The world of Marvel Comics is home to a lot of iconic characters that have powers and abilities that are beyond superhuman. But while that may be true in relation to the most iconic characters, the truth is that there are beings and entities that are far more powerful than the most popular Marvel characters that people are familiar with. And that’s because the world of Marvel Comics is home to entities that are beyond imagination.
Despite the fact that we have seen our fair share of godlike beings that can destroy entire planets in Marvel, there are beings that are much more powerful and are capable of affecting entire realities and universes. So, with that said, we are here to look at the most powerful Marvel characters in the history of this iconic comic book franchise.
25. Doctor Strange
You might be surprised to see a regular human on this list as Doctor Strange, as powerful as he may be, is nothing more than just a normal person that trained extremely well in the mystic arts. But while Strange may be a regular human being, he is actually one of the most powerful characters in Marvel Comics due to the fact that his mastery over the mystic arts is something that has never been seen before.
Normally, Doctor Strange struggles against powerhouse villains. But when he has the right tools and is equipped with the right spells, he has the capacity to change entire timelines and alter reality. We saw this in the What If…? storyline on Disney+ when Doctor Strange altered entire timelines and destroyed an entire universe all on his own. That means that he is an incredibly powerful character with the capacity to change reality if he wants to do so.
24. Gladiator
We know that there are a lot of powerhouse characters in Marvel, such as the likes of the Hulk and Thor. But the thing is that Gladiator is actually one of the stronger powerhouses despite the fact that he isn’t as popular as the above-mentioned characters. And get this: he has the capacity to become stronger than the Hulk, who we know has strength that is nearly unlimited as long as he stays angry.
While he is often seen as a Superman Expy in the sense that he has almost all of the Man of Steel’s powers, what makes Gladiator so powerful is that he is already strong at his base level. But his strength level can be affected by his confidence, as he becomes a lot stronger when he is confident in himself. So, when Gladiator knows that he is stronger than a certain character, Gladiator’s strength is at its peak. This makes him capable of defeating some of the strongest powerhouses in Marvel Comics, including Thor, Hulk, and Hyperion.
23. Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch makes an appearance on this list due to the fact that she has powers that are so great that she can basically change an entire reality if she wants to. Of course, physically, she isn’t really on par with the characters on this list as she isn’t the strongest or most durable character here. But when she uses her powers to their full effect, she can definitely defeat some of the strongest characters in Marvel Comics.
What makes Scarlet Witch so dangerous is that her hex powers are capable of basically changing entire realities. We saw this in the House of M when she singlehandedly changed history by reducing the number of mutants in the world by saying a simple phrase. In that regard, her words are capable of changing reality on a global scale. And that makes her one of the most dangerous Marvel characters when she uses her powers to their fullest effect.
22. Vulcan
We are already familiar with Alex and Scott Summers, who are Havok and Cyclops, respectively. However, there is a third Summers brother. This brother is actually far more powerful than both of his brothers combined, and that is the reason why he is on this list. We are talking about the mutant named Vulcan, who has powers that allow him to become an Omega-level mutant.
As one of the strongest mutants in the Marvel universe, Vulcan is capable of manipulating and absorbing energy. This allows him to use different sources of energy for different purposes, such as flight, healing, and psionic resistance. There are even accounts that say that he is capable of controlling all seven elements and can even manipulate magic. This makes him one of the strongest mutants, as there is nothing beyond the reach of his ability to manipulate and absorb any kind of energy source.
21. Apocalypse
As one of the first mutants to ever exist, Apocalypse is a being that has always been ranked at the top when it comes to the most powerful mutants in the Marvel universe. This is why he was always considered the greatest threat to the X-Men and is consistently one of the most popular bad guys in Marvel Comics.
Apocalypse is basically capable of doing it all. On top of the fact that he has superhuman strength that ranks on par or even above the Hulk’s own strength, he is capable of psionic manipulation, molecular manipulation, and celestial energy manipulation. This allows him to have capabilities that are godlike, for all intents and purposes, as he can do whatever he wants with the power that he possesses.
20. Onslaught
While Apocalypse is often considered one of the biggest bad guys that the X-Men had to face, Onslaught ranks above him in terms of power. Onslaught is a psychic being that was created when Professor X and Magneto fused into one entity. As such, this being ended up possessing incredible powers that were exponentially greater than what Xavier and Magneto were capable of. And while Professor X and Magneto were never physical powerhouses, Onslaught has enough physical strength that allows him to overpower Juggernaut at his full strength.
