The Marvel Universe has many incredibly powerful, larger-than-life characters to choose from. A few, however, stand head and shoulders above the rest. Their incredible powers are incalculable and far beyond comprehension. Here is our list of the strongest and most powerful characters in the Marvel comic book universe (not the cinematic universes). Hint: It’s not Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow, Thanos (The Mad Titan), The Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor (the god of thunder) or Black Bolt.
46. Hope Summers
First Appearance: X-Men (Vol. 2) #205 (2007)
As one of only 25 Omega-level mutants and an incredibly strong Marvel character, Summers can psychically duplicate any superhuman power signatures nearby at their utmost capacity, also known as Pluripotent Echopraxia. Hope can mimic telekinesis, psychic armour, optic blasts, the ability to emit mighty force bolts from her hands, organic metal transformation, ice generation, seismic-wave manipulation, and ‘jump-starting’ neophyte mutant development. Her ability to mimic any mutant’s powers at their maximum level makes Hope a very interesting and versatile mutant, capable of facing off against various mutants and powerful beings.
45. Scarlet Witch
First Appearance: X-Men #4 (1964)
Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, holds the power of Chaos Magic, with which she can transform reality and alter timelines. Her abilities transcend the conventional power sets found in the Marvel pantheon. She can alter reality at a whim and has restored and shattered the universe’s very fabric. As a Nexus being, Wanda keeps the Multiverse stable and in order. As a mistress of magic, Wanda can teleport, control minds and transform matter. The Scarlet Witch has suffered tremendously, losing her parents at a young age as well as her children later in life. Her grief manifests in terrifying sorcery, making her as powerful as a cosmic entity.
Sadly, the MCU’s version of Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) wasn’t nearly as powerful as the one found in the pages of the books. Maybe at one point, she was one of the strongest Marvel characters, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
44. Molecule Man
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #20 (1963)
He may not be the best fighter in the group, but he needs fighting skills when you can manipulate every tiny molecule on the planet. It’s best to leave Owen Reece alone, undisturbed. As a humble lab worker who survived a freak accident which turned him into Molecule Man, all he wants is a life of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, trouble forever catches up with him and often he can be found rearranging the building blocks of the universe with his powers.
43. Knull
First Appearance: Venom Vol. 4 #3 (2018)
As a god of the abyss, Knull is forever warring against light. There was darkness before anything in the universe, where Knull was formed and where he remains: the nightmarish abyss. In his quest against the Celestials and the gods, Knull created All-Black, the first symbiote manifested as the Necro-Sword.
As the father of these parasitic life forms, the symbiote found their home on Earth, where they found hosts, which became Carnage and Venom. Knull is a malevolent deity. As the progenitor of the symbiote race, he can master and control them to his will, and by utilising them, he can magnify his power. So powerful is Knull that he has been compared to One Above All and Galactus. Knull seeks to eradicate all the gods and those who spread the light.
Knull made his first live-action appearance in Venom: The Last Dance and was portrayed by Andy Serkis. It seems like the character could play a bigger part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole.
42. Vulcan
First Appearance: X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1 (2005)
Gabriel Summers was the younger brother of Alex and Scott Summers, born on the Shi’ar throne world after the planet’s ruler, D’Ken, assassinated his mother. After he was aged into his prime at an accelerated rate, he was sent to Earth as a slave for one of D’Ken’s hands on Earth, but he managed to escape and was later found by Moira MacTaggert. Under her guidance, he learnt how to use his developing powers and would later join the X-Men under the codename Vulcan, after the Roman god of the forge, and meet his older brother Scott.
Vulcan, one of the strongest Marvel comic book characters, was declared an Omega-level mutant after M-Day (when he was exposed to a burst of mutant energy thanks to the Scarlet Witch) and has extensive powers, including absorption, flight, healing, power suppression and psionic resistance. Ed Brubaker, his creator, said he could control the seven elements (fire, Earth, electricity, wind, water, darkness and light) and even magic. As Emperor Vulcan, Gabriel once battled the X-Men, Inhumans and Starjammers simultaneously.
41. Doctor Strange
First Appearance: Strange Tales #110 (1963)
Once one of the most brilliant neurosurgeons in the world, Dr Steven Vincent Strange, also known as Master of the Mystic Arts and Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, is way more powerful than you can possibly imagine – in fact, he is one of Marvel’s strongest magical characters.
Created by Steve Ditko in Strange Tales #110 (published July 01, 1963), Doctor Strange, trained in mystical arts by the Ancient One, serves as the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats. Originally, he borrowed energy from otherworldly entities like the Vishanti, powerful beings who granted magic users temporary access to their essence through spells. However, the occult advisor has grown more powerful since and now also summons his magical abilities from entities like Agamotto, Cyttorak, Ikonn, Oshtur, and Raggadorr.
Over the years, Steven, who reigns from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became the greatest Sorcerer Supreme the world has ever known because of his natural skill and brilliance. In fact, in the comics, Dr Strange from Earth-616 becomes beyond the omega level in power when using his full spectrum of powers and abilities, which are aided by magical artefacts (like the Eye of Agamotto amulet and the Cloak of Levitation) that boost these abilities.
