Marvel's cosmic heroes have never been more popular. With Avengers: Infinity War out dominating the box office, and Captain Marvel on the way, casual movie fans are falling in love with what hardcore Marvel fans have dug for decades. In the comics, Marvel is gearing up for a huge cosmic series, Infinity Wars, which is sure to feature their most powerful cosmic characters. With all the buzz over Marvel's cosmic landscape, we've decided to rank their cosmic heroes on a scale of power.
If there's anything that can be said about Marvel's cosmic heroes, it's that their level of power just isn't fair. To describe most of them as 'godlike' would be an understatement. These guys and gals can fly faster than the speed of light, decimate entire planets with a single blow, and resist the power of the Infinity Gems. Most of them have been around for at least centuries, and are virtually immortal. It goes without saying that they tend to be invulnerable -- shrugging off haymakers from the Hulk or concussive blasts from Sentry. The Avengers may be the Earth's mightiest heroes, but the characters on this list are the universe's mightiest heroes. Here are Marvel's top 20 cosmic heroes, ranked from least powerful to most.
20 IKARIS
Ikaris first appeared in Eternals (Vol. 1) #1, written and drawn by Jack Kirby. Ikaris is a member of the Eternals, a humanoid species that possesses superpowers and is nearly immortal. In the time of ancient Greece, Ikaris was charged with the task of fending off the Deviants -- a group of mutants set upon terrorizing humankind. Centuries later, the Deviants returned and launched an attack against New York City. At this time, Ikaris also returned to fight off his sworn enemies. After the battle, the Eternals left for space, but Ikaris stayed behind as the protector of Earth, awaiting the eventual return of the Deviants.
Ikaris is known to be one of the most powerful Eternals in the universe.
Aside from his impressive strength, durability, and regenerative ability (even for an Eternal), he possesses a range of psychic abilities. He can scan the minds of others, as well as use illusions to disguise himself. He can also use this ability to rearrange the molecules in the air so at to create a force field. But Ikaris' greatest asset is his ability to manipulate cosmic energy. By doing so, he can project extremely hot blasts, capable of vaporizing practically any object. In addition to these abilities, he can teleport but prefers to do so sparingly.
19 RONAN
Ronan the Accuser made his debut in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #65, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. Ronan was a member of the Kree aristocracy, and in his early years, he was mostly portrayed as a villain, clashing heroes like Mar-Vell and the Fantastic Four. He schemed to overthrow the leader of the Kree empire, Supremor but failed, time and time again. During the "Annihilation" event, Ronan began his transition into more of an anti-hero role. He fought alongside other cosmic heroes like Nova, Quasar, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, against Ultron, Annihilus, and Phalanx. Also, after discovering that Supremor had been lobotomized during the event, Ronan decided to lead his people through the tough times ahead.
Due to his Kree physiology, which grants him an array of superhuman powers, Ronan has always been a formidable opponent for whoever he's fighting. However, during the "Black Vortex" storyline, Ronan's powers grew exponentially, making him one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel universe. During the storyline, Ronan gets his hands on the Black Vortex, and it unleashes his cosmic potential. Just one of the powers made manifest by the Black Vortex was Ronan's ability to create pocket universes to trap his enemies in.
18 ZURAS
Zuras made his first appearance in Red Raven Comics #1, created by writer Joe Simon and penciler Cazenueve. Zuras is the most powerful member of a humanoid race of near-immortals known as the Eternals. He is the son of Kronos, the leader of the first generation of Eternals. After his father passed, Zuras became the leader of the Eternals on Earth and established the city of Olympia in Greece. Zuras has proven his might throughout the years by battling some of the toughest entities in the universe, including the Celestials, Deviants, and the Olympian gods. Although Zuras died in battle against the Celestials Jemiah and Gammenon, he was resurrected by another Eternal know as Sprite.
As with all of the Eternals, Zuras carries a number of super abilities, although his are regarded to be particularly potent.
