The Marvel universe is full of incredible heroes and villains of immense power and skill. Some of these characters were gifted by cosmic radiation or born with unique abilities, and a fair few of them can rely on these particular power-sets to get through a fight.
Other characters have to do things the hard way and train their bodies and minds for years to reach a level where they can take on some of the toughest opponents, whether they have additional powers or not. Even an Avengers-level threat such as Doctor Doom can be bested by a non-powered human if they're skilled enough, so here's a rundown of the best hand-to-hand fighters in Marvel Comics.
8 Black Widow Was Trained By The Best
Natasha Romanova, AKA the Black Widow, was a Russian spy who would do battle with none other than the Invincible Iron Man for a time. After some time, Natasha defected to the US and began working with S.H.I.E.L.D and even teaming up with her former enemy as part of the Avengers.
Natasha was trained from a young age as part of the USSR's "Black Widow Ops" program and also had false memories implanted in order to maintain her loyalty. She was even experimented on which has resulted in her having a longer than average lifespan while retaining a youthful appearance. This long life and intense training and battle experience have turned her into a fearsome opponent, and an invaluable hero.
7 Spider-Man Improvised His Entire Fighting Style
The Amazing Spider-Man may have a list of awesome powers to help him save the day and defeat the bad guys, but one that helps him out more than any other is his spider-sense. This allows him to detect incoming danger and get out of harm's way, which as you can imagine, comes in very handy during a fight.
This talent along with his agility and super-strength makes Spidey a considerable threat when the situation calls for it, and unlike most others on this list, he didn't undergo any training. Instead, he built up his style thanks to his powers and intuition over several years of battle.
6 Taskmaster Can Copy The Fighting Style Of Anyone
Tony Masters, better known as the mercenary Taskmaster, has a powerful skill that makes him a devastating enemy for many Marvel heroes. He possesses photographic reflexes which allow him to perfectly mimic the movements and fighting styles of anyone he observes.
This power does come at a cost, however, as his memory can be affected by these sudden changes. That said, he has been a thorn in the side of numerous heroes such as Spider-Man, Captain America, and more. He pops up in numerous video games and a new version of the character was introduced in the recent Black Widow film.
5 Daredevil's Senses Give Him A Huge Advantage
Matt Murdock is many things, including a respected lawyer. One thing people wouldn't have expected, however, is that the blind Hell's Kitchen native is the vigilante Daredevil, and one of the toughest fighters in New York. While his lack of sight may seem like a disadvantage, it turns out Matt has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Thanks to the radioactive materials that took his sight as a child, Matt's other senses were heightened to super-human levels. His hearing, taste, touch, etc are all far higher than the average person and he has a "radar sense" to detect what's going on around him. He can pick up an enemy's heart rate and determine how they are likely to attack and he's virtually impossible to catch unaware. This coupled with years of intensive martial arts training has turned him into the Devil of Hell's Kitchen for good reason.
4 Elektra Is One Of Marvel's Deadliest Assassins
Daredevil clearly has a thing for tough women, as he has been involved romantically with Black Widow, and more famously, Elektra Natchios. Elektra is an assassin with almost no equal, and it's this lifestyle and a violent streak that keeps her and Matt at arms-length.
She was originally trained by Stick, the man who helped Daredevil learn his fighting talents, but Elektra ultimately went to the Hand instead, an evil and a mystical group of ninjas. This better suited her desires for revenge against those who killed her father. The life of a mercenary wasn't far behind, but she has also dabbled in the life of a hero, or at least something close to one.
3 If It's A Fighting Style, Wolverine Has Mastered It
What do you get when you combine a healing factor, an indestructible metal skeleton, razor-sharp claws, over a century of combat training, and a very, very short temper? You get Wolverine, one of the single deadliest characters in the Marvel universe, and thankfully, he's one of the good guys.
Having been born in the late 1880s, Wolverine (or Logan, as he usually prefers), has trained in possibly every fighting style known to man over his long and difficult life. Even if he didn't have his other incredible advantages, Logan's combat know-how would be more than enough to best almost any threat.
2 Black Panther Is The King For Good Reason
T'Challa, AKA the King of Wakanda, AKA the Black Panther, is right up there with the best martial artists Marvel has to offer. Although he was born to inherit the role of the Black Panther from his father, T'Chaka, T'Challa still had to prove himself and would undergo a rite of passage to earn the mantle.
This was a grueling process but a necessary one to prove he had the right stuff to become the protector of Wakanda, and that training along with advanced Wakandan technology ensures he comes out on top in most encounters. Another incredible tool at his disposal is the ability to recall memories from previous Black Panthers to aid him in battle.
1 Shang-Chi Is The Best, Hands Down
The legendary Shang-Chi is called the Master of Kung Fu for a very good reason. He is proficient in multiple forms of martial arts and has mastered the ability to harness his chi into energy, meaning he can put some serious power into each and every hit. Even Gods have had to admit that he's capable of holding his own against them.
He also gained the power of duplicating an infinite number of copies of himself, meaning his enemies don't just have to contend with one Shang-Chi, but a possible army of them. Not that he needs to use the duplicates that often, as he's capable of moving quickly enough to catch a speeding bullet. Most Marvel villains would be better off giving up or fleeing before challenging Shang-Chi.
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