During the course of this character’s history in the comics, he ended up absorbing Nate Gray and Franklin Richards, who are both incredibly powerful mutants. As such, Onslaught became an even more unstoppable entity. Nevertheless, we are only putting him 20th on this list because he is only as powerful as he is due to the fact that he is the combination of four powerful mutants.
19. Skyfathers
There are different pantheons of gods in the Marvel Comics universe, and these pantheons are led by gods that are called Skyfathers due to how they rank above the gods that they rule. Two of the most popular Skyfathers are Odin and Zeus, who are both incredibly strong and are probably the strongest Skyfathers in the universe.
Skyfathers are basically head and shoulders stronger than the gods that they rule, as we know for a fact that Odin was so powerful during his lifetime that he could defeat Thor effortlessly and was more than a match for someone like Galactus. And while Thor eventually became a Skyfather himself, he is yet to reach the level that his father achieved before his death.
18. Amatsu-Mikaboshi
Amatsu-Mikaboshi isn’t the most well-known entity in Marvel Comics. Still, this being is an incredibly powerful entity that can stand up to some of the strongest characters in this fictional universe. He is a primordial being that was imprisoned in the Shinto underworld and is considered the Japanese god of evil and chaos. He is often considered an offshoot of Oblivion as well, and that is one of the reasons why he is so powerful.
This abstract entity has powers that are even greater than Odin’s and has intelligence that rivals that of the most intelligent characters in Marvel Comics. On top of that, he is capable of magical abilities that are greater than what Zeus could muster up.
17. Dormammu
The Dark Dimension is home to some of the strongest and most fearsome entities in the world of Marvel, as this is the realm that the magical entity known as Dormammu rules over. He is the arch-nemesis of the masters of the mystic arts and is the very same creature that the Sorcerer Supreme and the other sorcerers on Earth try to keep at bay due to the fact that he has the capacity to absorb and destroy entire planets.
As an extra-dimensional entity with incredible magical powers, Dormammu is nearly omnipotent and has enough powers that allow him to temper with the spells of Odin and fight the original Sorcerer Supreme on par. At one point, he displayed his powers when he was able to fight Eternity on par. And we know that Eternity is one of the strongest entities in the entire Marvel Comics universe.
16. Uatu
Uatu is one of the Watchers and is arguably the most popular among them. The Watchers are a race of entities with powers and knowledge that are almost unlimited. On top of that, they are even said to have godlike powers that are nigh-omnipotent. In most cases, Uatu is described to be just as powerful as Galactus but has more knowledge about the universe.
However, the thing that has always held Uatu and the other Watchers back is the fact that they are merely observers that like to watch over the Marvel multiverse. They vowed never to interfere with the races of the universe. Nevertheless, Uatu violated his oath more than once when he assisted the heroes of Earth by giving them the knowledge they needed to defeat certain enemies, such as Galactus.
15. The Stranger
The Stranger isn’t the most popular Marvel character on this list, but he certainly is one of the most powerful. That’s because, according to his own account, he is a being who possesses the combined strength and intellect of billions of humanoid beings that live on a planet with a highly-advanced civilization. In that regard, he is basically as strong as those humanoid beings combined into one being.
As such, the Stranger is capable of tapping into cosmic energy sources that allow him to generate powerful concussive blasts. He can even alter his size, perform amazing psionic feats, and teleport entire planets from one dimension to another. The only limit to his power is that he is unable to tap into another universe’s cosmic energy, as his powers are limited to his own universe.
14. The In-Betweener
The In-Betweener is a very mercurial character due to his complex nature as an entity that is the synthesis of opposite concepts in the universe. As such, he can be good but evil, logical but emotional, and a god but also a man. Yes, that sounds confusing, but it is the fact that he is the combination of opposing concepts that makes him incredibly powerful, as he can be the most powerful being yet be the weakest as well.
In that regard, the In-Betweener possesses incredible powers that allow him to alter reality on a cosmic scale. But the fact that he is the combination of opposing concepts gives him certain weaknesses, as he is also the combination of power and weakness. That means that he is not all-knowing and doesn’t have the same kind of unlimited powers that some of the other powerful Marvel entities have.
