For over a decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has provided comic fans with great stories, but the big draw for most were the fight scenes. Watching Captain America's persistence and Thor using Mjolnir to his advantage was a thing of beauty. Iron Man wasn't much with hand-to-hand combat but Marvel balanced that out with characters like Hawkeye.
But that wasn't it. The MCU extended to the small screen as well and did not disappoint with the fighting style of The Punisher, Daredevil, and Iron Fist. But who was the best? Which characters could Marvel count on to come out victorious in combat?
Hawkeye/Ronin
Hawkeye has proven to be useful while in combat. Armed with a bow and arrow, Hawkeye is also a skilled hand-to-hand combat fighter. Much like Daredevil and The Punisher, there are no test tube injections or god-like qualities about Hawkeye.
Due to the snap, Hawkeye lost all sensibility about him when his family was killed. He went from Hawkeye to Ronin and with that, he became a deadly assassin.
The Punisher
How can a man with no special powers, no mind-blowing martial arts skills, glowing fists, or bulletproof skin still make an impact like The Pusher? While guns are a major draw for him, The Punisher is much like a human Thor in regards to his fighting style.
The Punisher does exactly what his name suggests--he punishes. He's all force with little talk. He does take his lumps but he gives out more than he takes. Dealing with The Punisher is like running into Mike Tyson in a dark alley.
Thor
Although Thor uses Mjolnir, he does have the ability to go toe-to-toe with either a villain or an ally. His infamous battle with Hulk proves that he has heart. Hailing from another planet, Thor has what many describe as god-like traits. He's big, fast, and powerful. His punch does pack some force behind it and truth be told, he's just as strong as Hulk and Thanos.
Thor is quick to run into any battle blindfolded as he believes he's fighting for the greater good. While fearless, he does tend to be a bit over-zealous which caused his father to exile him from Asgard.
Hulk
Hulk is brute force and there are not many people who can withstand his power. His combat skills are far different than those of Natasha and Captain America but Hulk has no reason to use weapons like most characters in the MCU. Hulk's fights are not drawn out. Normally one punch is all it takes.
However, Thanos may have been the only one to give Hulk a real run for his money in Avengers: Infinity War. Hulk is the muscle of the MCU despite his inability to show up for the team in the clutch.
Thanos
His size says it all. When Thanos appeared in Avengers: Infinity War, viewers expected someone mind-blowing but to see him take on and defeat Hulk the way he did, forever changed the MCU. Hulk was The Avengers version of Thanos and in just a few seconds, he reduced him to kid status. There is no fear that resides in the super-villain and why should there be?
Thanos is a giant and does nothing small. Out of all the villains faced in the MCU, Thanos was the most powerful with brute force. Although he did carry a weapon, he was at his best with his bare hands.
Iron Fist
Danny Rand became a master of Tai Chi at K'un-Lun and used that in his mission to fight The Hand in New York. Armed with a glowing fist, Rand has a unique skill set. The one issue with his power is that Danny must be centered to summon his Chi.
Cocky is another way to describe Iron Fist, as he made sure everyone knew who he was. Not as rugged as Daredevil with his style, Iron Fist did have one of the best action scenes in the Marvel Netflix Universe.
Black Panther
Hand-to-hand combat is one thing that Black Panther does great. T'Challa has no fear in who he was going up against even if that meant going head-to-head against Captain America. While his sister Shuri equipped him with enough gadgets to rival Iron Man, the majority of his skills stem from hand-to-hand combat.
Black Panther is agile and although T'Challa has a good heart, he can be deadly when in battle. To measure his combat skills, look no further than his showdown with Winter Solider. Being one of the best fighters, even Winter Soldier had his hands full with the Black Panther.
Winter Soldier
Imagine a world where there are two Captain America's. Basically, that's the model that Bucky Barnes has as Winter Soldier. While not as wholesome or beloved as Steve Rodgers, Winter Soldier is not the guy you want to take lightly in a hand-to-hand fight. He's fast, persistent, and fearless.
And let's not forget to mention, he has an arm made of vibranium. Yes, the same vibranium that Cap's shield is composed of. Trained as an assassin, Winter Soldier knows no boundaries where rules apply in combat. He's the perfect killing machine.
Captain America
A test tube hero is a funny way of describing Captain America. Arguably the best hero in the entire MCU, Cap has more than earned his right to be labeled a leader. In a fight, who wouldn't want Cap on their side? He's aggressive and had no quit in him.
A prime example of Cap's measure as a fighter would be the epic scene in Infinity War between him and Thanos. After using Mjolnir, Cap turned into Mike Tyson with a barrage of body blows. As Cap will tell anyone, he can do this all day.
Daredevil
Although not paired with big names on the big screen, Daredevil has more than proved that he belongs on this list with his hand-to-hand skills. No real powers, Daredevil is much like Hawkeye in that regard. He's a skilled fighter and while that may not work in a battle with a Thanos-type character, that's not to say that Matt Murdock can't hold his own.
The blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen has taken on just as many foes as Captain America without the help of any serum. His biggest weakness is also his biggest strengths. Daredevil has no fear.
