The 15 Most Powerful Marvel Characters, Ranked

As long as there have been superhero stories, there have been debates over who is strongest. There's plenty of discourse between franchises, as comic book readers argue over who'd win in a fight: Superman or Sailor Moon? Spawn or Batman? The Hulk or Hellboy? It's hard to even come to a proper consensus in just one comic book franchise, with divided opinions over who the strongest Avengers in the MCU are, which gets more complicated with every new film that's released. 

For Marvel especially, the comics are known for their massive stakes, including cosmic threats, reality-altering magic, and mythological gods and monsters. There's no shortage of characters in Marvel's canon who are canonically omnipotent, and plenty of Marvel characters who would absolutely destroy Superman. However, time and time again, these 15 Marvel characters prove themselves to have very few limits to their powers, whether they come from humble beginnings or have existed for thousands of years. And to make this list more "fair" and less boring, please excuse us for not including too many omnipotent beings!

Given Wolverine's status as one of Marvel's most iconic characters, it may seem biased to place him on a list of the franchise's most powerful characters. However, if you know anything about the character's incredible feats from various comic book storylines, you'd agree that Wolverine is about as fearsome as they come. Born with the latent mutant power of growing bone claws, James "Logan" Howlett becomes the subject of Weapon X experimentation that infuses his body with adamantium, a rare metal that turns him into an unstoppable killing machine.

With Logan's healing factor, he's able to survive some pretty gnarly injuries, including being ripped in half by the Hulk in "Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine." In some alternate universes, Logan also single-handedly slaughters all the X-Men, which is up there with some of the worst things Wolverine has ever done. However, he's far from fully immortal, as Magneto once ripped the adamantium from Logan's skeleton, and the "Death of Wolverine" comic book arc sees Wolverine's healing factor be compromised by a virus, ultimately leading to his death by molten adamantium smothering. 

There's a reason why Thanos had the honor of being the first big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that's because he's easily one of the if not the most powerful MCU villains we've seen thus far. His comic book counterpart isn't any less strong (a colossal understatement, we know). In "Avengers: Infinity War," all Thanos needs is his fists and some epic combos to sweep the floor with the Hulk in a brawl.

Meanwhile, when he's gathered all the Infinity Gems in the comics, Thanos is nigh-omnipotent, capable of wiping 50% of the population with the snap of his fingers, and without the side effects that nearly kill him in the MCU. Even without his Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos can still be granted cosmic powers by beings higher than himself, such as Mephisto or Mistress Death. If Thanos was a little more humble, he may be satisfied being one of the most powerful beings in the entire Marvel universe, but his relentless quest for even more power is often what results in his downfall. 

Carol Danvers' bizarre comic book history began in the late '60s, but she moved to the forefront of Marvel's roster of powerful heroes after inheriting the title of "Captain Marvel" from Mar-Vell in the 2010s. Since then, with the help of Brie Larson's portrayal in the MCU starting in 2019, Danvers has earned her place on this ranking of Marvel's strongest characters, boasting powers that stretch far beyond the limits of any ordinary superhuman.

Although she was born a human, Danvers gained her powers after her DNA was merged with Mar-Vell's during an explosion, gifting her not only enhanced Kree powers, but making her stronger or on par with the likes of Doctor Strange or Sentry. She's only gotten stronger as the years go on, as comic book storylines have seen her powers enhanced by the Brood, giving her the ability to manipulate, absorb, and control all types of energy, giving her a nearly unlimited source of power to wield. 

He's the heir to the throne of Asgard, he's one of the founding members of the Avengers, and he's also the hero chosen to wield the legendary hammer Mjolnir, a power that's only reserved for those who are worthy. While the MCU has seen the evolution of Thor from serious warrior to silly superhero, Thor proves himself to be one of the consistently most overpowered characters in the history of Marvel Comics. 

Obviously, he is both immortal and invulnerable due to his Asgardian physiology, and his status as the god of thunder also gives him the ability to control the weather and summon lightning at will. Mjolnir also gives Thor a leg up in any battle, but he's also been gifted even more powers by wielding weapons like the Odinsword, Stormbreaker, or Galactus' Power Cosmic. The only caveat to Thor's omnipotent strength is the fact that, as of his most recent adventures in the "Immortal Thor" series, Thor was killed by Loki and resurrected as a normal human with no powers and no memory of Asgard. 

Hope Summers may not be the first mutant most fans of Marvel Comics think of, given that the character wasn't created (or born, canonically) until after the universe-shifting events of "House of M," in which all mutants are made powerless by the Scarlet Witch. Shortly after her birth, Hope becomes similar to the John Connor of the "X-Men" universe, with some believing her to be destined to save mutantkind while others think she'll lead to the death of mutants altogether. 

