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Kevin Feige has said in an interview about Captain Marvel in the MCU:

With Captain Marvel, she is as powerful a character as we’ve ever put in a movie. Her powers are off the charts, and when she’s introduced, she will be by far the strongest character we’ve ever had.

To me that reads as not only being physically strong (like Hulk or Thor) but more powerful in a broader sense. And we have characters like Scarlet Witch, Dr. Strange and Thanos to compare her to (who are very powerful in a more magical/mystical/metaphysical sense).

Is there a basis for her being the most powerful character from the comics?

Background/inspiration for the question:

My (vague) fear here is that Captain Marvel will be somewhat of a deus-ex-machina for Avengers 4. Introducing a new super hero who is stronger than Thanos with all the Infinity Stones seems somewhat too simple for the MCU.

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    Well, even Wikipedia info suggests she's very powerful, also her level of power changed with time significantly, so she was as powerful as needed. Doesn't seem to be Marvel's most powerful hero, though.
    – Mithoron
    Apr 30, 2018 at 19:22
  • Indeed; a new character more powerful than Thanos who sat twiddling her thumbs while he wiped out half the life in the galaxy would be quite strange
    – Gaius
    May 10, 2018 at 13:06
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    Just because she's powerful doesn't mean she's omnicient. Can't fight what you literally have no idea is happening. She likely won't even know the cause until she gets to Earth and someone tells her about Thanos and what he did with the stones.
    – Derek
    Sep 18, 2018 at 17:07
  • I dont know about the comics, but in "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" (when she was still called Ms. Marvel, since Captain Marvel is another character altogether), Wasp described Carol Danvers as being "as tough as Thor, and as strong as Hulk" in the episode "Who do you trust?". She later confirms that when Marvel is holding her ground against Hulk alone. But that's far from being the strongest character though.
    – Clockwork
    Sep 18, 2018 at 18:31
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    @SS: same way as everyone else: probability. Mar 8, 2019 at 12:20

1 Answer 1

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From Wikipedia, emphasis mine:

Carol Danvers has been labeled "Marvel's biggest female hero" and "quite possibly Marvel's mightiest Avenger".

...

Carol Danvers initially possessed superhuman strength, endurance, stamina, flight, physical durability, a limited precognitive "sixth sense", and a perfectly amalgamated human/Kree physiology that rendered her resistant to most toxins and poisons. As Binary, the character could tap the energy of a "white hole", allowing full control and manipulation of stellar energies, and therefore control over heat, the electromagnetic spectrum and gravity. Light speed travel and the ability to survive in the vacuum of space were also possible.

Although the link to the white hole was eventually severed, Danvers retains her Binary powers on a smaller scale, enabling her to both absorb energy and project it in photonic form. She can also still survive in space. While she lacks a constant source of energy to maintain the abilities at their previous cosmic level, she can temporarily assume her Binary form if empowered with a high enough infusion of energy.

Danvers possesses superhuman strength and durability, can fly at roughly six times the speed of sound, retains her sixth sense, and can discharge explosive blasts of radiant energy, which she fires from her fingertips. She also demonstrates the ability to absorb other forms of energy, such as electricity, to further magnify her strength and energy projection, up to the force of an exploding nuclear weapon. When sufficiently augmented, she can withstand the pressure from a 92-ton weight, and strike with a similar level of force, although Hank Pym theorized that this likely was not her limit. Danvers cannot absorb magical energy without consequence, though she aided Dr. Stephen Strange in the defeat of the mystic menace Sir Warren Traveler.

From Marvel Wiki:

Superhuman Strength: Carol is superhumanly strong and is listed at a normal level of roughly Class 50, half her original Binary power levels. However, since she is able to absorb various types of energy, she can use this energy to temporarily increase her physical strength to levels similar to that of her time as Binary, in which form she reaches class 100+.

Superhuman Stamina: Carol's musculature produces considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. As Binary, she could physically exert herself at peak capacity for about 24 hours before fatigue begins to impair her. She was reduced to roughly half this after losing her Binary powers. However, she is capable of channeling absorbed energy to further increase her stamina to higher levels.

Superhuman Durability: The tissues of her body are considerably harder and more resistant to physical injury than those of an ordinary human. Ms. Marvel is capable of withstanding high caliber bullets, great impact forces, falls from great heights, exposure to temperature and pressure extremes, and powerful energy blasts without sustaining any injury. While channeling the energy she absorbed, her body's resilience is extended to an even greater degree.

Superhuman Agility: As Binary, Carol's agility, balance, and bodily coordination were enhanced to levels that are significantly beyond the natural limits of the human body. At her current power levels, she is presumably roughly half as agile, with the potential to regain Binary levels through energy absorption.

Superhuman Reflexes: As Binary, Carol's reflexes were heightened to the point of being virtually instantaneous. At her current power levels, she presumably has reflex time of roughly twice that, with the potential to regain Binary levels through energy absorption.

Flight: Carol is capable of propelling herself through the air and the vacuum of space at tremendous speeds. Although her top speed is unknown, she flew at three times the speed of sound for several hours, so it is likely she can go much faster.

Space Flight: As Binary, Carol was capable of surviving unaided in the vacuum of space for indefinite periods of time. After first losing her Binary powers, Carol proved incapable of achieving orbit or surviving unaided in space. However, she was highly intoxicated when she attempted to do so, which may have hampered her progress. She has since proved capable of surviving and fighting in the vacuum of space, only requiring an air supply to do so.

Flash Precognition/Cosmic Awareness/Hyper-Cosmic Awareness: Part of her original power set as Ms. Marvel, Carol was subconsciously able to anticipate the moves of her opponents, though this power was not exactly reliable and activated randomly. After Rogue robbed her of her powers, she was subsequently transformed into Binary. After these powers faded, it seems that Carol's Seventh Sense returned. T'challa theorized that when the Kree Psychi-Magnitron that gave Carol her powers, that she inherited some of Captain Mar-Vell's abilities during exposure to it. In that sense her travels across Exospace and the like bolstered this aspect of her powers to see the cage outside of reality that's binding The Marvel Universe.

Contaminant Immunity: Carol possesses an amalgamated human/alien Kree physiology that granted her a degree of immunity to toxins and poisons.

Photonic Blasts: Carol can fire powerful concussion blasts of photon and stellar light energy from her hands and fingertips.

Energy Absorption: Her body is capable of absorbing various types of energy for the purpose of temporarily enhancing her own physical attributes. She can augment her strength and energy projection up to the force of an exploding nuclear weapon. If empowered by enough energy, she can assume her Binary form again temporarily.

Regenerative Healing Factor: The absorbed energy increases the potency of her metabolism, allowing her to quickly regenerate from catastrophic wounds.

Minor Molecular Control: She can use absorbed energy to transform her regular clothing into her costume and vice-versa.

So, yes she seems pretty powerful.

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  • "She seems pretty powerful", but does it really mean she's "the most powerful character"?
    – Clockwork
    Sep 18, 2018 at 18:53
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    @Clockwork From Wikipedia: Carol Danvers has been labeled "Marvel's biggest female hero" and "quite possibly Marvel's mightiest Avenger". I'll add that to my answer. Sep 18, 2018 at 18:56
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    What about that time when she hit the Hulk with all her strength and he didn't even feel it? It happened in World War Hulk but I'm having trouble finding an image of the page. Mar 11, 2019 at 10:19
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    It's worth noting that a lot of this isn't in the movie, being the result of a good amount of power gain/loss over the years in comics.
    – Baldrickk
    Mar 11, 2019 at 17:21

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