Thanos was nearly unstoppable when he got his hands on all six Infinity Stones during Infinity War’s events. He manipulated time, altered reality, and ultimately disintegrated half the universe in an event called the Blip.
Despite his sheer strength with the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos possessed all six stones for only a short time. And since he was in his conquest for a millennium, it shows us that Thanos didn’t just become a powerful specimen when he wielded the Infinity Gauntlet.
Knowing this, you may wonder what are Thanos’ powers without the Infinity Gauntlet. Buckle in, because the Mad Titan has more than a few notable abilities.
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1 – Superhuman Strength
Just looking at Thanos’ physique, you could tell he had superhuman strength. Thanos was a Titan, and his species naturally boasted such strength, plus many other powers listed below.
Many characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) realized how physically strong Thanos was. Thor, an Asgardian God, knew in Infinity War that he needed to construct a powerful weapon to defeat the Mad Titan.
Thanos also showed off his superhuman strength when he easily lifted the Hulk (Bruce Banner), and when he tore through Vision and ripped the Mind Stone from his forehead.
Before Thor constructed Stormbreaker and matched Thanos in strength, the Mad Titan also easily subdued the God of Thunder, a feat few in the MCU are capable of.
While hordes of Avengers could stifle Thanos, there were also many times in Infinity War and Endgame when he fought and even overpowered multiple Avengers at the same time.
2 – Regeneration
Even if Thanos appeared to be mortally wounded, his regenerative healing factor would kick in.
During Infinity War, the Mad Titan appeared to have suffered injuries following a fight with several Avengers on his home planet of Titan. But when he teleported to Wakanda, he was fully healed.
Thor also nearly killed Thanos with Stormbreaker during the Battle of Wakanda. But Thanos snapped half the universe from existence and ended up in an unknown location.
Here, the massive chest wound Thor caused had vanished.
3 – Superhuman Agility and Reflexes
In Infinity War, we saw Thanos take on and defeat several Avengers, even if they shot projectiles at him or tried to attack him at full speed.
He eluded attacks like bullets from War Machine and the Black Panther’s ultra-fast charges.
During the confrontation on Titan, Thanos also caught Spider-Man (Peter Parker) in mid-air before slamming him into the earth.
4 – Superhuman Durability
Durability isn’t the most exciting superpower, but you only need to watch the Confrontation on Titan in Infinity War to gain insight on just how durable Thanos was.
He wielded the Infinity Gauntlet while nominally feeling the negative effects of its radiation. Thanos could also hold each stone, like the Power Stone, with little harm.
We saw further examples of his durability in Endgame. Wielding the Infinity Gauntlet caused immense damage to Banner, and Tony Stark (Iron Man) died from its effects.
During the Battle of Wakanda, Thor overpowered and stuck Stormbreaker into Thanos’ chest. And while it wounded the Titan, Thanos was still strong enough to survive and to carry out the Blip.
5 – Superhuman Speed
Most heroes and villains with such immense size aren’t fast. But Thanos’ superhuman speed let him hang with even the smaller, faster Avengers.
Larger Avengers like Hulk didn’t have a chance against the Mad Titan. While Hulk had enough strength to challenge Thanos, he lacked adequate speed, allowing the Titan to overpower him.
6 – Superhuman Stamina
Thanos possessed more endurance than most characters in the MCU. When humans engage in hand-to-hand combat, like mixed martial arts or boxing, fatigue toxins build up in the body, which limits how long they can fight at full-go.
Titans are near-celestial beings, and therefore lack these toxins. Thanos was no exception, and it’s why you saw him continually fighting hordes of Avengers without growing tired.
Only Thor managed to cause extensive damage to Thanos. Then again, Thor is a god who naturally possesses similar physical powers as Thanos.
7 – Hand-to-Hand Combat
Thanos was a master at hand-to-hand combat, and he showed this off before the Battle of Earth in Endgame.
One reason he was so skilled at this stemmed from his large, muscular body build, which would pose a challenge for even the most skilled fighter to overpower.
Without any weapons at his disposal, including his double-edged sword, Thanos was already tough to beat. But he also wielded a double-bladed sword with remarkable ability.
8 – Genius IQ
Thanks to living for over 1,000 years, Thanos became an excellent leader and strategist. It was something he needed for his quest to slash the universe’s numbers, and he also needed to stay one step ahead of any enemy that may have gotten in his way.
Thanos was so gifted intellectually that with the 14-million-plus outcomes Doctor Stephen Strange saw in the Avengers’ battle against the Mad Titan, he only saw the Avengers winning in one outcome.
Since the Avengers included bright minds like Strange, Bruce Banner, and Tony Stark, it further shows us how smart Thanos was. While it hasn’t been proven, the 1,000-year-old Titan may have been the smartest individual in the universe.
9 – Near-Immortality
Tony Stark ended Thanos and his armies’ conquest because he snapped them from existence. Further, Stormbreaker was the only reason Thor killed Thanos, and the weapon was believed to be the strongest in the MCU at the time.
Other than those fatal blows, Thanos could withstand just about anything. Aging didn’t affect him, and neither could any disease or infection.
During the Battle of Titan, we saw firsthand just how invulnerable Thanos was as he constantly warded off some of the MCU’s strongest Avengers.
Fast-forward to Endgame, and he took on the likes of Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America simultaneously. And while they landed a few hard hits, Thanos recovered quickly and overpowered the heroes.
We already mentioned Thanos’ regenerative healing factor saved him from near-fatal wounds, so it’s pointless to wear down or hurt the Titan. Unless someone was able to land a quick death blow, Thanos was impossible to kill.
10 – Telepathy
We didn’t see Thanos engage in telepathy often, but when facing Mantis, he was forced to use it to resist her psychic attack.
In the comics, we have seen the Titan utilize this power more often, such as in Avengers Assemble Vol 2 #4, or Ultimates Vol 2 #10.
Why is Thanos So Strong Even Without the Stones?
Thanos showed off his immaculate strength without using the Infinity Stones. For one, he was the son of an Eternal, so that gave him near-godlike abilities like superior strength, agility, durability, speed, and stamina.
This is how he overpowered Hulk so quickly. The Green Goliath may be strong, but even he was no match for someone who is part Eternal.
If Thanos had been human like Steve Rogers (before the supersoldier serum) or Tony Stark, he wouldn’t have had these superhuman abilities.
As Thanos grew older, he also grew smarter and wiser. To invade and battle armies on different planets for nearly a millennium, the Mad Titan had to constantly strategize to stay a step ahead of his opponents.
However, we didn’t see this version of Thanos in Endgame, as the 2014 version was crueler, and he didn’t care who he killed–as long as he reached his goal to balance the universe. This was a stark contrast to his 2018 self.
We saw this when 2014 Thanos bombed the Avengers HQ. While the attack killed no one, it was a carefully-coordinated plan intended to weaken the Avengers.
This gave Thanos the edge mentally, and it goes in hand with his high intelligence quotient. He didn’t need the Infinity Stones to demonstrate his power over the Avengers.
Instead, the Mad Titan only needed a way to mentally throw the Avengers off their game.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.