Before being neutered in recent Marvel comics, Doctor Strange (who is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in the MCU) could do anything he pleased, picking up abilities and powers like they were on sale. He had the ability to fly, travel, telepathize, perform astral projection, and perform magical energy beam blasts. You name it, and he probably has it. This makes him one of the most powerful Marvel characters of all time.
40. Franklin Richards
First Appearance: Fantastic Four Annual #6 (1968)
Franklin Richards was among the strongest people in the Marvel Universe, even from a young age. He is the son of Reed Richards and Susan Storm, said to be an impossible birth due to the circumstances that granted his mother her powers. When he was born, the radiation that had given Sue Storm and Reed their powers affected Franklin and allowed him to alter his anatomy and give himself an artificial X-gene.
As an Omega-level mutant, Franklin had god-like abilities that allowed him to warp reality and control numerous forces that affected the state of the universe as he chose. In addition, Franklin had great psionic powers and could age himself up and down (causing much confusion among fans about his actual age). Franklin Richards is considered the strongest mutant ever, with powers equal even to Celestial beings. As far as powerful mutants go, he is at the top of the list.
Will Franklin Richards appear in the MCU? Maybe. Now that the X-Men have entered the universe, it’s very possible. Let’s hope they don’t alter his character too much.
39. Skaar
First Appearance: What If? Planet Hulk #1 (Dec. 2007)
As the son of the Hulk (Bruce Banner) and Caiera the Oldstrong (one of the few Shadow People that possessed the Old Power), Skaar possesses incredible strength, surpassing even his father’s in some realities.
Skaar’s growth rate was exponential. He was born to look about the age of a young boy and grew to be a young adult within a year. He was raised by Old Sam, who found him shortly after his mother’s people had tattooed him. His father further trained a powerful Marvel character, Skaar, during his time on Earth.
While most of Skaar’s powers are derived from Hulk (his intelligence, strength, stamina, invulnerability, and healing ability), he also possesses the Old Power like his mother. Not only can he manipulate the earth, stone, and lava of a planet, but he can also turn his body into stone and see the actions of everyone who has walked on the planet Sakaar (his birth planet) in the past forty days using a form of retrocognition.
The character (created by Greg Pak and John Romita Jr. in 2007’s World War Hulk #5) was recently introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he appeared in the final moments of the She-Hulk finale. We imagine that Marvel Studios probably has huge plans for Skaar in the near future. He is incredibly powerful and could become one of the most important and strongest Marvel characters in the current universe.
38. Blue Marvel
First Appearance: Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel #1 (November 2008)
With the power of a billion atomic bombs, Blue Marvel (Adam Brashear), one of the strongest Marvel characters around, utilises his fantastic ability to generate and ignite anti-matter, of which a fraction can generate the power of an atomic bomb. He can fly at incredible speeds, and in a contest of champions, Blue Marvel (who first appeared in Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel on November 05, 2008) has the might to go head-to-head with Thor, Hulk and Sentry. Not just physically powerful, he also has the mental faculties to match his brute strength, with some arguing he is as bright as Tony Stark and Reed Richards. Couple that with his ability to breathe underwater and maintain his physical prime over decades, and it’s clear to see that former All-American football player turned marine turned physics professor (who holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Theoretical Physics from Cornell), Adam Brashear, is a pretty powerful being. While he doesn’t make many lists of the strongest Marvel characters of all time, he has definitely earned his place in the universe.
37. Hercules
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965)
Hercules (originally named Herakles to honour the goddess Hera) was the son of Zeus and Alcmena of Thebes. Even as a baby, Hercules possessed the strength of a god and easily thwarted any attempts Hera made in his life. His adoptive father, Amphitryon, trained him in all forms of combat. He would become a great warrior in the ancient world, eventually proving himself worthy of becoming a god and gaining immortality.
He has grown to be one of the strongest characters in Marvel. At over 3000 years old, his strength surpasses Thor and Hulk (though this makes sense given that he is the god of strength). His god-like strength once allowed him to pull the entire island of Manhattan, which weighed 99,000,000,000 tons. In addition, he is almost entirely invulnerable, his skin unable to be pierced by conventional bladed weaponry thanks to the density of his tissue and his heritage as a half-god. Hercules has also been able to withstand the cosmic blasts from a Nova and survive in space unaided.
Hercules (considered the physically strongest character) is highly susceptible to his rage, which makes it impossible for him to control himself fully and has caused him to harm his loved ones in the past, and substance abuse, which he uses as a crutch to deal with his grief and guilt.
Let’s hope Hercules receives a more favourable portrayal in future MCU movies than what we got in Thor: Love and Thunder.
36. Sentry
First Appearance: Sentry #1 (2000)
Flying at hypersonic speeds, battling, and beating Thor and She-Hulk is all in a day’s work for Bob Reynolds, aka the Sentry. As a young drug addict, Reynolds broke into a lab and consumed the Golden Sentry Serum, a formula like Captain America’s Super-Soldier serum but only far more potent. Drinking this concoction, Reynolds developed various abilities, such as a genius intellect, super strength, faster-than-light speed, and molecule-manipulating powers, which made him one of the strongest beings in the universe. Some have even called him Marvel’s Superman.
