The Marvel Universe is packed full of extraordinarily powerful heroes and villains but as we get set to witness the fight of the century between the God of Thunder and Jade Giant in Thor: Ragnarok, it's hard not to wonder which Marvel characters could be considered even mightier than the two of them.
As far as we know, only Thor and The Hulk will compete in The Grandmaster's arena on Sakaar but what if other characters - many of whom have yet to make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - were to enter the fray to test their might against them? Well, while The Hulk may call himself the strongest one there is and Thor is a literal God, there are a select few even more powerful!
What you'll find here then is our look at eight heroes and villains we believe are strong enough to overpower both of Thor: Ragnarok's combatants and where we think they could fit into the MCU!
8. Captain Universe
Captain Universe isn't actually a person and is, in fact, a physical manifestation of an ancient force known as the Uni-Power. A number of heroes have been imbued with it over the years and when Spider-Man was given a boost by this, he managed to punch The Hulk all the way to the Moon! Choosing to possess what it perceives to be a noble host in times of crisis, the Uni-Power gives its selected Captain Universe enough power to protect the universal balance and keep the cosmos safe.
If a force like this were to enter the arena with Thor and the Hulk, both would be rendered helpless as Captain Universe could destroy not only them but probably the entirety of Sakaar! With the Marvel Cinematic Universe set to expand on its cosmic adventures, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this force show up at some point in Phase 4 and it will be fun seeing which host it chooses.
7. The Sentry
Sentry's backstory is hilariously convoluted so we're not going to get into that here, but Marvel's version of Superman is more than powerful enough to show both the God of Thunder and Green Goliath who's boss. The schizophrenic superhero has a dark side, though, and when The Void was unleashed he used his insanely strong abilities to break every single bone in The Hulk's body; that's got to hurt!
In the past, Sentry has gone toe to tow with Galactus and even tore Ares - the Marvel Universe's God of War - clean in two. That doesn't bode well for Thor as not even Mjolnir would be enough to take down Sentry and while The Hulk did once battle him to a stalemate, Bruce Banner fought so hard he actually had the Gamma irradiation pretty much beaten out of his body and was unable to become the Jade Giant for quite some time after.
6. Beta Ray Bill
Eagle eyed fans noted that Beta Ray Bill's face appeared to have been featured atop The Grandmaster's arena, a sign perhaps that he's already fought there in the past. It's hard to imagine that The Hulk defeated him, though, especially when he is, in fact, so mighty he was given his own magic hammer (Stormbreaker) after proving himself worthy enough to wield Mjolnir!
He's crossed paths with both Thor and The Hulk on a number of occasions and it's always been a pretty close fight but I think that if he were to enter this arena, he'd find a way to overcome both of the fan-favourite Avengers. His big screen debut is long overdue and while it's unlikely to come in Thor: Ragnarok, it would be great to see the character take centre stage somewhere down the line, proving in the process why he's such a formidable force to be reckoned with.
5. Red Hulk
The big reveal that General Ross was Red Hulk may have been underwhelming but the character himself proved himself to be pretty damn mighty when he debuted back in 2008. He's destroyed a comet, took down the X-Men, punched A-Bomb so hard he caused an Earthquake and has taken down the original Hulk effortlessly on a number of occasions.
The fact he's able to sap the energy from his opponents gives him an instant advantage over both Thor and the Hulk and while the former would probably give him a pretty good fight, the Red Hulk coming out on top is pretty much guaranteed. This character was rumoured to appear in Captain America: Civil War but it didn't happen and it's unclear now if it's a direction Marvel Studios would ever go down. That's good news for those competing in The Grandmaster's arena!
4. America Chavez
A newer addition to the Marvel Universe, America Chavez has come a long way since first appearing all the way back in 2011. After becoming a breakout star of the Young Avengers, America is now part of the Ultimates and quite easily stands out as one of the most powerful members of a team whose aim is to actually find non-violent solutions to some of the world's biggest problems.
Able to travel between realities, America is a hero on countless worlds and her strength, speed, and durability is off the charts (so much so that even someone like Captain Marvel is left in awe of her abilities). It's true that she may not look like much, but America could effortlessly take on Thor and The Hulk if she were thrown into the arena and chances are she would ultimately emerge as the victor after a sure to be lengthy and hard fought scrap!
3. Odin
When Thor and The Hulk come to blows, it's a pretty even match. One of them normally manages to overcome the other depending on the circumstances and story which needs to be told but if those two are on the same level, just how much more powerful do you think Odin is when he's been shown to be mightier than his son in pretty much each and every way?
The ruler of a pantheon of Gods, the All-Father has headbutted Galactus and swatted away both Thor and Silver Surfer like they're gnats. It may not have been made clear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but Odin is one of the most powerful beings in existence and if he were to enter the arena with these two, they'd quickly realise who the strongest one really is! It's just a shame he's going to be spending most of Thor: Ragnarok trapped on Earth as a hobo.
2. Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel is set to make her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut a couple of years from now and while it's an adventure which may be set in the 90s, it shouldn't take long for Carol Danvers to establish herself as this world's mightiest hero. She'll be battling the Skrulls in outer space in this movie as she finds herself caught in the middle of the Kree/Skrull War but when Carol finally gets full control of her abilities, it's fair to say that she could more than easily give both Thor and The Hulk a run for their money.
After all, Captain Marvel has come on leaps and bounds since her Ms. Marvel days and if The Grandmaster were able to somehow get his hands on her, she would easily show both of these boys who's boss. Time will tell whether or not Carol is going to appear in The Avengers franchise but when she does, she'll be the strongest member of the team by far!
1. Thanos
We got just a taste of Thanos' power in that leaked trailer for Avengers: Infinity War and while that's obviously been amplified by the Infinity Gauntlet (hence why he was able to pull a Moon out of the sky to fling it at Earth's Mightiest Heroes), even without it he's one of the most feared beings in the Galaxy for good reason. With or without the Gauntlet, the Mad Titan would be able to really take it to these two and quite easily overpower them.
Thankfully, this is one battle we will get to see play out on the big screen and if rumours are to be believed, Thanos is the reason Thor is floating unconscious in outer space when the upcoming superhero ensemble begins. Chances are, of course, that he wouldn't waste his time competing in The Grandmaster's arena but if he did, then both Thor and The Hulk would find themselves in serious trouble...
Which of these characters do you guys think is mightiest enough to take down Thor and The Hulk in The Grandmaster's arena? Let us know your thoughts on that in the comments section down below.