With some exceptions, it’s hard to believe that there was a period of time when superhero films weren’t considered big business. They were either low-budget straight to video affairs, or the films were just critically panned low-quality movies that people regretted seeing in the first place.
It wasn’t until Blade, the X-Men, and the Spider-Man films proved that superhero films could be successful that Hollywood really started to take notice. However, it was the Marvel Cinematic Universe that began with Iron Man that really got the ball rolling by smashing box office records with almost every new installment in the intertwining MCU saga. The success of the MCU has even inspired Warner Brothers to try the same thing with the DC Universe and the Justice League.
The films have renewed faith in long time comic book readers, ushered in a new generation of fans and even expanded its universe onto the small screen with Netflix shows like Daredevil and the upcoming Defenders series. The MCU is expanding even further and fans both old and new are often seen taking to the internet hotly debating which characters in the Marvel Universe are the most powerful, the strongest or the fastest.
Although, as a result of the writers at Marvel constantly retooling characters powers, or having their origins being retconned to suit certain story arcs, there will never be a definitive answer. Yet after consulting with super fans and referring to the Official Marvel Encyclopedia we’ve put together our own list here of the 25 most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe.
25 Deadpool
It may be surprising to begin this list with Deadpool, after all, he isn’t a character with god-like powers, omnipotence, unlimited strength or unlimited knowledge. However, in the Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe storyline, after being sent a mental hospital by the X-Men, Deadpool undergoes a procedure in an attempt to put him under Psycho-Man’s control.
The procedure fails, but it leaves Deadpool even more unhinged than before, killing Psycho-Man before assassinating every single super hero and villain in the Marvel universe to rebel against and confront his comic book creators.
The catch, of course, is the Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe arc isn’t considered true canon which is why he’s last on this list, but the writers obviously consider him powerful enough to give him a potential “what if” scenario under the official Marvel banner.
24 Vulcan
The brother of Cyclops (Scott Summers) and Havok (Alex Summers) Vulcan (Gabriel Summers) is the former Emperor of Shi’ ar Empire and an Omega level mutant displaying powers such as the ability to absorb and manipulate any form of energy and channel that energy through his energy blasts. He also has the power to siphon his enemies powers for his use and even used Marvel Girl’s own telepathy against her.
In addition, Vulcan is capable of interstellar flight, regeneration, the ability to breathe in space and the power to temporarily suppress his enemies super powers. Although he was capable of battling Black Bolt in single combat, their battle tore a hole in the fabric of space and time, and it is unknown if he still alive.
23 Hyperion
Hyperion made his first appearance in The Avengers #69 as a member of the Squadron Sinister, an evil team four supervillains created by The Grandmaster. The Squadron was based on DC Comics superhero team the Justice League of America. Dr. Spectrum was based on the Green Lantern, Nighthawk was Batman, the Whizzer was like the Flash, and Hyperion was very much based on Superman.
Hyperions origins are similar to that of Superman’s and just like Superman he has his similar powers, such atomic vision (x-ray vision), radio hearing (super hearing), super strength, flight etc. He’s also vulnerable to his own version of Kryptonite which is called Argonite, depending on which alternate earth version of the character is depicted, Hyperion is more often than not a villain blind to his own arrogance.
22 Skaar
Skaar is the son of the Hulk and extraterrestrial Caiera the Oldstrong and was conceived during the Planet Hulk storyline in the comics. Emerging from his cocoon he had already had the appearance of a human in his early teens. Skaar quickly developed the appearance and intelligence of a full-grown in little over a year. He quickly learned how to survive and kill as a warrior on the planet Sakaar — the comic book series seemed to take a lot of inspiration for Skaar’s character from the Conan the Barbarian character.
Skaar has a lot of the same powers as the Hulk, such as his strength, speed, regeneration and becomes stronger the angrier he becomes. He isn’t quite as powerful as Savage Hulk but possesses many of the same powers that his mother has through the use of the Old Power, and a result can draw power from the planet to harden his body.
21 Hercules
The Olympian demigod Hercules is the son of Zeus, and his origins are born of Greek mythology. He is by the far the most physically powerful Olympian ever and is said to possess immeasurable strength. He is very capable of holding his own against the likes of Thor, Sentry, and even the Hulk. In addition, Hercules knocked out the Abomination with one blow, killed Ragnarok with his own weapon, and —most impressively— held up the weight of the heavens single-handed during the mythological era.
As the literal god of strength Hercules is easily one of the strongest beings in the Marvel universe, and even long time friend and rival Thor admitted that Herc has the upper hand as far as physical strength is concerned.