The character is set to appear in Marvel’s Thunderbolts. I wonder if he will become the strongest Marvel character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or whether Captain Marvel will still hold that title. We’ll have to wait and see. For now, we have to do with the Marvel Comics Universe version.
35. Captain Marvel
First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #13 (1967)
It doesn’t take much to see why Carol Danvers (the 7th Captain Marvel after Mar-Vell, Monica Rambeau, Genis-Vell, Phyla-Vell, Khn’nr and Noh-Varr) is considered one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe, whether that’s in the cinematic universe (where she is portrayed by Brie Larson) or the pages of Marvel comics (where she first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 in December 1967).
Possessing a stellar fusion of Kree and human genetics, the former head of NASA’s security, who originally went by the name Ms. Marvel, has superhuman strength, as well as the power to fly, control gravity and light and perform energy manipulation and emit devastating photon blasts.
Created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan, the character has effortlessly defeated gods across the Marvel universe, and has even gone up against Thanos while he’s wielding the Infinity Stones.
In addition to Carol Danvers’ raw strength, she has also undergone training to become an Air Force Pilot. When she isn’t soaring through space or leading Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in fights against evil, she is inspiring young women across the galaxy.
Kevin Feige of Marvel Studios once said, “Captain Marvel, she is as powerful a character as we’ve ever put in a movie. Her powers are off the charts, and when she’s introduced, she will be by far the strongest character we’ve ever had.”
34. Proteus
First Appearance: X-Men #119 (1978)
In the hands of Proteus (Mutant X, Kevin MacTaggert), reality can be manipulated with his Psionic abilities. As a Psionic entity, he has no fixed body and can move between hosts. With his ability to manipulate molecules, Proteus can reconstitute and shape organic matter. He can also teleport anywhere in the universe and use his mastery of telepathy and telekinesis to invade minds across the globe. With each new host, Proteus becomes more powerful, but inevitably, he seeks a new host to consume, and when he leaves the unlucky victim, they are essentially an animated corpse, a husk of their former selves.
33. Kang The Conqueror
First Appearance: The Avengers #8 (1964)
Now that he has entered the MCU, portrayed by embattled star Jonathan Majors, Kang has become one of the Marvel Universe’s most prominent characters. Majors has been found guilty of domestic abuse charges and was reportedly dropped by Marvel. Who will feature as the replacement for Kang on-screen – if he will even be replaced at all – is up for debate.
What is not in question is Kang’s place as one of Marvel’s most powerful entities. The time-travelling supervillain was originally an antagonist called Rama-Tut, who debuted on the pages of Fantastic Four (1961) #19, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Avengers (1963) #8, marked the first proper appearance of Kang the Conqueror, the most enduring version of the character.
As a time-travelling genius, Kang has powerful and advanced technological weaponry. This most dangerous villain has been a thorn in the side of Marvel’s most accomplished and greatest heroes like the Avengers and a host of others, with each team barely able to defeat Kang on numerous occasions. Kang seeks to conquer every age in history across the Multiverse, using his genius intelligence and unparalleled time-travelling knowledge. He seeks to defeat our favourite heroes and conquer every version of himself he deems unworthy.
Kang’s armour is one of the reasons for his great power, as it enables him to face off against the likes of the Avengers without dropping a sweat. Kang is one of reality’s most significant threats, seeking to become lord of all time and rule over the universe, always seeking new ways to conquer. If Marvel needed another great villain to replace Thanos in the Infinity War Saga, they made the right choice with Kang. Unfortunately, we have not yet seen just how powerful and cunning he can be. Hopefully, the MCU will continue with the character by recasting him with an actor worthy of portraying such an iconic villain.
32. Magus
First Appearance: New Mutants #18 (August 1984)
To create a champion of life who could challenge Thanos (the champion of Death), Chaos and Order created an evil version of Adam Warlock known as Magus by educating an out-of-time Adam Warlock in their ways and driving him to madness. Magus had been wiped from existence due to Thanos’s interference but was brought back when pieces of Earth-7528 merged with Earth-616, springing from the evil part of Adam Warlock.
Magus’s powers are equal to Galactus’. He possesses the same powers as Adam Warlock and a couple of his own, including the ability to shapeshift, which allows him to become virtually any substance, size, shape, colour, immortality and teleport. While his power levels may change depending on the form he takes on, Magus can split a star in two at his most powerful.
31. Atum: The God Eater
First Appearance: Thor #300 (July, 1980)
Atum is the son of Gaea, Mother Earth, and the Demiurge, the sentient life force of the Earth’s biosphere. When Gaea gave birth to Atum, he began a campaign to destroy all the elder gods who had fallen from their original divine nature and turned into monstrous demons. Killing and destroying all these evil gods comes at a price.
As a being imbued with the sun’s power, Atum kills the warring gods and, absorbing their life force, is changed by their evil energies and devolves into a vast, hulking demonic being, Demogorge, the God Eater. Atum uses the sun as his hibernation chamber. Once inside the sun, he takes on the identity of the Egyptian god Ammon-Ra and forms the Ogdoad, the primordial gods of ancient Egypt.
As a god eater, Atum can consume and absorb all the energy and powers of his enemies to gain their abilities. To singlehandedly defeat the best of the elder gods takes a being of incredible power, and Atum is that being. His power is brutal, and Atum can project incredible beams of heat and light that can dismantle and destroy armies. Despite his hulking size and power, Atum can fly at the speed of light. When he is not driven mad by consuming evil gods, Atum sees himself as a shepherd for the people of Earth.
