On November 12, 2018, the world lost a true legend. The man responsible for creating countless Marvel Comics characters (and countless comic book nerds all around the world), Stan Lee passed away at the age of 95. The legendary writer, editor, and publisher of Marvel Comics brought us iconic characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, Thor, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four. Stan Lee is often hailed as the man who transformed Marvel from a tiny venture into the biggest comic book publisher and multimedia giant. Though he is gone now, Stan "The Man" Lee will live on forever through the wonderful characters he's given us. From everyman heroes to mighty gods and abstract all-powerful entities, Lee's creations have kept us entertained for decades.
Lee created some of the most iconic and some of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. Interestingly enough, in 2014, a fan on Twitter asked Stan who he thought was Marvel's most powerful character: Doctor Strange, Thanos, Galactus, or someone else? Lee's answer: Galactus. No disrespect to Mr. Lee, but he might've been a bit off here. While Galactus is immensely powerful, he's not quite the most powerful being in the entire Marvel universe, nor is he the most powerful character created by Stan Lee. So, in honor of the beloved comic book writer, editor, and publisher, the man responsible for the creation of some of our favorite heroes and villains, and a superhero in his own right, CBR is taking a look at Stan Lee's 20 most powerful creations. May you rest in peace, Mr. Lee.
20 ANNIHILUS
With cute nicknames like Annihilus the Annihilator and The Living Death That Walks, Annihilus sure isn't attempting to hide his bad nature. The giant bug-like villain made his first appearance in Fantastic Four Annual #6 (November 1968) and has been causing trouble for the Fantastic Four and other Marvel heroes ever since.
The extensive list of his superhuman abilities is the result of prolonged exposure to the Cosmic Control Rod. His immense power easily rivals that of the Mad Titan Thanos. The Nova Crops have declared Annihilus a “Universal” threat. He’s responsible for the event known as Annihilation. Plus, both Hulk and Thanos got their keisters handed to them by bug-boy over here.
19 DOCTOR DOOM
Victor von Doom is one of Marvel’s most iconic villains. Sworn enemy of the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom made his first appearance in Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962). Victor von Doom’s genius-level intellect is perhaps his most dangerous weapon, and it is only matched by that of Reed Richards. His indomitable will enabled him to resist psychic attacks from the likes of Emma Frost and Purple Man. On top of that, he’s one of Marvel’s most skilled sorcerers.
Doctor Doom created a time machine, enhanced his armor with weapons, spells, and gadgets, stole the Power Cosmic and Beyonder’s god-like abilities, among other things. If he sets his genius mind on something, you better bet he's gonna get it.
18 EGO THE LIVING PLANET
The dude is a freakin' living planet -- he’s huge and incredibly powerful. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Ego made his debut in Thor #132 (September 1966) and clashed with the God of Thunder over his insatiable desire for conquest of other planets. Though Thor proved to be too big of a challenge for Ego, it doesn't mean Ego should be underestimated.
Ego is able to control every part of his substance, including his atmosphere. He can transform his surface, create giant tendrils to reach out into space, and create humanoid “antibodies” to defend himself from intruders. His psionic abilities enable him to use his stored energy for attacks and replenish it by absorbing the life force of stars and other living beings.
17 BLACK BOLT
As an Inhuman Black Bolt is naturally a superpowered being. However, his particular powers far surpass even the Inhumans’ norm. His most powerful weapon (and one of the most dangerous weapons in the universe) is his voice. A mere whisper would suffice to cause earthquakes, activate volcanos and wipe out entire cities. If Black Bolt were to shout, he could -- at the very least -- destroy the planet.
But his voice is certainly not his only asset. Black Bolt possesses immense strength and incredible speed. He went toe to toe with the Hulk, and he was able to catch up to Quicksilver. Plus, he has cosmic awareness, allowing him omnipresent consciousness, granting him the knowledge he needs to know at any given moment.
16 MEPHISTO
The ruler of Hell or Hades, Mephisto is an extra-dimensional being exploiting humans' belief in the single being of absolute evil -- Satan. He even looks like the devil. This Class Two Demon possesses vast supernatural powers and derives energy from sources of evil within the human world.
And as long as there’s evil in the world, Mephisto can’t perish -- meaning, he’s pretty much immortal. Though he’s not as powerful outside of his realm as he is inside of it, he can still hold his ground against some of Marvel’s most powerful cosmic characters. On top of that, only magic and holy weapons can harm him, otherwise, he just regenerates.
