Although many people only come into contact with Marvel's heroes through the films released at the cinema, these adaptations don't even come close to portraying the comic book company's vast universe. So, with so many iconic figures released, it's difficult to separate out which would be Marvel's strongest characters due to the amount of material it produces.
But we've taken up the challenge and are here to introduce you to Marvel's thirteen most powerful characters! In today's article, you'll find all sorts of interesting facts about the most skilled heroes created by the company and their powers! Will your favorite be among them? Come and see for yourself!
Galactus
The first to open the list of Marvel's strongest characters is Galactus. Before he became the powerful character he is, he was just a scientist called Galan who was totally unhappy that the universe he lived in was going to come to an end. However, when his universe was destroyed by a huge explosion, he survived by having his consciousness fused with the Universal Consciousness and remained asleep for years and years.
As the years passed, he emerged from a cosmic egg needing to feed his vital energy, and so he started devouring planets. Despite all this, Galactus isn't exactly a villain, nor does he act as a good guy. This extremely powerful cosmic force first appeared in issue #48 of Fantastic Four released in 1966 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Toranos
Toranos is one of the villains introduced in the Immortal Thor comic book series and already appears in its first issue released in 2023. He can be considered one of Marvel's strongest characters due to his divine nature as he is part of the Utgard group, who are nothing more than the gods of the gods of the franchise, proving to be much more powerful than them.
Toranos' real name is Utgard-Thor, functioning as a counter-part to the hero everyone knows, but in a much more appealing version. His control over storms is much greater and his abilities much more precise. This divine entity was created by Al Ewing and Alex Ross for the new phase of Thor in the comics.
Meridius, the Dark King
On one of his journeys through space-time, the character Eddie Brock encountered Meridius, a terrible being of darkness who reigns supreme over the darkness. Meridius is one of Marvel's strongest characters, with even other powerful figures such as Kang and Doctor Fate as mere pieces in a larger game devised by himself.
His main objective is to alter the timeline using the characters mentioned as allies in the execution of his plan, but they are nothing more than pawns in something much bigger and complex. Meridius made his first appearance in the comic book Venom #5, published in 2022, produced by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane who can be considered the fathers of this character.
The Lost
During the Secret Wars that took place in the Marvel universe in 2015, the Beyonders struck terror as extremely powerful beings who shut down the multiverse. However, behind them, there was an even more powerful being who can truly be considered one of Marvel's strongest characters: The Lost One.
It was from the Lost One that the Beyonders stole all the power they displayed during the Avengers Beyond saga and he is introduced as a sort of "surprise villain" in the third issue of this series published in 2023. The Lost One is a joint creation of Derek Landy and Greg Land.
Phoenix Force
Although many people associate the Phoenix Force only with the character Jean Grey, it is much more than just a dormant entity in the girl's body. It can be considered one of Marvel's strongest characters due to its ability to destroy and recreate parts of the universe, being the living, burning representation of the Power of Creation.
Several civilizations have been destroyed because they stood in his way and anyone who has followed the X-Men since ancient times knows the potential of this cosmic entity. He first appeared in the comic The Uncanny X-Men #101 in October 1976, created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum.
Franklin Richards
Franklin is one of the few children who can be considered one of Marvel's strongest characters, and that's no small feat. He is the son of Reed and Susan Richards, the famous members of the Fantastic Four who gained powers after being exposed to radiation. The child generated by the union of these two was born as a mutant, except that his level of power is classified beyond the maximum level of classification of these Marvel characters, which would be the Omega level.
Franklin has a wide range of abilities, including immortality and even reality manipulation. His psychic powers are extremely strong and he can predict the future and even teleport. He first appeared in issue #6 of Fantastic Four, released in 1968, and his creators are the classics Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Scarlet Witch
You can't exclude Wanda Maximoff from a list of Marvel's strongest characters. The Scarlet Witch has always had very difficult powers to deal with, having started out as a witch with mutant reality-altering powers until she reached an even greater scale when she got involved with Chaotic Magic and expanded her powers.