30. Hulk (World Breaker)
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk #1 (1962)
We all know that thanks to gamma radiation exposure, when Bruce Banner gets angry, he becomes a giant, green, unstoppable creature named Hulk. Able to stomp and smash everything in his path, Hulk is mighty and can grow substantially stronger the angrier he gets.
Unlike in movies, however, in comics, Hulk can destroy planets and defeat some of the mightiest Marvel characters in epic battles. Created by writer Stan Lee, Hulk has fought against Wolverine, Thor, and Iron Man and has even stood his ground against Thanos.
Fans have complained that the MCU version is nowhere near as powerful as the Hulk in the Marvel comics. And that’s 100% true. Let’s hope that someday we might actually get to see the MCU version of Hulk reach its peak and become World Breaker Hulk.
29. Mad Jim Jaspers
First Appearance: Daredevils #7 (July, 1983)
While most fans won’t instantly recognise Mad Jim Jaspers (created by Alan Moore, David Thorpe and Alan Davis), this Marvel character has appeared in over 109 issues (the first being Daredevils #7 in July, 1983) and is considered by many as a huge threat in the Marvel Universe, especially to mutants (whom he hates). As a mutant able to warp reality, the former politician, also known as Sir James Jaspers, The Crooked Man, Lord Jim and Overlord of the Omniverse, has a near-god-like level of power that allows him to destroy nearly anything with his mind. Captain Britain once tried to stop him but was no match for Mad Jim Jaspers.
You may be wondering where Mad Jim Jaspers gets his name from. Well, it seems his abilities actually caused him to spiral into madness the more powerful he became. Later on, he assumed the identity of Mad Jim Jaspers, a character inspired by the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, engaging in bank robberies and criminal activities. He also formed a group known as the Crazy Gang, further extending the theme from Lewis Carroll’s work into his criminal endeavours.
It will be interesting to see whether Mad Jim Jaspers eventually makes it into the MCU. Time will tell. Like Kang and Thanos before him, the former British politician is a significant threat to the Marvel multiverse, too.
28. Grandmaster
First Appearance: The Avengers #69 (Oct. 1969)
The Grandmaster, otherwise known as En Dwi Gast, is one of the Elders of the Universe and the last of his ancient race that has been essentially immortal due to his obsession with playing games (if he were to give it up, it could prove fatal). He spent his incredibly long life playing games and searching for new forms of entertainment, mastering every one he encountered.
Being one of the Elders of the Universe, the Grandmaster possesses The Power Primordial, residual energy from the Big Bang. He spent years training with it, and it granted him several superhuman capabilities, including mental (superhuman intellect and psionics), physical and energy manipulation (which he can use to resurrect the dead and manipulate the matter of objects as he chooses).
En Dwi was the hand behind many battles in the Marvel universe, thanks to his games. For example, he was the cause of a crossover battle between the Avengers and the Justice League. Those who play against him can be sure that he will never cheat and that he will always stay true to his word (although some characters like Kang the Conqueror learned the hard way that he tends to be quite literal when he makes his promises, so one ought to be careful of their wording).
Again, this is another powerful Marvel character ruined by the MCU. Let’s hope we get to see him in his true state in the MCU in the future.
27. God Emperor Doom
First Appearance: Secret Wars #2 (2015)
How does a supervillain pick up the pieces after he loses everything he could ever wish for? Doctor Doom was once so powerful he became known as god-emperor Doom but ultimately lost his immense power. Doom augmented his abilities by stealing the power of the Beyonders, an alien species. With his new powers, Doom fashioned his planet, Battleworld, carved together from the ruins of the Multiverse.
As god-emperor Doom, he ruled supreme over Battleworld and had the strength and power to rip Thanos apart, removing his skeleton. Reed Richards eventually put an end to the emperor, restoring order in the Multiverse. Before Reeds diminished Doom, the god-emperor possessed limitless strength and could manipulate reality.
26. Thanos
First Appearance: Iron Man #55 (1972)
The Mad Titan is impressive in strength and combat without the Infinity Gauntlet, but with it, he takes on powers and abilities far beyond imagination. With the gauntlet, Thanos can re-order the fabric of reality and twist matter and energy into his making. To impress Mistress Death, the lovesick warlord can time-travel, altering timelines while using mind-control and enforcing his dominion with stunning feats of brute strength via the power stone. The incredible power over life and death rests in his hand, which, with a mere thought, can be wielded to crush his enemies and give life to the universe.
While this is a completely different story from Avengers: Endgame‘s plot, Thanos’s power and strength remain fairly similar in both the comics and the films.
25. Gladiator
First Appearance: X-Men #107 (1977)
Gladiator, real name Kallark, has enough strength to go toe-to-toe with Thor and the Hulk, making an incredibly powerful Marvel character. Training to become the best Gladiator of them all, Kallark possess a powerful alien physiognomy due to his Strontian heritage, as he was born on planet Strontia, part of the Shi’ar Empire.
