Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) began, we’ve enjoyed seeing some of Marvel’s most iconic characters onscreen. After all, the likes of Thor, Tony Stark, Hulk, and Captain America truly mark the foundation of the Marvel universe. However, recently, the MCU has shown a marked shift in the characters that they are showcasing. We went from Super Soldiers, iron suits, and Norse gods, to Celestials, The Watchers, and Eternity.
Essentially, the MCU is shifting away from superpowered individuals, Inhumans, or mutants, and into the realm of cosmic deities with god-like abilities and powers. We have the Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Celestials and Tiamut in Eternals, the Watcher in What If…?, the Living Tribunal’s cameo and Chthon’s role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Eternity in Thor: Love and Thunder, and Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Needless to say, the MCU characters are showing a surge in power.
Now, with the MCU embarking into its Multiverse Saga, we can only anticipate that still more powerful beings and entities, who form the basis of the multiverse, will be making their appearances in the future. Hence, it is time to familiarize ourselves with the most powerful characters in Marvel comic books. The majority of figures on this list are cosmic entities, but several are ancient beings or Omega-level mutants who managed to attain god-like powers. Here are are the most powerful Marvel characters, ranked.
10. Matthew Malloy
Matthew Malloy, a mutant from an alternate universe, is possibly the most powerful Omega-level mutant in the Marvel universe. When we first meet Malloy, he is an unassuming man living in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife, Jules. However, his life takes a tragic turn when he and his wife are caught in a Skrull invasion. The invasion leaves Jules dead and the home they once shared, destroyed. Still reeling from the tragedy, Malloy moves to Newberry, where he runs into his sister-in-law. The meeting pushes him over the edge and his mutant powers manifest. They manifest with an enormous outburst of energy that kills everyone in the vicinity, including his sister-in-law.
Malloy cannot control his emotions, leading to more obliterations of surrounding areas and multiple deaths. In the end, Tempus and Professor X travel back in time to ensure Malloy is never born, thus, undoing the destruction and death he caused. Malloy’s short storyline meant the full extent of his power was unknown. However, from what was shown, it seemed to be limitless. He displayed highly powerful telekinesis, energy creation, telepathy, and even the ability to come back from the dead. If he had more time to develop, he might very well have exceeded some of the more powerful figures on this list.
9. Tiamut
Tiamut is a bit of an enigma both in terms of his history and power. All that is really know about Tiamut is that he was a member of the First Celestial Host. Tiamut’s job was to scope out planets and report his findings to the Fulcrum. However, when Arishem the Judge tried to go against Celestial protocol, Tiamut attacked and defeated him. Tiamut was then subsequently attacked by four other Celestials, who imprisoned him and deemed that his name should never be spoken again, thus, referring to him only as the Dreaming Celestial from that point onward.
All of the Celestials boast immeasurable power. However, on top of that, Tiamut is believed to be one of the most powerful Celestials. After all, he succeeded in defeating Arishem the Judge and it took four other Celestials to imprison him. Even Galactus feared this gigantic Celestial with impenetrable armor. Like other Celestials, he has the power to destroy and create entire universes and races. He is immortal and has a limitless amount of cosmic energy, giving him pretty much every power and ability he could want. Unfortunately, the full extent of his power isn’t known, making it hard to truly gauge where he belongs on this list.
8. Chthon
Chthon is an Elder God who was created billions of years ago by Demiurge. As time passed, all of the Elder Gods, including Chthon, were corrupted and turned into demons. Fearing for the future of humanity, nearly all the Elder Gods were killed by Demogorge the God-Eater. Chthon managed to evade death and moved into a different dimension, but before doing so, he wrote the Darkhold on Mount Wundagore to ensure he’d always have a link to earth. He came to rule over his own dimension and gained control over every aspect of it. Meanwhile, his influence lived on, with him fathering numerous monsters, imbuing his chaos magic into the infant Wanda Maximoff, and corrupting many with the Darkhold.
As an Elder God, and the very first master of dark and chaos magic, Chthon is immensely powerful. He has total mastery of chaos magic, meaning he can warp the very fabric of reality to his liking. Additionally, his god/demon physiology gives him the ability to change his physical form and makes him immortal. Chthon also has the ability of demonic possession and mentally enslaves anyone who reads the Darkhold. There are few magic users in the Marvel universe as powerful as Chthon and if it weren’t for his entrapment in another dimension, he would be a nearly unstoppable force on Earth.
7. Galactus
Galactus was originally Galan of the planet Taa. However, he became Galactus after his planet was destroyed and he was bonded with the Sentience of the Universe. This gave him an enormous level of power, as well an insatiable hunger for energy to sustain his highly powerful being. This led to Galactus consuming entire planets to replenish himself, driving the extinction of multiple entire civilizations around the universe. As a result, he spends much of time roaming the universe and seeking suitable planets for consumption, coming across numerous heroes and villains during his journeys and exceeding them all in power.
Galactus is, basically, the embodiment of the cosmos—able to draw power from a force known as the Power Cosmic. His bond with the Sentience of the Universe, combined with the Power Cosmic, gives him incredible powers in the fields of cosmic awareness, telepathy, telekinesis, matter manipulation, energy manipulation, and even resurrection and life creation. He can both create an entire world, as well as decimate an entire universe. His powers are matched by few, though he is disadvantaged by his continual need to replenish his energy.
