The pages of comic books are a wacky and crazy place. Inexplicably, there are tons of bizarre and super powerful weapons lying around. Among all the weapons in the Marvel Universe the most legendary and infamous of them all is the dreaded Infinity Gauntlet. Separately, the Gauntlet is relatively harmless, but once you bring the Infinity Stones into the equation, you’re now dealing with a weapon capable of turning the wielder into the universe itself. The only thing the Gauntlet cannot do is whatever the wielder is not currently doing. No one and thing, except perhaps the One Above All (i.e. God, Jack Kirby, and Stan Lee), can hope to match the Infinity Gauntlet when it’s at full power. Heck, there was an entire event built around the thing and we’re getting an MCU movie about it soon.
That said, despite its might, not only does the Gauntlet have limits and the stones be broken, but it’s completely ineffective in an universe separate from its own. This may not sound like a big deal, but people are continually jumping from universe to universe in comic books. With that in mind, we’re looking at 15 weapons and artifacts mightier than the fabled Infinity Gauntlet when it’s not at full power.
15 THE EYE OF AGAMOTTO
The Eye of Agamotto is the trademark artifact used by Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme. A trinket of legendary power, the Eye is one of three mystical artifacts created by the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto. From there, it was passed on to each successor to the Sorcerer Supreme title. Though its abilities fall of the light side of magic and does not respond to an evil user, the artifact should not be taken lightly.
The Eye can playback recent events and open portals to earlier moments in time. The light that the Eye radiates also weakens many different kinds of evil mystical beings, like demons and undead creatures, and even corrupts human practitioners of the Dark Arts. Doctor Strange has used the Eye it to probe the minds of others, project powerful mystical barriers, create portals to other dimensions, and even teleport to the other end of the universe.
14 THE ULTIMATE NULLIFIER
Even if Thanos acquired a fully powered Infinity Gauntlet, he would still be powerless before the might of the Ultimate Nullifier. The Ultimate Nullifier was first introduced in early Fantastic Four comics when Galactus attempted to devour Earth. The FF hunted down the tiny device and used it to scare Galactus away from Earth.
Aside from the Heart of the Universe and the Infinity Gauntlet, nothing can hold a candle to the Nullifier. To put its power into perspective, Mr. Fantastic once used it to destroy Abraxas, the counterpart to Eternity and the embodiment of universal destruction. He did so by using the Nullifier to destroy all of reality! It’s described as ‘the universe’s most devastating weapon,’ for good reason. Just be careful, if the user’s will is not strong enough, they’ll be taken with it. The device is often a literal deus ex machina.
13 MJOLNIR
The hammer of Thor, Mjolnir was created at the behest of the All-Father Odin by three dwarf blacksmiths. To forge the mighty weapon, the three dwarves used a magical forge located in the heart of a star. The process was so intense and grueling the star itself exploded, nearly taking the Earth along with it. Though the planet survived, the dinosaurs were wiped out.
Imbued with a portion of the Odin Force, Mjolnir’s might is awe-inspiring. Don’t let the MCU version of the God of Thunder’s weapon fool you; Mjolnir is one of the most overpowered weapons in comics. It can annihilate worlds, warp reality, control cosmic storms, let Thor to fly at speeds far exceeding light, teleport, control the earth, and unleash Thor’s strongest attack, the God Blast. Obnoxiously powerful, the God Blast can stagger Celestials, defeat the Juggernaut, and nearly killed Surtur the Fire Demon.
12 THE WAND OF WATOOMB
There’s a wide range of mystical objects in Marvel Comics, but not all of them are created equal. The Wand of Watoomb is a mighty wand that’s capable of channeling mystical energies to a whole range of effects. For the most part, the Wand’’s strength seems to lie in defensive powers; it can shield against other mystical attacks, absorb energy of practically any kind, but also do things like heal it’s wielder and release defensive barriers.
For a quick getaway, or for the flight of fancy sorcerer who likes to travel, the Wand can open portals to other dimensions. Turns out, there are actually five wands of Watoomb in the Marvel Universe and they each originate from various different dimensions. The Sorcerer Supreme is usually in possession of one of these wands, but it’s unclear where the other Wands go.