Gladiator is the leader of the Empire’s Imperial Guard and a member of the Annihilators, Dark Guardians, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
With his potent strength and speed, Gladiator faces off against many powerful adversaries and heroes like the X-Men, whom he and his guard have nearly defeated.
Able to smash planets and destroy black holes at will, Gladiator has laid waste to the likes of The Thing while being able to withstand the incredible heat blast of the Phoenix Force. Besides his speed and strength, Gladiator is almost impervious to fatigue, has near limitless stamina and can emit heat vision hotter than a star.
Despite these and other incredible abilities, Gladiator’s drawback is that he can only operate his magnificent abilities when his confidence is high. If his confidence tanks for any reason, his powers dip significantly. Scanning his physical abilities, one is left with the impression that Gladiator was based on Superman for the Marvel Universe. Even his name is a portmanteau of Kal-El and Clark. When Gladiator is confident and feeling good, barely anyone can withstand his might.
24. Rune King Thor
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery #83 (1962)
Over the years, one powerful Marvel character has stood out in the Marvel Universe: Rune King Thor – basically an overpowered version of Marvel’s god of thunder. Noted for his incredible magical abilities, Rune King Thor can be distinguished for being able to defeat celestial beings, which are said to be gods above gods, including ones who are even stronger than his father, Odin.
If that wasn’t enough, Rune King Thor was able to destroy the world tree Yggdrasil and the Ragnarok cycle, making him nearly unmatched in his superhero state. Regardless, as many have noted, he still isn’t the strongest being in the Marvel Universe. There are characters who are even more powerful than Rune King Thor. That said, he definitely deserves his place in the top 40 strongest Marvel beings.
23. Legion
First Appearance: New Mutants #26 (1984)
Legion, son of Professor X, is a menacing threat who can warp reality by rewriting the laws of nature and tinker with the fabric of space by creating alternate timelines. The so-called god-mutant can do almost anything he wants. His mental problems make him unpredictable and capable of destroying the Marvel Universe.
David Charles Haller is a complex character whose mind is fractured into multiple personalities, all competing for ascendancy and manifesting their own powers. From shapeshifting to time travel, mind control and super strength, each of these disordered personalities contributes to offering Legion a host of super abilities. The only downside is that these same personalities create a cacophony of noise in Legion’s head, which stops him from reaching his true potential.
22. The Marquis of Death
First Appearance: Marvel 1985 #2 (2008)
Clyde Wyncham, known as the Marquis of Death, comes from Earth 1219, which is similar to our own world. Wyncham was his planet’s only mutant, but his youth and naivete made him reckless. After causing too much trouble, such as resurrecting his dead father, he is committed to an asylum. His villainous streak gets the better of him, and he uses his abilities to transport supervillains to his world, where they wreak havoc.
Clyde is capable of manipulation of reality on unimaginable levels. He is immortal and has the ability to open portals to other dimensions and realities. As the Marquis of Death, Wyncham can time travel, resurrect the dead, manipulate matter, shapeshift, teleport, generate massive amounts of energy, project telepathic illusions, and mind control high-level cosmic entities. He is so indestructible it took Planck temperature to defeat him after he was severely weakened from fighting.
Clyde spent countless centuries terrorizing and tearing apart The Multiverse. He taught Doctor Doom everything he knew. Eventually, Clyde develops an insatiable desire for destruction. He dedicates a billion years of his immortal life to learning to control and manipulate time and space. He travels from universe to universe using his power and wipes them out of existence.
21. Akhenaten
First Appearance: Marvel Universe: The End #1 (March, 2003)
What if you’re an ambitious Pharaoh with a vast army and millions of enslaved people at your disposal? You would feel pretty pleased with yourself and naturally would be in the mood to conquer kingdoms and enslave entire nations to make them your vassals. All this seems like another day at the office for your average Pharaoh.
It would be foolish to give this Pharoah more power, but that’s precisely what the Celestial Order did when they gave Akhenaten inconceivable power to rule and bring peace to the Earth. They blessed him with this immense power from one of their cosmic machines, powered by a mysterious cosmic artefact.
Akhenaten was intoxicated with this power, which made him one of the most potent figures in the universe. Corrupted by his newfound abilities, the Pharaoh conquers the Earth instead of bringing peace. All of Earth’s mightiest heroes are no match for this villain, who destroys them all. Only Thanos withstood him and brought him to his knees, removing the Celestial Order’s power from Akhenaten.
20. Abraxas
First Appearance: Fantastic Four Annual #2001 (July 2001)
There are many pretenders to the throne, but the biggest threat to the Multiverse is Abraxas, who embodies its destruction. He has this power because, as a cosmic entity, he is the antithesis of Eternity. As a being with god-like powers, bending reality is a walk in the park for Abraxis. Galactus was his watchdog and kept Abraxis under control and imprisoned.
As the opposing force of Eternity, Abraxis can collapse universes by destroying dimensional space. He has near-limitless cosmic power, enabling him to traverse dimensions at will, restructure matter, and manipulate energy on a vast scale. It took the destruction and recreation of reality with a weapon called The Ultimate Nullifier to stop Abraxas.
