I was talking with frequent I Am Geek collaborator Eric Landro yesterday and we started talking about doing a Power Rankings system for the characters of the MCU. I instantly fell in love with the idea mostly because I love lists and it allows me to think about the Marvel movies a bit more. It’s like the best of both worlds. We both decided though that if we were going to do a Power Rankings system so quickly after Infinity War that we should construct our rankings pre-Infinity War to give the other list a bit of substance and to show the vast changes in the Marvel Universe post-Infinity War.

I present to you today the pre-Infinity War Power Rankings and next week I’ll be back with the post-Infinity War Power Rankings. From there we can do this after every Marvel movie. Oh, the fun we shall have!

Naturally, I don’t think everyone is going to agree with my rankings and that’s okay, they’re my rankings not yours, but don’t be shy. Be sure to use our comments either here or the Facebook page to give your MCU Power Rankings. Remember though, we are focusing all things before Infinity War this week.

Here we go…

15. Korg- “Hey man…” who didn’t love them so Korg?

14. Nebula- I thought Vol. 2 was a huge movie for her character as she finally got to address her inner pain and confront her sister, Gamora and began to heal. I wouldn’t say she was fully humanized but she’s turning a corner for sure. Not to mention, the last time we see her she’s going after Thanos… by herself!

13. Shuri- Genius. Sister of the Black Panther. Funny as hell. Fixer of broken white guys. Shuri is one of the best things to come out of Black Panther and I can see her genius replacing Stark’s once these next Avengers movies come to pass.

12. Valkyrie- Easily one of the breakouts of Ragnarok, Valkyrie had the great hero journey of retribution and coming full circle. Not to mention she can hold her own when it comes to Thor and the Hulk. Wouldn’t be surprised if one day she’s weilding Mjolnir.

11. Rocket Raccoon- Rocket has one of the most personal journeys in all of Vol. 2 and he looks to come out of it for the better. Here’s a character who is so used to being alone and alienated that the end of Vol. 2 isn’t so much a goodbye to Yondu as it is a self acceptance of Rocket. A character who looks to finally be willing to allow himself to get close to others.

10. The Hulk- I have always been “meh” when it comes to the Hulk but Ragnarok really won me over. We finally got a little more depth out of the big guy, outside of “smash”, and I feel he was one of the funnier aspects of the film. Hulk has established himself as a legit player and now with some added personality… the sun isn’t going down on the Hulk.

9. Star Lord- Lost his mother. Found a new family with the Guardians. Saved the galaxy with a dance off. Got over his daddy issues. Was sort of a god for a minute. Made peace with his actual father figure. Helped save the soul of a raccoon. Yeah, he’s pretty rad.

8. Doctor Strange- Not only is he wearing an Infinity Stone around his neck, he easily handled Loki, and made Thor a beer out of thin air. Not to mention he’s a quick study and obviously will be important to the trajectory of the MCU going forward.

7. Groot- “We. Are. Groot.”

6. Iron Man- Things haven’t been going great for Tony as of late. There was the whole co-creating an evil robot that tried to kill the world thing.Then there was the whole superhero vs superhero fight at a German airport that got his best friend paralyzed. Followed by a massive fight with Steve Rogers that resulted in the world losing Captain America. Despite all that it seems that all things in the MCU go through Tony Stark and that looks to continue going forward. He did give us Spider-Man though and he’s got Pepper back so there’s that at least…

5. Spider-Man- Took Captain America’s shield. Tripped up giant Ant-Man using the influence of Star Wars. Then proceeded to steal our hearts in Homecoming reminding us why Spider-Man is the best of Marvel. Not to mention he turns down Tony’s offer of a new shiny suit and Avengers memembership to focus more on the little guy. What more could you want out of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?

4. Killmonger- The best MCU villain since Loki was first introduced. Brings Wakanda to its knees almost effortlessly. Killmonger is a force.

3. Thor- Thor has come a long way in the MCU and Ragnarok finally delivered the Thor we deserve. He may be missing an eye but he’s never been more in control of his powers and ass kickery. This is the Thor we’ve been waiting for.

2. Captain America- The heart and soul of the Marvel Universe. Cap may not have won Civil War but I’m not entirely sure that he lost either. Forced to head underground with his secret Avengers there’s little doubt that Cap working out of the shadows will have more benifit for the little guy than Tony working out of upstate New York. Wherever Steve Rogers goes justness surely follows.

1. Black Panther- Wakanda Forever! Black Panther is the future of the MCU and will be leading us into the next phase of Marvel movies for some time. All hail the king!

There you have it Geeklings, my pre-Infinity War Power Rankings. What do you think? Do you agree? Does your list differ? Sound off in the comments and let me know your rankings before Avengers 3 (if you’ve seen the movie try not to be influenced). We’ll be back next week with the post-Infinity War Power Rankings. Let the discussions begin!