11 THE DESTROYER ARMOR
The Destroyer Armor is basically a wearable Mjolnir. The Destroyer was created by Odin to serve as a defender of Asgard and do battle with the Fourth Host of Celestials. The armor is fueled by portions of powers from All-Fathers like Zeus, Odin, and other gods, making it immeasurably powerful. They gave the Destroyer complete invulnerability, energy blasts, and insane super strength.
The Armor was forged out of mystery metal that is stronger even than the uru, the metal that makes up Mjolinir. Destroyer has all the strength of Thor’s mighty hammer and more. The Destroyer armor has defeated Thor, both the Thor Odinson and Jane Foster versions, and even Hulk. Additionally, the Destroyer can be made even more powerful, as seen when Odin combined the Destroyer with Mjolnir, which sent the mighty Galactus literally running away in fear.
10 THANOS' SPACE THRONE
Even despotic aliens need a mode of transportation, and Thanos, the Mad Titan, is no exception. If you’ve watched any Marvel movie, you’ve probably seen the purple supervillain floating ominously on top of a space throne. Well, that throne isn’t just for grins and giggles and is actually a part of comic book lore. Thanos also has a very self-inflated opinion of himself, so of course, if he’s going to be navigating the stars, then he’s going to do it in style.
While it looks exactly as you’d expect, Thanos’ Space Throne it’s not just a fancy space chair. To the shock of many, the Space Throne is remarkably powerful. The Throne can travel at the speed of light, teleport, hop through dimensions, project intense defensive force fields, and fire deadly energy blasts from the top of its frame. Underestimate the Space Throne at your own peril.
9 THE BLACK VORTEX
The Black Vortex’s cosmic abilities make it a target for evildoers everywhere as the Vortex’s primary ability is to grant its user cosmic powers. Furthermore, it amplifies any preexisting abilities to a staggering degree, making the user a god. Even if the user doesn’t have powers, the Black Vortex will super charge them and make them neigh unbeatable. In the wrong hands, a being like Annihilus or Thanos can have their incredible powers leveled up.
The Black Vortex comes with a price, that being many mortals are incapable of handling the power bestowed onto them. As a result, their hearts are corrupted and they lose their humanity to the Vortex’s might. The X-Men and the Guardians of the Galaxy once temporarily used the power, but ultimately relinquished it at the first opportunity. Except for Angel, he decided to be a jerk and keep his new strength.
8 THE DARKHOLD
They say that knowledge is power. In the case with the Darkhold spell book, they couldn’t be more right. The Darkhold is an ancient book of evil full of malevolent spells. The Darkhold can be used by nearly anyone and instruct the learner by filling them up with dark magical knowledge. The teachings within the book were actually applied to create the first vampires; it also played a part in the initial sinking of Atlantis.
If Doctor Strange has the Book of the Vishanti, created by the Elder Goddess Oshtur and how he gets lots of his power, the Darkhold is the polar opposite. It is the dark to the light. Its power corrupts anyone who is foolish enough to read it. It doesn’t matter if some of the spells aren’t evil, the user become tainted by the book’s power regardless.
7 THE TACTIGON
The Tactigon is unquestionably one of the deadliest weapons to ever land on Earth. Extraterrestrial in origin, the Tactigon is unique in that it bonds to the arm of whoever is wearing it. The Tactigon isn’t just a regular weapon; it’s displayed a level of sentience and can feel fear. This may explain why it feels so strongly about attaching itself to people who are also afraid or are in need of a weapon.
The Tactigon houses virtually limitless power and can create any weapon the wielder can imagine or needs, no matter how complicated. In the middle of a fight, the Tactigon will scan its opponent and match its power to perfectly counter them; usually though varying degrees of high intensity energy blasts. Furthermore, depending on what’s required of it, the Tactigon will transform its appearance; it can hide in plain sight.
6 THE CRIMSON GEM OF CYTTORAK
The Crimson Gem of Cyttorak is a mystical jewel of power. The Octessence, eight mighty beings, made a wager. They each put power into an item and said the first mortal to come into contact with each being's respective item would turn into an Exemplar and possess the power of the being who created the item they touched. Cytorrak created his Gem and cheated in the wager. He made Avatars before the wager went underway and his avatar was Cain Marko.
