Did you know that there are Marvel heroes without superpowers? In the universe of comics produced by the company, having special powers is more common than not, which makes characters who can fight crime without using any supernatural abilities stand out. After all, it takes a lot of intelligence and strategy to beat an enemy who's potentially stronger than you without a little help from special powers, right?
Well, if you're curious to know who Marvel's heroes without powers are, you can continue with us because we've prepared a special list with the eleven characters from this multiverse who solve things on their own, without having to resort to the supernatural. Is your favorite hero among them? Come and see for yourself!
Hawkeye
Many people know him from the live-action films that make up the MCU, but Hawkeye is one of the most skilled Marvel heroes without superpowers in the comics as well. He has many physical abilities such as agility and the like, having grown up in the circus with his brother, with whom he ran away from home as a child. Of course, he's also very good at archery, which is his specialty.
His real name is Clint Barton and he made his first appearance in the comic book Tales of Suspense #57, released in 1964 by Stan Lee and Don Heck. Since then he has made history in the adventures in which he appears, having fought even extremely strong heroes like the Hulk and given him a hard time in the process.
Punisher
The Punisher is one of the Marvel heroes without superpowers who is best known and loved by the general public. He became the Punisher with only his knowledge of resources to envy after witnessing the murder of his wife and son. He's not exactly a hero, as his ideals are more focused on revenge than helping others, but he manages to do a lot of damage even without any powers.
This Marvel anti-hero has already helped Spider-Man and Daredevil in serious matters, having made his debut in the comic book The Amazing Spider-Man #129, released in 1974 at the hands of scriptwriter Gerry Conway and cartoonists Ross Andru and John Romita. Since then, the Punisher has made several other appearances, and even had his own live action series.
Nick Fury
This is also one of the Marvel heroes without superpowers that the public knows very well, especially those who followed the beginning of the Infinity Saga in the MCU. Nick Fury began his career as a military officer in the Cold War and continued his service to the government by joining the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization afterwards. Some time later, he became head of the organization and began to implement the "Avengers" project to bring together a group of heroes to keep the Earth safe.
Fury's skills are notorious when it comes to espionage and infiltration. His importance to Marvel is also undeniable since the Avengers exist because of him. Nick Fury's first appearance was in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1, released in 1963 by the legendary Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Black Widow
Although she received a different version of the "super soldier" serum, Natasha Romanoff has no powers at all, just a little more stamina. She's one of the best Marvel heroes without superpowers, and excels in hand-to-hand combat and the use of resources.
She was trained from childhood to be the perfect assassin and knows what she's doing when she goes into battle. She is also an excellent spy and has played an important role in several arcs in the Avengers comics and films. Her first comic book appearance was in Mystic Comics #4 released in 1940, created by George Kapitan and Harry Sahle.
Ka-Zar
Ka-Zar is one of the oldest Marvel heroes without superpowers, but also one of the least remembered by the public. He was born in England and went by the name of Kevin Plunder, but got lost at a very young age in a forest and ended up in a different world where dinosaurs still exist. It was a Sabre-Toothed Tiger called Zabu who was responsible for his creation and so Ka-Zar, even without powers, is strong, agile and knows how to survive very well.
He first appeared in Ka-Zar #1 in 1936, in the hands of Robert Byrd and Ben Thompson, but years later he was given a makeover by the duo Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and returned in the X-Men #10 comic book in 1965. Although changes were made in this new version, his origin, which is very reminiscent of Tarzan's, was retained.
Harpy
Another heroine who is somewhat forgotten by casual fans, but always remembered fondly by the most avid, is Harpy and of course she couldn't be left out of the list of the best Marvel heroes without superpowers. Her name is actually Bobbi Morse and her career began as S.H.I.E.L.D. agentShe is trained in many different types of combat and has mastered most of them.
She later gained more notoriety, especially when she fights using a baton, and was given the codename "Harpy", being one of the best agents in the field of espionage, among many others. She was created by Len Wein and Neal Adams and first appeared in the comic book Astonishing Tales #12, released in 1972.
Sparrowhawk
Following in the footsteps of another big name among Marvel's heroes without superpowers, we have Kate Bishop who took on the mantle of Hawkeye after the original Avengers were disbanded, joining a new group called the "Young Avengers". She was personally trained by Clint Barton and also by Natasha Romanoff, showing great talent in hand-to-hand combat as well as archery.
The girl has been training hard since she was a child after suffering a trauma and even before she joined the new batch of Avengers, she was already involved in criminal investigations to help her friends. She first appeared in the comic Young Avengers #1, published in 2005 with a script by Allan Heinberg and art by Jim Cheung.
Fighting Machine
Another face known to the general public for having appeared in MCU live actions is James Rhodes, one of Marvel's most beloved heroes without superpowers. He is a very dear friend of Tony Stark and received the armor he uses to fight from him, but he certainly knows what he's doing, serving as one of the strongest Avengers alongside Iron Man.
He first appeared in Iron Man #118 released in 1979 and is the creation of the duo David Michelin and Bob Layton. This character has played an important role in several moments alongside the Avengers in the comics and also in the MCU during the climax of the Infinity Saga.
Elektra
Elektra is also one of the big names among Marvel heroes without superpowers. The girl is Daredevil's romantic partner and is lethal in the use of various ninja martial arts, mastering many resources, but with the sai being her specialty. Some stories have shown her with powers granted to her by a demonic entity worshipped by a ninja cult, but at no time has she needed to use these powers to show what she's made of.
She had her own live action movie released in 2005 with actress Jennifer Garner playing her role. In the comics, she first appeared in 1981 in Daredevil #168, created by Frank Miller.
Radical
Dwayne Taylor is known to many as Marvel's "Batman" because he has an origin story very similar to that of the DC hero. He grew up believing that his parents were murdered by criminals and then trained hard to become a kind of vigilante and make all criminals pay for their cruelties.
This other big name on the list of Marvel heroes without superpowers was introduced to the comic book giant's universe in 1989 in the comic The Mighty Thor #411, created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz. Despite not being very well known to the public, the hero is quite strong and can handle himself well in combat.
Iron Man
Among the Marvel heroes without superpowers, Tony Stark is certainly the best known and most loved by fans. He is an extremely intelligent billionaire who is at the head of his family's business involving the creation of resources. Until one day he is kidnapped by men who want to force him to create a powerful resource for them. Instead, Tony builds him a suit of armor that allows him to get out of there, save the day and become a superhero.
Although he is well known today because of his very active participation in the MCU, Iron Man is an old hand in the original comics. His first appearance was in Tales of Suspense #39, released in 1963. His creators are, of course, Marvel's golden duo: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, with the participation of Larry Lieber and Don Heck.
Conclusion
And this is the updated list containing the strongest Marvel heroes without superpowers to date. Did you miss anyone and wish you'd seen him or her on this list? Let us know in the comments! And, of course, take a look at the our article on the 13 best superhero movies of all time and in the video below!