19. Silver Surfer
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #48 (1965)
Norrin Radd (aka Silver Surfer) was infused with the Power Cosmic by his lord and master, Galactus – granting him strength, endurance, heightened senses and the ability to absorb and manipulate the universe’s radiant energy. With the Power Cosmic, the Silver Surfer (a bald, silver-skinned humanoid alien super-being) can time travel and enter different dimensions, gliding through the spaceways, seeking worlds for Galactus to devour.
His eventual rebellion against the mighty Galactus took immense courage, for which he is exiled from his homeworld, Zenn-La, and his beloved Shalla-Bal.
The good news is that the character will be making his/her debut in the MCU soon. Silver Surfer will be played by Julia Garner in Fantastic Four: First Steps.
18. Dormammu
First Appearance: Strange Tales #126 (1964)
Dormammu needs no introduction to Marvel fans. With a vast reservoir of dark magic at his command and an unquenchable thirst for dominion, the Dread One is a colossal figure of power and malevolence in the Marvel Universe. As the ruler of the Dark Dimension and one of the strongest Marvel characters of all time, he is forever seeking the ruin of others, and standing in his way is his arch-enemy, the Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange. Unlike other Marvel characters bound by physical forms and limitations, Dormammu is a being of pure mystical energy, making him virtually immortal and invincible in his dark realm.
Using his magical abilities as well as a host of other powers like energy projection, time travel, teleportation, telepathy, soul manipulation, life-force absorption, dimensional portal creation, elemental control, and the creation of artificial beings, Dormammu is on a quest to control and manipulate all universes in the Multiverse.
17. Apocalypse
First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel #17 (1985) (unnamed), X-Factor #5 (1986)
En Sabar Nur is one of the X-Men’s most formidable opponents. Born in ancient Egypt, where he was abandoned in the harsh desert during the rule of Rama-Tut, he became the powerful mutant Apocalypse. Using telekinesis, Apocalypse can shapeshift and manipulate objects with his mind, and ancient advanced technology gave him super strength and the knowledge to become immortal. A master tactician, Apocalypse uses his intellect to discover ways and means of driving human and mutant evolution. Seeing himself as the Apocalypse of modern man, En Sabar Nur is obsessed with killing the weak for the strong to survive.
16. Odin
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery #85 (1962)
Odin Borson is Asgard’s king and Thor’s father (and Loki, depending on how the god of mischief is feeling). The origin of the All-Father is not very well-known. That said, we do know that he is one of the strongest Marvel characters of all time. Often changing, he only ever tells the tale through short stories. Odin is the most powerful Asgardian alive and was worshipped as the god of Wisdom by the people of Midgard for a long time.
Due to his Asgardian origins, the old god possesses several powers that make him far stronger than many characters in the Marvel universe. Alongside a regenerative healing factor, which allows him to heal much faster than any other Asgardian, and immortality, he has superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes and stamina.
Of all his powers, his most iconic ability is the Odinforce, which allows him to perform numerous magical feats, showing his incredible strength. Odin has become so skilled with this power that he can simultaneously use it during combat when going against characters like the Silver Surfer and Thanos.
The only disadvantage of his powers is the necessity to fall into Odinsleep, a state of deep sleep in which he regains his strength to continue using his powers without taking the strain. In this state, Odin is at his most vulnerable and is thus guarded by his most trusted men.
Could Rune King Thor defeat Odin? That’s probably a topic that could be debated. For now, we’ve placed him higher up on the list of the strongest Marvel beings in the Marvel Universe.
15. Beyonder
First Appearance: Secret Wars #1 (May 1984)
Beyonder is one of the strongest and most powerful of all the Marvel abstracts. Characters like the Celestials, the Supreme Cosmic Beings and the Living Tribunal are at his mercy. As a child, he had a universe explicitly created for him and, for a long time, believed that his universe was everything that existed.
When a hole was poked in his universe, he saw Earth. After observing it for a while, he took over the planet with a mere thought, started the Secret Wars and created Battleworld, where many heroes and villains were forced to battle one another.
Beyonder has several powers, including psionic abilities that allow him to scan the minds of an entire world, erase people’s memories and neutralise the psychic probes from even the most powerful telepaths.
His ability to warp reality is so powerful that he can will any harm that is done to him to be repaired. He can also teleport, fly, and quickly learn about the entire Multiverse.
So… who is the strongest and most powerful Marvel Character?
14. Phoenix Force
First Appearance: X-Men #101 (1976)
The Phoenix Force is one of the oldest and strongest cosmic entities in the universe. It represents the forces of creation and destruction. It predates even darkness and is said to be the entity from which all living things were born, existing across all the realities in the Multiverse.
The Phoenix is one of the most feared forces in the galaxy. It can alter or destroy reality, and its whole purpose is to eliminate what doesn’t work.
The Phoenix Force has taken on several hosts over the years. A couple of hosts were able to take control of the Phoenix’s powers and focus more on its power of creation; many were unable to resist the destructive impulses that came with the Phoenix and would go out of control from the power they were using, becoming the Dark Phoenix that would lead the universe to fear the Phoenix Force. Some of Phoenix’s most frequent hosts include Jean Grey, Rachel Grey, Emma Frost, and Professor X.
The Phoenix Force has been declared an Omega-Level Threat and an Extinction-Level Threat. Still, thanks to the movies and comics, she has become one of the greatest female X-Men characters of all time.
