The 15 Most Powerful Marvel Superheroes Of All Time, Ranked

Marvel Comics has been around, in one form or another, for nearly a century, and in that time, the House of Ideas has been home to thousands of characters. Most of the superheroes we know today who are featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debuted in the 1960s or later, and with so much time under their utility belts, they've all changed a lot.

This is due to the thousands of writers and artists who've worked on Spider-Man, Iron Man, and other popular characters, constantly coming up with new ideas to keep the heroes and villains fresh and exciting. One thing that remains relatively constant, however, is a superhero's power levels. And when it comes to measuring said power, Marvel Comics makes it rather simple, applying a rating of zero to seven to the attributes of durability, energy, fighting skills, intelligence, speed, and strength.

Using these metrics, it's possible to determine which characters are the strongest in terms of combat capabilities. That said, more must be taken into account due to the many changes applied to characters over the years. With that in mind, these 15 superheroes are the strongest in Marvel Comics' library as of the 2020s, though the rankings will almost certainly change a bit over time.

Franklin Richards is the firstborn son of Reed and Sue Richards of the Fantastic Four. Franklin was born a mutant, but his powers unlocked long before he hit puberty, making him unusual among his fellow members of homo superior. This was due to the cosmic rays that empowered his parents, which ensured that Franklin was born with incredible, cosmic-level power.

Initially, Franklin could alter reality with a whim, creating whole universes as mere playthings. He once made Galactus his herald and had no true limits to his power. Throughout his time in the Marvel Universe, Franklin has traveled through time, boasted strong psionic abilities, and he's been presented as being fully grown and a child. In short, he's not a typical superhero.

There was a time when Franklin would be at the top of any list of Marvel superheroes, but those days are gone. In 2016, Marvel opted to nerf Franklin, taking away his Omega-level mutant status and retconning him to be human. He retains vast powers, holding sevens in energy and intelligence, but his other stats are set to one, while his fighting skills are at zero.

Blackagar Boltagon, better known as Black Bolt, is the King of the Inhumans, a race of genetically modified humans created by the Kree long ago. He lived with his fellow Inhumans on the Moon, and that's a good thing because Black Bolt is so powerful that it's dangerous for him to be around anyone and anything that could make him speak.

Black Bolt's Inhuman superpower is sonic-based, and when he speaks, he unleashes a massive blast of energy via his sonic scream. That's not to say he must yell at the top of his lungs to cause some damage — he needs only whisper a syllable to unleash a vocal shockwave equivalent to the energy released from a nuclear explosion. Yes, he's that powerful.

Because he can cause widespread damage just by saying "Hi" to someone, he mostly remains mute. This is accomplished through a great deal of discipline and training he received growing up. In a way, Black Bolt is a lot like a nuclear weapon — he's better unused than used, which is why he's so low in the ranking despite his massively destructive ability.

Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch, has changed a lot over the years, beginning as a villain before joining Marvel's heroes as a member of the Avengers. For most of her history, she was skilled and powerful, casting Hex Bolts at her enemies, but her abilities evolved over time. As she progressed, Wanda became increasingly more powerful, eventually finding herself able to alter reality with a word.

This happened a couple of times, including when she removed the powers from all but 198 mutants by merely saying, "No more mutants." Other events reshaped the world, but Wanda had difficulty controlling her ability during this time. She held godlike powers, but was traumatized by several events in her life, and her ability to control much of anything was tenuous.

In 2016's "Scarlet Witch," Wanda travels the Witch's Road to uncover who messed with the world's magic. She slowly realizes that magic has taken its toll on her body and mind, reducing her to a shadow of her former self. Her abilities have since been toned down, making her less godlike than she was in the 1990s and early aughts.

Marcus Milton, aka Hyperion, is an interesting character, as he didn't initially exist in Marvel's main continuity of Earth-616. That said, his many multiversal variants have encountered that reality numerous times since his introduction in "The Avengers" #69 in 1969. Hyperion is similar in power and ability to DC Comics' Superman, which was intentional.

Initially, Hyperion was a villain, but with so many variants out there, he's also a powerful superhero who's changed considerably over the years. All versions of Hyperion have superhuman strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, senses, durability, and agility, as well as heat vision and flight. The Hyperion from Earth-712 (pictured) has a few more tricks up his sleeve.

Hyperion has strong regenerative abilities and atomic vision, and has an extended lifespan. Regarding his stats, Hyperion's durability is a seven, but he drops off to a six with strength, a five for speed, and his remaining skills are between two and four. He's capable of taking a beating and can keep on coming, but Hyperion pales in comparison to some of Marvel's greater heroes.

Robert "Bob" Reynolds, aka Sentry, is an unusual character because, when he was first introduced in 2000, Marvel treated him as if he had existed since the 1960s. This fiction was created to accommodate his story, which involved Dr. Strange wiping all memories of Sentry from the people of the world to protect everyone and everything from his villainous alter ego, the Void.

