Galactus is the Devourer of Worlds and is a cosmic entity like no other in the Marvel Universe. Often perceived as a villain, the truth is Galactus is neither evil nor good. Galactus merely exists to correct the imbalances between life and death.
He also serves as a cosmic test of survival for worlds. But where does he stand in Marvel's cosmic hierarchy? As scary as it is to believe, there are cosmic beings in the Marvel Universe that are more powerful than Galactus.
Updated on April 30, 2022 by Scoot Allan: The heroes of the Marvel Universe were forced to deal with a new cosmic threat known as the Unmaker during the Dark Ages storyline who shared a similar role as Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. The Unmaker is just one of many cosmic beings who have appeared and who can challenge the power of Galactus. The ancient cosmic being may stand tall as one of Marvel's deadliest, but there are still quite a few cosmic beings who wield even more power than Galactus.
16 More Powerful: Oblivion Is A Cosmic Aspect That Represents The End Of All Things
Oblivion predates the Multiverse and is another aspect of the entity known as Death. Representing non-existence, Oblivion came into existence when the universe was created, even existing before Galactus.
As Oblivion represents the end of all things, it is a fate that could befall Galactus one day were he to run out of planets to consume. Requiring no energies to sustain him as Galactus does, Oblivion can choose not to be affected by the mortal plane if he doesn't want to be, a feat that few — including Galactus — can claim.
15 Less Powerful: A Multiversal Frank Castle Was Empowered By Galactus To Become The Cosmic Ghost Rider
Cosmic Ghost Rider is one of the craziest characters in all of Marvel's history. Cosmic Ghost Rider is actually the Punisher from an alternate Earth, who made a deal with Marvel's biggest threat Mephisto. He became the latest Ghost Rider to gain vengeance following the destruction of his Earth. He then gained the Power Cosmic to spread his mission of vengeance across the cosmos.
Unfortunately in this case for Cosmic Ghost Rider, he was gifted the Power Cosmic by Galactus to become his latest herald. What Galactus gives he can take away as well. Without the Power Cosmic, the new Spirit of Vengeance is no match for Galactus.
14 More Powerful: Nemesis Created The Infinity Stones Before Abandoning The Universe
The cosmic being known as Nemesis was the first being who came into existence in the Marvel universe, although she suffered from loneliness at the start of creation. She eventually decided to end her own existence, but she used her incredible power to create the Infinity Stones and spread them across the galaxy.
When the Infinity Stones were lost in the Ultraverse, Nemesis was reborn into existence. She used the powers contained within the Infinity Stones as her own and sought to end existence entirely. While she was ultimately defeated by teams of multiversal heroes, Nemesis showcased her incredible abilities which would have given Galactus quite a challenge.
13 Less Powerful: Uatu The Watcher Is Forced To Contain His Awesome Power And Merely Observe
For decades, Uatu The Watcher was a constant in the Marvel Universe. Whenever something monumental was going down, the Watcher was there to observe. Sworn not to interfere, he kept his oath for centuries. However, he would become known for breaking that oath, demonstrating some of his strongest feats in the comics.
The most notable time he did so was when he helped the Fantastic Four ward off Galactus the first time Galactus came to consume the Earth. Despite his vow of non-interference, his use of The Fantastic Four shows that even his considerable power is no match for the might of Galactus. He is bound by the oath of his people.
12 More Powerful: Eternity Is The Physical Embodiment Of The Entire Marvel Universe
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Eternity isn't only immortal but also the embodiment of the entire universe. When Thanos first gained Marvel's powerful artifact known as the Infinity Gauntlet, Eternity was the last being to stand between him and omnipotence.
Aside from his sister counterpart Infinity, Eternity has no equals, and he only answers to two beings. Galactus isn't one of those beings and were the two ever to face each other in battle, even the mighty Galactus would be dwarfed by Eternity's power.
10 Less Powerful: The Phoenix Force Is A Cosmic Entity That Galactus Has Faced Before
While the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force is connected to an almost unlimited source of power, Galactus has proven on more than one occasion that he is more than capable of holding his own. The Phoenix Force has possessed a number of hosts over the years including Jean Grey and Rachel Summers.
When Rachel was exploring the galaxy, she attempted to use the Phoenix Force to stop Galactus from consuming a planet. She almost beat Galactus in his weakened state, but he still managed to take the win. Galactus was once defeated by two versions of Jean Grey who were connected to the Phoenix Force, but even then it was merely a stalemate.
9 More Powerful: Knull Is The Powerful God Of Symbiotes Who Can Possess Celestials
The origins of the alien race that empowered powerful symbiotes like Venom and Carnage were ultimately revealed with the arrival of Knull, the god of symbiotes. Knull was an ancient being who claimed dominion over the ebon darkness of the void that existed before creation. Knull used the living darkness to create his symbiotes which he planned to bring about eternal darkness.
