Five Of The Most Powerful Weapons We Haven't Seen In The MCU

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled to the brim with powerful and iconic weapons, from man-made items like Captain America's (Anthony Mackie) shield, Iron Man's (Robert Downey Jr.) armor, and Bucky Barnes' (Sebastian Stan) metal arm to others with cosmic and otherworldly origins, like Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) hammer Mjolnir, Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) Eye of Agomotto, and Thanos' (Josh Brolin) Infinity Stone-embedded Infinity Gauntlet. More recently, the MCU introduced a few mighty weapons that should play essential parts in what's coming next in their storytelling initiatives, such as Shang-Chi's (Simu Liu) Ten Rings and Dane Whitman's (Kit Harington) Ebony Blade.

Though fans have seen some incredible items wielded by mighty heroes and foes, several powerful weapons from the comic book page have yet to make their way into the live-action universe. And when they do, they could rank among the most dominant, potent, and high-powered weapons in the MCU. From those capable of destroying entire universes like the Ultimate Nullifier to the Black Vortex that can transform its wielder into cosmic gods, amazing weapons can be found in all corners across space and time — and in the wrong hands, they could be catastrophic for Earth's Mightiest Heroes and beyond. Here are five weapons — all with different kinds of powers — that may be next to shake up the MCU.

At first glance, the Ultimate Nullifier appears to be a silly gadget with an unorthodox design that doesn't exactly inspire fear like a fully loaded Infinity Gauntlet. However, despite being small in size, the cosmic weapon is one of the most powerful and dangerous in the entire universe. Debuting in "Fantastic Four" #50 (by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Joe Sinnott, Stan Goldberg, and Sam Rosen), the Ultimate Nullifier is capable of destroying whole universes and timelines with the click of a button. It was first seen in Galactus' worldship when Johnny Storm is directed by the interfering Watcher, Uatu, to locate the item to defeat the Devourer of Worlds with the threat of annihilation. Originally, the Ultimate Nullifier was made to stop the rise of the Prosillican Empire after the Watcher Emnu gifted them with his advanced technology, only to see the race use it for conquest. It has since been used by several heroes and villains, including Doctor Doom, who wipes out an entire alternate reality with it.

With the Ultimate Nullifier's comic book origins being directly tied to the Fantastic Four, it's possible it could appear in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe "Fantastic Four" film. And, If the "Coming of Galactus" storyline is adapted, the weapon could serve as the heroes' last option in ensuring Earth isn't enveloped by the larger-than-life cosmic force. But, once it's introduced, the possibility of it falling into the wrong hands is a dire one. There's also the potential that a villain, such as Kang the Conqueror, uses the universe-shattering Ultimate Nullifier to be a catalyst for the Marvel Universe, leading into the reality-changing events of "Secret Wars." 

The Black Vortex's origins date back billions of years in the Marvel Universe. Debuting in "Legendary Star-Lord" #5 (by Sam Humphries, Paco Medina, Juan Viasco, David Curiel, and Joe Caramagna), the cosmic artifact was created by a Celestial Godhead. It acts as a mirror, showing those reflected in it their true cosmic potential, allowing them to reach it. Lost for gigayears after corrupting its original wielders, the Black Vortex eventually fell into the hands of villains, including Thanos' son Thane, increasing his powers and allowing him to freeze entire planets in amber. Ultimately, the X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, and other heroes fight to stop the Black Vortex from granting others immeasurable cosmic powers. 

While the Black Vortex gives those submitting to it god-like cosmic abilities, it comes with a significant catch, as the power-up almost always corrupts its user. Its influence leads to the destruction of many planets, making it incredibly treacherous in anyone's hands. However, while it's known for being a vehicle of evil, heroes have looked into the Black Vortex to protect the universe, such as Kitty Pryde, who saved an entire world encased in amber by Thane by using her phasing abilities (heightened to an incredible cosmic level) to pull a planet through its previously stuck state. Ultimately, the Black Vortex still exists but is being kept hidden inside the center of a star, as its ability-granting capabilities are far too dangerous not to hide.

