10 MCU Heroes Unaffected by Power-Dampening Collars, Ranked by Threat

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, power-limiting neckbands have often been utilized to lessen the potency of some of its most powerful characters. These bands are reminiscent of the Inhibitor Collars from the Marvel Comics, which were initially employed during the “Days of Future Past” storyline to suppress mutant abilities. However, unlike in the comics where these collars were primarily used for mutants, they have been applied in the MCU for a broader range of characters. While many heroes have experienced their powers being reduced by these devices throughout the years, there are others who will never be affected by them.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), these power-limiting neckpieces have frequently appeared, most notably to curtail the abilities of characters like Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch, Loki, Bruce Banner’s Hulk, and a multitude of mutants in Deadpool 2’s Ice Box. However, despite their recurring presence, the workings of these power-dampening collars remain unclear. It appears that they can only suppress powers inherent to the wearer, implying that numerous MCU heroes would not have their abilities affected by such devices.

10. Yelena Belova’s Black Widow

Yelena Belova Debuted In The MCU In Black Widow (2021)

Following her notable appearances in “Black Widow” and “Hawkeye”, Florence Pugh’s character Yelena Belova is poised to take a more prominent role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) starting from the 2025 release of “Thunderbolts”. Trained alongside her surrogate sister, Natasha Romanoff, in the Red Room, Yelena has honed formidable assassin skills akin to those of the Black Widow. In the upcoming film, she’ll employ these abilities as a street-level hero, squaring off against Lewis Pullman’s Sentry. Notably, Yelena, like Romanoff, lacks any inherent superpowers.

Yelena Belova’s unique lack of inherent powers ensures that power-dampening collars won’t have any impact on her abilities. Given that Mayor Wilson Fisk is aggressively targeting vigilantes in New York City, a key setting for the series Thunderbolts, and considering Valentina Allegra de Fontaine may employ these collars to manage any superhuman resources within the CIA, this detail could be crucial. In essence, Yelena’s inability to be controlled makes her a formidable adversary for Valentina, Kingpin, and potentially others as the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands further.

9. Rhodey’s War Machine

James “Rhodey” Rhodes Debuted In The MCU In Iron Man (2008)

In the tradition of Robert Downey Jr.’s character Tony Stark, James Rhodes adopted the role of War Machine in 2010’s “Iron Man 2”. This was after he seized an Iron Man armored suit, which was then upgraded by Justin Hammer and the American military. War Machine’s primary feature is his powerful arsenal, making him a valuable member of any Avengers squad, but also a formidable adversary to those trying to dominate his capabilities. Similarly to Yelena Belova, Rhodey doesn’t possess any inherent abilities; instead, the armor provides all of his power, apart from his tactical acumen and knowledge about weapons. Consequently, devices designed to limit powers wouldn’t affect him.

The immediate future for Rhodey within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is undecided, though there’s speculation he may come under control of a government organization, potentially Valentina’s CIA or a new entity called OXE. In 2023’s “Secret Invasion”, it was revealed that Rhodey might have been replaced by the Skrull Raava, but the exact timing of this switch remains unknown. It was expected that the Armor Wars movie would clarify this situation, but since production on this project has halted in recent years, it’s uncertain if or when Don Cheadle will reappear as War Machine in the MCU.

8. Sam Wilson’s Captain America

Sam Wilson Debuted In The MCU In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Although War Machine’s strong armor enhances him slightly over the highly-skilled Yelena Belova, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson surpasses them both by utilizing a vibranium hero suit as Captain America. In the finale of 2021’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” Sam Wilson assumed the role of Captain America, and his journey as Star-Spangled-Man was expanded in 2025’s “Captain America: Brave New World.” He received his vibranium Captain America suit during the former series, and a new one in the latter film, compensating for the absence of super-soldier serum.