The character has resurrected the dead, altered reality to the point of turning all mutants into ordinary humans and many other things that only reinforce how powerful she is. She was also created by the golden duo Jack Kirby and Stan Lee for issue #4 of Uncanny X-Men, released in 1964.
Eternity
Eternity is the kind of character who comes on the scene when things are really bad. She is the personification of all living things in the universe, as well as thoughts, ideas and knowledge. Each multiverse has its own version of Eternity and each of them deserves their place among Marvel's strongest characters.
She was created in 1965 also by Stan Lee, but this time alongside Steve Ditko for issue #134 of Strange Tales. Since then, Eternity has served as a kind of guide for various heroes on their journeys, appearing whenever the universe faces a major threat in order to help stop it.
Beyonder
Beyonder is another name that can't be left out of the list of Marvel's strongest characters. He was a whole universe, but he was lonely and had no idea that other creatures existed. Until he saw the human world and became interested in it, beginning to explore with curiosity.
He is powerful and has abilities such as immortality, being omnipotent and interdimensional, and can be considered a multiversal entity. For a long time he was considered Marvel's strongest hero, but he ended up receiving some nerfs and is now as powerful as an Eternal Mutant like Thanos, for example.
Live Court
The Living Tribunal is the next personification of ideals who ranks as one of Marvel's strongest characters on this list. He is responsible for judging everything that exists, having already condemned entire universes to destruction after they threatened the cosmic balance. Representing the Balance itself, the Living Tribunal answers only to one Entity.
After Beyonder became a race, the Living Tribunal eventually fell into the hands of three of them, but just the fact that it takes more than one Beyonder to finish him off shows the extent of his power. He first appeared in Strange Tales #157 released in 1967 and was created by Stan Lee, Marie Severin and Herb Trimpe.
Anyone wearing the Infinity Gauntlet
The bronze medal for Marvel's strongest characters doesn't go to a specific person, but to all users of a specific artifact that is well known to the public. The Infinity Gauntlet is the main focus of the Infinity Saga adapted for theaters in the MCU, but it is not capable of being omnipotent as in the films, which makes it much more powerful than it is shown in live action.
As the best-known user of all time, Thanos in possession of the Infinity Gauntlet has managed to defeat all the most powerful entities that have stood in his way and has altered reality several times. This artifact first appeared in the comics in 1990 in issue #44 of The Silver Surfer vol. 3, created by Jim Starlin.
The Enigma
It's somewhat ironic that not much is known about a character whose name is Enigma, but perhaps that's exactly the point. However, that doesn't change the fact that he is one of Marvel's strongest characters and deservedly occupies second place on this list. He appeared briefly at the end of the Defenders Beyond series created by Al Ewing and Javier Rodriguez in the fifth issue released in 2022.
However, even from this glimpse, you could already get an idea of the size of his force, as even the strongest gods in the universe trembled before him. He's a somewhat recent threat to Marvel compared to others on this list, but he's already arrived with enough potential to take the silver medal!
One Above All
The gold medal among Marvel's strongest characters could not go to anyone other than the supreme entity One Above All. He is the creator of all things, the beginning and the end and, despite having so much power and being superior to every other creature that appears in the Marvel multiverse, he never directly interferes in its events.
Its appearance changes according to the perception of the beholder and the One Above All has appeared on several occasions consoling the Spiderman or even helping Thanos and Adam Warlock rebuild the universe. However, in a Fantastic Four story, his true form was revealed as the appearance of Jack Kirby, which is curious to say the least, since he really would be the creator of all things, along with Stan Lee. This character himself was created by Jack Kirby, Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, making his debut in The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol 2 #40 in 1976.
Conclusion
These are the main names among Marvel's strongest characters. Of course, this list will always change due to the number of heroes, villains and the like launched by the company from time to time, but so far it's the most up-to-date of what we have.
But what about you? Do you agree with this list? Would you add anyone to it? Let us know what you think in the comments and we'll update this article as soon as possible! Enjoy and check it out our list of the strongest X-Men mutants and also the video below that we've put together especially for you!