13. Proteus
Proteus is another Omega-level mutant that makes this list due to how powerful he is. Like Scarlet Witch, he is capable of warping and changing reality to a certain degree. However, his powers do not stop there, as he is one of the most overpowered mutants that we have on this list. He is a being of pure energy, and that is why he is so incredibly powerful.
One of the things that make him so powerful is the fact that he can travel from one universe to another. He also has molecular manipulation that may not be on par with Sentry’s or Molecule Man’s but is still incredibly powerful. Proteus is also one of the few characters that can travel to the Astral Plane at will. But his weakness lies in the fact that he needs to possess human hosts from time to time.
12. Sentry
Sentry was the product of an accident that was meant to produce the Canadian version of Captain America. He was a regular person who was addicted to drugs and ended up consuming the Golden Serum, which was exponentially stronger than the serum that was used to make Captain America powerful. As such, Sentry became Earth’s strongest hero and was able to obtain power that is said to be as powerful as a million exploding suns.
Often considered as a character that virtually has no weaknesses and can only be defeated if he wants to be defeated, Sentry is as strong as the Hulk’s strongest state and has molecular manipulation powers that are almost at the level of Molecule Man’s own molecular control. He is also capable of manipulating light and darkness. And after he fused with the Void, he became one of the most powerful entities in Marvel history.
11. Celestials
The Celestials are gigantic cosmic entities that were created by the First Firmament during the early part of the history of the universe. As such, they can be called the first beings created when the universe was created. And they are much stronger than almost all of the other races found in the Marvel universe.
Celestials go from one planet to another to create, experiment and judge different beings. They are even stronger than the Elder Gods of Earth and are more powerful than the combined might of the Asgardians and the Eternals. And according to Loki, the reason why Earth is such a hotbed for superpowered beings is the fact that a Celestial once came to Earth billions of years ago and had his bodily fluids infused with the planet after his death.
10. Galactus
As one of the most well-known characters in the entire Marvel Comics universe, Galactus is one of the most powerful beings in Marvel and has always been one of the enemies of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers due to his insatiable need to feed on the lifeforce of different planets across the universe.
Galactus is a being that survived the destruction of the previous universe, and that means that he is older than the current Marvel universe itself. His powers are tied to the Power Cosmic, which is one of the most powerful sources of cosmic power in the Marvel universe. As such, he is almost omnipotent, as he can do almost anything he wants to do with the Power Cosmic. And when he is well-fed, he is almost unstoppable, as he was even able to take on multiple Celestials all on his own.
9. Cyttorak
Cyttorak is another entity that may not be on par with the strongest characters on this list but is still pretty much capable of feats that are unimaginable. He is a powerful being that is often called the Destroyer and the Lord of Oblivion due to his powers. And he is also often called one of the most powerful magical beings in Marvel, surpassing even the magical abilities of Dormammu.
As such, Cyttorak is a source of magical power for some of the strongest sorcerers and magicians in the Marvel universe, as this includes Doctor Strange, who often has to tap into Cyttorak’s powers to perform amazing magical feats. Cyttorak is also the reason why Juggernaut is an unstoppable force, as he imbued him with a portion of his power. So, if Strange and Juggernaut only have a fraction of his power, that means that Cyttorak is exponentially more powerful.
8. Knull
Knull is one of the newer characters on this list, as he made his debut in 2013. Nevertheless, that doesn’t take away the fact that he is a lot more powerful than some of the strongest beings that Marvel Comics has to offer. He is an entity that existed before the universe, as he is a primordial being with powers that are nearly unlimited. And he only got stronger when he decapitated a Celestial with one swing of his sword and used the Celestial’s head as a source of power.
As the King of Symbiotes, Knull has supreme control over all of the Symbiotes of the Marvel universe and is capable of creating them at will. He has an entire army of Symbiotes that he used to overwhelm Earth’s heroes during the King in Black storyline. And he was so strong that he ripped Sentry in half and overpowered and Odinforce-empowered Thor.
7. Molecule Man
Molecule Man is one of the truly overpowered characters on this list, as he has powers that are capable of rivaling the Beyonder. While he has undergone numerous retcons over the years, he is still an incredibly powerful character that came about as a result of a freak accident that allowed him to have powers that give him almost supreme control over molecules and matter. However, this “accident” was a design of the Beyonder, as Molecule Man’s powers come from him.
The fact that Molecule Man’s powers come from the Beyonder makes him incredibly powerful, as he can manipulate all forms of matter in the universe. That means that he can change the molecular structure of anything and anyone. This allows him to do almost anything he wants to do, as he can destroy entire planets, travel through time and space, and alter the very fabric of the universe if he wants to.