13. Galactus
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966)
He was known initially as Galan, a member of the Taa-an people who decided to travel to the centre of the universe, where he came across the cosmic egg and the Sentience of the Universe. He entered the Cosmic Egg and was reborn into the Marvel Universe as Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds.
Galactus (who has unlimited cosmic power) has an insatiable hunger, which he appeases by consuming the energy of different planets (in other words, he eats entire planets). To find suitable planets, he appoints Heralds, whom he empowers with the Power Cosmic and sends them to scout ahead. His most famous herald was the Silver Surfer and one time, he even appointed Deadpool (who he got rid of almost immediately because of how annoying he was).
Besides possessing the Power Cosmic and having almost limitless god-like powers, Galactus is also an omnipotent entity with immeasurable power. At his most potent, the Devourer of Worlds could battle against four Mad Celestials. As a result, the Nova Corps has declared him a universe-level threat.
Ask the Fantastic Four; Galactus definitely deserves a place on the list of the strongest and most powerful Marvel characters ever created.
12. Cyttorak
First Appearance: Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #44 (Aug. 1992)
Cyttorak is an extremely powerful being who has also been known as the Lord of Oblivion, Master of the Raging Storm and the Destroyer. Heralding from the Crimson Cosmos, Cyttorak is an omnipotent being and one of the most powerful magical beings in the entire Marvel universe, being the source of power for many elite sorcerers and magicians, including Doctor Strange.
He created the Crimson Gem, an object that would act as an artefact for his avatar on Earth: Juggernaut, an agent of chaos determined to destroy everything in their path. He uses his avatars in battle and is worshipped by a collection of elf-like beings.
11. Mikaboshi
First Appearance: Thor: Blood Oath #6 (February 2006)
Amatsu-Mikaboshi is a primordial being imprisoned in the Shinto underworld known as Yimo for eternity and considered the Japanese god of evil and chaos. The Chaos King is an offshoot of Oblivion that embodies the void before the universe began and is the counterpart to Eternity. As an abstract being, he was greater than even Odin.
Mikaboshi is an extremely intelligent entity with great superhuman agility, durability, endurance, super strength and speed, and recuperative abilities. In addition, he can wield a potent form of dark Japanese magic and project energy at a level that rivals even Zeus.
10. Protege
First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy #15 (1991)
Protege is a cosmic entity from an alternate future in the Marvel Universe. A child-like character, Protege was the ruler of the Universal Church of Truth in the 31st century of Earth-691. The Church had billions of members across vast galaxies, and its main goal was to increase its power and hold over its followers. It used force to conquer various planets and worlds across the universe.
Protégé was the by-product of generations of genetic engineering, selective breeding and eugenics, as well as uncountable amounts of chemicals, drugs, and magical treatments stolen from the planets that the Universal Church conquered, all in the attempt to recreate their god: the Magus.
This genetic mongrel is a superhuman of unlimited potential, and as his name suggests, has the ability to duplicate not only super-powers but also the skills of others simply by observing the ability being used; thus, he could acquire the psychokinetic powers of the Guardian Vance Astro as quickly as he could the marksmanship ability of Astro’s teammate Nikki, by watching them in combat.
His unique ability to mimic whomever he observes made Protege a grave threat to the stability of the Multiverse. The Living Tribunal and the cosmic entity, Eternity, became concerned and sought to reign this kid in and put a cap on his powers. Protege rebelled and fought against his enemies, absorbing so much power he declared himself the new One Above All. The Celestial, Scathan and Living Tribunal eventually defeated this little imp, who got too big for his boots. Protege was locked in an energy muzzle and trapped in an Eternal Hourglass, which the Living Tribunal absorbed.
9. Master Order
First Appearance: Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 (1977)
Master Order is a cosmic being that embodies order throughout the Multiverse. He has a brother, Lord Chaos, who was born with Master Order at the Big Bang alongside other abstract entities, such as Death and Eternity. Master Order and Lord Chaos sought to preserve the universe’s balance between order and chaos, so they created The In-Betweener to achieve this goal.
Master Order is the very embodiment of Order itself. All Magic in the Marvel Universe stems from Master Order and his counterpart, Lord Chaos. The two cannot exist without the other, and all magical beings receive their abilities from Lord Chaos and Master Order. So powerful is Master Order that he can control and defeat magical entities like Sise-Negand Surtur.
8. Those Who Sit Above In Shadow
7. Gaea
First Appearance: Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #6 (November, 1974)
She is beautiful, compassionate, and cruel; Gaea is an elder god and the genuine mother of Thor Odinson. She knows all that transpires on the Earth, and as its patron and mother, she has a vested interest in its destiny. Commanding life and death, Gaea has all the powers of nature at her disposal. She can move mountains and shift continents.
As mistress of the elements, wind, fire, water, and Earth, Gaea is more than just an easy-going goddess; she is the only elder god who birthed all the new gods and those who came after. She is impervious to harm due to her indomitable connection to the Earth and their spiritual connection, which manifests most prominently in the collective power she generates from all the beings of the world.
6. Cosmic Pantheon (Death, Oblivion, Infinity, Eternity)
Alongside The Living Tribunal, Galactus, and other cosmic entities are Death, Oblivion, Eternity, and Infinity; these are some of the unexplainable forces tied together as the Cosmic Pantheon. Created at the dawn of time or possibly before it, these abstractions stand at the juncture of time and space, ordering and controlling time and the tremendous flow of the universe.