Among his many abilities, Zuras is immune to all types of diseases and is nearly invulnerable. But what makes him such a formidable opponent for whomever he fights is his mastery over cosmic energy manipulation. He can use this ability to shoot out whatever form of energy within the electromagnetic spectrum that he so desires or use it to create a shield for himself. He's also the only known Eternal capable of initiating Uni-Mind -- a powerful collective consciousness consisting of a majority of the Eternals.
17 NOVA (SAM ALEXANDER)
Samuel Alexander, aka Nova, was introduced in Point One #1, created by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Javier Pulido. Sam, the son of a member of the Nova Corps, was trained by the Guardians of the Galaxy to become a new Nova after his father had disappeared. After fighting with the Chitarauri during his first mission as Nova, Sam participated in Avengers vs. X-Men. In fact, Sam warned the heroes of Earth that the Phoenix Force was on its way, determined to leave destruction in its wake. Although his warning was in vain, the Avengers' appreciated his effort enough to offer him membership, whereby he joined the team, becoming the youngest Avenger to date. In the years since Nova has repeatedly proved himself, battling with the likes of the High Evolutionary, Beta Ray Bill, and Red Onslaught.
When wearing his Nova Helmet, Sam can harness the Nova Force to use an assortment of powers, including the ability to create hyperspace portals and endure huge concussive blasts. Nova is capable of flying at astonishing speeds, reaching up to lightspeed while in space. His strength is also nothing to sneeze at. In Nova (Vol. 5) #17, he lifted a giant block of gold condensed from the core of a supernova.
16 HYPERION
Marcus Milton, aka Hyperion, made his first appearance in Avengers (Vol. 5) #1, written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by Jerome Opena. Hyperion is the last living Eternal from an Earth in another universe. He arrived at the Earth-616 after an incursion event happened when his home universe collided with another. After spending time in captivity under the watchful eye of A.I.M., Hyperion was freed by the Avengers and then joined the team for a few missions. Leading up to 2015's "Secret Wars", Hyperion joined a subdivision of the Avengers known as the Multiversal Avengers, whose purpose was to discover the root cause of the incursions. Hyperion and his team were doomed from the start and went out in a blaze of glory against the most powerful beings in the multiverse -- the Beyonders. Luckily, Hyperion, along with most of Marvel's heroes, was resurrected following Secret Wars.
As an Eternal, Hyperion absorbs cosmic energy, which imbues him with a variety of superhuman capacities.
His strength is particularly impressive. During Avengers (Vol. 5) #4, Hyperion wedged himself between two Earths, straining himself to prevent them from colliding. At another point, he carried the city of Atlantis out of the ocean and into the air. The upper limits of his strength are still up in the air as he seems to continually outdo himself.
15 QUASAR
Wendell Vaughn, aka Quasar, made his first appearance in Captain America (Vol. 1) #217, written by Roy Thomas and Don Glut, and drawn by John Buscema. Vaughn was working security for Stark Industries when he was forced to wield the Quantum Bands in order to protect himself from A.I.M. He quickly proved himself to be adept at using the bands and became the cosmic hero known as Quasar. Equipped with the uber-powerful Quantum Bands, Earth wasn't enough for Quasar -- he wanted to protect the universe. In space, Quasar held his own against some of the universe's toughest beings, including Maelstrom, Unbeing, and Deathurge.
The Quantum Bands can render Vaughn's body into a form of pure Quantum energy, allowing him to take any shape that he sets his mind to or disperse his energy across the environment. The use of the Quantum Bands also makes him one of the fastest beings in the universe, capable of traversing the universe at speeds above the speed of light. In addition to these abilities, Quasar can use his Bands to create weapons out of energy. Thanks to the training he had with S.H.I.E.L.D. before becoming Quasar, he's skilled at using these weapons. And when all else fails, he's a pretty good hand-to-hand fighter, too.
