However, Scott is actually a very talented engineer who turned to crime only because he lacked excitement from his job and wanted to help people. Right from the get-go in the first Ant-Man, his intelligence was showcased when he managed to outsmart Hank Pym himself (even though he let him) and steal the Ant-Man suit. Although he doesn’t know the correct vocabulary when explaining things, it was Scott who came with the time-travel idea and gave the Avengers the chance to save the world. It should also be mentioned that Scott holds a Masters degree in electrical engineering.
7 Doctor Strange
Having five PhDs from a medical school and being one of the best surgeons in the U.S. definitely makes you one of the smartest superheroes in the MCU. Although not in our universe, one of Strange’s variants was also a founding member of The Illuminati, whose rules strictly say that you need at least 225 IQ to join. Yes, he is not a tech-savvy person like Stark and Banner, but he’s smart in a different field. He was able to decipher an old text that only the Ancient One could read and used his photographic memory to study the arts unknown to him, eventually becoming, for a short time at least, the Sorcerer Supreme.
6 Peter Parker
Sony / Marvel Studios
Chosen by Tony Stark himself, Peter Parker was labeled as the smartest kid from the get-go. He excels at chemistry, biology, and physics. He brews his own homemade synthetic webbing, which possesses unbelievable strength. Despite not devoting any attention to his classes, he is able to keep up with them and with his team. After Tony’s death, he was left with his tech and, yes, he made some pretty bad decisions, but do not forget he’s just a 16-year-old kid. One of his biggest problems is his naivety, and we’re yet to solve that problem. However, with talks of a Spider-Man 4 featuring Tom Holland, it’s possible that Peter, now in Manhattan and out of high school, might see some growth.
5 Jane Foster
Walt Disney Studios
There’s no denying that one of Marvel’s biggest problems is that they don’t bother writing women characters who actually bring intelligence to the table, instead of just looks and acting as the love interest. That said, Jane Foster is one of the few extremely intelligent women scientists in the MCU who is granted a full character arc and agency. She studies space and related anomalies, and managed to save the world in her own way, while Thor was busy saving his. Her latest appearance as the Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder only further proved her intelligence, as she was able to make smart decisions and had thoughts of innovative ways on how to use her tools.
4 Shuri
Some people are pressed solely because Shuri is portrayed as a smarter character than Bruce and Tony combined, but it would make a lot of sense, right? Wakanda’s unconditional access to the strongest metal on Earth, Vibranium, gave her the chance to study it and understand it from a very young age and later developed ways how to use it to Wakanda’s advantage. It can also be argued that her education was far superior to other characters’. Unlike Tony’s certain family privilege, Shuri was a major contribution to her country’s tech development.
3 Nick Fury
We have yet another character whose intelligence is oftentimes overlooked. The head of S.H.I.E.L.D Nick Fury is the best character at thinking ahead and preparing for the worst. The man set in a place a protocol that helped fake his own death. It was Fury’s idea to create The Avengers that would protect the Earth and gathered them together despite their differences. His ability to lead stands out in every movie that he appears in, as well as his calculative and knowledgeable mastermind. And on top of it all, he stored the retinal scan in his damaged eye to trick his enemies after he figured out on his own that S.H.I.E.L.D was compromised by HYDRA.
2 Bruce Banner
Anyone who’s labeled Bruce Banner as the comic relief of the MCU had to have forgotten that the scientist has seven PhDs in total. He has helped to develop technology for the Avengers, as well as S.H.I.E.L.D. His intelligence is very overlooked, but you have to remember the fact that despite being academically isolated due to having to live as Hulk, he was able to immediately keep up with Tony after his introduction to the Avengers. He also created a potent Super Soldier Serum that gave Emil Bronsky strength that nearly rivaled Captain America’s. Because nobody knows biorganics better than Bruce, he helped Tony create Vision. Although not in the best shape, he was managed to figure out time travel.
1 Tony Stark
Last but not least, the super genius of them all: Mr.Tony Stark. Where do we even start? Tony has excelled at numerous things from a very young age and took over his dad’s company. At age four, he built his first circuit board; at age six, his first engine; at 17, he already graduated MIT; and at age 21 became the CEO of Stark Industries. Per Looper, Stark’s IQ is around 270. After being held hostage by terrorists, he was capable of building the prototype of his Iron Man suit in a mere cave. Even without wearing the suit, he found smart ways to escape Aldrich Killian’s goons in Iron Man 3, proving he was more than just the suit. Although not on purpose, he created the synthezoid Vision. The man managed to crack the code for time travel overnight and even figured out how to get one of the Stones after their mission failed. Not to mention he created a new element and is a master at nanotechnology.