As Eternity and Infinity order growth and life, Mistress Death and Oblivion bring decay and destruction in their wake. These opposing forces generate the cosmic tension of life and death in the Multiverse.
5. Living Tribunal
First Appearance: Strange Tales #157 (June 1967)
There is only one version of the Living Tribunal in the Marvel Multiverse because he embodies it. He manifests as a being with three faces, each representing Necessity, Equity and Just Revenge, who has to agree with himself before intervening in anything.
The Living Tribunal is an omnipotent being created by One Above all to maintain the structure and balance of the Multiverse and enforce its judgement when it begins to tip out of order. If it restores balance, it can obliterate an entire inhabited planet.
He is incredibly intelligent, significantly more potent than both Eternity and Infinity. With absolutely limitless powers, he can erase entire realities and nullify even the powers of the Infinity Gems simultaneously, meaning Thanos is unwilling to engage in combat with him. The only being that has managed to defeat him is Beyonder.
4. Heart of the Universe
Yes, the universe has a heart, not of muscle, tissue, blood, and arteries; it’s an object, an artefact. A mechanism of infinite power. Whoever possesses it will become the supreme being in the Marvel Universe. That makes it quite the weapon, and many there are who seek after it.
The Heart of the Universe is an energy source first discovered a millennium ago by a group of alien explorers who learned to harness its incredible energy. Becoming the “Celestial Order”, the explorers decided to use the power to forcibly attempt to bring peace to the universe by appointing beings they deemed worthy of the Heart’s power to rule sectors of the universe.
Their chosen vessel on Earth was the Egyptian Pharaoh, Akhenaten. Having power from the Heart of the Universe at his disposal made Akhenaten corrupt. After Thanos learns of its power, he attacks the Order. He destroys the machine that channels the power from the Heart of the Universe, only to end up absorbing all that glorious power for himself.
Using the power of the Heart, Thanos travels back in time and destroys the Celestial Order before they find the Heart of the Universe and kill Akhenaten. Wielding the most powerful artefact in the Marvel Universe, Thanos learns of a critical flaw in the universe that will spell its doom. The Mad Titan is convinced that the only way to save the universe is to destroy and rebuild it from scratch.
To stop Thanos, the Mulitverse’s most powerful cosmic beings, including the Living Tribunal, The Celestials, and Galactus, attempt to stop Thanos. With the power of the Heart of the Universe, Thanos becomes so powerful that even these mighty cosmic beings are no match for him. In a rage, Thanos uses the artefact to absorb the universe into himself. Only Adam Warlock, who was outside of space-time, could talk Thanos out of his madness, and he eventually sacrifices himself to restore the universe.
3. The Beyonders
First Appearance: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1 (1984)
Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, nigh-omnipotent being from outside the Multiverse who kidnapped the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe to have them do battle on Battleworld, a fictional planet created by the Beyonder. Well, sorry to break it to you. He was actually created by a group of extradimensional beings of infinite power called the Beyonders.
They live outside the Multiverse and are responsible for the Multiverse’s destruction during Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers, New Avengers, and Secret Wars saga. Marvel editor-in-chief Tom Defalco was displeased that the Beyonder invested so much power in one singular character. Defalco felt the character was too omnipotent and had writer Steve Engelhart retcon him. He was reimagined as a creation of the Beyonders.
So powerful are these beings that they could create someone like The Beyonder as if he were just their plaything.
2. The Fulcrum
First Appearance: Eternals #7
Now we’re in the insane-level power zone. The Fulcrum is all-powerful and all-knowing and said to be either part of or an embodiment of the One Above All. This character has not been featured prominently in the comics, and he is said to be the comic book incarnation of writer Jack Kirby, creator of the Eternals, Celestials and many of our favourite characters.
It boggles the mind that Fulcrum is more powerful than the Living Tribunal, heck, easily more powerful than even the Beyonder and the Beyonders; that’s some power. He first appeared in Eternals #7 in 2009 and was created by Daniel and Charles Knauf. This guy or being is crazy powerful, even so, that The Celestials, The Horde, and the Watchers obey and serve him as a lord.
So… who is the strongest and most powerful Marvel Character?
1. One Above All
First Appearance: Sensational Spider-Man Vol 2 # 40
Essentially, the god of Marvel, the One-Above-All, is the supreme leader of the Multiverse and the ultimate source of love and good, which is why the Multiverse exists in the first place. He rarely intervenes with any multiversal matter, choosing to remain hidden and instead leaving any problems that arise for his servants like the Living Tribunal. He didn’t even do anything when the Prime Universe was destroyed.
If he chooses to destroy what he has created, he will manifest into his other half, the One Below All, essentially the devil of Marvel.
The One-Above-All (who has unlimited power) is an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient being represented as all-powerful and occasionally portrayed as Jack Kirby. His only weaknesses are Multiversal Imbalance (which he cannot fix) and Duality. He is the strongest and most powerful Marvel character (and one of the most powerful fictional characters) of all time.
Tell us, who do you think are the strongest and most powerful Marvel characters and beings in the Marvel Universe?