14 BETA RAY BILL
Beta Ray Bill, a Korbinite, made his debut in Thor (Vol. 1) #337, written and drawn by Walter Simonson. After his home galaxy was destroyed by Surtur, Bill led what remained of his people. He quickly proved himself to be the right leader as he defended the Korbinites from an onslaught from Surtur's forces. Soon after, Bill had a fight with Thor and came out on top. With Thor unconscious, Bill strode over to Mjolnir and picked it up -- proving himself to be one of few worthy of wielding the mighty hammer. Bill eventually gave it up in favor of a new hammer called the Stormbreaker, that rivaled Mjolnir in power. Since then, Bill has been roaming the universe, fighting for whatever noble cause he happens upon.
When it comes to power, Bill is the complete package.
As a testament to his strength, he's outmatched Thor and fended off the uber-powerful demon Surtur. He's also made claims that he could destroy entire planets with his punches -- and seeing some of the other things he's done, we don't have much reason to think he's exaggerating. As for his speed, he ranks among the best of them when it comes to traveling through space. When using Stormbreaker, Bill can achieve speeds beyond the speed of light.
13 SPECTRUM
Monica Rambeau, aka Spectrum, first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man Annual (Vol. 1) #16, written by Roger Stern and drawn by John Romita Jr. Rambeau started her superhero career as Captain Marvel and was accepted onto the Avengers only a year after her debut -- indicating that she was not only very powerful but she also had mastered that power in a surprisingly short time. After a lengthy tenure with the Avengers, she became a solo hero and changed her codename Pulsar, before settling on Spectrum. As Spectrum, she's been on various Avengers teams, first starting off on the Mighty Avengers and then transitioning onto the Ultimates.
The first thing that makes Spectrum a top-tier powerhouse is her speed. Spectrum's primary power is the ability to transform herself into any type of energy from the electromagnetic spectrum. Because she can essentially turn herself into light, she can travel at the speed of light. But the kicker is that there appears to be no limit to how long she can stay in her energy form. While she may not be the fastest character in regard to pure speed, she may be the only one capable of maintaining light speed indefinitely. In addition to her speed, she can shoot off energy blasts and possesses hyper-cosmic awareness.
12 GLADIATOR
Gladiator made his first appearance in X-Men (Vol.1) #107, created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum. Gladiator started out as a member of the Shi'ar Empire's Imperial Guard -- a group formed to defend the Empire from an avatar of the Phoenix. The Imperial Guard immediately proved to be a success, and Gladiator defeated the Phoenix. At a later date, Gladiator once again proved his immense power by defeating the Omega Level Mutant known as Vulcan -- but was later forced to serve him after Vulcan ascended the throne of the Shi'ar Empire. Eventually, he rose up against Vulcan and overtook the throne.
In addition to beating the likes of Vulcan and the Phoenix, Gladiator has stomped Colossus, Hyperion, and the Fantastic Four.
In other words, his strength alone qualifies him as one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe. He's also practically invulnerable -- he's immune to all diseases and can fly straight through stars and come out the other end unscathed. If that weren't enough, Gladiator is among the fastest of all of Marvel's characters. How fast? In Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #249, Reed Richards states that Gladiator can fly at 100 times the speed of light.
11 BLACK BOLT
Blackagor Boltagon, or Black Bolt, made his debut in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #45, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Black Bolt was formerly the king of the Inhumans. Black Bolt led the Inhumans through tough periods, proving that his talents didn't exclusively lay with the power he was packing in his vocal chords. At times, Black Bolt has helped out Earth's heroes, but it seems that, in recent years, it's more and more the case that the Inhumans' agenda clashes with those of the Earthlings. For instance, during Silent War, Black Bolt and the Inhumans fought with the Fantastic Four while in pursuit of Quicksilver, and during "Death of X", the Inhumans clashed with Cyclops' X-Men.