6. Molecule Man
Molecule Man was born Owen Reece and was a timid and rather weak child, who grew into a bitter and disgruntled man. While working a dead-end job at a nuclear power plant, Reece accidentally activated a particle accelerator and was bombarded with radiation. The radiation caused him to transform physically and gave him god-like psionic powers. He, essentially, could manipulate all energy and all matter, all the way down to a molecular level. Reece called himself Molecule Man and sought revenge on the world he had grown disillusioned of.
The Molecule Man’s psionic powers are virtually limitless and he has even exhibited the rare power of reality warping on a multiversal level. It is later revealed that the Molecule Man’s creation was influenced by the Beyonder, who created a Molecule Man as a bomb, because when he dies, he will inadvertently destroy the entire universe. While Molecule Man has the ability to destroy the universe, hold his own against Beyonder, and has psionic powers on a cosmic level, his biggest weakness is himself. His mental blocks, self-doubt, and belief that his powers come from a wand instead of from within, kept him from being the strongest being in the Marvel universe.
5. Eternity
Eternity is an abstract entity who embodies the Marvel universe and is the personification of time. There is an Eternity in every Marvel universe. Eternity, along with his sister, Infinity, was created during the Big Bang. When the Universe was subsequently created, Eternity embodied every aspect of it, assuming the collective consciousness of every single living being in the universe. Hence, Eternity is immortal and can control every aspect of universe. The only thing or being that he can’t control is the Living Tribunal, making Eternity the second highest authority of the universe.
As an abstract entity, Eternity’s powers are limitless. He is immortal and nearly omnipotent and omniscient. He can manipulate the universe to achieve virtually any effect desired, having full power over time, space, energy, and reality itself. Eternity is among the most powerful cosmic entities in the Marvel universe.
4. Infinity
Infinity and Eternity are seen as being about equal in power. There is both an Infinity and an Eternity in every single universe. Like Eternity, Infinity is an abstract entity that embodies the universe and has total control over it, but she is the personification of space instead of time. She boasts the same powers as Eternity of immortality, near omnipotence and omniscience, and the ability to manipulate the universe. However, just like Eternity, she is still surpassed in power by the Living Tribunal.
3. Living Tribunal
The Living Tribunal is the judge, jury, and executionary of the multiverse. Unlike with Eternity and Infinity, there isn’t a Living Tribunal in every universe. There is only one Living Tribunal who oversees and judges the entire multiverse. It often manifests itself as a golden humanoid with three cloaked faces. Its three faces represent Equity, Necessity, and Vengeance—the three values by which it judges the universes. The Living Tribunal’s main job is to maintain perfect balance in the universe. For example, the Living Tribunal once almost obliterated Earth because of its potential for evil. The Living Tribunal doesn’t hesitate to obliterate or destroy anyone if it is for the greater good in the long run.
The Living Tribune is omnipotent, immortal, and embodies the power of every single universe. It is also omnipresent and nearly omniscient, and far surpasses Eternity and Infinity with the power of all the combined universes. There is no known limit to its powers, which are immeasurable. Meanwhile, the Living Tribune also manages to be completely impartial. It makes choice based solely on logic and the greater good, serving no one and has no self-interests. Still, the Living Tribunal is not the most powerful being in the Marvel universe since The One Above All created him and the Beyonders succeeded in killing him.
2. Beyonder
Beyonder is a cosmic entity and member of an ancient race known as the Beyonders. Over the course of his Marvel history, he has performed some pretty wild feats. To begin with, he orchestrated the creation of Molecule Man in order to make his way to Earth and to have a means to destroy the multiverse. Then, he created his own planet called Battleworld, and kidnapped some of the world’s most powerful superheroes and villains, forcing them to fight each other. He almost destroyed the entire multiverse a couple of times, and has the power to kill the Living Tribunal, as other members of his race who did just that.
In his initial iteration, Beyonder is nearly the most powerful being in the Marvel universe. He was retconned though and reworked to have less power. However, in his original form he was omnipotent with limitless powers. He can manipulate, control, and warp matter, energy, and reality at a cosmic level. While the Living Tribunal boasts the power of the entire multiverse, Beyonder boasts that same power, but multiplied by about a million. Still, he falls short of reaching the power of the very creator of the multiverse.
1. The One Above All
The One Above All is a rather mysterious figure who created and designed the entire multiverse. He is the supreme ruler of the multiverse and the source of all life and creation in it. While he is supremely powerful, it isn’t common for him to interfere in multiversal matters. This is why he created the Living Tribunal to carry out judgement and rule just below him. Additionally, The One Above All can also manifest himself as The One Below All who can destroy all life. He uses both manifestations of himself to create balance and to control the multiverse’s expansion.
The One Above All is the single most powerful entity in the universe. He is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and all-powerful. His power is infinite and he can both create or destroy the entire multiverse. There is no cosmic entity that exceeds him in power, especially considering that one of the most powerful cosmic entities in the Marvel universe was actually created by The One Above All. Ultimately, The One Above All is the supreme power of the entire Marvel universe.
(featured image: Marvel Comics)
Published: Aug 14, 2022 01:43 pm