Godzilla is a nuclear radiation spawned monster that has menaced Tokyo in various incarnations for over 50 years. The monster, an allegory for the dangers of atomic warfare, has been a phenomenon in its home country and abroad, capturing the imagination of generations of fans. Whether he's destroying the city or saving it from other monsters, he's a perennial favorite.

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Godzilla is no stranger to Western comic books, but he rarely crossed over with the superheroes of the Marvel Universe, even when his comic was published by the company. How would he stack up against them? What heroes could defeat him and which ones would be laid low?

 

10 Godzilla Could Beat: Wolverine

A Marvel X-Force cover shows Wolverine, Jean Grey and Domino running through a forest

Wolverine is one of the most popular Marvel superheroes. He's been a member of every big name superteam the company has, the X-Men, the Avengers, even the Fantastic Four, and is known and respected by the superhero community in a way that many heroes aren't. He's the best there is at what he does.

Unfortunately, what he lacks is the ability to fight giant radioactive monsters. While his healing factor and unbreakable skeleton would make it impossible for Godzilla to kill him, he also couldn't take down the beast without help from his more powerful friends.

9 Godzilla Couldn't Beat: Magneto

Magneto is a complicated man. Starting out as a mutant supremacist, he battled the X-Men and was involved in an ideological rivalry with his old frenemy Charles Xavier for years. Lately, he's softened and joined up with his former enemies to help mutant-kind survive, but always has that old core of anti-human sentiment.

Magneto would wreck Godzilla. The mutant Master of Magnetism has so much that he could to take out the monster. His magnetic force fields would protect him from anything Godzilla could do to him and he can use anything made of metal as a weapon against the beast, including its own blood. It would be an anti-climactic fight, but after one blast of radioactive breath, Magneto could just freeze the monster's blood in place and let it die.

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8 Godzilla Could Beat: Captain America

Captain America is the Sentinel Of Liberty. A veteran of World War II, Cap is a born leader and tactician, leading the Avengers to victory over many threats, both terrestrial and otherwise. With the Super Solider Serum running through his veins and his trusty shield, many a foe has fallen to him.

On his own, though, there is nothing he could do against Godzilla. In fact, it's doubtful the monster would even notice he was there and if he did, well, he would make short work of Steve Rogers. Cap's only hope would be to summon the Avengers, a team full of heroes who could take out Godzilla.

7 Godzilla Couldn't Beat: Thor

Thor is the Norse God Of Thunder. Wielding the hammer Mjolnir, he can control lightning, summon storms, fly, move between dimensions and has immense super strength and durability. As a Norse deity, he's been fighting for millennia, honing his skills in battle, before coming to Earth and joining the Avengers, protecting the Earth from all manners of threats.

Fighting Godzilla would be easy for Thor. This is a guy who has fought Frost Giants and massive monsters before. With his immense physical strength and Mjolnir's ability to allow him to strike at extreme range, Godzilla stands little chance against the God Of Thunder.

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6 Godzilla Could Beat: Spider-Man

Spider-Man is probably the most popular character in Marvel history. Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and became a legend, using the abilities granted to him to protect New York City and its denizens from crime. He's been a member of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers and is always ready to help out when the big bads threaten his home.

Of course, just because he's always ready to help out doesn't mean he can always do anything. Against a creature of Godzilla's size, Spider-Man's powers would be useless. He couldn't hurt the monster physically and he doesn't carry enough webbing to slow him down. His spider-sense could allow to stay alive and save people from the monster, but that's it.

5 Godzilla Couldn't Beat: Iron Man

Tony Stark is a genius billionaire industrialist and one would think that would be enough for any one man, but he's also Iron Man, longtime Avenger, and superhero extraordinaire. His armor grants him flight, superstrength and durability, repulsor rays, and more. Combined with his indomitable spirit and vast intellect, he's become a premier superhero.

While his base armor probably couldn't take out Godzilla, there's no doubt that he couldn't come up with one that would beat the monster. Iron Man's genius allows him to adapt to his enemies and come up with the best ways to defeat them. Godzilla is a powerful monster, but Stark's mind would easily be able to come up with a countermeasure that would take the beast out.

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4 Godzilla Could Beat: Luke Cage

Luke Cage started out his superhero career as an ex-con, given powers by an experiment. He was granted super strength and near unbreakable skin, abilities he used to clean up crime around New York City before teaming with Iron Fist and becoming part of the Heroes For Hire. Eventually, he joined the Avengers, becoming a respected member of the superhero community.

Even with his unbreakable skin, Luke would have a tough time hurting Godzilla. Luke has also shown a tendency to get internally injured and if anyone could jar around his insides, it would be Godzilla. Plus, Godzilla's radioactive breath could possibly kill him from radioactivity alone.

3 Godzilla Couldn't Beat: The Sentry

The Sentry in the middle of a fight with smoke and lightning around him

The Sentry is one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Universe, full stop. He has the power of a million exploding suns, granted to him by a drug that he found. Robert Reynolds was a drug addict who stole the formula and took it, gaining titanic power. He would develop a second personality, the Void, the sum total of his dark side.

The Sentry is just too powerful for words. He can stand toe to toe with the Hulk, ripped Ares, the God of War, in half, and tangled with Thor. Against the sheer power of the Sentry, Godzilla doesn't stand a chance and that's not even if the Sentry loses control and the Void shows up.

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2 Godzilla Could Beat: Deadpool

Deadpool, the Merc With The Mouth, has become a breakaway mainstream hit in the last decade. With two successful movies under his belt and multiple comic appearances, he's only gotten more popular. His brand of irreverent humor and ultra-violence is entertaining, and with his healing factor, he's a hard nut to crack.

Much like Wolverine elsewhere on this list, there's just nothing that Deadpool could do to hurt Godzilla. He'd certainly try, of course, and it would probably be hilarious, but if entire armies can't put a dent in Godzilla, Wade Wilson stands little chance against it. It would be fun to see him try, though.

1 Godzilla Couldn't Beat: The Hulk

Bruce Banner was caught in the explosion of the gamma bomb he had invented and became the Incredible Hulk. A monster of great rage and strength, he would be hunted down by the US Army and super hero alike, but also do a lot to help save the world, becoming an Avenger in between stints of going on mindless rampages.

Hulk wins against his much bigger opponent because of his potential strength levels. The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets and his strength has the potential to be infinite. It would only be a matter of time before he scored a big knockout punch against Godzilla. Of course, their battle would result in untold collateral damage, but that goes without saying.

NEXT: 15 Hulks, Ranked From Puniest To Strongest