Black Bolt's voice is one of the most dangerous weapons in the universe. Just by whispering, Black Bolt can cause earthquakes, activate volcanic eruptions, or wipe out entire cities. If Black Bolt were to shout, the effects would be devastating. Theoretically, Black Bolt could destroy an entire planet -- at the very least. In addition to this primary power, Black Bolt is extremely strong and has gone toe to toe with the likes of Gladiator, Hulk, and Thor. He's also incredibly fast and was able to catch up to Quicksilver in Silent War #3.
10 WORLD-BREAKER HULK
Bruce Banner first appeared in Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #1, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. What we're referring to as the "World-Breaker Hulk" didn't appear until "World War Hulk", created by writer Grek Pak and artist John Romita Jr. The event was a long time coming, paying off on a story thread that had begun when the Illuminati had exiled Hulk from Earth. Kicked off his home planet, Hulk found himself on Sakaar, which was the basis for the "Planet Hulk" storyline. While there, Hulk fell in love with one of the planet's inhabitants, Caiera Oldstrong. When the ship that he arrived in exploded, killing Caiera, Hulk blamed the Illuminati, and set out for Earth, determined to have his revenge.
He returned to Earth, angrier and more powerful than ever, stampeding through whoever got in his way.
Hulk tossed aside some of Earth's strongest heroes and villains as if they were nothing. Among his feats, were his defeating Colossus, Juggernaut, Zom, Iron Man, and Black Bolt. It took a brutal battle with the Sentry for Hulk to finally revert back to Bruce Banner. And let's remember that Sentry -- one of Marvel's most powerful characters -- was barely able to subdue the Hulk after the Hulk had already defeated the Avengers and the X-Men, among others. Had Hulk been fresh, Sentry wouldn't have stood a chance.
9 CHAMPION
Tryco Slatterus, aka the Champion of the Universe, was introduced in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7, written by Tom DeFalco and drawn by Ron Wilson. Champion is one of the Elders of the Universe, a group of ultra-powerful immortals who came into existence shortly after the big bang. His one and only drive in life is to continually prove himself to be the greatest competitor in the universe, and he does this by traversing the universe, seeking out worthy challengers that will test his strength. When he came to Earth to challenge Earth's greatest fighters, he defeated Sasquatch, Colossus, and Thing who, despite receiving a beating at the hands of Champion, earns Champion's respect enough for the Elder to leave Earth alone.
As with all of the Elders, Champion derives his power from the Power Primordial -- a special kind of energy left over from the Big Bang. Champion harnessed his share of the Power Primordial towards becoming the strongest being in the universe. As a result, the upper limits of his strength are unknown, and he very well may be the strongest in the universe. On one occasion, Champion leaped into the air and then plunged into the ground with a single punch, exploding the planet.
8 NOVA (RICHARD RIDER)
Richard Rider debuted in Nova (Vol.1) #1, created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist John Buscema. After discovering a dying alien who'd crash-landed near his homes, Rider inherited the power of the alien and the alien's rank as a Nova Prime. Despite being blessed with spectacular powers, Nova wasn't very active until he joined the New Warriors. While on the team, he started to show what he was capable of, proving to be an indispensable asset to his allies. After a period with the team, Rider left for space to help out more with the Nova Corps. During "Annihilation", Nova faced his greatest challenge to date. The interdimensional demon known as Annihilus was making a play at conquering the universe. Using his Annihilation Wave, Annihilus destroyed the majority of the Nova Corps. Devastated by his loss, Nova worked together with Marvel's top cosmic heroes to avenge his loss.
In the end, Nova had his revenge and he was the one to put Annihilus down.
Rider has a direct line to the Nova Force, which grants him a host of superpowers. He can channel the Nova Force towards a number of different impressive abilities, including a level of strength enough for him to beat down Annihilus, the ability to fly at speeds faster than light, and the ability to create hyperspace portals.
