The MCU has reached a point where simply asking who is “strongest” doesn’t tell the whole story. Sentry is overwhelmingly powerful, Franklin Richards has reality-altering power, and Jean Grey has something that neither of these characters can duplicate: extraordinary psychic abilities with a frighteningly high ceiling.
Jean Doesn’t Need To Be The Strongest To Be The Most Dangerous
The more interesting question, after Jean’s reported appearance in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, isn’t if she can beat other heroes. Jean’s first appearance in the MCU focuses on her telepathic powers, which enable her to read and manipulate minds, with her telekinetic powers being far more pronounced.
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That’s significant because it reflects one of Jean’s hallmarks as a comic-book artist: her abilities don’t often remain consistent for long. Sentry has the obvious advantage in a physical confrontation. Bob Reynolds has incredible strength, speed, durability, and energy-based powers, making him one of the most fearsome fighters in the MCU.
Jean doesn’t necessarily need to match that physically. Her best asset might be that she can strike an opponent in a whole new manner. Sentry’s biggest downfall has always been his mind, specifically his troubled relationship with the Void. That makes for a very interesting hypothetical matchup.
Jean may be able to cross the psychological threshold and target his real weaknesses. That doesn’t imply that MCU Jean is able to beat Sentry right now. She hasn’t proven herself to be nearly as powerful as she could be on screen. However, that would make her a very dangerous foe. And that’s more interesting than just giving her bigger explosions.
Franklin Richards Is The Bigger Long-Term Threat
Franklin Richards is a totally different situation. In the comics, Franklin isn’t merely another powerful mutant. His reality-manipulating powers have given him the ability to create worlds, alter reality, and do things that have brought him face-to-face with Marvel’s greatest cosmic beings.
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That puts Franklin at a higher potential ceiling than Jean. Jean, however, has one big plus: experience. Her comic-book past has seen her transform into so much more than a telepath, especially when it comes to the Phoenix Force. Jean’s power level may be drastically altered if the MCU eventually goes that route.
The Phoenix empowers Jean to become a cosmic force that can impact entire civilizations and star systems, as a powerful mutant. From here on, it gets difficult to compare Sentry and even Franklin. Sentry might have the upper hand for now, and Franklin might have the most frightening long-term potential. Jean sits somewhere between them.
That could change, however. If ‘Brand New Day’ is indeed the start of Jean Grey’s MCU story, then Marvel might have brought on a character whose greatest power hasn’t even been revealed yet. And that’s what makes her future so exciting.
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