Since Sam Wilson doesn’t rely on super-soldier serum but instead uses an advanced vibranium suit for his duties as Captain America, it’s clear that power-dampening collars wouldn’t have any effect on him. It might even be fortunate that he hasn’t chosen to use the serum. Wilson’s vibranium suit grants him enhanced strength, durability, flight capabilities, and kinetic energy absorption, which could prove invaluable in combating various villains seeking to dominate Earth’s heroes. Therefore, it’s beneficial that these powers can’t be taken away from him.

7. Clint Barton’s Hawkeye

Clint Barton Debuted In The MCU In Thor (2011)

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, doesn’t possess superhuman powers stemming from his biology. Instead, his exceptional archery skills are assumed to be self-taught. This is why, during his imprisonment following the Avengers’ conflict at the Leipzig/Halle Airport in 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War”, he wasn’t subjected to power-dampening collars that typically restrict superhuman abilities, as these devices wouldn’t affect his honed marksmanship skills.

In the Hawkeye series during Phase 4, Clint Barton (played by Jeremy Renner) imparted his sharpshooting skills to Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). This suggests that power-dampening collars wouldn’t hinder their exceptional marksmanship. As of now, neither Barton nor Bishop have been announced for future MCU appearances, but given they are New York City heroes, Kingpin’s (Wilson Fisk) upcoming plans for the city might involve them. Since their powers can’t be neutralized, these two Hawkeyes could potentially pose a serious threat to Fisk and his “Safer Streets” initiative.

6. Scott Lang’s Ant-Man

Scott Lang Debuted In The MCU In Ant-Man (2015)

As a movie enthusiast, I’d say it like this: Though Ant-Man, much like me in my everyday life, doesn’t possess the sharpshooting talents of Hawkeye, he more than makes up for it with his unique ability to manipulate Pym Particles and alter his size. It might come as a surprise, but Ant-Man is one of the most potent heroes within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though he hasn’t always embraced that role wholeheartedly. What sets Ant-Man apart from other superheroes is that none of us – Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne, Cassie Lang, Hank Pym, and Janet van Dyne – are endowed with any innate powers. This means power-dampening collars wouldn’t affect us in the slightest, ensuring we can still utilize our remarkable suits to their full potential.

In essence, Scott Lang’s Ant-Man shares some similarities with Rhodey’s War Machine and Sam Wilson’s Captain America, but his superhero suit surpasses their capabilities in magnitude. Unlike Clint Barton and Sam Wilson who needed to avoid the power-dampening collar in Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang doesn’t require such a device due to his inherent abilities. This is because he can manipulate the space between atoms to alter his size, from shrinking to growing, and he has access to the Quantum Realm, a source of immense power.

5. Matt Murdock’s Daredevil

Matt Murdock Debuted In The MCU In Daredevil Season 1 (2015)

It can be proposed that Matt Murdock in the MCU may possess supernatural abilities due to his heightened senses, possibly resulting from the chemicals that touched his eyes as a child. However, it’s important to note that this hasn’t been officially verified. As such, Daredevil, portrayed by Charlie Cox, is generally considered to have exceptional senses solely due to his blindness. The power-dampening collars wouldn’t affect these inherent senses, thus Matt Murdock could potentially still utilize his extraordinary hearing, smell, taste, and touch even while wearing an inhibitor.

In the second season of “Daredevil: Born Again,” Matt Murdock, being the focus of Mayor Wilson Fisk’s crusade against vigilantes in New York City, plays a crucial role. Given that Fisk and Murdock are sworn enemies, it seems logical for Fisk to attempt to apprehend and dominate Murdock, but this strategy wouldn’t succeed. The reason being, Daredevil’s ordinary human senses can’t be suppressed, making him a persistent threat to Wilson Fisk and anyone else who seeks to control him. This dynamic could be delved into directly in “Born Again” season 2 or future installments.

