10 Biggest Downgrades In MCU History

For the most part, Marvel's colossal cinematic universe has successfully managed to take what many had come to cherish and celebrate on the colourful page and effectively transition it onto the big screen.

Interlacing storylines from movie to movie, long-running sagas with epic emotional pay-offs, and enough witty one-liners to keep the whole beast from taking itself a little too seriously, the MCU has more than earned its consistent pats on the back over the years.

However, that's not to say that Kevin Feige's films are completely free from criticism.

Yet, while fans have been known to clash over whether the consistently bright and perky tone or increasingly bland CGI is wearing thin, most will happily agree that the MCU has had a habit of frequently nerfing some of the most eye-catching and explosive characters to have ever graced a comic book page.

Admittedly, having absolutely every Marvel hero or villain live up to their written counterpart's legacies may result in projects and narratives perhaps too grand even for the mighty Marvel Studios to produce. But that still doesn't change the fact that each and every one of the following names looks positively under-powered when held up against either an earlier cinematic version of themselves or the inspiration behind their blockbuster equivalent.

Lurking over the entirety of Marvel Studios' first three phases as the big bad destined to bring untold misery and a threat worthy of assembling the entire fleet of Avengers once and for all, it's safe to class Thanos as quite possibly the most captivating and powerful antagonist the MCU has produced to date.

Yet, even when weighing up The Mad Titan's abilities to throw entire moons at our heroes or bat away Avengers like they were irritating gnats whilst wielding his trusty Infinity Gauntlet - and even whooping The Hulk's big green ass in hand-to-hand combat - it's hard to consume his big screen exploits without feeling as though Feige and the gang still left a lot on the powerful table.

A quick glance at the comics showcases a purple menace, even minus his eye-catching golden glove, capable of utterly battering the likes of The Silver Surfer, Galactus, and Adam Warlock. While his ability to channel cosmic energy also equips him with the strength to lift 100 tons with ease and his Art of War training on Titan make him a match for anyone when the gloves are off.

Wiping Asgard out completely, burning The Hulk's skin right off, and even suddenly conjuring up a romantic rival to Death by the name of Terraxia, comic book Thanos is a force even Josh Brolin's nutsack-chinned baddie would struggle to contend with.