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  Table of content    
  1. Rocket vs. The High Evolutionary (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3)
  2. Star-Lord vs. Ronan the Accuser (Guardians of the Galaxy)
  3. Iron Man vs. Thanos (Avengers: Endgame)
  4. Thor vs. Hela (Thor: Ragnarok)
  5. America Chavez vs. The Scarlet Witch (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)
  6. Tony Stark vs. Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)
  7. Black Widow vs. Dreykov (Black Widow)
  8. Shuri vs. Namor & The Talokan Kingdom (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
  9. Spider-Man vs. Ebony Maw (Avengers: Infinity War)
  10. Doctor Strange vs. Dormammu (Doctor Strange)

10 Times When MCU Superheroes Completely Outsmarted Much More Powerful Villains

The key to the victory of a superhero is not just about mere strength, but the power of wits also comes into play, especially when they have to face a much stronger opponent than themselves. And in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are plenty of ridiculously strong supervillains, who are either cosmic entities like Tiamut and Dormammu, or evil masterminds such as Thanos and the High Evolutionary. And the fight against these formidable foes is where the Avengers showcase their intelligence and add the element of surprise into battle.

No matter how strong the opponents are, the heroes of Marvel almost come out on top in every fight, and it’s thanks to their perfect combination of brains and brawn. Let’s take a look at 10 iconic MCU battles, where the protagonists just absolutely outplayed the powerful villains, and how their methods completely caught not only the bad guy but also the audience off guard.

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#1. Rocket vs. The High Evolutionary (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3)

Source: Marvel Studios

At the start of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, we saw Rocket testing his new anti-gravity shoes and walking the stairs upside-down, but few would imagine that he’d use the boots in the final fight to outplay the High Evolutionary. The villain uses his gravitational attack to send our raccoon flying to the ceiling, but Rocket, having predicted the situation, activates the boots and drops to the ground, rendering the opponent’s power completely useless.

As a result, the High Evolutionary is ambushed by the Guardians afterward, and critically injured by Gamora before his ship is blown to bits.

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#2. Star-Lord vs. Ronan the Accuser (Guardians of the Galaxy)

Source: Marvel Studios

There’s more than one tactical genius in the Guardians squad, and it’s none other than the legendary Star-Lord. After their epic fight against Ronan’s army in Guardians of the Galaxy, the villain finally gets his hand over the Power Stone. In the last-ditch effort, Peter Quill tries a stupid attempt to distract Ronan by…dancing, and somehow it works. 

He buys enough time for Rocket to repair the gun and shoots it Ronan’s way, and dives in to grab the Infinity Stone with his bare hands. Not the smartest of strategies, but since it works, why not include it in the list?

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#3. Iron Man vs. Thanos (Avengers: Endgame)

Source: Marvel Studios

To fight against the Mad Titan in close combat is suicide, the Avengers learned this lesson the hard way. During both battles in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, no matter what the team tries, Thanos always comes out on top at the end. Tony Stark is aware of this, and he knows exactly what to do to defeat the enemy. 

In the final sequence, by making Thanos believe that he is going for the gauntlet, Stark cleverly steals the Infinity Stones away from his suit and makes the snap instead. Iron Man saves the Earth by defeating Thanos and his army at the cost of his own life, and this should be considered one of the best and most crucial outplay in the MCU's history.

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#4. Thor vs. Hela (Thor: Ragnarok)

Source: Marvel Studios

In Ragnarok, even with his newfound power, Thor still couldn’t hold a candle against Hela’s immense abilities. Knowing full well he can’t defeat his sister on his own, the God of Thunder makes a bold decision: He unleashes the King of Muspelheim, Surtur, thus sacrificing the whole Asgard kingdom to stop Hela. The plan ultimately works, but now Thor and his people are without a home, and wander in space for a while before meeting Thanos.

Well, you know what they say: Can’t rule a kingdom if there’s no kingdom left.