7 PHYLA-VELL
Phyla-Vell, who's gone by several aliases, including Captain Marvel, Quasar, and Martyr, made her first appearance in Captain Marvel (Vol. 5) #16, created by writer Peter David and artist Paul Azaceta. Phyla-Vell is the daughter of Mar-Vell and sister of Genis-Vell, belonging to the famous family of Kree superheroes. She came onto the scene when her brother had lost her mind. Proving her power right off the bat, she was able to subdue Genis, and then took the title of Captain Marvel for a while. During the cosmic event "Annihilation", Phyla played an instrumental role in ending the universe-wide conflict. During the finale, Phyla got the Quantum Bands away from Annihilus weakening the interdimensional monster enough for Nova to finish him off. In Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #24, Phyla appeared to have met her end, having been caught off guard by Thanos.
Although naturally quite powerful, when in possession of the Quantum Bands, Phyla ranks among the toughest in the universe. The Quantum Bands give Phyla a number of impressive abilities, including the ability to open wormholes to travel through, bend light around her so as to appear invisible, and manipulate various types of energy. But what really distinguishes Phyla from her Kree brethren is her mastery over the sword and hand-to-hand combat.
6 MAR-VELL
Captain Mar-Vell was introduced in Marvel Super-Heroes #12, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Gene Colan. Mar-Vell, a Kree, was sent to Earth at the behest of the Supremor -- the leader of the Kree Empire. While there, Mar fell in love with the people of Earth, and when the time came for the Kree to attack Earth, Mar refused to help. Instead, he sided with the earthlings and henceforth was known as Captain Marvel, and became one of the most respected and strongest heroes to ever grace the pages of Marvel Comics.
Throughout his career as a costumed hero, Mar has continued to clash with the Supremor, and he's fought the likes of Thanos, Nitro, and the Skrulls.
Through a combination of his Kree physiology, nega-bands, and the power boost given to him by Zo (a godlike being that Mar once encountered), Mar became one of the most powerful cosmic heroes. His strength was matched by only an elite few, and he was capable of shattering a virtually-unbreakable Kree element called daxilium. When flying through space, he could easily achieve light-speed and could even make it up to supraluminal speeds. Mar also possessed Cosmic Awareness -- the uncanny ability to know precisely what he needed to know at any moment.
5 CAPTAIN MARVEL (CAROL DANVERS)
Carol Danvers first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #13, written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Gene Colan. After an accident occurred that turned Danvers into half-Kree, she took on the superhero codename of Ms. Marvel. Ms. Marvel settled down in New York and often teamed up with Spider-Man and the Defenders before joining the Avengers. There began her on-again-off-again status as an Avenger that still continues today. At one point in her career, the Brood triggered latent powers within her to become manifest, and she became Binary -- a less human persona of Danvers', yet one vastly more powerful than her prior one. Her Binary powers left Danvers for a while, but have recently returned to her now that's taken on the role of Captain Marvel.
As Captain Marvel, Danvers has now regained her Binary powers, making her more powerful than she's ever been. She can traverse space at the speed of light, and access and manipulate any type of energy with the electromagnetic spectrum. Danvers can also absorb energy, and, if enough energy is absorbed, she can project a concussive blast on the level of a nuclear explosion. Also, like her inspiration Mar-Vell, she possesses Cosmic Awareness.
4 SILVER SURFER
Norrin Radd, aka Silver Surfer, first appeared in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #48, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. After serving as Galactus' Herald for nearly a century, Silver Surfer finally rebelled against the devourer of planets when Galactus set his sights on Earth. In the period that followed, Surfer stayed on Earth and became familiar with many of the heroes there, before departing for space where he'd live the life of a nomad. Surfer has battled some of Earth's, and the universe's, most powerful entities, including Mephisto, Abomination, Loki, Doctor Doom, and the Skrulls. He also played a part in the major cosmic event "Annihilation", where he overcame Tenebrous and Aegis -- two ultra-powerful godlike entities.