15 THE WATCHER
The Watchers are the oldest species in the Marvel Universe, devoted to observing other life and compiling knowledge on all aspects of the universe -- all without any interference. The Watcher we’re referring to is called Uatu and he had been tasked with observing planet Earth. However, Uatu ended up on trial after having interfered to help the Fantastic Four.
The Watchers can die simply by choosing to and then come back to life simply by deciding they no longer wished to be gone. His innate ability to achieve virtually anything, including time and space manipulation, molecular manipulation, and energy projection -- just to name a few. Uatu’s mental, physical and energy-manipulation powers are so vast that he’s near-omniscient.
14 SURTUR
Surtur the Fire Giant made his first appearance in Journey into Mystery #97 (October 1963). He is a malevolent being, standing over 1,000 feet in height, who possesses the power of a thousand blazing suns. Depicted as a demonic being with fiery skin, Surtur sure is a sight to behold. His mission? To destroy Asgard in a blaze of fire.
In fact, he very nearly destroyed Asgard and Midgard on countless occasions. The Fire Giant can manipulate cosmic energy for purposes of levitation, molecular manipulation, and inter-dimensional teleportation. He is said to be on the same power level as Odin.
13 THE HULK
There’s no doubt that the Hulk is physically immensely strong. His strength comes from his anger. So, as long as he keeps getting angrier, he’ll keep getting stronger as well. Because his strength level depends on anger, and he’s getting angrier by the second when in battle, Hulk’s strength is virtually limitless. Wolverine has described Hulk’s punches as “going toe-to-toe with a walking hurricane”.
In his lengthy career, the big guy has performed some incredible, and even utterly OP, feats of strength. Examples include throwing Fin Fang Foom to the Moon, lifting a part of LA, stopping an earthquake, and shaking the multiverse with his blows.
12 THOR
The God of Thunder has often been referred to as the strongest Avenger, one of the mightiest beings in the universe, and so on. Though there are plenty more powerful beings than Thor, he certainly wields immense power. He’s an Asgardian, so he’s naturally super strong. The dude threw a planet out of orbit by arm wrestling.
But, Thor’s also got energy manipulation powers that are equal to those of Silver Surfer. And let’s not forget his trusty Mjolnir that can open passageways through time and space, block energy blasts, and bend elements. His mighty God-blast was even able to make a crack in a Celestial’s armor.
11 ADAM WARLOCK
Adam Warlock was created by a group of researches known as Beehive with the goal of producing the perfect human being. Unfortunately for them, the being they created was far beyond their control. Upon sensing that his creators wish to use him for evil ends, Warlock promptly fled. Later on, Warlock would come into possession of the Soul Gem, given to him by the High Evolutionary.
His vast powers come from his unique biology and the Soul Gem. Adam created s symbiotic bond with the Soul Gem and has been shown to be able to resist the power of the other Infinity Gems. Warlock also possesses Cosmic Awareness, can fly at superluminal speeds and he’s virtually immortal.
10 SILVER SURFER
Silver Surfer is one of the noblest characters in the Marvel Universe. When the Devourer of Planets came after his home, Norrin Radd made a deal with Galactus. He’d come work for him as his Herald in exchange for Galactus sparing his home planet. Galactus granted Silver Surfer the Power Cosmic, which in turn, gives Surfer a variety of powers. Silver Surfer can control gravity, re-arrange molecules, and time travel -- among other things.
Silver Surfer is Galactus’ most powerful Herald and one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Fun fact, Silver Surfer beat the Hulk by simply reverting him to Bruce Banner. On top of that, the Nova Corps consider him a potentially universal threat.
9 ZEUS
As the Supreme Monarch of the Olympian Pantheon, Zeus is a pretty damn powerful character. No surprise there -- Zeus is an Olympian Deity after all. The Skyfather of the Olympian gods possesses powers vastly superior to the majority of his race. He wiped the floor with Hulk in hand-to-hand combat and can produce energy blasts strong enough to destroy the galaxy.
His powers are said to be on the same level as that of Galactus and Odin. Aside from superhuman strength and energy projection, Zeus has a variety of other powers such as immortality, magic manipulation, spell casting, electrokinesis, and shape-shifting.
8 ODIN
The King of Asgard, the All-father made his first appearance in Journey into Mystery #85 (October 1962). Odin Borson one of the smartest and strongest Asgardians out there, which makes him incredibly powerful. This is the man who though Thor and Loki everything they know, after all.