20 Thor
Another mythological God finds his way into the Marvel universe, but instead of being an Olympian like Hercules, Thor is the Asgardian God of Thunder in Norse mythology and the son of Odin. Just like Hercules, Thor is one of the strongest and most durable super heroes in the Marvel universe. He has energy manipulation powers that rival that of the Silver Surfer, and has complete mastery of the weather and the earth. Finally, is his most powerful attack is the God-Blast, a blast so powerful that it shattered the legendary hammer of the gods Mjolnir.
Thor has regularly stood toe-to-toe with the likes of the Hulk, Red Hulk and his battle against Gorr shattered entire planets. He’s not only strong enough to level planets, but he can alter a mortals memories with the “Gift of Forgetfulness.”
19 Silver Surfer
When Galactus approached the planet Zenn-La with the intentions of devouring it, the Norrin Radd offered to become his herald so in exchange his planet would be spared. Galactus would then imbue Radd with the Power Cosmic transforming him into the Silver Surfer, but also tampered with the Silver Surfer’s mind and soul.
Surfer would eventually regain his former mental state but retained the Power Cosmic which grant him abilities like energy absorption, matter manipulation, superhuman strength, and power over the four forces of the universe. The Silver Surfer was so powerful that he was capable of holding his own against Galactus long enough as a distraction for the Fantastic Four to obtain the “Ultimate Nullifier.” Even the Hulk needed help defeating him on the planet Sakaar when he was under the control of the Obedience disk.
18 Sentry
Sentry is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel universe, and although it can be too easy to write him off as another Superman clone like Hyperion, he’s so much more complex than that. He’s been both a hero and a villain and not just for formulaic reasons, but because he’s had to deal with real, relatable issues like dissociative personality disorder, and drug addiction in his former life.
Sentry has the power of a million exploding suns – which is pretty immeasurable by anyone’s standards – he’s fought the Hulk to a stalemate despite being in a fragile mental state, even breaking the Hulk’s limbs as his dark persona known as the Void. He has genius intellect, psionic powers, and the power of molecular manipulation. If it wasn’t for his mental condition, The Sentry would quite possibly be the most powerful superhero in the Marvel universe.
17 Hulk
The Hulk is one of the most well known and popular Marvel superheroes ever, he’s also physically one the strongest too. In single combat, there aren’t many characters that are capable of matching him in terms of pure strength and endurance. Yes, there are more powerful God-like characters in the Marvel universe, but the Hulk possesses the capacity for limitless strength.
The Hulks immeasurable strength is proportional to his level of anger and rage. The Hulk has many incarnations like the Grey Hulk and the Savage Hulk, but the Green Scar version is by far the strongest after he absorbed the energy from the exploded ship that brought him to the planet Sakaar.
16 The Magus (Adam Warlock)
The Magus originally began life as the super powered Adam Warlock, but he was then kidnapped by the In-Betweener and sent to a different realm. There he was subjected to Lord Chaos and Master Order’s dark secrets and “truths” about life and death for centuries. Adam tried to escape the indoctrination in his cocoon, but the bombardment of brainwashing was inescapable, eventually driving him into madness.
Chaos and Order then sent the cocoon 5000 years into the past where Warlock emerged as the Magus more powerful than ever. After taunting him, Majus easily defeated Adam Warlock and Gomora in battle. In a massive battle on a galactic scale, he even defeated Thanos before he meddled with his own timeline so much that he began to fade from existence. The Magus’ powers include wraith-like life absorption, cosmic powers and briefly had control of the Infinity Stones.
15 Galactus
Galactus was the last the survivor of a universe that existed before the currently known Marvel universe. He’s also the universe's oldest known entity and doesn’t have a true form in the physical sense as he is no longer considered a being. His appearance is apparently the manifestation of what the limited human mind can form for him.
Galactus has a strength level that is solar scale and god-like, he has the ability to create sentient biological life-forms by using his control over molecules. In addition, he possesses the power of Recreation which allows him to recreate whole planets and biospheres.
14 Thanos
Thanos was born on Titan (Saturn’s moon) and is the child of Eternals Mentor and Sui-San. Thanos also carries the Deviants gene and shares his physical appearance and stature with them. Growing up, Thanos became obsessed with Mistress Death and murdered his family for her. He was also capable of augmenting his own strength and powers through mystical and artificial means making surpassing even the most powerful of the Eternals.
Thanos’ super strength is so vast that its limits are unknown, he has destroyed planets with the force of his blows, effortlessly punched away a charging Hulk and subdued the likes of Beta Ray Bill and the Silver Surfer with very little effort. Perhaps, his most dangerous weapon is his super intellect, which is dedicated to the destruction of all life.
13 Surtur
Surtur the Fire Giant is an immortal from the extra dimensional plane of Muspelheim and is the mortal enemy of Odin and his son Thor. Surtur is also destined to be heavily involved with the Ragnarok – an endless cycle in which Asgard would be destroyed and reborn. It is Surtur’s destiny to destroy Asgard with the Twilight Sword.