Knowing how powerful Hope becomes, those high expectations either way certainly aren't inappropriate. She's classified as an "Omega-level" mutant, which makes sense considering she's the daughter of the Phoenix Force (more on that later), but her power rivals many other powerful mutants with her major ability being mimicry of any other mutant powers. All Hope needs to do is be near another mutant to adopt their powers, giving her near-unlimited access to telepathy and energy manipulation, and she's even capable of altering other mutants' abilities to use their powers. 

If you didn't already know about Marvel's Sentry from "Thunderbolts*," you certainly learned quickly how much of a powerful force the character can be at his full potential. Having been experimented on with a variant of super-soldier serum, Robert Reynolds becomes a superhero whose powers surpass most Avengers, including the team's roster of gods and god-like heroes such as Thor or Captain Marvel. His power is supposedly equivalent to one million exploding suns, manifesting in strength, speed, flight, teleportation, energy and molecule manipulation, and telekinesis.

The only problem? The Sentry has a dark side, known as the Void, who operates with malice like a pendulum for every good act the Sentry does. In "Thunderbolts*," the Void's main feat is turning New York civilians into shadows, while in the comics, the Void can manipulate all kinds of matter and shape-shift into many different enigmatic forms. Sentry could theoretically place higher on this list, if his greatest weakness wasn't his own darker half.

There's a reason 20th Century Fox tried twice to adapt the iconic "Dark Phoenix" storyline from the comics. While both times made Jean Grey one of the Marvel characters the "X-Men" movies screwed over the most, the character's immense power is one of her biggest defining attributes. As a mutant, Jean Grey's latent abilities are telepathy and empathy, but she reaches another echelon of strength thanks to the Phoenix Force, a cosmic entity comprised of all the psychic energy from throughout the multiverse. 

Jean essentially becomes a host to the Phoenix Force, making her one of the strongest members of the X-Men, while also weighing heavily on her mental state, destined to turn her into an uncontrollable monster. At her highest potential, Jean Grey is easily one of the strongest beings in the entire Marvel universe, though it comes at quite a hefty price that pits her against her own mutant brethren. When not at the whim of the Phoenix Force's almighty power, Jean's psionic abilities are still a huge threat to anyone who threatens mutantkind. 

It's hard to believe it took as long as it did for Mephisto to properly be introduced into the MCU, considering how many characters sold their soul to him in Marvel Comics. Mephisto, for those who have yet to watch "Ironheart" on Disney+, is essentially the Marvel universe's equivalent to the Devil, making deals with characters to grant them various powers and privileges in exchange for their souls. As far as big bads go, Mephisto's as devious as they get, antagonizing not just heroes like Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch, but even other villains like Doctor Doom and Green Goblin.

Because he's an immortal being that resides in hell, Mephisto's powers, which include dark and chaos magic, are nearly limitless. He's also incapable of being fully killed, even if his physical form is, as he can always just resurrect himself. However, Mephisto cannot control people, he can only influence or manipulate them, which makes him pretty powerless if his persuasion is resisted by truly good heroes, of which there are plenty in Marvel Comics. 

Once upon a time, Galactus was no less mortal than the Fantastic Four themselves, originating as a cosmic explorer who is transformed by the Big Bang into an always hungry being that must feast on planets to survive. He's less a villain and more a force of nature, using his herald the Silver Surfer to scope out planets for him to devour. His initial attempts to feast on Earth are deterred by the Fantastic Four, making the planet a primary target for this larger-than-life giant.

Because he's a cosmic being, the worst things Galactus has ever done are all made possible by the Power Cosmic, the energy formed inside of Galactus from satiating himself on planets capable of hosting intelligent life. With the Power Cosmic, Galactus can teleport at will, manipulate and transform matter, and cross dimensional planes. However, this is all assuming he's able to feed in the first place, which thanks to heroes like Marvel's First Family, is not always feasible. There are also plenty of cosmic weapons that can easily dispatch Galactus, including the Infinity Gauntlet (when completed) or Knull's Necrosword. 

How is a superhero with the power to talk to squirrels one of the strongest characters in the Marvel universe, beating the likes of Galactus, Thanos, and Jean Grey? If you're thinking that, then there's a lot you didn't know about Squirrel Girl, a.k.a. Doreen Green, who discovers her squirrel powers at a young age and pursues her dream of becoming an Avenger, proving herself by rescuing Iron Man from Doctor Doom in her very first comic book appearance in 1991. 

Yes, Squirrel Girl is a joke character, but that joke character has canonically kicked the butt of some of Marvel's most powerful heroes and villains. Oftentimes, this is through the use of her army of squirrels or simply just being creative. For instance, she deters Galactus from eating Earth at one point just by befriending the cosmic entity and convincing him not to. Doreen Green proves that not every powerful character in Marvel has to accomplish their goals through brute strength. That being said, according to Stan Lee himself, Squirrel Girl's real power comes from the comic book writer, saying, "These are fictitious characters, the writer can do whatever he wants with them!"