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#5. America Chavez vs. The Scarlet Witch (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)

Source: Marvel Studios

Even if you have the Sorcerer Supreme and Doctor Strange on your side, the odds are still against you if you fight against such a powerful mutant like Scarlet Witch. Wielding immense psychic abilities which are further enhanced by the Darkhold, Wanda easily outpowers the whole army of Kamar-Taj, and there’s nothing Strange can do to stop her.

Luckily, Chavez finds a way. Knowing they can’t defeat the Scarlet Witch using the normal method, the young girl sends Wanda straight to Earth-838, and make her face her children – Billy and Tommy – in her scariest form. Of course, the boys are afraid of her and rush to protect their original mother. Looking at their terrified eyes, Wanda realizes her wrongdoings and decides to give up, return and destroy all the Darkhold Relic, and bury herself with it.

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#6. Tony Stark vs. Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)

Source: Marvel Studios

Tony is much more than a man behind the suit, and when his technology fails to defeat his opponents, that’s when his mind comes into play. In his last fight against Aldrich Killian and the enhanced Extremists, even with all his suits, the billionaire is still overwhelmed by the villain’s brute power. On his last resort, he calls over his suit Mark XLIII over, but it stumbles into a pillar and is shattered into pieces.

 Not sure if this is a deliberate move from Stark, but as the genius he is, the hero quickly assembles the pieces together to trap a distracted Killian inside his Mark XLIII and blows him up along with the suit. The move shows how Tony Stark is the “mind” of the Avengers, showing his frightening ability of improvisation.

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#7. Black Widow vs. Dreykov (Black Widow)

Source: Marvel Studios

No one in their right mind would break their own nose before going into battle, but Natasha Romanoff has done just that. Against the formidable Dreykov, who has taken use of his organization’s latest technology to alter his pheromones, renders anyone who smells it unable to attack, but Romanoff, with a bit of help from her surrogate mother, Melina, somehow finds a way to pull through.

To sever the pheromones’ effect, she breaks her nose by slamming it into Dreykov's desk, which makes her unable to smell anything, but is now able to attack the villain. To think of such a drastic and painful move is unimaginable, but hey, it’s the Black Widow we’re talking about.

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#8. Shuri vs. Namor & The Talokan Kingdom (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Source: Marvel Studios

Shuri always makes us feel like she’s the underrated genius type of character that appears in action movies, but finally, she has her deserved spotlight. After the devastating attack on Wakanda, not in the wildest dream that the god-like Namor would ever imagine that the new Black Panther would engage in a battle on the sea, which is basically his home turf. But Shuri does it anyway and almost got Namor with her newly-created dehydration room. It’s not exaggerated to say that the young queen single-handedly planned every attacking move they got in that fight.

Even at the end, Shuri manages to defeat the nearly immortal Namor by drawing him away from the ocean, and finally blasts him using the vibranium engine of her aircraft, leaving him completely vulnerable. However, she’s also smart enough to know that it’s better to form an alliance with the Sub-mariner than to let vengeance consume her.

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#9. Spider-Man vs. Ebony Maw (Avengers: Infinity War)

Source: Marvel Studios

We all know that Peter Parker is a huge movie nerd, but no one thinks that he would actually use his trivial knowledge in battle. Against Ebony Maw, a powerful and trusty subordinate of Thanos, who effortlessly defeated Iron Man and captured Strange earlier, Peter still showcases his genius mind and forms a plan with Stark to blow the villain into space. The plan works, and Ebony Maw ceases to exist without knowing that he got defeated by a move in the film Aliens.

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#10. Doctor Strange vs. Dormammu (Doctor Strange)

Source: Marvel Studios

Against an unbeatable cosmic entity like Dormammu, there’s not much you can do, and somehow Stephen Strange manages to drive him away in the most gruesome yet genius way possible. Knowing time doesn’t flow in the Dark Dimension, he traps himself and Dormammu in an infinite time loop, and each time the villain kills him, the loop restarts again. 

To get killed again and again is no easy feeling, but with his method, Doctor Strange manages to save the Earth and sends the entity away, making him promise not to harm the planet ever again. “Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain” is going to be a nightmare that haunts the cosmic being in his sleep for all eternity.

Which fights above do you find most genius and outstanding? Share your thoughts below.

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