The critically acclaimed Gamora—who's allegedly the galaxy's deadliest woman. The MCU has successfully delivered her potential, skill, and tactful weapons handling. Gamora's character and personality have predominantly remained accurate to Marvel Comics since her first appearance in Strange Tales #180.
In 1975's Strange Tales #181 by Jim Starlin, Gamora's identity is revealed for the first time in Marvel Comics history. She is the adopted daughter of Thanos, trained to kill, and cybernetically enhanced. Starlin claims Gamora is "the most dangerous woman in the universe" in this issue, which essentially made her more powerful than any other woman in Marvel Comics. At first glance, it's fair to say Gamora is indeed Marvel's deadliest woman. However, it's vital to realize her title could potentially belong to many other superheroines. Three, in particular, have distinct sets of skills that could dethrone Gamora's top position. These three are: Elektra, She-Hulk, and Carol Danvers.
Elektra Natchios—Better With Weapons
Daredevil's primary love interest, Elektra Natchios, is one of Marvel Comics' best assassins, regardless of gender. Because Netflix's Daredevil and Defenders have once again ed the MCU, Elektra is an MCU character again. She learned lethal martial arts under the Hand (a group of killer ninjas), the Chaste (the Hand's rival organization), and Stick (Daredevil's primary trainer). Elektra knows how to operate a vast array of weapons, from guns to ninja stars, though she prefers her twin Okinawan Sai. She also has some superhuman capabilities granted by a mythological entity known as The Beast. The Beast provides the Hand with their mystical potencies, from resurrection to telekinesis.
In 2014's Elektra #5, by W. Haden Blackman and Mike Del Mundo, the Woman Without Fear exemplifies her Assassin's Instinct. This strange power grants Elektra supernatural mental powers, essentially buffing her skills while her opponents become weaker. She is able to evade bullets at a point-blank range, which is something not even Gamora's cybernetic enhancements allow her to do. While Gamora's artificial physiology and healing factor outweigh Elektra's defensive capacities, Elektra is "deadlier" than Gamora in the sense that she's easily killed hundreds of individuals, displaying superior skill with any weapon.
Jennifer Walters—Physically Stronger
Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, is a lawyer, an Avenger, and the cousin of Doctor Bruce Banner, the original Hulk. One day, Bruce Banner visited his cousin while Jen was practicing law in Los Angeles. After a crime lord fatally shoots Jen, Bruce has to make the ultimate decision—donate his DNA and ensure her survival. With the Hulk's blood now in her system, the gamma radiation turns her into the Sensational She-Hulk, who can carry over 100 tons, defeat Hercules in an arm-wrestle, and singlehandedly bench-press the Thing from the Fantastic Four. The Incredible Hulk remains "the strongest one there is" in Marvel's comics, constantly overcoming impossible odds. If She-Hulk carries some of Hulk's blood in her, fans should fully expect her to devastate any obstacle.
When it comes to raw strength, Jen maxes out over Marvel Comics' most powerful beings, including the Mad Titan himself, Thanos. In Dan Slott and Rick Burchett's She-Hulk #13, Jen successfully overpowers a clone of Thanos, which copied his exact levels of physical strength. If Jen can defeat Thanos, the character who trained Gamora, it's safe to say She-Hulk can easily overpower Gamora. In fact, She-Hulk's physiology allows her to emit constant gamma radiation, just like her cousin. The overwhelming emission of gamma rays essentially grants Jen the power to exceed her limits. Only one other woman can defeat She-Hulk in her strongest form.
Carol Danvers—Deadlier In Every Way
There's truly no match for Carol Danvers. Whether during her Warbird days as Ms. Marvel or her current alias Captain Marvel, Carol is one of the most durable forces in the multiverse. While She-Hulk slightly beats Carol's physical strength, the distinctive Kree DNA in Captain Marvel's blood makes her more powerful overall. Carol can fly faster than the speed of sound, absorb overwhelming amounts of kinetic energy, and blast powerful cosmic beams. Carol is more than twice as strong and durable after the aliens known as the Brood experimented on Carol's Kree physiology and unleashed her Binary form. As Binary, Carol is able to withstand an explosion large enough to annihilate a planet. She can also release what seems like an infinite amount of energy. Not only is Captain Marvel one of the mightiest Avengers, she also doesn't mind killing her opponents.
During the climax of Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez's Civil War II, Captain Marvel battles Iron Man. Despite Tony Stark's established friendship with Carol, she completely disregards their past and seemingly kills him. One might think this lack of restraint is just a character change Carol went through after becoming Captain Marvel. While she did become less forgiving as Captain Marvel, Carol was always ruthless against her opponents. Brian Reed and Adriana Melo's Ms. Marvel #28 exemplifies this when Carol slowly brings a Skrull to space, hovers in a meditative and invisible seat, and enjoys the alien's slow death. There is simply no way Carol Danvers is less deadly or dangerous than Gamora, She-Hulk, or Elektra. Even in her days as Ms. Marvel, where she was allegedly a kinder and more pure-hearted hero, she still obliterated any and all opponents.
While she still shouldn't be underestimated, it's clear that Gamora is no longer Marvel's "most dangerous woman in the galaxy." It's been a long time since Strange Tales #181, and since then, various characters have vastly outclassed the Mad Titan's favored daughter. Elektra's offensive mastery, She-Hulk's muscle, and Captain Marvel's immense durability are only a few examples of Gamora's expired title. One might also consider other Marvel Comics characters, such as Scarlet Witch, Rogue, or Lady Death. When comparing them to Gamora, there's just no way the Guardian is deadlier or more dangerous. Gamora earned her title back in the day, but her skills, while still incredibly remarkable, currently seem miscalculated. It could be time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to upgrade Gamora's power if they choose to keep her around much longer. If the MCU or Marvel Comics increase her proficiency, she'll reclaim her title; as of now, Gamora has a long way to go.