Transforming into the Juggernaut, Cain Marko became one of the strongest villains on Earth. Juggernaut’s strength was only a fraction of Cyttorak’s might, but it’s been stated that the power the Gem bequeaths is enough to control the fabric of the Universe, were it used to other effects besides making avatars of destruction.
5 KANG'S TIME CHAIR
Kang the Conqueror is one of the Avenger’s most vicious and powerful villains. Using technology from all across the timestream, Kang time travels at his leisure, striking at exceptionally inopportune moments. Through his travels, Kang has acquired technology so powerful that he can defeat nearly any Avenger, Thor included. He’s terrorized different timelines at different point in time.
Having time travelled as much as Kang has, there are several versions floating around in the Marvel Universe, each with different goals. The most evil Kang is one of his older selves and the version who does battle with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes repeatedly. One of Kang’s funkier weapons is his Time Chair. Similar to Thanos’ Space Throne, the Time Chair can, as the name implies, time travel to any point in the future or the past. It too has a neigh impenetrable force field along with devastating energy weapons.
4 THE M'KRANN CRYSTAL
According to its creators, the giant pink M’Kraan Crystal is “the end of all that is”, which is a very roundabout way of saying the crystal ought not to be tampered with. Incredibly massive, the Crystal’s origins are unknown.
The Crystal doesn’t seem to abide by any conventional laws of physics; housing more area in its body than should be possible. Inside itself, there is an entire crystal city, protected by the Crystal’s force field. Also located in the center of this gem is a neutron galaxy; it serves as the nexus point for all matter across every reality there has been or ever will be. If the M’Krann Crystal’s stasis field is destroyed, then it will create a universal black hole that will destroy all of reality. So please don’t touch the pretty pink crystal.
3 THE COSMIC CUBE
Similar to the Infinity Gauntlet, the Cosmic Cube can do anything and was first introduced in early issues of Tales of Suspense. The Cosmic Cube is so powerful it can rewrite reality, change the history of anyone or anything, and do whatever the user dreams. It’s limited really only by the storytellers. The Black Panther used the Cosmic Cube to make entire worlds and the Red Skull once used it to create a new reality.
Weirdly, the Cosmic Cube is effectively alive and there is more than one. Essentially eggs, the Cubes grow into cosmic beings. Wielding a Cosmic Cube is not a simple act of point-and-shoot either. It requires heart-pounding concentration. The greater the action you want the Cube to perform, the greater the risk is to you and everyone nearby. A stray thought and the planet you’re standing on will be destroyed.
2 THE CASKET OF ANCIENT WINTERS
The Casket of Ancient Winters is an elemental artifact. Though its creator is unknown, the Casket is Asgardian in nature. It contains the Fimbuwinter of the Ymir and will create insanely large snowstorms if opened. That might not sound terribly impressive, but the Casket can bury whole planets in an endless, snowy ice age. Additionally, not only does it contain world-destroying snowstorms, but it also houses the fury of a thousand killing winters.
The temperature unleashed by the casket is so severe that even Frost Giants, who typically relish icy weather, are incapacitated by the Casket’s fury. Once a world is plunged into ice, there is no way to reverse the effects aside from Odin’s secret Gem of Infinite Suns, which contains the essence of hundreds of stars.
1 THE HEART OF THE UNIVERSE
There is no device or weapon in Marvel Comics that even comes close to approaching the Heart of the Universe and its power. Aside from the One Above All, the Heart of The Universe is the most powerful force out there. While it hasn’t appeared canonically in the main Marvel Universe, it has shown up in an alternate universe where an alternate version of Thanos used it to create multiple timelines and birth whole universes into being.
It’s been suggested that the Supreme Being created the weapon in order to rectify an imbalance in the fundamental design of the Marvel Universe. The few who have wielded the Heart of the Universe turned into a supreme being themselves and became the mightiest character(s) in Marvel Comics. There have been hints that Heart of the Universe exists in the main Marvel Comics universe, but it has yet to be located.