Marvel Universe: Most Powerful Superheroes

It’s always interesting to find out who the strongest superhero is in any of the two major comic book domains.

For now, we’ll take a look at the Marvel Universe, which means – unfortunately – we have to exclude hero numero uno, Superman the Man of Steel.

We’ll arbitrarily exclude the Ultimate Nullifier weapon for this treatment, however. The Nullifier has the ability to destroy any target the wielder chooses, with the added probability of suicide after use.

Additionally, this depends on the user’s mental focus, so if someone like Dr. Stephen Strange obtained and used it, he could be the most powerful offensive force in the universe, and would easily make this list of Most Powerful Marvel Comics Superheroes.

10. Odin – Lord of Asgard

First off, we have the Skyfather Odin, ruler of the Asgardian pantheon of gods and Midgard (the Earth in Norse mythology). With a Skyfather coming in at the 10th spot, you can clearly see that this list is going to feature some truly incredible beings.

Also known as the Allfather, Odin is superhuman in almost every way – and prodigiously more powerful than other superheroes. He possesses a regenerative healing factor and an exceptionally long lifetime.

In fact, his life span would probably be immortal if not for Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods.

On this distant, final day, the great magical wolf Fenris would slip his dwarven bonds and kill Odin with a snap of its unreal jaws, ending the reign of the mightiest Asgardian forever.

But until that day comes to pass, Odin is an absolute force to be reckoned with.

As for offensive abilities, Odin possesses the Odinforce (fittingly!). With it, he can access a legion of absurdly-powerful options.

A single thought can cast a foe into the deepest space, or scan minds from across dimensions. Odin is able to teleport the entire, billion-strong population human race to other dimensions at a whim.

He’s also capable of matter manipulation and force blasts that would wreck a small celestial body. Force-fields that can protect huge structures and huge gatherings of structures are also within the realm of his abilities.

Deeply magical abilities like compressing populations into a single entity and bestowing powers are easy for him with the Odinforce, which seems to put him on a level with the Devourer of Worlds, Galactus.

Much like Superman, Odin is beset with a single, very important and unavoidable weakness, however – the Odinsleep. Periodically, the Allfather must sleep at the root of the World Tree Yggdrasil to replenish his vast energies. During this godsleep, he is no stronger than a mere human.

9. Death Becomes Her

Next up is the cosmic entity Death, who has all the powers you would expect of such a formidable being. She, like Galactus, wields the Power Cosmic.

Through this, she has matter, energy, reality and time manipulation abilities exceeding even the mighty Odinforce. She can simulate the form of a loved one for various purposes, down to absolutely perfect detail.

In fact, if you follow the storyline of the dark god Thanos, it becomes apparent that they are intent on one day marrying.

Til Death do us part, I suppose.

Death can even bring back dead entities to the realm of the living. She is, of course, immortal and not subject to the vicissitudes of time.

8. Galactus – Omega and then Alpha

Coming in at the 8th spot is the Devourer of Worlds, himself. Galactus possesses strength, stamina and speed on clearly godlike levels. His durability is unreal, and he is considered impenetrable with respect to almost any weapon. Although humongous in his “natural” state, he is capable of prodigious matter manipulation and can resize himself as he see fit – from small to large.

His most impressive ability, however, is the Power Cosmic. With it, Galactus can resurrect the dead, engage in outright feats of almost biblical creation and destruction, control over molecular structure, and power endowment.

Such is his stratospheric level of godliness, that the heralds Galactus creates are themselves on the realm of cosmic beings. From Terrax to Nova, Firelord and his most famous creation – the Silver Surfer, these beings are all very super.

They are charged with satiating the only real weakness of the Devourer of Worlds: his need to eat. Galactus must feast on living planets in order to sustain himself, otherwise he grows almost incapacitated by hunger as his power wanes.

How is it that Galactus is so powerful? His origin is truly one of a kind and holds the key to this. Before our current universe, there was another that collapsed in on itself and came to an end. Galactus was the end of that universe and the beginning of this one. He is the sole remaining survivor of what came before, and he gained tremendous abilities as a consequence of that Conclusion.

7. Franklin Richards – Fantastic Spawn

At the 7th spot on this short list of Marvel’s most formidable beings is Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Susan Richards of the Fantastic Four. Right off the bat, it becomes clear that this kid is an omega-level mutant that is still growing.

By the time he is of age, he is projected to be a cosmic-level entity, with the ability to control matter and energy, display serious telekinetic and telepathic powers and energy projection on a level equal to DC Superman’s heat vision.

Indeed, Franklin Richard’s burgeoning powers have even put the great Galactus on notice. Without a doubt, he will be the single most powerful Earthling in the Marvel Universe someday. His abilities to warp reality and create pocket universes already put him in a class all by himself; the young Franklin Richards may someday be even more formidable than the Phoenix Force, itself.

6. Thanos the Dark God of Madness

At the sixth slot is the mad god Thanos, member of the race of Eternals that resided on the moon Titan.