When at full strength, Odin was able to overcome the power of the Mad Titan Thanos, Annihilus, and the Silver Surfer, which are no small feats. By tapping into the Odinforce, Odin was able to cast foes into deep space with a thought, endow people and objects with power, and create nigh impenetrable force fields.
7 DORMAMMU
Dormammu's ability to manipulate the forces of magic is almost unprecedented. Composed of pure mystic energy, he’s virtually indestructible and immortal. Beings worshiping him throughout various dimensions is what strengthens his power, so he keeps growing stronger. His magic was powerful enough to tamper with Odin’s spells, who apparently considers Dormmamu an equal. Dormammu, on the other hand, deems Odin inferior.
Dormammu even dared to challenge Eternity. He absorbed Eternity’s infinite power and the fact that he was able to harness that much magical energy proves just how powerful Dormammu is. One time, he also used Flames of Faltine to burn the Celestials.
6 MOLECULE MAN
Molecule Man has, at times, been said to be the most powerful being in the universe, aside from Beyonder. In case you haven’t “guessed” it already, Molecule Man has the ability to mentally control, transform, and manipulate the molecules of all matter and energy. He can use his powers to re-configure all forms of matter and turn them into different substances, such as turning air into glass.
His powers also allow him to turn matter into energy and vice-versa, create force fields, energy blasts, and open wormholes through hyperspace, thus traveling faster than light. This is the guy who disintegrated Cap’s shield, Thor’s hammer, Iron Man’s armor, and Silver Surfer’s board and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
5 FRANKLIN RICHARDS
With an alias like Powerhouse, we really needn't explain why Franklin Richards ranks so high on our list. Son of Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic) and Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Franklin Richards has been stated to be an Omega Level Mutant, while the Celestials have even described him as being Beyond Omega Classification.
He’s so powerful that his abilities have been described as equal to the Celestials. As an adult, Franklin was able to turn Galactus into his herald, withstand the attacks of the Celestials and even destroy one. To put it simply, Franklin Richards has neigh omnipotent psionic powers, boundless reality-manipulating powers, and complete control over the fundamental forces of the universe.
4 GALACTUS
According to the legend himself, Stan Lee, Galactus is the most powerful being in the Marvel Universe. While we mean no disrespect to Mr. Lee, and knowing full well how immensely powerful Galactus is, we’re still can't give him first place on the list.
Galactus has the Power Cosmic, meaning limitless godly power that grants Galactus all kinds of powers like immortality, size-alteration, teleportation, and telepathy -- just to name a few. Galactus is the only known source of Power Cosmic and has the ability to grant it to others. Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet ranked Galactus around the same level as Odin and the Celestials, however, well below characters like Eternity, Infinity and the Living Tribunal.
3 INFINITY
Infinity represents the totality of space, while her brother Eternity, whom we will talk about in a bit, is the representation of time. Together they are the space-time continuum. Without a true physical body, Infinity is an abstract entity that exists everywhere simultaneously. She has the power to manipulate the universe to achieve virtually anything.
Infinity has the ability to manipulate time, space, matter, energy, reality and magic for any purposes. Suffice it to say, she’s omnipresent and omniscient. Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet ranked her power above Lord Chaos and Master Order, but below the Living Tribunal.
2 ETERNITY
As the name suggests, Eternity is time itself -- he has no beginning and no end. With the unlimited power to manipulate time, space, matter, energy, magic and reality itself, Eternity is stated to be nigh-omnipotent. He is the immortal embodiment of the universe, capable of physically manifesting as any force living within the Earth dimension.
According to Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet, like his sister Infinity, Eternity stands above all abstract entities such as Master Order, Lord Chaos, and Mistress Love, but below the Living Tribunal. If Eternity makes an appearance, you can be sure there’s a universal threat on the horizon.
1 THE LIVING TRIBUNAL
Simply put, the Living Tribunal is the embodiment of the Marvel Multiverse. It has existed as long as the universe itself and its function is to safeguard the Multiverse. There’s only one Living Tribunal in the entire Multiverse, meaning it doesn’t possess alternate counterparts. However, it exists simultaneously in multiple planes of reality, which to the human perception appears as though there are multiple variations.
The Living Tribunal is the being responsible for enforcing cosmic justice and maintaining cosmic balance. Its power is so immense that it makes pretty much everyone else on this list look cute. In fact, there are only two Marvel characters considered to be more powerful than the Living Tribunal: the Beyonder and, naturally, the One-Above-All.