Marvel's more "human" heroes aren't as known for amazing feats of power, but looks can be deceiving. While Marvel is full of powerhouses, like the Hulk, Thor, Jean Grey, and the Invisible Woman, most heroes get by on less. Their powers are often fantastic, but not as strong as these paragons. They've worked hard to master their abilities as a result.
However, Marvel has tons of heroes who are much stronger than they look. Heroes from Marvel's X-Men to the Inhumans and everyone in between have pulled off feats that they shouldn't have, showing hidden reserves of strength.
Updated on May 2nd, 2023 by David Harth: Marvel's heroes have proven that they can handle anything that the villains throw at them, but that doesn't mean they're all super-powerful. However, the weaker heroes often have an ace up their sleeve that will even things up for them in battle. They are much more than meets the eye, which has allowed them to surprise their foes and pull through when the odds are at their worst.
15 Ms. Marvel
Kamala Khan's Inhuman powers manifested when exposed to the Terrigen Mists. Gaining the ability to stretch and shapeshift, Khan decided to follow in the footprints of her idol Carol Danvers and took on Danvers' old moniker of Ms. Marvel. Since then, Kamala's proven to be an excellent hero, and the leader of her generation of superheroes, joining the Avengers and leading the Champions.
Ms. Marvel is a young woman, and she doesn't really look intimidating at all. However, many villains have found out otherwise. Ms. Marvel is very creative with her powers, and has quickly mastered them. She's proven to be Marvel's toughest stretchy hero, even doing things that OG Marvel stretcher Reed Richards could only dream of.
14 Captain America (Sam Wilson)
Sam Wilson's history as a superhero has seen him reach the highest echelons of the Marvel Universe. Sam started as the Falcon, working with Steve Rogers and learning the ropes from the best there is. Eventually given vibranium wings and a flight harness by Black Panther, the high-flying Falcon became an Avenger and an agent of SHIELD. Wilson operated at the highest levels before taking Steve's place as Captain America, a mantle he eventually gave up.
Back in the red, white, and blue, Sam Wilson doesn't have the supersoldier serum his mentor has, but he's still an extremely skilled and formidable opponent. Sam has proven to be wickedly strong for an unaltered human being. Anyone who thinks he's a pushover without the supersoldier serum is going to learn a very painful lesson.
13 Wiccan
The Young Avengers proved to be quite formidable, but everyone on the team knew who the most powerful hero was. Wiccan's magical skills gave him a variety of powers, and as the years went on, Wiccan only got more powerful. He's now married to the Emperor of the combined Skrull and Kree Empires. As powerful as his husband Hulkling, Wiccan's more formidable.
Wiccan has always been on the smaller side of things. He's not exactly heavily muscled, although he's in good shape, so it would be easy to think that he's relatively weak. However, much like his heavy hitter mother, the Scarlet Witch, Wiccan's powers make him a force to be reckoned with. He's not at a reality altering level, but he's got it where it counts.
12 Gamora
Thanos has powerful children, but not all of them have the universe shattering cosmic power of the Mad Titan. Gamora was adopted by Thanos after he destroyed her world, so she has none of his powers. However, Thanos soon molded Gamora into the universe's deadliest woman. She's mastered multiple fighting arts from numerous alien cultures and is a master of nearly any weapon she can get her hands on.
Gamora is in good shape for her size, but anyone who doesn't know her reputation beforehand won't be scared of her. It's something she's used to her advantage many times. Enemies have underestimated her, and she's made them pay. She's even been able to defeat Thanos with the right weapons, something that most would find impossible.
11 Noh-Varr
Noh-Varr is a genetically engineered Kree soldier from an alternate universe. A member of the crew of the multiverse traveling ship Marvel, he was shot down in the 616 universe by Dr. Midas and experimented on. Since then, Noh-Varr has caused chaos when it suited his fancy, but eventually ended up fighting alongside the heroes in the Young Avengers. Noh-Varr joined the Dark Avengers before he realized they were evil, became an actual Avenger, and was part of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Noh-Varr looks like a young adult human in good shape, more wiry than massively muscled. However, his genetic alterations make him stronger, faster, and more durable than any human. On top of that, he can adapt to anything, making him nearly impossible to kill. Many have thought he'd be a pushover, but that's not the case.
10 Black Bolt
Not every Marvel superpower is beneficial, something Black Bolt learned after his Teregenesis. His voice was the key to his power to control electrons, and it became one of the deadliest weapons in existence. This is his most well-known attribute, but there's way more to Black Bolt than just his voice. For example, he has super-strength and can slug it out with Thanos for a short time.
Black Bolt can also use the "master blow," where he focuses all of his power into one titanic attack. It's his least-known power and makes him way stronger than he appears. It's a last resort, and Black Bolt likes to hold it back for desperate situations.
9 Hawkeye
Clint Barton is the most tenacious member of the Avengers, which is saying something. The Avengers provide a home for several heroes without powers, but none of them can match Hawkeye's sheer toughness. Everyone is so busy looking at the bow and arrow, they forget just how strong and skilled Hawkeye really is.