With a fearsome visage very much like Detective Comics’ dark god Darkseid, Thanos is equally – moreso, actually – obsessed with Death than even the Lord of Apokolips.

He may be just as powerful in his unaided form, too; but, with the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos is very much one of the most powerful beings, period, and would utterly ruin Darkseid in a confrontation.

The mad god Thanos is a member of the race of Eternals that resided on the moon Titan. After killing them all in his lust for power, Thanos grew to be even more powerful than he was already was.

Eventually, this dark god who lusts after Death – yes, you read that right – hopes to be united with her in matrimony; ostensibly, forever.

Thanos, in his quest to bring about the deaths of as many sentient life forms as possible, ended up creating the Infinity Gauntlet – a device of unmatched power.

The Infinity Gauntlet adds unlimited power to his base abilities of vast super strength, great speed, extremely high intellect, upper-tier durability and unending energy reserves, regenerative healing and a host of other natural abilities endemic to the members of his species. Formerly endemic, since Thanos was the strongest of them and killed all his brethren.

Thanos is also capable of manipulating energy and matter on a level somewhat south of the Power Cosmic-imbued silver Surfer, can read minds and move objects with the force of his psyche. As if such a mighty being needs it, teleportation is also an ability he employs at will.

Lastly, it is said that he cannot die, but perhaps that supposed attribute will be tested one day by a mightier opponent. When he wielded the Infinity Gauntlet, however, all the universe was at his disposal – all except for the Living Tribunal. Other than this multi-universal force of nature, Thanos and the Glove held dominion over time, space, reality, power, the mind and the soul.

5. The Phoenix Force – Demigod of the Mind

On our steady march towards the number 1 spot, we run into none other than the Phoenix Force. This prodigiously powerful cosmic entity possessed the most powerful telepath on earth (Professor X and Franklin Richards notwithstanding) in Jean Grey of the X-Men.

The speed of the Phoenix Force is truly unmatched by all but the very few virtually omnipresent entities in the Marvel Universe.

By creating dual quantum singularities, it can traverse any distance in essentially zero time – much like a photon in its own frame of rest.

Making and breaking black holes exist within the vast catalogue of its powers, and its energy absorption abilities are mind-boggling.

As for offensive weaponry, the Phoenix Force can transmute matter and engage in cosmic pyrotechnics – create psionic fires of withering power without oxygen.

It serves as the progenitor of all psionic force in the universe, and employs it to fuel its incalculable powers of telekinesis, teleportation and even resurrection.

Indeed, as a very high-level celestial entity, the Phoenix Force can only be checked by a literal handful of beings, and since such beings are generally largely neutral in temperament, most of the universe fears the Force for its tendency to carry out judgments on the inadequate with its brutal and unyielding cosmic flame.

4. The Beyonder – Beyond All Reason

If you’re a Marvel universe fan from the early days, then you’ve probably been wondering where the Beyonder is. He slides securely into the lofty 4th spot on this list of the most powerful.

His reality-altering powers are second to very, very few beings in the universe, and his psionic depth makes even the power of the Phoenix Force hesitate. His strength occupies the very zenith of what’s possible for a physical attribute, he can teleport, fly, and many other things.

Basically, all the powers of the Beyonder are at an ultra metahuman level; exceeding even those of many gods.

3. Eternity and Infinity – ‘Nuff Said

The third spot is a tie between Eternity and Infinity. Respectively, they are characterized as male and female, and are so mighty they are only even really ever seen by extremely mystical characters like Dr. Stephen Strange (the Sorcerer Supreme), Adam Warlock and Olympian Skyfathers like Zeus.

They hold dominion over all time and space and are essentially equal in power to cosmic beings like Galactus, Oblivion and Death, herself. Obviously, they are omnipresent and their deaths would end the universe that the Marvel heroes inhabit – although the countless other realms of the multiverse would persist.

2. The Living Tribunal – Guardian of the Multiverse

As the power levels become asymptotic, we greet the resident of the 2nd spot with an appropriate measure of sheer awe.

The Living Tribunal is omnipresent; he occupies all timelines in the infinite multiverse. It is said that he is the most powerful possible being that is subject to sentient comprehension; the final level of power at which it is still possible to have motivations.

The Living Tribunal judges entire timelines and, if any become unstable and threatens to destabilize the others, he destroys it at a whim. Whole universes – gone. He has held a version of Eternity in the palm of his inconceivably large hand and squeezed it out of existence when Eternity couldn’t maintain order in his universe.

Watchers, Galactus, Skyfathers, Infinity, Celestials all congregate respectively before him when he desires communion. And yet, despite all this, the Living Tribunal is but a servant…

1. The One Above All

At the number one spot resides The One Above All. He is Omnipresent, Omniscient, All-Powerful and more. He is infinitely infinite, and could destroy the Living Tribunal with a mere thought, glance or inclination.

He is the Marvel Universe’s God, and is truly illimitable and all-encompassing.