One of DC Comics’ strongest villains/anti-heroes, Teth-Adam aka Black Adam is a magical juggernaut. The oftentimes-tyrannical ruler to his nation of Kahndaq, Black Adam rules with an iron fist. Receiving the power of six Egyptian deities, courtesy of the god Set, Teth-Adam originally fought for good. Yet after a series of classic comic book misunderstandings, the wizard Shazam killed him. In death, Teth-Adam was remembered as a villain and called Black Adam. When Black Adam was resurrected, he wasn’t happy.

RELATED: 15 Epic Battles That Changed The DCU (Without You Noticing)

Hero, villain, or anti-hero is up to whoever you ask, yet no one disputes his raw power. With the energies of six gods at his disposal, providing him super strength, invulnerability, clairvoyance, rapid healing, super speed, flight, and magical attacks to name a few, Black Adam is nearly unbeatable. During the event "World War III" Black Adam fought, and nearly defeated, the combined might of the Great Ten, the Teen Titans, every JSA team, several Green Lanterns, Wonder Woman, Doom Patrol, Martian Manhunter, and Captain Marvel himself. To that end, thinking many individual Marvel superheroes could defeat Black Adam is simply folly. While plenty Marvel heroes are gods in their own right and collectively they’d win, today at CBR we’re looking at 15 Marvel heroes Black Adam would destroy.

15 IRON MAN

Invincible Iron Man #593

Tony Stark prides himself on his ingenuity. The Invincible Iron Man, or the Golden Avenger, comes equipped with a gadget for nearly every opponent he meets. A futurist through and through, Stark spent years collecting DNA samples of his teammates, making plans in case he never needed to take them down. Though Stark tries to plan for every contingency, and outfit his Iron Man armor as such, Black Adam would prove too monstrous for him.

We’ve seen Iron Man tangle with gods before, especially when he faced Thor in the "Standoff" story arc written by Dan Jurgens, Geoff Johns, and Mike Grell. Even after studying up on Asgardian magic and building the Thorbuster Armor capable of absorbing Thor’s lightning and transferring it into power, the Thunder God still beat Iron Man; same with the Hulkbuster Armor. Despite Stark’s inventions, it goes to show that nature almost always beats his technology.

14 WOLVERINE

Wolverine Dave Finch

Arguably the deadliest mutant alive, Wolverine is known for his healing factor, adamantium skeleton, and the berserker rages he indulges in every so often. Feared by nearly every villain, Wolverine’s willingness to kill makes him a greater threat than almost any other superhero. Yet all of Wolverine’s skill and ferocity wouldn’t matter one bit when matched up against someone equally ruthless and nearly stronger than anyone Wolverine’s ever fought.

There are numerous ways Black Adam could take out Logan. If Wolverine were able to nick him with his claws, Adam could take to the sky and bombard the feral mutant with magic or skyscrapers. With Black Adam’s only real weakness being magic, there’s no way Wolverine could challenge the guy who took on multiple Green Lanterns, Wonder Woman, and an entire army of superheroes all at the same time. There is none more ferocious than Black Adam unleashed.

13 CYCLOPS

cyclops

The leader of the X-Men, Scott Summers, Cyclops, is a skilled fighter, a tactical genius, and can shoot intense optic beams capable of punching holes right through mountains and then some. He and his team of X-Men have faced enemies of all sorts and he alone has faced foe after foe, always emerging the victor. Against Black Adam, the match itself would last only a couple seconds.

Black Adam has withstood nearly every kind of energy blast, including Superman’s heat vision (which is as hot as the sun) and survived. Adam’s durability is ridiculous, but it’s not just his ability to soak damage, as he’d potentially walk through Cyclops’s optic blasts, but his speed is also a key factor. Even before Cyclops, or most heroes, has the chance to react, Black Adam will have ended the fight with a ruthless kill.

12 CAPTAIN AMERICA

Captain America

The Sentinel of Liberty and leader of the Avengers, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Captain America is a shining emblem of pure righteousness. Unfortunately for Steve Rogers, Black Adam has neither the time nor patience to sit around and listen to patronizing speeches about doing the right thing. While it’s true that Captain America has stood up to foes like Thor, Thanos, and Iron Man, few of those encounters ended up going his way.

Captain America will never surrender so long as there’s a breath in his body; his incredible fighting skill and indestructible shield make him a match for foes leagues above him. While Black Adam’s lightning wouldn’t work, Cap’s shield blocking the magical assault, once Adam rushes in and snatches the defensive weapon from Rogers, the fight is over.