It's complicated, and his story has changed over time, but of note here are Sentry's many superpowers, mainly because he's been described as having the power of a million exploding suns. That's a tremendous amount of energy, making him effectively limitless in terms of strength — think of Superman, but a million times stronger, and that's Sentry.

Of course, there's a catch: Bob has severe agoraphobia and other mental health issues that significantly limit his abilities. Conversely, the Void is powerful enough to destroy the whole universe, so Sentry must keep him at bay. While Sentry is ridiculously overpowered, he's also severely limited in what he can do at any given moment, and it's entirely dependent on Bob's mental state.

Carol Danvers' origin as Captain Marvel is very different in the comics than in the MCU. It's complicated, and she's changed considerably over the years, adopting one moniker after another before settling on her current one in 2012. Along the way, her powers increased to cosmic levels of godliness, with energy levels exceeding the output of a star.

These days, Carol no longer has her star-fueled Binary abilitiess, but Captain Marvel is no slouch and her powers remain significant. Much like her MCU counterpart, Captain Marvel has all the boxes checked regarding superhuman attributes: she can manipulate, absorb, and project energy, she can fly and heal quickly, and she has a precognitive sense, giving her an edge in battle.

Captain Marvel boasts sixes in both durability and energy, which places her on the higher end of comparable heroes. Her speed and strength are rated at five, while her fighting skills are four, and her intelligence is a three. This all adds up to make for one amazingly superpowered character.

The Adam Warlock in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is almost nothing like his comic book counterpart, who is considerably more mature and empowered. Adam Warlock was genetically engineered to be perfect, but while he's powerful, that word doesn't exactly describe him. Like many Marvel Comics superheroes, Adam has a dark side — literally.

His alter ego, Magnus, is evil and deadly, but with him in check, Warlock is immensely powerful. As a cosmic superhero, he's gone toe-to-toe with Thanos, and he's won. He was instrumental in the comics' version of "The Infinity Saga," and he's also used the Infinity Gauntlet. There's a lot of history to the character, but ultimately, he's a fantastic leader of heroes and a capable combatant.

Adam Warlock's superpowers include the standard set of superhuman abilities, but he's also immortal, can use Quantum magic, and much more. He's truly a cosmic being and typically is involved in any threat to galaxies or the entire universe, making him one of the most important characters in the comics. His stats place him higher than most superheroes on Earth.

When Bruce Banner first transformed into the Incredible Hulk, Marvel Comics unleashed a being of nearly immeasurable power. Granted, it took a while to flesh out the character, and over time, the Hulk has had his strength and intelligence levels rise and fall.

The Hulk is the physical manifestation of Banner's dissociative identity disorder, and he wants to be left alone. This is a common theme throughout much of his comic history, though the Hulk has joined a superhero team or two. In terms of strength, he has no upper limit — the angrier he becomes, the stronger he gets. During the "World War Hulk" storyline, Hulk became so powerful that he became known as "World Breaker Hulk."

This was the strongest version of the Hulk to date, but his power levels have decreased since. Of course, he's still one of the strongest beings in the Marvel Universe, holding ratings of seven in durability and strength. Hulk can lift 100 tons with relative ease, and he truly has no upper limit to his strength, making Banner's line, "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry," quite literal.

Thor Odinson, the God of Thunder, is one of the strongest beings in the Marvel Universe. Thor protects both Asgard and Midgard (Earth), and was a founding member of the Avengers. The character has gone through many changes over the years, but at the end of the day, when he says he's a god, he's not being hyperbolic.

Thor possesses many superpowers, including the ability to control the weather, flight, superhuman strength, agility, speed, and all the rest. Thor is comparable in strength to the Hulk, though his power isn't tied to his emotions like the Jade Giant.

In recent years, Thor became unworthy to wield his hammer, Mjolnir, and lost the title of Thor. This significantly depowered the God of Thunder and transferred many of his abilities to Jane Foster. Eventually, he regained his worthiness and is again at the upper limits of most stats. Asgardians become stronger as they age, so future depictions of Thor are significantly more powerful than his modern counterpart, which is the focus of this article. Regardless, modern Thor is one of the Marvel Universe's most powerful superheroes.

When Dr. Stephen Strange lost his ability to practice medicine, he sought help from The Ancient One, who taught him magic. Dr. Strange took to casting spells with ease, becoming the Master of the Mystic Arts and the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. In this capacity, he protects the world from extra-dimensional threats, demons, and Marvel's version of Satan, Mephisto.

Because of his position, Dr. Strange possesses many magical artifacts, some of which are uniquely powerful. He can travel to other dimensions, fight all manner of magical and non-magical beings, and he can fly via his Cloak of Levitation. Dr. Strange can also leave his physical body while his Astral Form cruises around the cosmos with ease.