Okay, now that we've got Squirrel Girl out of the way, let's get back to the Marvel Comics characters who actually deserve a top 5 spot among the franchise's most powerful characters, starting with Molecule Man. Born humbly as Owen Reese, he is accidentally caught in a particle generator that imbues him with energy from another dimension, giving him cosmic-level psychic powers and the ability to control matter down to the smallest molecule, with his only impediments being mental blocks he gave himself to limit his control of organic matter.

As one of The Fantastic Four's best villains, Molecule Man's powers are able to demolish entire multiverses, with his meddling often resulting in incursions. This makes Molecule Man an integral player in the "Secret Wars" sagas (stay tuned), but despite being omniscient and omnipotent, he's incredibly susceptible to manipulation by other villains. Without his powers, Reese is an incredibly fragile and mentally weak person, which is often his greatest weakness that is exploited by his adversaries both heroic and villainous. 

The Beyonder is, technically speaking, not even a being of the multiverse as we know it. This enigmatic, unseen figure is like a puppet master of reality, creating the patchwork planet Battleworld in order to make various characters from Marvel's multiverse fight for his own cruel amusement in the "Secret Wars" storyline. The only reason he's even ever depicted in human form is because he's so fascinated by them as a species, transforming himself into a human in order to get close to them and learn about their way of life. 

Powers-wise, the Beyonder is strong enough to completely toy with the fabric of reality itself, but he's not unkillable. Of course, those who have read the "Secret Wars" storyline know that the Beyonder is not even the iconic comic book arc's big bad. In fact, some fans have theorized "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" sets up "Avengers: Doomsday" by potentially replacing the Beyonder as a character with another incredibly powerful character. But who would be evil enough to do such a thing. Well, wait until you hear about...

... Victor von Doom. If you only think of this Latverian ruler with a green hood and full metal armor as an adversary of the Fantastic Four, you haven't even scratched the surface of what the movies keep getting wrong about Doctor Doom. Fueled by his hatred of Reed Richards, this incredible Marvel villain is not only a brilliant scientist but a fearsome sorcerer, rivaling the likes of Sorcerer Supremes and mastering mystic arts, eldritch magic, and technopathy. In "Secret Wars," it's Doom who steals the Beyonder's powers and draws energy from Molecule Man to make himself the god of Battleworld.

Though Doom is still defeated by all the multiverse's heroes, led by Reed Richards, very few characters in Marvel Comics (aside from Squirrel Girl) can do away with Doom all by themselves. Whereas many villains can be tossed around and crushed by the Hulk, Doom can hold his own against the green giant. Even when he can't physically surpass another character, Doom's incredibly intelligence and adept psychological manipulation help him to get what he wants anyway. His only flaw? Pure arrogance, which often causes him to be cynical and underestimate his foes. 

Yes, Doctor Doom is potentially the most powerful sorcerer in the entire Marvel universe, but what about the most powerful sorceress? That distinct honor goes to none other than Wanda Maximoff, who debuted in Marvel Comics as a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants with her twin, Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver), later turning good and joining the Avengers in their second incarnation. As the character's evolved over the years, she's adopted superpowers that don't quite make sense, often labeled a "Nexus Being" for her total control over Earth-616's universe. 

Magically, Maximoff is proficient in chaos magic, able to grant her the ability to manipulate probability as well as reality. She's also one of the few beings in the Marvel universe with canonical free will, unable to be affected by fate manipulation or paradoxes. With possession of the Darkhold, Wanda was even able to control Chthon, but easily her most iconic moment in Marvel Comics comes in the "House of M" storyline. Sent into a psychotic spiral after her two children were taken from her, Wanda first completely alters reality into one where mutants are the dominant species. This is nearly reversed by a team of heroes who remember the previous lives, and after Pietro is killed as well in the ensuing battle, Wanda utters the iconic phrase, "No more mutants," causing most mutants to completely lose all their abilities. The only way to get more powerful than that is to not just alter reality, but the entire cosmos. 

Enter Franklin Richards. Those who have seen how "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" differs from past versions of "Fantastic Four" may not know much about the comic book origins of the baby boy that Galactus is so interested in. Galactus seems to imply that Franklin is destined to take his place as a cosmic force of nature, which is a prophecy that's fulfilled in the "Earth X" storyline. 

The only thing stopping Franklin from exercising his immense world-destroying power is his own will, preferring to limit his usage of his powers in order to live a normal childhood. Because he was born with these latent abilities, his powers are classified as far beyond that of an Omega-level mutant, and his greatest weakness is just his own ability to make himself appear as if he's de-powered. Franklin isn't just the most powerful character in Marvel Comics, he's maybe the most overpowered character ever written in comic book history. No wonder many fans speculate that "Avengers: Doomsday" will see Robert Downey Jr.'s Doom kidnap Franklin as his own Beyonder to help create his own patchwork universe to rule.