11 GHOST RIDER

ghost-rider-marc-silvestri-feature

Ghost Rider, the literal Spirit of Vengeance, is feared by man and god alike. An unearthly hero, his abilities transcend most opponent or friends’ understanding. Not exactly the biggest team player, Ghost Rider can handle most threats he encounters. With a deadly arsenal, including Hulk-level strength and durability, unbreakable mystic chains, and blasts of pure Hellfire, there’s a good reason people don’t mess with Ghost Rider.

Black Adam would scoff at the fiery-headed anti-hero. While Ghost Rider would certainly hold his own, he’d eventually have to unleash his strongest move, the Penance Stare. Making his enemies feel the pain of everyone they’ve hurt, the guilt becomes all-consuming, crippling its victim. On Black Adam however, the effect would be minuscule at best. Adam shares no remorse for anything he’s done to anyone. In his mind, all his actions are for his nation and himself; his wrath is justified.

10 THE HULK

The Hulk considers himself the strongest one there is. Though for all his strength, Hulk’s been knocked out plenty of times and even by those weaker than him. While the Hulk’s power is great, it also bears noting there have been multiple iterations of the character, each with different levels of strength.

Depending on which Hulk Black Adam gets, the fight could go any which way. In fact, Bruce Banner doesn’t even need to fully transform before Adam beats him. Black Adam isn’t the kind of character to wait while someone powers up. The moment he registers a threat, Black Adam rams his fist through their skull. While Hulk might be strong, Black Adam tosses battleships with minimal effort and possesses the stamina of Shu. He’s savvy enough, strong enough, and has a wide enough arsenal to take down the incredible Hulk several times over.

9 NAMOR

Namor

A being of royalty, the Prince of Atlantis never shirks from a challenge. Unforgiving on the field of battle, Prince Namor, the Sub- Mariner, is oddly similar to Black Adam. They both are no-nonsense characters, each willing to do literally anything, including condemning entire nations to destruction, if it means saving their own people. Duty-bound, honor is forever on their minds -- they believe nearly everyone is beneath them.

Despite Namor’s immense strength, as he’s defeated the Hulk, and took on Marvel’s strongest characters like the Sentry, Hyperion, and the Fantastic Four, Namor also has the penchant for losing many fights. Black Adam does not. Their encounter would be downright brutal, as Namor and Adam wouldn’t hold back. In fact, Namor would do better than many heroes on this list, but rest assured, he would lose. Water and electricity don’t mix and Adam has plenty of the former at his disposal.

8 LUKE CAGE

Luke Cage is the man with unbreakable skin. Bulletproof, fireproof, and nearly everything else proof, Cage is a tough customer. A street-level hero, that hasn’t stopped Cage from taking on enemies like Doctor Doom. It’s not just that Cage has unbreakable skin which has even allowed him to, albeit temporarily, survive a nuclear blast, but he has strength and grit.

All of that though is nothing to what Black Adam has in store for him. While Cage might be able to take some lightning for a bit, Adam’s strength is on par with Superman. He doesn’t need to cut Cage, just beat him senseless and let internal trauma do the trick. In The Incredible Hulk #300, Hulk hits Cage through several buildings, knocking him out. The same would apply here.

7 SQUIRREL GIRL

Squirrel Girl

Squirrel Girl’s power comes not necessarily from any outrageous abilities she’s been granted, but her incredible fanbase. As a character, there are many who find her kooky and awfully amusing; she’s a ray of sunshine in the otherwise dark and bleak world of comic books. Sure, she’s beaten Thanos and Doctor Doom, but above all, Squirrel Girl is a gag character -- neither she nor her exploits are to be taken seriously. That’s what makes her so fun.

In a real fight, with lightning bolts, magical attacks, and buildings getting thrown at her, Doreen Green literally wouldn’t have a prayer. Calling squirrels wouldn’t help, as Black Adam would fly above them or incinerate them. Really, it’s a fight that would last moments at best. Black Adam wouldn’t find Squirrel Girl the least bit amusing and would have no problem with punching her into the sun.

6 THE FANTASTIC FOUR

Fantastic-Four

Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four are a family first, band of adventurers second, and a superhero team third. Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch, Invisible Woman, and the Thing are all crazy powerful, having defeated the likes of Galactus, but in a street brawl with zero time for Reed Richards to whip up a funky device, Black Adam wins.