Because he served as a herald for Galactus, the Devourer of worlds granted Surfer an array of impressive abilities.
Galactus gave him access to the Power Cosmic, from which all of Surfer's powers are derived. Surfer has mastery over the various energies within the electromagnetic spectrum and can absorb, manipulate, and project them whenever he wants. By using this power, Surfer has shown himself able of accelerating the evolution of life on a planet, time-travel, travel between dimensions and transferring power to others. In addition to these abilities, Surfer is practically invulnerable and can regularly exceed the speed of light when flying.
3 GENIS-VELL
Genis-Vell, whose gone by several aliases, including Captain Marvel and Photon, made his debut in Silver Surfer Annual #6, written by Ron Marz and penciled by Joe Phillips. Genis, the son of Mar-Vell and brother of Phyla-Vell, became the new Captain Marvel after his father had died from cancer. Genis ran into the cosmic entities Epiphany and Entropy and was tricked into helping him recreate the universe -- including a new version of Genis himself. This drove Genis insane, making him a threat to the entire Earth. Luckily, his sister was able to subdue him. In later years he changed his alias to Photon and joined the Thunderbolts, where he started to lose control of his powers. Seeing no other way of preventing the inevitable chaos that Genis would unleash, the Thunderbolts were forced to put him down for good.
As the son of Mar-Vell and a powerful Eternal known as Elysius, Genis was naturally incredibly powerful. He was resistant to all diseases and toxins, capable of brushing off punches from the likes of the Sentry and shooting phototonic blasts. Some of his most impressive abilities were his ability to transport anywhere in the universe that he wanted to, travel as supraluminal speeds, control unlimited amounts of energy, and level of Cosmic Awareness that was so vast that it drove him insane.
2 FRANKLIN RICHARDS
Franklin Richards made his first appearance in Fantastic Four Annual #6, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. The son of Sue and Reed Richards, Franklin has been referred to by the Celestials as a Beyond Omega Level Mutant, and, at times, has been regarded as Earth's most powerful mutant. In the normal timeline, Franklin is still a small child, but he appeared as an adult in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #604, written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by Steve Epting. In the story, the great power that is only hinted at in his younger self is put on full display by adult self. Franklin makes Galactus his herald, and the two team-up to defeat the Mad Celestials -- villainous versions of Marvel's space gods.
Franklin's power has been said to be on par with the Celestials.
As a child, he's demonstrated the ability to create pocket universes in his bedroom. He can also read minds, rearrange the molecular structure of various kinds of energy, shoot off highly-destructive blasts of energy, create illusions, and easily endure tremendous impact. But as a kid, most of his powers still remain hidden. Adult Franklin has proven capable of time-travel, telepathy, and precognition, among other things.
1 ADAM WARLOCK
Adam Warlock was introduced in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #66, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Warlock was created by a group known as the Beehive, who wanted to create the perfect human being. Warlock was later given direction by the godlike High Evolutionary and provided with the Soul Gem. In his early days, Warlock often interacted with the Fantastic Four, and sometimes with the Avengers. However, when the "Infinity" events started popping up, Warlock became Marvel's premier cosmic hero. During the Infinity Gauntlet miniseries, Warlock was responsible for finally bringing the universe back into order, refusing to give into the temptations of power inherent to wielding the Gauntlet. Since then, Warlock has been sure to play a prominent role in any story associated with the Infinity Gems.
Warlock's tremendous powers are in part due to his unique biology and in part due to his mastery over the Soul Gem. Similar to some of the other cosmic heroes on this list, Warlock possesses Cosmic Awareness, can fly at supraluminal speeds and is virtually immortal. However, what really sets him apart is how he's interacted with the Infinity Gems. When someone attempted to use the Time Gem to freeze Warlock, Warlock resisted it. Similarly, whenever an opponent tries to use the Soul Gem on him, Warlock can resist and even counteract the attack.