In 2000, Marvel's top creators embarked on a bold new experiment -- the Ultimate Marvel Universe. The Ultimate MU offered a clean slate for modern reimaginings of classic Marvel characters. With the reimaginings came countless alterations to the pantheon of characters introduced in the preceding 40 years. The Ultimate versions of Marvel characters were often times darker, stranger, and more violent than their Earth-616 counterparts. Many of the fresh takes on characters also included giving them entirely new levels of power. In extreme instances, jobbers in the mainstream MU were transformed into heavy hitters and vice versa. With that in mind, we've decided to take a look at ten Ultimate Marvel characters who could mop the floor with their mainstream counterpart -- and ten who wouldn't stand a chance.

With the experiment having officially come to a close in 2015 with Secret Wars (Vol. 2), it's safe to pass judgment on the power levels of Marvel's Ultimate characters. Many lived up the title of the 'Ultimate' version of the character -- at least in terms of impact. Take Magneto for example. Ultimate Magneto set into motion the catastrophic events of Ultimatum, which truly changed the Ultimate MU forever. Whether we liked it or not (and most fans hated it), the event established Ultimate Magneto as one of the most destructive villains of all time. Of course, plenty of Ultimate characters are walking jokes compared to the originals. Ultimate Deadpool and Doctor Doom, for example, can't hold a candle to their mainstream counterpart. Here are ten Ultimate characters more powerful than the original and ten weaker.

20 MORE POWERFUL: MAGNETO

Ultimate Marvel Magneto sitting on a throne

Marvel's Ultimate Universe was forever changed by Ultimatum. The cataclysmic event claimed the lives of tons of A-list heroes and villains, including Daredevil, Cyclops, Doctor Doom, Hank Pym, and Wasp. The man responsible for the body count was none other than the Master of Magnetism, Magneto.

Seeking to avenge the demise of his children, Magneto used Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, to catalyze a wave of natural disasters across the planet. Before his own demise at the end of the event, Magneto had personally taken out Professor X and Wolverine. As formidable as the main MU's Magneto is, he's never done something on the scale of Ultimatum.

19 WEAKER: CAROL DANVERS

Currently, in the main MU, Carol Danvers is more powerful than ever. In the role of Captain Marvel, Danvers' powers from her days as Ms. Marvel have been compounded. Seeing as how the Ultimate MU's Danvers possesses no superpowers, she wouldn't stand a chance against her Earth-616 counterpart. Instead of working as a cosmically-empowered superhero, Ultimate Danvers has a successful career as an intelligence agent.

Early on, Danvers serves as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and proceeds to form her own team of superheroes known as the New Ultimates. However, nowhere along the line does she get involved with Kree technology that transforms her into Ms. Marvel.

18 MORE POWERFUL: GREEN GOBLIN

Just having a look at the Ultimate MU's Green Goblin should be enough to tell you that he's next level. Since he debuted in the first story arc of Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1) to his battles with Peter Parkers' successor, Miles Morales, Green Goblin had been one of the Ultimate MU's most notable  threats.

What really set the Ultimate Green Goblin apart from his main MU counterpart -- aside from his Hulk-like physique -- was that he actually managed to finish off Spider-Man for good. The monstrous baddie made his case as being the best goblin when he took down the web-head in the "Death of Spider-Man".

17 WEAKER: KRAVEN

In terms of physical enhancements, Ultimate Kraven and 616-Kraven are at around the same level. Granted, Ultimate Kraven temporarily had the power to transform into a werewolf, but most of the time they're both limited to super soldier-like strength and speed. Despite these similarities, 616-Kraven would embarrass his Ultimate counterpart.

"Kraven's Last Hunt" proved that not only was 616-Kraven a top-tier Marvel villain but that he could also unequivocally beat Spider-Man. Furthermore, after burying Spider-Man alive in the story, he poses as Spider-Man's replacement, and does a better job than the web-head did. Werewolf or no werewolf, Ultimate Kraven never achieved anything close to this.

16 MORE POWERFUL: CAPTAIN AMERICA

Ultimate Captain america hitch

The difference in power between Ultimate Captain America and 616-Captain America is due to the difference in the Super Soldier Serum. Whereas the 616-Super Soldier Serum gifted Steve Rogers with peak-level human abilities, the Ultimate MU's Serum gave Rogers abilities beyond those of any mere human.

Ultimate Cap has proved capable of bending steel and running as fast as a motorcycle traveling at high-speed. Ultimate Cap also possesses an impressive healing factor, allowing him to fully recover from gunshot wounds within hours. Were these two Captain Americas to ever face off, we'd place our bets on the Ultimate version of the character.

