Marvel has been around for decades but the Marvel Universe is presented to be vastly older than the real-time length of its run to date. Over the years, creators have fleshed just about the entire history of time and space of the current iteration of the universe, with earlier ones being hinted at in the origin of some of the older and more important cosmic beings.
There is a rather large number of Marvel characters who are actually as old (or older) than time, having witnessed the beginning of all things. These are some of the most powerful entities of all time, their ages measured in units of time impossible to understand for mortals.
10 The Celestials Are Some Of The Universe's Oldest Beings
The Celestials are unknowably old. They're some of the smartest beings to ever exist and have crisscrossed the universe for untold eons. Their entire existence has been experimenting with the building blocks of life, creating and perfecting an untold amount of species in the intervening millennia. No one really knows anything about their culture but they've existed for far longer than anyone can imagine.
Tremendously powerful and unknowable, they've existed for as long as anyone knows and are one of the most powerful forces in creation.
9 Galactus Existed Before The Current Iteration Of The Universe
While he's not as old as some of the universal powers, Galactus is older than the current iteration of the Marvel Universe and if one uses the beginning of this Marvel Universe as the starting point of "as old as time" than Galactus fits that description.
One of the most powerful cosmic beings in existence, Galactus has traveled the universe since its beginning, destroying worlds and balancing out creation. He has witnessed the end of one universe and the beginning of another, putting him among a handful of other very old and powerful beings.
8 The Builders Created The Pathways Between Universes
The Builders are one of the oldest races in the 616 universe but they also created the pathways between alternate universes. As more universes popped into being, they created more paths, meaning that in some cases the Builders are older than time in any given universe.
For eons, the Builders were one of the most powerful, secretive forces in the universe. They existed outside of time, building pathways that would survive them and their eventual destruction.
7 The Beyonder Comes From Beyond The Universe And Is Older Than Is Easily Imaginable
Secret Wars and Secret Wars II introduced readers to the all-powerful Beyonder, a being with inscrutable wants and needs. In his first appearance, he pitted the heroes and villains of the Earth against each other in a bid to see who was greater and later decided to give being a human a tryout. His mighty power proved to be too much for him to control as a human and that pitted the heroes against him.
The Beyonder comes from beyond the universe. No one really knows what he was or where he came from but the fact of the matter is that he's existed much longer than anyone could imagine and is possibly as old as time.
6 The Phoenix Force Is A Timeless Entity Representing Death And Rebirth
The Phoenix Force is one of the most powerful forces in the Marvel Universe and one of the oldest. As a force of death and rebirth, it has existed for as long as anything and has been traveling existence for far longer than imaginable. The first time the potential for death and rebirth came into being, the Phoenix Force came into existence.
While most think of the Phoenix Force as a power, it is undoubtedly an actual entity. It has incarnated several times and it's known as one of the most fearsome entities in all of existence, with few mortals able to handle its power.
5 Lord Chaos And Master Order Are Two Sides Of The Same Coin
While they are two separate beings, Lord Chaos and Master Order are a double act. One could not exist without the other and they are fundamental forces. The universe is a place predicated on the balance between casual chaos and planned order. Nothing could exist without the two of them and they are older than many of the other cosmic beings who are considered their peers.
Lord Chaos and Master Order represent abstracts that make everything else run. Without them, nothing could actually exist and they are among the most powerful cosmic forces in the Marvel Multiverse, integral to all of the others.
4 Death Has Existed For Time Immemorial
Death is one of the oldest and most feared beings in the Marvel Multiverse. Death has existed for as long as the universe, for when it came into existence, the capacity for death became real. In her long existence, Mistress Death has presided over the realm of the dead, her icy touch failing on the just and unjust alike.
Death's power is feared by even the greatest beings, for even gods fear the end. There are few in existence who she will not collect for her realm before all is said and done and her silence is, perhaps, merciful.
3 Eternity And Infinity Are The Known Universe
Eternity and Infinity, much like Lord Chaos and Master Order, are complementary beings, and looking at them as separate is kind of nonsensical. They represent everything that has ever existed and are among the most powerful beings to ever exist. Calling them as old as time is a bit of a misnomer; they are time and it couldn't exist without them.
They are among the oldest beings in all of creation. They've existed for longer than anyone can imagine, constantly growing and changing. Calling them timeless is closer to the mark but even that is incorrect.
2 The Living Tribunal Is One Of The First Beings To Ever Exist
The Living Tribunal serves a very important role in the cosmology of the Marvel Universe, acting as the judge of all things. There is only being greater than it and its age is impossible to know. Was it created by the One Above All? Did it come into being at the same time because of their entwined purposes? No one can say for certain.
All that is truly known about the Living Tribunal is that it is older than time itself. It has witnessed the beginning and end of universes and knows more than just about anything in all of existence. Its power is almost absolute.
1 The One Above All Is The Most Powerful And Oldest Being In Existence
Describing the One Above All is impossible. Calling it the most powerful or the smartest being in all of existence is correct, yet it misses the point. The One Above All is power. It is intelligence. It has existed longer than anything else and will presumably exist far after everything else is gone. Comprehending it is nearly impossible as it is so beyond mortal conception that it exists in its own rarefied space.
The One Above All created everything. It is truly older than time and once everything that is known is over, it will just start the whole cycle again, much like it has countless times for an infinite number of universes in an endless amount of years.