During the "World War Hulk" storyline, he transformed himself to battle the Hulk and held his own — for a short while. Dr. Strange's powers are dependent on his genius-level intellect and ability to cast spells, which has waxed and waned over the years. Recently, during "The Last Days of Magic" storyline, he nearly lost all of his magical abilities, but fortunately, it wasn't permanent.

Hercules is the Greek demigod of myth, and he's also a member of the Avengers. Granted, he's fought Thor numerous times in the comics, but ultimately, Hercules is a hero, and he's much like the one described in legend. He was brought from the past to fight Thor by Immortus, but it didn't take long for him to become a significant superhero in the modern day.

Hercules has many superpowers, including the standard set of superhuman abilities of strength, agility, endurance, durability, stamina, and reflexes. He can also heal very quickly, is almost entirely invulnerable, and is immortal. The strongest member of the Olympians, Hercules is arguably the strongest Avenger.

Hercules can hold his own against many powerful beings as the God of Raw Strength, and his ability to deliver pain unto his enemies is almost limitless. He's beaten the snot out of the Abomination, the Chaos King, and many other powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. Hercules' strength stat is set at seven, but like the Hulk, he may not have an upper limit.

Jean Grey is an Omega-level mutant, but she didn't start out that way. In "X-Men" #1, Jean was known as Marvel Girl, and she had relatively strong telekinetic abilities. Over time, like many other superheroes, her abilities evolved and some retconning revealed that Professor X mentally blocked much of her powers to keep them in check — this ultimately failed.

Eventually, Jean was selected by the Phoenix Force, a powerful cosmic entity that duplicated her body and became one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, Phoenix became the Dark Phoenix and caused a lot of chaos, including destroying an entire solar system inhabited by a sentient race of aliens. The Dark Phoenix died, and Jean was resurrected, bringing her back to the X-Men.

Jean's powers may not be at Phoenix-levels, but at her core, she's one of the most powerful mutants in the world. Her stats are indicative of this, as she holds sevens in durability, energy, fighting skills, and speed, leaving intelligence at a three and her strength at a two. There are few beings capable of facing off against Jean Grey, including many in this article.

Dr. Adam Brashear worked as a scientist until one of his projects exploded, making him a walking, talking antimatter reactor and giving him vast superpowers. He threw on a costume, called himself Blue Marvel, and stood as one of the strongest superheroes in the Marvel Universe. In the 1960s, he took a knee under the order of President Kennedy after his damaged costume revealed that he's African American.

Blue Marvel's race is an important factor in his Marvel Comics narrative, and for a while, he stopped being a superhero due to the country's racial tensions. During his time as a civilian, Dr. Brashear used his genius-level intellect to help mankind. Eventually, he returned to wearing tights to save the world from evildoers, though he spent most of his time combating threats in the Neutral Zone.

Blue Marvel is incredibly powerful, holding a seven in strength for his stats. His intelligence is a six, as is his durability. He holds fives in speed and energy projection, and a four in fighting skills. His superpowers are too long to list, but he lifts 100 tons with ease, manipulates energy and antimatter, is effectively invulnerable, and has an extended lifespan.

Norrin Radd stepped up to save his world from Galactus by agreeing to become his herald in his first appearance in the pages of "Fantastic Four" #48. He traveled the cosmos on his silver surfboard, identifying planets for his master to consume until he found Earth. The Fantastic Four convinced the Silver Surfer to work with them, and he rebelled against Galactus, saving the world before being trapped here.

Eventually, the Silver Surfer returned to the cosmos. There, he fights evil wherever he finds it as a cosmic-level superhero. When Galactus transformed Norrin Radd into the Silver Surfer, he gave him the Power Cosmic, a tenuous universal power that made him far stronger, faster, more durable, and more powerful than most superpowered beings in the universe.

The Silver Surfer's stats include sevens for durability, energy, and speed. His strength is at a six, his fighting skills are at five, and he has a four in intelligence. These numbers place him far and above almost every superhero in the Marvel Universe. His powers are vast, as he can fly through stars, travel faster than light, fire off cosmic blasts, and so much more.

David Haller is Professor Xavier's son and is easily one of the most powerful beings in all of reality. Known as Legion, David isn't exactly an Omega-level mutant; he's more like a thousand Omega-level mutants wrapped into one man. This is because Legion has dissociative identity disorder, resulting in the formation of more than 1,000 individual personalities, each with their own special abilities.

This gives Legion the ability to call on any superpower he wants at any time, making him capable of combating just about any foe. Because he has so many superpowers locked within, Legion's list of powers is too vast to list, but they include the ability to alter time and all of reality, absorb a person's psyche into himself, and much more.

Many of Legion's personalities have been fully fleshed out in the comics, and they are all considerably powerful, making him the mightiest mutant in the Marvel Universe and one of its most powerful characters. Legion is only held back by his mental health, which isn't always combat-ready. Still, despite his limitations, there's no denying Legion is incredibly overpowered; this is reflected in his stats, all of which max out at seven.