10 Powerful Mutants Who Could Have Taken Out Thanos
Mutants should finally appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following Disney’s acquisition of Fox, Professor Charles Xavier appears in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessand the last episode of Ms. Marvel reveals that Kamala Khan is a mutant herself.
As a result, fans are hoping to see more and more mutants, including some of the most iconic x-men, begin to appear. However, some can’t help but wonder – aided by the existence of parallel universes within the MCU itself – how past events would have played out with them. In particular, which of the mutants from the comics and movies could have stopped Thanos’ genocidal plans by Infinity War and End of Game.
ten The Phoenix is a cosmic threat at least on the level of Thanos
One of the most serious threats the X-Men face in any continuity is the Phoenix. He is an immensely powerful cosmic entity that often takes control of Jean Grey, greatly amplifying her powers, to the detriment of her humanity and morality. The Phoenix is the most powerful being in x-men movies, and potentially even more powerful in the comics.
As powerful as Thanos is, he couldn’t match the Phoenix in a fight. Especially, Avengers: Endgameshows Thanos being defeated by powerful telekinesis, which is just one of the powers the Phoenix can use while inhabiting Jean Grey. With that, plus a number of others, she could overwhelm him.
9 Sebastian Shaw vs Physical Fighters
Thanos’ threat is amplified Avengers: Infinity War because he owns the Infinity Stones, starting with just one and growing exponentially more powerful the more he collects them. In Avengers: Endgamehowever, Thanos proves to be an almost unstoppable warrior without them, overpowering Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, and more on sheer physical strength.
The perfect counterpoint to this is Sebastian Shaw, the villain associated with the Hellfire Club seen in X-Men: First Class. Shaw’s ability is to absorb kinetic energy directed at him, using it to amplify his own power. He could turn Thanos’ immense physical strength against him, easily absorbing powerful blows and only growing stronger.
8 Professor X is an almost unstoppable telepath
In the movies as well as in the comics, Charles Xavier is one of the most dangerous beings in the world, despite his gentle nature. He is one of the most powerful telepaths in the world, able to read and control the thoughts of his enemies. Thanos has a strong will, but no specific mental defenses, so there seems to be no reason Xavier couldn’t take control of him.
If Thanos had the Mind Stone, Professor X might be less useful against him, but without it Xavier could turn him into a sitting duck. Even by simply having him stand still and let the others finish the job, Professor X could attack Thanos for reasons he has little defense against.
seven Wanda Maximoff was shown erasing Thanos
The MCU’s Wanda Maximoff isn’t officially a mutant, due to legal disputes between Disney and Fox. However, with Disney once again having full rights to her character, she could be retroactively revealed as such, or an alternate universe version of herself could well be a mutant.
Regardless of her character’s comic book accuracy, however, Wanda has already been shown to obliterate Thanos. In Avengers: Endgame, she is by far the biggest threat to him, single-handedly immobilizing and injuring him. Considering her comic book mutant counterpart’s vast powers, there’s no reason to believe she would act any differently.
6 Snape kills with a touch
Although she is very powerful in the comics, Snape’s most direct power is made much more dangerous in the x-men movies. Able to absorb powers with a simple touch, Rogue also drains the life force of people in the films, first rendering them weak and drowsy, then simply killing them.
It’s unclear if Snape could gain Thanos’ strength, given that it’s innate to him as a Titan, but the side effect of his powers could prove Thanos’ undoing. She would need help getting close enough to touch him, but once she does, it might be over for Thanos as she weakens and eventually kills him.
5 David Haller is almost unstoppable when he goes all out
Although he hasn’t appeared in the films, David Haller is the son of Charles Xavier and the protagonist of the TV show. Legion. The child of one of the most powerful mutants of all time, David not only equals his father in power, he eclipses him. Not only is he almost as powerful a telepath, but he is also telekinetic and able to rewrite matter and reality itself.
Haller is often held back by an unwillingness to use his powers or difficulty controlling them, but his full arsenal could leave Thanos powerless. If he’s able to fully utilize his potential, Thanos would be overwhelmed with nearly all of his powers individually, let alone together.
4 Apocalypse could take on a gloveless Thanos
Apocalypse is similar to Thanos in that he forces the superheroes to band together for a chance to stop him. He is able to overwhelm most other mutants with his array of powers, simply being more powerful than other mutants. Due to his specific abilities, however, he’s likely to lose to an Infinity Gauntlet-equipped Thanos.
As shown on the X-Men: Apocalypse, Apocalypse primarily uses telekinesis and matter manipulation, including turning his enemies outright into dust. As effective as these might be against Thanos on his own, Infinity Stones like the Space Stone and Reality Stone could counter or even neutralize them altogether, rendering Apocalypse much more powerless.
3 The Storm Could Unleash The Forces Of Nature On Thanos
Widely recognized as one of the most dangerous mutants of all time, Storm is such a threat due to the ease with which she can tap into primal forces. She controls the weather, which means that with just a little effort, she can pit incredibly powerful forces against Thanos and his army.
Although he’s proven to be extremely resistant to damage, even Thanos might struggle to survive lightning bolt after lightning bolt. Additionally, Storm is able to fly using the wind, meaning she could stay away from Thanos and deny him any chance to fight back or stop him.
2 Magneto could take the day with his sheer skill
Magneto, one of the most notable enemies of the x-men, is not as powerful as some other mutants. He can’t tap into the weather or crush the minds of others, or change reality as he pleases. Instead, he simply developed his skills with his powers until he could do almost anything he wanted if there was metal near him.
If Erik could control the metal in Thanos’ armor and sword, the fight might just be over before it started. Otherwise, however, he is still likely to have objects around him that he can manipulate. According to Titan’s physiology, he could even rip iron out of Thanos’ blood, as he showed in X2: X-Men United.
1 Thanos couldn’t stop Quicksilver
Superspeed is one of the most archetypal superpowers, but also one of the hardest to counter. Thanos is incredibly strong, very tough and faster than he looks, but he still moves almost to a standstill compared to Pietro Maximoff. With his super speed, Pietro could evade anything Thanos could throw at him, though he likely needed some form of weapon to do damage.
Continuity could make the difference. Quicksilver is fast in the comics, but is usually compared to the relatively slow speed of sound. In the x-men movies, Quicksilver is quick enough to save an entire school from an explosion, after it has started, while still having plenty of fun. In the latter case, Thanos probably couldn’t even see his death coming.