Knull showed how powerful he was when he used his symbiotes to take control of the powerful Celestials. While Galactus is more powerful than the Celestials, it's likely that Knull would be able to stand up to the Devourer of Worlds and perhaps take control of Galactus as well.
8 Less Powerful: Galactus Was Created To Stop The Spread Of The Destructive Abraxas
The cosmic aspect known as Eternity initially created the powerful Devourer of Worlds Galactus in an effort to stop the birth and spread of a destructive cosmic being known as Abraxas. After the death of Galactus in the mainstream Marvel universe, Abraxas was born to bring about the destruction of the multiverse.
He murdered a few different versions of Galactus from across the multiverse before he set his sights on Earth. However, Franklin Richards showcased his Omega-level mutant abilities when he resurrected Galactus who then helped stop the threat of Abraxas once and for all.
7 More Powerful: The Beyonder Is An Other-Dimensional Being With Reality-Altering Abilities
The Beyonder was arguably the most powerful being in the entire Marvel Universe. In the original Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, Galactus was one of the beings brought to Battleworld by the Beyonder to compete in his "secret war," promising the winning side whatever they desire. Galactus went to confront the Beyonder about this — and was smacked back down to the planet.
Over the years, retcons have seen the Beyonder significantly depowered, but he still possesses incredible reality-warping capabilities. Those powers have proven to be enough to destroy universes, and as such, could affect Galactus to the point the Beyonder could overpower him.
6 Less Powerful: The Collector Is An Elder Of The Universe Who Doesn't Stack Up To Galactus
As one of the Elders of the Universe, the Collector is powered by the Power Primordial, which gives him cosmic abilities such as energy projection and allows him to increase his size and mass. Since he's known for his collection of artifacts and life forms from across the galaxy, he has access to multitudes of alien technology and beasts at his disposal.
Despite the power and weapons at his disposal, the Collector's power pales in comparison to Galactus' Power Cosmic. The Collector is immortal so Galactus couldn't really kill him, but after experiencing Galactus' power firsthand, the Collector may wish he was dead.
5 More Powerful: The Living Tribunal Is The Marvel Universe's Cosmic Aspect Of Justice
The cosmic aspect of justice known as The Living Tribunal has some OP moments in the Marvel Universe. In fact, there's only one being that The Living Tribunal answers to. That translates to a pretty powerful character. But even more so than Galactus?
The best way to gauge their power comes from the Infinity Gauntlet comic. In the story, Galactus was one of several cosmic beings that attempted to destroy Thanos, but he was able to defeat the combined forces of these incredibly powerful beings. The Living Tribunal, however, was able to rule that the power of the Infinity Stones couldn't be used in unison — unless he gave the go-ahead.
4 Less Powerful: The Grandmaster Is Another Elder Who Manipulates Others To Participate In His Contests
Another of the Elders of the Universe, the Grandmaster also possesses the Power Primordial like his brother the Collector. As the powerful radiation left over from the Big Bang is akin to the Power Cosmic, the Grandmaster has a cosmic life force which renders him virtually immortal.
However, the master gamesman's vast power is nothing compared to Galactus. While Grandmaster is powered by leftover energy from the Big Bang, Galactus existed before the massive event, merging with the Sentience of the Universe, and cursed to devour planets to maintain his existence.
3 More Powerful: Protégé's Enhanced Powers Of Mimicry Gave Him Elevated Cosmic Power In The Future
The original Guardians of the Galaxy that formed in the far future encountered a cosmic being known as Protégé who would give Galactus a run for his money. Protégé was the leader of the Universal Church of Truth, where he used his incredible power to mimic other superhuman abilities to elevate his status.
However, he reached a new level of cosmic power when he mimicked The Living Tribunal's powerful abilities. He was defeated when other cosmic aspects gathered together to take down the powerful new threat. Protégé might have eventually ascended to become the most powerful cosmic being, but he was instead absorbed by The Living Tribunal.
2 Less Powerful: Ego The Living Planet Is A Powerful Being Who Is At Risk Of Becoming A Snack For Galactus
Speaking of planets, few can say they have the power of an entire world at their disposal, but Ego the Living Planet can because he is the entire world. Every part of its substance is controlled by Ego. With an entire atmosphere at his command and the ability to create and command a powerful non-sentient humanoid army of Antibodies, Ego has powers few can withstand.
Not only can Galactus withstand Ego's powers, but they in turn would power him. Unless Ego has the power to make himself allergic to Galactus, he would be best off avoiding a conflict with the Devourer of Worlds — especially if Galactus is hunting for a snack.
1 More Powerful: The One-Above-All Is The Marvel Universe's Supreme Being
As his name implies, the One-Above-All is basically Marvel's most powerful god. As such, he is the single most powerful character in the universe who is rarely seen by his creations save for a few memorable encounters over the years.
No one or no weapon is more powerful than him. Not the Living Tribunal, not the Infinity Gauntlet, and not Galactus — no matter how many planets he eats. The One-Above-All is also known as Above-All-Others, a name that further clarifies his position in the Marvel universe.