Is there an obvious reason why adjectival complements of degree only seem to be in the extreme range?
No, adjectival complements of degree vary. But the stronger degree is more commonly used for more powerful expression.
強 - strong
頗強 - quite strong
甚強 - very strong/ considerably strong
很強 - very strong
非常之強 - extraordinarily strong/ very strong/ extremely strong
超強 - super strong/ ultra strong
極強 - extremely strong
至強 - extremely strong/ the ultimate of strong
~
強大 - strong
頗為強大 - quite strong
相当強大 - very strong/ considerably strong
甚為強大 - very strong/ considerably strong
很強大 - very strong
非常強大 - extraordinarily strong/ very strong/ extremely strong
異常強大 - extraordinarily strong/ very strong/ extremely strong
超級強大 - super strong/ ultra strong
極之強大 - extremely strong
至為強大 - extremely strong/ the ultimate of strong
~
最(most) in 最強 (strongest) is relative. e.g. 三人之中他最強 (he is the strongest among the three of them), but he could also be considered weak compare to others
天下最強的 (the world's strongest) is an adjectival phrase