Throughout the history of superhero comics, the plans and villains have grown and evolved beyond classic endeavors for riches and world domination. As comics evolved and grew, as did the villains within their pages, becoming more and more powerful with increasingly greater ambitions.
There are now numerous characters whose seemingly endless wells of power have opened up the possibility of universal conquest and destruction. These are characters who, through a multitude of means, could not only end life on earth but all within reality itself. So without further delay, we present 10 Supervillains Who've Come the Closest to Destroying (or Conquering) the Universe!
10 Abraxas
Few characters exemplify the concept of universal destruction quite like Abraxas. Created in 1998, Abraxas serves as a living personification of destruction itself.
Utilizing a weapon known as the Ultimate Nullifier, Abraxas sought destruction on an unprecedented scale, planning to obliterate the primary Marvel universe as well as all other parallel realities. It is notable to seek the destruction of the universe itself, but as one with the ambition to bring an end to the entire multiverse, Abraxas has solidified his place on this list.
9 The Anti-Monitor
A similar case to Abraxas, DC's Anti-Monitor is an extremely powerful being who served as a centerpiece in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Sieging war on the various realities that make up the multiverse, though he is ultimately defeated, The Anti-Monitor collects his fair share of victories across DC's comics.
This powerful being is responsible for the deaths of Barry Allen, Supergirl, and even multiple alternate realities. The Anti-Monitor also traveled back in time with the intent of preventing the formation of matter itself.
8 Annihilus
The primary focus of the Annihilation storyline, Annihilus is one of Marvel's antagonists who has come the closest to destroying all life in the universe. Utilizing a unified front of interstellar warships known as the Annihilation Wave, Annihilus made his move against the universe, notably destroying Xandar, the homeworld of the Nova Corps.
Though the Annihilation Wave is eventually stopped in part with the assistance of Galactus, Annihilus comes even closer to making his dreams a reality in What If?: Annihilation.
7 Barbatos and The Dark Knights
An inter-dimensional Bat-God who feasts on dying and corrupted realities, Barbatos has not only succeeded in the destruction of one universe, but of many. Intrinsically tied to the Dark Multiverse, Barbatos is the creator of universes born from fears, and he seeks to destroy the universes that make up the primary universes of DC's multiverse.
Additionally, Barbatos employs the help of his Dark Knights, powerful alternate versions of Bruce Wayne, each hailing from dead worlds of the dark multiverse. They seek to spread the terror and horrors from within the Dark Multiverse into other worlds, striving to destroy them in the process.
6 The Void
While the Sentry is one of the most powerful Marvel heroes of all time, he is tethered to an evil being who functions as his other half: The Void. For each positive and good that the Sentry bestows upon the world, The Void brings an equivalent amount of darkness and taking lives of equivalent value.
As the Sentry is a mighty being (one of the strongest in of Marvel's universe), the void is capable of doing equal damage to the universe as the Sentry is capable of doing good.
5 Nekron
The primary antagonist of DC's Blackest Night crossover event, Nekron, is the embodiment of death, seeking to eliminate all life in the universe through the utilization of his undead Black Lanterns.
Unlike most zombie apocalypse stories that are relegated to earth, within Blackest Night, Nekron successfully infests the entire DC Universe with Black Lanterns, even forcibly enlisting the likes of Superman, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman into his ranks of Black Lanterns.
4 Alexander Luthor Jr.
One of the primary antagonists of Infinite Crisis, Alexander Luthor, seeks to manipulate and alter the form of the multiverse to create one that he sees more fitting. Utilizing a tower built from the corpse of the Anti-Monitor, Alexander Luthor seeks the creation of one solitary perfect universe, combining elements of each universe within the multiverse.
Doing so would effectively destroy each universe and all who inhabit them, causing the deaths of nearly every individual in the multiverse.
3 Gentry
Grant Morrison's The Multiversity is a universe-spanning epic that places the reader within different alternate dimensions in each given chapter. One of the unifying forces across the Multiversity is the inter-dimensional beings known as the Gentry.
Having succeeded in numerous universes and seeking to overtake more, the gentry are opposed by a unified front of heroes from alternate earths including the likes of Captain Carrot, Aquawoman, and Abin Sur of Earth-20.
2 Mister Mxyzptlk
A chaotic adversary of Superman, Mister Mxyzptlk is a being with the capabilities of altering any aspect of reality to his whim. He can alter anything ranging from the laws of physics to the course of history. However, rather than being an utterly malicious destroyer of worlds, Mxyzptlk often opts to entertain himself by messing with Superman.
Despite this, there have been a few notable occasions in which Mxyzptlk took things a little too far, such as when he bestowed additional power onto the villains of the world, or when he gave the Joker the ability to control the universe. As an individual whose control over the universe is seemingly only limited by himself, we felt obligated to include Mxyzptlk on this list.
1 Thanos
While Thanos did not wipe out the entire Universe, due to his notable success, we couldn't exclude him from this list. And to be fair, Thanos never sought to erase all life in the universe, just fifty percent of it. Upon collecting the Infinity Stones, Thanos was able to simply snap his fingers to destroy half of the life in the universe.
Additionally, Thanos is notable on this list for having become one of the most iconic and recognizable comic villains in history due to the depiction of his success in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.