Snuffing out Johnny Storm’s fire with a thunderclap or bolt of magic, Black Adam can move on to bludgeon the Thing and the rest of the FF, using his Flash-like speed to deliver a barrage of blows. Unless Sue, the most powerful member of the team, is willing to kill, Black Adam wins. He’s taken on multiple superhero teams at once and was nearly victorious, meaning he can certainly take on four superpowered swashbucklers.

5 CAPTAIN MARVEL

Carol Danvers has earned the moniker of not only Captain Marvel, but Earth’s Mightiest Hero. It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the superhero has taken on fleets of spaceships, beaten Iron Man, and has a long list of impressive super powers, including energy absorption. Black Adam wouldn’t even flinch at the prospect of taking her on. He’s faced beings with her level of power, and greater, multiple times, including the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, Powergirl, and of course DC’s Captain Marvel.

Despite all their attempts to beat him, Adam is still standing. Even if Carol finds a way to hurt him, Black Adam’s indomitable will, only boosted by the courage of Mehen, essentially means he won’t allow himself to lose. Whether the fight goes into space or into the ocean, Black Adam will fight and fight until he wins.

4 ANT-MAN

Ant-Man

Before Hank Pym created the megalomaniacal android Ultron, he was Ant-Man. After a gnarly identity crisis, he also became Yellowjacket and Giant-Man. None of these power-sets can beat Black Adam. There’s a lot of science where Hank Pym is concerned and it’s resulted in him defeating opponents well above his weight class.

When he became the Scientist Supreme, there was little Hank couldn’t accomplish or figure out, but therein lays the key: Hank needs time to prepare. If he grows, Black Adam will fly right through him. If he shrinks, Adam will step on him or hit him with magic. Even if Hank uses his trump card and shrinks Adam down to the microverse, Black Adam has the power of Aton, allowing for inter-dimensional travel. If he’s whisked to another plane of existence, he’ll come right back. Ant-Man or Giant-Man, it doesn’t matter -- Hank gets squashed.

3 SPIDER-MAN

spider man webbing

Spider-Man is known for his uncanny perseverance and standing up to impossible odds, but the wall-crawler would undoubtedly meet his end at the hands of the Egyptian deity. Even though Spidey has beaten foes like Firelord and the Juggernaut, and can tap into greater strength when enraged, Black Adam is a league above him… by leaps and bounds.

Black Adam simply has too many godly powers at his disposal, but he could just as easily sit there and let Spider-Man hit him until the hero wore himself out. Two of Black Adam’s many gift are the courage of Mehen, which makes him indestructible to harm, supplying him with a ridiculous healing factor, and the stamina of Shu, allowing Adam to withstand intense physical assaults. Not needing to eat or breathe, there’s nothing Spider-Man could do, including calling the Avengers, that would lead to a victory.

2 STORM

storm x-men

Lightning versus lightning, elemental being versus elemental being. The fight between Ororo Munroe, Storm of the X-Men, and Black Adam would be a spectacle for sure. Kicking off like the Fourth of July, Storm would rain down lightning, hail, and tornadoes, bringing all kinds of destruction down on the ancient god.

Black Adam’s reaction would mimic Gene Kelly’s enthusiasm during Singing in The Rain; all that nasty weather would be nothing but a refreshing breeze and much-appreciated sprinkling on a hot summer day. We’ve seen Storm battle Thor before and that didn’t go well for the weather goddess. Likely stronger than the Thunder God (as you'll soon see), the result would be the same here. After tanking all of Storm’s attacks, Black Adam would likely sneer and finish her off with a single blow.

1 THOR

Young Thor

Who better to challenge a god than another god? Thor Odinson, the God of Thunder, is one of the mightiest beings in the Marvel Universe. Armed with his enchanted hammer Mjoinir, he’s even made Celestials and Galactus stagger under his assault. Having gone toe-to-toe with Superman (though losing), Thor is known for going up against powerful enemies.

The battle between Thor and Black Adam would shake the heavens, but whereas Thor has fallen to beings on Black Adam’s level before and all Adam has to do is separate Thor from his hammer. This is a battle that’ll come down to who wants it most and who’s angriest. Adam is faster and more ruthless; his history of going up against dozens of heroes simultaneously while Thor can barely cope with a handful of heroes or villains at once, speaks volumes to the gap in their power.

Disagree with who's on the list? Let us know in the comments section!