15 WEAKER: BLACK PANTHER

One of the questions the Ultimate MU got to ask was, 'What if Black Panther went through the Weapon X Program?' As a result, Black Panther's physiology was enhanced even more and he was armed with adamantium claws. However, between the two Black Panthers, adamantium claws is the only advantage the Ultimate version has over his mainstream counterpart.

Earth-616's Black Panther is a genius and the leader of a nation in addition to his vast array of superhuman abilities. Aside from his basic Black Panther powers, Black Panther can occasionally tap into abilities associated with being the King of the Dead -- including cosmic-level awareness and command over the living dead.

14 MORE POWERFUL: SCORPION

The Ultimate MU's first version of the Scorpion was drastically different than the mainstream Scorpion. Ultimate Scorpion made his debut during that Spider-Man's "Clone Saga" as none other than a clone of Peter Parker. Peter's clone had a scorpion's tale grafted to his spinal cord in addition to possessing all of Peter's spider-powers.

Although he was more of a pawn during the "Clone Saga" and was never to be seen again after the event, we've got to take him over his Earth-616 counterpart. Earth-616's Scorpion is little more than a common criminal with an exoskeleton -- nothing compared to a Spider-Man clone.

13 WEAKER: SCARLET WITCH

Earth-616's Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful characters in the entire multiverse. Possessing seemingly unlimited ability to alter reality, she's been behind some of the biggest events in the MU -- including "House of M" and "Avengers Disassembled". Her Ultimate MU counterpart, having passed away only seven years after her debut, never lived up to this level of might.

Ultimate Scarlet Witch's magic was also limited to her mathematical ability. Whereas Earth-616's Scarlet Witch seems to only need to know the correct spell to use her reality-altering power, her Ultimate counterpart manipulated the probability of something happening by actually running through the mathematical formula in her head.

12 MORE POWERFUL: REED RICHARDS

Ultimate Reed Richards as The Maker

Ultimate Reed Richards barely edges out his main MU counterpart. Ultimate Reed was a child prodigy on par with the intellect of Valeria Richards of Earth-616. Unlike the original Reed, Ultimate Reed only started out as a hero. After the cataclysmic events of Ultimatum and the Fantastic Four disbanded, Ultimate Reed gradually slipped into madness.

He was reborn as the Maker, more Doctor Doom than Mister Fantastic, and launched an attack on the heroes of the Ultimate MU. In recent years, the Maker has continued to prove himself as a major threat in the MU. When he inevitably faces off against Earth-616's Mister Fantastic again, our bet is that the Maker will live up to his name as the 'Ultimate' Reed Richards.

11 WEAKER: SPIDER-MAN (PETER PARKER)

The main MU Spider-Man and Ultimate MU Spider-Man are nearly the same in every way, from powers to the women they've loved. Heck, both of them have perished and been resurrected. Earth-616's Spider-Man did so during "The Other" when he was brutalized by Morlun, only to return from the end with several new abilities.

Ultimate Spider-Man was resurrected awhile after the "Death of Spider-Man", the explanation being that radioactive spider had also gifted him with immortality. In other words, both of these Spider-Men are quite impressive. However, Earth-616's Spider-Man has much more experience, including battles against evils his Ultimate counterpart wouldn't even dream of.

10 MORE POWERFUL: HAWKEYE

The Ultimate MU's Hawkeye is much closer to being modeled after Earth-616's Bullseye than the original Hawkeye. Whereas Earth-616's Hawkeye has only recently blown up in popularity, Ultimate Hawkeye was a hit from the start. Unlike his 616 counterpart, Ultimate Hawkeye didn't wear embarrassing costumes or shy away from taking enemy lives.

Ultimate Hawkeye possessed the ability to use anything and everything as a projectile. A great example of this is when he once flung his fingernails into the necks of his captors in order to make an escape. Did it make any sense? Probably not. Was it awesome? Absolutely.

9 WEAKER: WOLVERINE

Ultimate Wolverine runs through New York with his claws extended.

When comparing Ultimate Wolverine with the original Wolverine, it all comes down to the healing factor. The main MU's Wolverine has one of the most impressive regenerative abilities in all of comics. During "Civil War", Wolverine walked away from Nitro's self-detonation as nothing but bone and adamantium.

Several years later, amidst "Avengers vs. X-Men", Wolverine was again almost completely burned alive, this time by Phoenix Force Cyclops. Most recently, he's returned from beyond the grave, suggesting that he's truly immortal. Ultimate Wolverine, on the other hand, was decimated at the end of Ultimatum, done in by a monstrous attack from Magneto.

8 MORE POWERFUL: NICK FURY

Ultimate Nick Fury received a prototype of the Super Soldier Serum that gave him abilities well beyond those of peak humans.  Earth-616's Nick Fury, on the other hand, never underwent the Super Soldier transformation.