Barton's time as Ronin showed this off perfectly. While he still depended on weapons, they were more close up weapons. He used his hand-to-hand skills more and showed his fighting prowess. Hawkeye's strength and skill mean he doesn't really need his bow and arrows.
8 Black Widow
Black Widow is the Avengers' premiere spy. She's among the team's most experienced members, having worked for the Russians since at least the '50s. She was dosed with the Infinity Formula, which slowed down her aging and enhanced her physical conditioning. Black Widow isn't superhuman, but she's much stronger and faster than any normal human.
Glancing at Black Widow, though, it's impossible to tell. That's a big part of what has made her so successful as a spy and fighter. No one expects her to be as physically dangerous as she is. Black Widow has lulled many foes into a false sense of security and then taken them down.
7 Adam Warlock
The Fantastic Four have encountered many beings over the years, and some of them are more powerful than others. Adam Warlock was created to be the perfect man, and was first called "Him." While Adam is certainly a striking individual, he doesn't look like he's the most formidable person. However, looks can be very deceiving.
While Warlock's possession of the Soul Gem gave him a lot of power, in many ways he doesn't need it. Adam's superhuman physical abilities, from strength to durability, are nearly unmatched. He's immortal, has served as the Avatar of Life, has powerful mental abilities like telepathy and clairvoyance, powerful energy manipulation abilities, and even knows sorcery. Adam Warlock can take on Thanos and win, which says it all.
6 Namor
Namor has defeated many powerful foes, which is pretty surprising, all things told. Namor is the kind of hero who will challenge the Hulk in a fight, hinting at both his strength and his brazen nature. However, looking at Namor, it's easy to think of him as a less-powerful warrior. Especially when he's wearing his scaly Speedo costume, it's very easy to mistake the Sub-Mariner for a pretty boy.
Namor's muscular, but he's not massive. His ankle wings and pointy ears look pretty silly. Anyone who doesn't know his long history of laying out powerful foes might mistake Namor for a pushover. However, once he lands that first punch, everyone knows how strong he really is.
5 Cable
Cable's known for his secrets so it makes a kind of sense that there's more to him than is immediately obvious. For years, Nathan Dayspring Askani'Son Summers kept the secret of his parentage — Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor — as well as the true nature of his powers. This actually worked very well, since no one ever suspected who he was or what he could really do.
Looking at Cable, it's impossible to know that he's one of the most powerful psionic talents on Earth. His telepathic and telekinetic powers are amazing, partly held back by his techno-organic virus. He just looks like a grizzled cyborg supersoldier, but there's way more power underneath Cable's surface.
4 Gambit
The X-Men's weaker members are still formidable, each of them bringing something special to the team. Gambit, for example, isn't a physical titan. He's lithe and fast, more known for his ability to strike at range and get out of the line of fire. However, Gambit has a secret. He was supposed to be an Omega-class mutant.
Gambit's powers were supposed to grow into the power to control molecules, but he burnt that ability out battling an alternate universe version of himself who had unlocked this power level. Looking at Gambit, no one would have guessed the godlike potential he had. He lost the ability to access that power, yet there's still a chance Krakoan resurrection could unlock it again.
3 Cyclops
Next to Professor X, Cyclops is the X-Men's most iconic leader. Considered by many to be the Captain America of the mutant race, he's a brilliant tactician and an extremely skilled combatant, having trained since he was a teenager. For years, he was known as Scott "Slim" Summers, but his slender build belied his actual power.
Cyclops's optics blasts are well known, but they're regularly underestimated. Wolverine once remarked that Cyclops basically has a nuclear bomb in his head. It's said that the full power of Cyclops' optic blasts could pulverize a mountain. No one would guess that Cyclops is a weapon of mass destruction until it was far too late.
2 Spider-Man
Spider-Man is often pretty lucky, but luck is only part of why the wall-crawler is so tough. Spider-Man, just on a power level basis, isn't in the upper echelons of the superhero community. He's not even the most powerful street-level hero, with compatriots like Luke Cage being much stronger. Also, while he's in great shape, his smaller build isn't exactly intimidating.
However, Spider-Man is way more than the sum of his powers. He's pulled off some feats of strength that should be impossible for him when his life was on the line. Spider-Man's limits are made to be broken, and it's easy to underestimate the little guy with the webs.
1 Wolverine
Wolverine has a lot of great powers, and he certainly has an intimidating look. However, when it comes right down to it, Wolverine's looks aren't going to frighten off someone like the Hulk. Multiple comics have shown big men making the mistake of talking down to Logan. They soon learned a painful lesson.
Wolverine has gone one on one with the Hulk and occasionally won. He's won battles against uncountable foes and has taken on the most dangerous mutant villains on Earth. Wolverine doesn't look like much, but he's more than proven that he's the best there is at what he does.