Surtur is a powerful and malevolent being with the power of a thousand blazing suns and stands over 1000 ft. in height. His strength, power, speed, and durability far surpasses that of Thor, and he can manipulate fire and cosmic energy. His only vulnerability is intense coldness and magic.
12 Odin
Odin is the ruling monarch of Asgard and the father of Thor and is recognized as the most powerful of all the Asgardians – including Thor. Much of Odin’s origins are shrouded in mystery, but when he and his brothers Vili and Ve ventured into the realm of Surtur, the brothers faced mortal danger. So Odin could escape safely, Vili and Ve sacrificed themselves to save him. As a result, Odin’s godly attributes increased when his brother's powers merged with his own.
Odin became so powerful that he could tap into a power known as "Odin Force," which allowed him to knock out the powerful Galactus with a massive headbutt. He is capable of manipulating vast amounts of magical energy, and Odin easily defeating both Thanos and the Silver Surfer simultaneously with no effort at all – this should give you an idea of how powerful Odin really is.
11 Onslaught
Onslaught is a psionic entity born of the consciousness of two powerful mutants Professor Xavier and Magneto. In the midst of a battle between the X-Men and the Acolytes, Magneto ripped the Adamantium from Wolverines bones almost killing him. In response, Professor X was enraged and used his telepathic powers to render Magneto catatonic. Somehow, Magneto’s anger and lust for vengeance melded with Xavier’s own consciousness and resulted in the creation of new persona known as Onslaught.
Onslaught’s abilities are a combination of both mutants, meaning he has telepathy, magnetism manipulation, telekinesis and reality warping. In addition, Onslaught possesses incredible strength, durability and genius level intelligence.
10 Amatsu-Mikaboshi
Adapted from Japanese mythology Amatsu-Mikaboshi is an ancient force that was discovered in a dark primordial void by the Shinto gods Izanagi and Izanami. Mikaboshi is an ancient enemy to both Thor and Hercules, and even predates the Skyfathers like Zeus and Odin.
He’s defeated the immortal Zeus on two occasions and almost succeeded in conquering all of Olympia. During this time he enslaved the fallen gods of Olympus and even managed to defeat Galactus through the body of Zeus. Additionally, Mikaboshi absorbed 98.76% of the multiverse before he was knocked through a portal into the Sealed Universe.
9 Cyttorak
Cyttorak is a demonic entity that exists in the dimension known as the Crimson Cosmos and possibly the most powerful being of magic in the Marvel Universe. He is the source of the magic power found in the Crimson Gem that granted Cain Marko the power to become the unstoppable Juggernaut.
Morgan le Fay used Cyttorak’s Crimson Bands to easily bind Bolar and Dr. Strange, rendering their powers useless. Even Galactus was unable to free himself from the power of Cyttorak's imprisonment. Inside the Crimson Cosmos, Cyttorak has unlimited power, because a demon lord within his own domain is beyond natural law.
8 Infinity
The cosmic entity Infinity is the representation of space in its totality, and its brother Eternity is the representation of time. So together they are the space-time continuum and the living force behind the universe in its entirety. Infinity and Eternity’s counterparts are Oblivion and Death.
Infinity has no true physical body but sometimes takes the form of a female, but as an abstract entity it exists everywhere in the universe and can manipulate the universe to achieve virtually any effect it chooses. Thanos himself ranked Infinity’s power above that of the Lord Chaos and Master Order. Unquestionably, this is a true power.
7 Phoenix Force
The Phoenix Force was born of the void between the states of being and is considered to be a child of the universe representing all life that has not yet been born. It is one of the oldest known cosmic entities, the Guardian of Creation, and the nexus of the psionic energy that exists in all realities of the Omniverse.
The Pheonix force is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe and has extinction level powers. She can tap into the life-force of future generations denying them existence and is capable of limitless cosmic powers, as well as a being able to exist in any timeline or dimensional existence. However, she has shown temporary vulnerabilities to Chaos Magic, and a Watcher claimed that the through the powers of the Dragon named Shou-Lao, an Iron Fist named Fongji Wu was able to tame the Pheonix.
6 Kronos
Kronos is a peaceful Eternal who battled and defeated his war craving brother Uranos to become the sole ruler of the Eternals of Earth. However, during an experiment with Cosmic Energy in his laboratory on Titanos, he accidentally caused an explosion that destroyed the planet Titanos and Kronos’ physical body allowing his to become one with the universe.
Kronos has become one of the embodiments of time and can exert control over the souls of the deceased as evidenced when he created his champion Drax the Destroyer. His power level similar to that of Galactus and Zeus but his level of intelligence is far above almost every other super being. In his incorporeal form, his telekinesis powers are near limitless, and he is able to achieve any effect by sheer will.