The MCU needs its heroes more than ever. For starters, the entire multiverse is in danger thanks to the arrival of Doctor Doom, who will kick off his evil scheme in Avengers: Doomsday. But the franchise also has smaller fish to fry, namely, the chaotic state that New York City finds itself in under Wilson Fisk's leadership. Daredevil: Born Again focuses on the titular character's efforts to bring down his arch-enemy, but it's more than a one-hero job.
Fortunately, Born Again Season 2 Episode 6, "Requiem," brings Jessica Jones into the fold. Her home gets attacked by one of Mr. Charles' goon squads, forcing her to reach out to her old friend Daredevil for help. The two waste no time getting to work, destroying all the weapons Fisk stole from Mr. Charles for the Anti-Vigilante Task Force. However, the victory is complicated because it becomes clear that Jones isn't as strong as she once was.
Jones explains that her powers have been inconsistent since she gave birth to her daughter, Danielle. While future episodes of Born Again are sure to peel back the curtain a bit more on Jones' problem, the fact of the matter is that the MCU has given her a piece of humble pie. Gone are the days when she could walk into a room alone and come out unscathed. There are a few other characters in the franchise who know what that's like.
Heroes Who Have Gotten Weaker In The MCU
Thor
What can a superhero franchise do to a character who virtually has no equal? Well, it can knock them down a peg right out of the gate. That's what happened to the God of Thunder in Thor, when Odin sent his eldest son to Earth without his powers. Thor spent most of the movie working to regain his powers and learning what it means to be a good ruler.
Years later, after coming into his own as a hero and king, Thor lost his way after failing to kill Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. He returned in Avengers: Endgame as a shell of his former self, making him rusty on the battlefield. Once the Mad Titans' dust had settled, though, the Asgardian returned to his peak form.
Hulk
Bruce Banner spent years trying to avoid his other half. After all, all the Hulk was good for was destruction. However, watching his alter-ego lose to Thanos and cower in fear at the start of Infinity War changed Banner's perspective.
When the Avengers got back together in Endgame, Banner had turned himself into Smart Hulk. He had all of his faculties and a decent amount of Hulk's strength. While the arrangement has worked out well for Banner, it's hard to say the same for the Jade Giant.
Star-Lord
Peter Quill entered the picture as a galactic outlaw looking to score big. But a run-in with an Infinity Stone opened his eyes to the bigger picture, opening the door for him to put together a team of misfits called the Guardians of the Galaxy. Star-Lord gained a new family overnight, but he couldn't forget about his old one.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Quill finally met his father, Ego, a Celestial who could grow to the size of a planet. Ego promised his son the world and showed him that he, too, was capable of incredible feats. Of course, as is par the course in superhero movies, Ego turned out to be a villain, and Quill lost his Celestial abilities after taking him out.
Groot
One of the colorful characters that fought alongside Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy was Groot, a sentient tree who could grow his limbs at will. On more than one occasion, Groot came in clutch for his friends, including when he acted as a shield when Ronan's ship was going down. The impact killed Groot, leaving his friends devastated.
The most interesting thing about Flora colossi from Planet X, though, is that they can regrow from even the smallest of branches. A young version of Groot appears in Vol. 2, Infinity War, and Endgame. Unfortunately, despite being as loyal as his predecessor, he was nowhere near as strong. At least he got a major power upgrade in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.
Sentry
The mercenaries working for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine found themselves between a rock and a hard place at the start of Thunderbolts*. All of OXE wanted them dead, and there was no way to escape. Eventually, a lifeline arrived in the form of Bob Reynolds, a seemingly mild-mannered guy who turned out to be incredibly powerful.
The Sentry Project turned Bob into one of the most powerful characters in the MCU. However, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for him, as he had a dark side, the Void, that manifested anytime he lost his cool and threatened to swallow the entire world. Bob's new friends helped him get a lid on his power, but it meant turning them all off.
Sprite
The Celestials sent the Eternals to Earth to prepare the planet for the arrival of another member of their race. The mission didn't sit right with a few of the Eternals, so they decided to blend in as best they could and live normal lives. But living happily ever after wasn't in the cards for Sprite, who, unlike her family, looked like a child.
Years of frustration built up for Sprite, and she decided to lash out against Sersi and Co. when the Emergence arrived. After the battle was over, there were no hard feelings, so Sersi took away Sprite's powers, including her impressive illusion abilities, and allowed her to become human.
Vision
Ultron's goal in the second Avengers movie was to recreate the Earth in his image. He needed to be able to protect himself to do that, so he created the Vision body, made of Vibranium and synthetic human tissue. Unfortunately, the heroes got to it first and birthed a new hero, who had an Infinity Stone jammed into his forehead.
Using the Mind Stone and his incredible strength, Vision quickly became a key member of the Avengers. When Thanos came looking for the gem, Vision tried to hide, but he died during the conflict. SWORD resurrected him, giving him another shot at life without all the pressure of wielding one of the most powerful items in the universe.