With most other things being equal -- both being master tacticians, expert marksman, and world class spies -- this leaves the Ultimate MU's Nick Fury as the superior version of the character (not to mention, the Watchers have rendered the original Nick Fury useless). Ultimate Nick Fury also possesses a cybernetic arm that he received in the wake of the Liberator's invasion of the U.S., making him a physical threat close to the level of Captain America.

7 WEAKER: DEADPOOL

The original Deadpool proved himself as superior when he ran into his Ultimate version in Deadpool Kills Deadpool (Vol. 1) #4, putting a sword through the stomach of his lame counterpart. Arguably, the only thing that Ultimate Deadpool has over his mainstream version is his even more disfigured face. As for everything else, it's a no contest.

Earth-616's Wade Wilson's regenerative ability is off the charts and he possesses a wide array of superhuman abilities. He's also by far the more entertaining of the two Deadpools, thanks to his endless wisecracks, his unpredictability, and his ability to break the fourth wall.

6 MORE POWERFUL: MULTIPLE MAN

The Ultimate MU's Multiple Man played a pivotal role in Ultimatum. As a loyal member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Multiple Man served Magneto in his global assault on humankind. Multiple Man duplicated himself until several large armies had been formed from the original.

The Multiple Man soldiers were used to destroy important buildings, as well as take out numerous superhumans, including Hank Pym and Captain Britain. Meanwhile, the mainstream version of Multiple Man has yet to achieve this level of impact on Earth-616 -- whether it be as a hero or as a villain. However, this may soon change with the first story arc of the upcoming Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 5).

5 WEAKER: PHOENIX

Compared to the main MU, the Phoenix Force was hardly explored in the Ultimate MU. It's for this reason that we've got to go with the mainstream Phoenix as the stronger of the two. Ultimate Phoenix peaked when she used her newfound cosmic energy to thwart Apocalypse but the mainstream Phoenix, however, seems to keep outdoing herself.

Those empowered by the Phoenix Force in MU-616 have been shown capable of resurrecting themselves, single-handedly fighting off the combined might of Earth's heroes, and laying waste to entire planets. Beating Apocalypse is impressive, but what about conquering an entire galaxy as the Phoenix-empowered Thane did?

4 MORE POWERFUL: GRAY HULK

Ultimate Hulk Bryan Hitch

The Ultimate MU's Gray Hulk is a far cry from the original Gray Hulk. Out of the many hulked-out personalities of Earth-616's Bruce Banner, the Gray Hulk is among the weakest. The mainstream Gray Hulk only comes out at night, and when he does, he often does so under the alias of Joe Fixit, an enforcer for Marvel's mafia.

The Ultimate MU's version would be too busy rampaging through cities to slap on a suit and play along with gangsters. Unlike his Earth-616 counterparts, Ultimate Gray Hulk is essentially untameable. The best his allies can hope for is that he'll wreak havoc in the right direction.

 

3 WEAKER: MISTER SINISTER

The Ultimate MU's Mister Sinister possessed a considerably more limited powerset than that of his mainstream counterpart. Ultimate Mister Sinister's primary ability was his mastery over hypnosis, allowing him to incapacitate and bend others to his will as he prepared for the coming of Apocalypse. As impressive as these abilities may be, they don't come close to what the original Mister Sinister is capable of.

Over the years, the main MU Mister Sinister has given himself an assortment of mutant abilities in addition to the ones Apocalypse gifted him with. The mainstream Mister Sinister's powers include shape-shifting, telekinesis, telepathy, and teleportation.

2 MORE POWERFUL: XORN BROTHERS

In both the Ultimate MU and main MU, Xorn is the shared alias of two mutant brothers. While Earth-616's Xorn showed serious promise, they were wiped out in New Avengers (Vol. 1) #20, before they could reveal their true potential. Ultimate Xorn wasted no time making an impact in their universe. Ultimate Xorn led two groups of highly-powerful superhumans known as the Celestials and the Eternals.

Xorn and their people went to war with the Children of Tomorrow, the Maker's army of superhumans. Xorn's combined abilities included black hole creation and high-level psionic power, making them formidable fighters as well as leaders.

1 WEAKER: DOCTOR DOOM

We only need to take one glance at the mainstream Doctor Doom's resume that he's by far the more superior Doom. Ultimate Doctor Doom was a decent enough villain, using his broad knowledge of the Occult to foment chaos across the Ultimate MU. However, he's never become the god of the multiverse, as Earth-616's Doctor Doom did during Secret Wars (Vol. 2).

Perhaps even more impressive than that was when Doctor Doom defeated the Marquis of Death, Doom's nigh-omnipotent master. These are just two examples of Doom's penchant for doing the impossible, which has recently manifested as him turning his back on villainy altogether.