If the Marvel Cinematic Universe wants to make a hero evil or give a villain intense, god-tier cosmic powers, the Black Vortex may be the perfect way to accomplish that goal. It would add a dark and twisted new dimension to the MCU.

When the King in Black Knull invades Earth with his symbiote army, all hope of defeating the primordial entity seems lost. That is until Eddie Brock combines three powerful weapons into one.

In "Venom" and the "King in Black" crossover (by Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin, Jason Keith, and Clayton Cowles), Eddie is imbued with the Enigma Force, otherwise known as the God of Light and Knull's true opposite. With the great powers of Captain Universe, Eddie takes Silver Surfer's surfboard and Mjolnir and forges a battle axe with the combined cosmic abilities of each weapon. With his golden weapon, Eddie defeats Knull, who appears destined to achieve victory and is on the brink of enveloping the Marvel Universe in darkness with his takeover. While the battle axe is eventually deformed and the Enigma Force departs Eddie, it's hard to overstate how powerful the combination weapon made him. The King in Black nearly defeated every hero and villain on Earth and likely would be successful in his mission if not for Eddie's considerable power upgrade. The battle axe saved his home planet and dispelled one of Marvel's deadliest villains ever.

If the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever adapts the "King in Black" storyline, Eddie wielding the cosmic battle axe created by three powerful artifacts would need to be seen in the project. Without it, Marvel heroes have no way of defeating Knull, as it's the only weapon capable of taking him out. With it, they have more than a fighting chance.

In "The Infinity Conflict" (by Jim Starlin, Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, Jim Campbell, and VC's Clayton Cowles), the Living Tribunal reveals that weapons called the Astral Regulator were formed by the One-Above-All, the creator of the Multiverse and Marvel's highest being, to prevent spillover in different worlds after the constant creation of new universes. The cosmic regulators were placed outside of space and time without anyone besides the god-like entity knowing about them. However, following the Mad Titan cheating death multiple times, a version of Thanos manages to capture one of the Astral Regulators for himself. In turn, he absorbs the Infinity Gems, Death, Kronos, and several other powerful cosmic forces in his efforts to rule and conquer. 

Ultimately, Thanos absorbs some of the most incredible beings across reality, including Eternity, Infinity, and the Living Tribunal, effectively becoming the living embodiment of his universe. However, after reigning supreme, Thanos realizes peace can never be found in his omnipotent form, leading him to self-destruct and cause a new Big Bang, preventing him from ever gaining the powers and existing. Due to this, the timeline never comes to be. However, the tale serves as a stark reminder that there's a weapon outside of space and time — even more powerful than the Infinity Stones — that can make a villain like Thanos stronger than ever before. But like his arc in the "Infinity Gauntlet" saga, Thanos' hubris led to his defeat.

Originally meant to serve as an item of cosmic balance, the Heart of the Universe, a weapon capable of reshaping reality and granting its wielder omnipotence, first falls into the hands of Thanos during the alternate-universe storyline, "Marvel Universe: The End" (by Jim Starlin, Al Milgrom, Christie Scheele, Heroic Age Studios, Dave Sharpe, and Cory Petit). As a result, cosmic entities, such as the Living Tribunal, join forces with some of Marvel's strongest heroes to thwart the Mad Titan's sinister machinations. However, Thanos uses the Heart of the Universe to absorb them and reality itself, doing so on such a grand scale that he finds himself in nothingness. Realizing his mistake, Thanos uses the cosmic powers to recreate the Marvel Universe. In the process, he sacrifices his existence to restore his reality to its past self.

The Heart of the Universe can absorb, destroy, and recreate entire realities. In the Multiverse, no weapon is stronger. However, the item's powers were so significant that Marvel editor Tom Brevoort had to clarify the storyline wasn't canon, as having a weapon as potent as the Heart of the Universe would introduce a new ultimate power that the publisher wasn't ready to officially bring to its main Earth-616 world. Still, seeing Thanos take the Heart of the Universe and use it to absorb his reality, only to use it to recreate it, shows how immense its capabilities were and why it was a smart idea to keep it out of canon for good — as it's simply too powerful.