6. Phoenix Force
The Phoenix Force is the very same entity that empowered Jean Grey’s Phoenix form and allowed her to become one of the strongest mutants in the Marvel universe. Of course, it is also the fact that the Phoenix Force is Jean’s source of power that we neglected to include Phoenix/Dark Phoenix on this list.
As one of the oldest cosmic entities in the universe, the Phoenix Force ranks near the top in terms of its power, as it is a being that represents the forces of creation and destruction and is said to be the entity from which all living things were born across all of the realities in the greater Marvel multiverse. This explains why the Phoenix Force is an entity that is supremely powerful and is feared throughout the galaxy. As such, a Phoenix Force-empowered Jean Grey became one of the strongest characters in Marvel Comics history as she was basically godlike in this state.
5. Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is the son of Reed Richards and Susan Storm and is arguably the most powerful mutant in Marvel Comics. The circumstances that gave him his powers were unique, as the radiation that had given his parents their powers was what was responsible for altering his biology and giving him an artificial X-Gene that turned him into an incredibly powerful mutant. In fact, he was already an Omega-level mutant at a very young age.
Due to his mutant powers, Franklin became a godlike being that possessed the power to warp reality and control different aspects of the universe at will. He also possesses psionic powers that surpass the psionic powers of some of the greatest psychics in Marvel Comics. The fact that he can age himself up and down is also quite impressive. With all of his powers, he is often considered to be just as strong as some of the strongest cosmic beings in the Marvel universe.
4. Cosmic Pantheon
The Cosmic Pantheon is a group of cosmic entities that are essential to the survival of the universe and are the very representations of some of the most important aspects of the universe. These are Death, Oblivion, Eternity, and Infinity. All of the members of the Cosmic Pantheon are said to be just as strong as each other, although Eternity is often considered to be stronger than the others.
Without counting the multiversal beings that exist in Marvel Comics, the members of the Cosmic Pantheon are the strongest characters in their own respective universes. Each Marvel universe has a Cosmic Pantheon that is essential to the existence of the universe itself. Of course, all of these characters are basically nigh-omnipotent and are only below the three strongest characters that are on this list.
3. The Living Tribunal
While each Marvel universe has a version of the Cosmic Pantheon, there is only one Living Tribunal that exists across the Marvel multiverse. This entity was created to be the only being above the Cosmic Pantheon in terms of its powers and capabilities, as the Living Tribunal is as godlike and as omnipotent as any being can be. And its purpose was to maintain the structure and balance of the Marvel multiverse and enforce its judgment whenever things in the multiverse got out of line.
As a truly omnipotent being, the Living Tribunal has limitless powers that allow him to create and destroy realities at will. He was supposed to be only second to the One Above All in terms of his power. However, while that may be true as far as the Marvel multiverse is concerned, there is one other character that is more powerful than the Living Tribunal.
2. The Beyonder
The Beyonder is an entity that exists beyond the Marvel multiverse, and that means that he isn’t part of the Marvel multiverse per se. He exists in an entirely different universe but ended up in the Marvel multiverse due to the “accident” that created Molecule Man. So, when he got to the Marvel multiverse, he started messing things up and started the Secret Wars storyline.
As one of the most powerful beings to ever set foot on the Marvel multiverse, the Beyonder is supremely powerful and is more omnipotent than the Living Tribunal, who needed to be replaced by a new Living Tribunal after the Beyonder killed him. This means that the Beyonder has powers that surpass the being that was supposed to be second only to the One Above All. And like any omnipotent being, the Beyonder can do anything.
1. The One Above All
The One Above All is the supreme god of the entire Marvel multiverse and is the being that’s responsible for the creation of this multiverse and for installing the Living Tribunal as the entity that is tasked with governing the multiverse. In that regard, the One Above All is kind of like the counterpart of the omnipotent Christian god in the real world, as he is basically capable of doing and creating anything at will.
While some people think that they are different characters, the One Above All and the One Below All are two sides of the same coin. The One Below All is merely the “destructive” and “evil” manifestation of the One Above All’s existence, as it is the one responsible for destroying the things that the One Above All created. Choosing to remain hidden instead of meddling in the problems of the characters of the Marvel multiverse, the One Above All has hardly had any role in the comics and is still a very mysterious entity.