4. Shang-Chi

Shang-Chi Debuted In The MCU In Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, master of martial arts, obtained the mystical ten rings from his father in the movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” released in 2021. These artifacts grant him immense power, yet they are not biologically linked to him, meaning that power-dampening collars won’t affect him in the slightest. He could easily break free using the ten rings or perhaps just by employing his martial arts abilities – skills he showcased during MCU’s Phase 4 and will display again when he reappears in “Avengers: Doomsday” set for release in 2026.

As a movie enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that Marvel Studios announced Simu Liu will reprise his role as Shang-Chi in the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday.” This could shed light on the enigma surrounding the ten rings’ beacon and potentially connect the dots between “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and an unconfirmed sequel.

Being deeply entrenched in the mystical realm of the MCU, Shang-Chi is unlikely to find himself in a predicament where an inhibitor collar could restrain him. Even if such a situation were to arise, it wouldn’t hinder his proficiency with the ten rings.

3. Vision

Vision Debuted In The MCU In Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

It appears that the power-dampening collars in the MCU are designed to restrict power in organic beings, such as humans, super-enhanced individuals, or mutants. Given this, it’s reasonable to assume that these collars would not affect synthetic beings, like Paul Bettany’s character, Vision. Vision’s body was crafted from vibranium during Avengers: Age of Ultron, initially serving as a container for Ultron’s consciousness and later for JARVIS. Despite being incredibly powerful, it remains to be seen if Vision will develop any additional powers in his new form as White Vision. However, based on current knowledge, the power-dampening collars should still not impact him.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Vision has undergone significant transformations. He met his demise at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, only to be resurrected as White Vision by SWORD, but with altered memories, in WandaVision. The upcoming Phase 4 series introduced a construct of Vision created by Scarlet Witch within the hex surrounding Westview, New Jersey, while White Vision is set to reappear in his solo series. It’s worth noting that power-dampening collars would have minimal effect on any version of Vision, as his vibranium body allows him to simply phase through such restraints.

2. Stephen Strange’s Doctor Strange

Stephen Strange Debuted In The MCU In Doctor Strange (2016)

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, power-suppressing collars appear to nullify inherent powers but leave untouched those bestowed through knowledge. This is why characters like Clint Barton, Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, and Shang-Chi can break free from these devices. Similarly, though Doctor Strange boasts a higher degree of power compared to other heroes, his abilities were learned over several months in 2016’s Doctor Strange, which might make him immune to the effects of inhibitor collars as well.

Doctor Strange’s abilities might seem like superpowers, but they are actually rooted in extensive knowledge. With dedication, anyone could master the mystic arts, although it was perhaps Strange’s exceptional memory that helped him become so powerful. These skills, being knowledge-based, cannot be avoided by any inhibitor. Given Doctor Strange’s immense power within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his uncontrollable nature makes him even more formidable and potentially dangerous. Benedict Cumberbatch is set to reprise his role in Doctor Strange 3, and possibly in upcoming films like Doomsday and Secret Wars.

1. The Eternals

The Eternals Debuted In The MCU In Eternals (2021)

Just like Vision, the Eternals in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are not organic beings; hence, they remain unaffected by power-limiting collars. Unlike their comic book counterparts, who are an advanced, superpowered offspring of humanity, the Eternals in the MCU are artificially created beings crafted by the Celestial Arishem to combat the evolving Deviants and safeguard developing populations on planets containing Celestial seeds. As their existence is kept secret within the MCU, it’s uncertain who would attempt to restrain them, but such attempts would inevitably fail.

In 2021, it seems Marvel Studios may have overloaded viewers by introducing too many Eternals simultaneously, leading critics to complain about insufficient character development and a hurried narrative. This perceived flaw likely contributed to a less than favorable response towards the Phase 4 film, potentially causing Marvel to shelve any prospective sequel, Eternals 2, within the MCU. It’s a shame, as the Eternals’ formidable power levels make them resistant to devices like power-dampening collars and other control mechanisms, leaving fans eager to see these characters intermingle with other heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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2025-04-23 17:12