People debating "who's stronger" is nothing new; it's a (usually) friendly argument we first experience in our childhood regarding parents, athletes, each other and more. When it comes to superheroes, however, the "who is stronger" debate takes on new dimensions, and the outcomes are determined by much more than mere physical strength. Comic fans are happy to dive into any such challenge, armed with stats from trading cards and past comic events, but while some debates do result in a clear cut winner, other seem destined to rage for eternity. CBR may have fallen into the latter category with a recent story that declared Nate Grey, aka X-Man, Marvel's strongest mutant, much to the chagrin of another Marvel hero's fanbase.

While this may be a bold claim, there is no doubt that the shaman of mutantkind has been showcasing his extreme power levels in Uncanny X-Men, flexing that resulted in the apparent death of nearly the entire team of X-Men, followed by the creation of a new world created in Grey's personal vision. However, the title of Marvel's Strongest Mutant is not one easily earned, and some of CBR's readers were quick to point out that another mutant actually holds the prestigious title: Franklin Richards, son of Reed and Sue Richards of the Fantastic Four.

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Franklin may still be a child, but he holds the potential for untapped levels of power that easily challenge, and possibly surpasses those of X-Man. With that stated, consider the gauntlet thrown, as we take a deep dive into these two mutant heroes to see what makes them tick, and which is Marvel's Strongest Mutant.

While Franklin Richards technically appeared first, we're going to start with Nate Grey since his recent actions sparked this comparison. He first appeared in X-Man #1, which released in 1995 as part of the reality-altering Age of Apocalypse event. Nate's early introduction as a powerful young mutant in an alternate reality ruled by Apocalypse showcased the awesome power he had at his disposal. These powers mostly registered as telepathic and telekinetic abilities, which he inherited from his biological mother - the AoA's Jean Grey. Unfortunately, those powers were burning him out, and the hero soon was forced to learn new ways to not only use his powers, but also help mutantkind in his newfound home in the main Marvel Universe.

Franklin Richards first appeared in the pages of 1968's Fantastic Four Annual #6, where Reed and Sue Richards welcomed their first child, who was soon revealed to be a mutant. However, unlike most mutants, who develop their powers during puberty, Franklin began exhibiting his powers almost immediately, with power levels that attracted villains hoping for a new tool to use against the FF. After a few close calls, Reed developed a way to technologically inhibit Franklin's vast psionic potential in order to allow him to have a normal life. However, young Franklin would soon test the limits of his inhibitors alongside the team of young heroes knowns as Power Pack under the superhero name Tattletale, though readers would soon see a big evolution for the character.

NEXT PAGE: Nate Grey vs. Franklin Richards - In The End, One Stands Victorious

What's most interesting about Nate Grey and Franklin Richards is the similarities that exist between them, such as their status as second-generation mutants and even their psionic abilities. Even more intriguing is the future versions we've seen of the characters, both of whom who have managed to avoid their inevitable overpowered fates. Nate Grey was an alternate reality version of Nathan Summers, aka Cable, who represented a flawed and hindered version of Nate. Cable was infected with a techno-organic virus, which is constantly attempting to transform him from man into machine, and costs nearly all of his power to maintain. It's a testament to the power levels of Nate Grey that Cable is still as powerful as he is given the severe hampering of the T/O virus.

We've seen future versions of Franklin Richards who have also needed a technological component to hamper their unlimited abilities. For the version who became the teenage hero Psi-Lord, it was in the form of a bio-suit that he wore to contain his abilities as the leader of a group known as the Fantastic Force. The suit served a purpose similar to his father's inhibitors, continually draining his powers during battle so he was able to control his abilities, which generally exhibited in the form of energy blasts. Psi-Lord was soon again replaced by the young Franklin, whose powers have continued to evolve past the psionics and precognition he had displayed in the past, moving into the territory of reality manipulation.

RELATED: How Did Franklin Richards Stop Being Psi-Lord?

Both are incredibly powerful mutants, as we saw when they were pawns of the entity known as Onslaught, who tried to use and corrupt their abilities. It was during this and the following events that we began to truly see the scope of Franklin's potential. Following the sacrifice of many of Marvel's non-mutant heroes to stop Onslaught, Franklin tapped into a new side of his abilities, altering reality itself to create a pocket dimension, where the heroes were reborn on a new Earth. Franklin did this practically subconsciously, in an effort to save his parents, family and fellow heroes.

Nate has had a number of powerful moments as well, at one point even spreading his essence across the entirety of Earth's population and merging with them to save the world from an alien threat. This revealed Nate's true power, which comes from his ability to draw on the energies of the astral plane, using it to manipulate matter and energy in a similar, albeit more localized, style as Franklin's reality changing powers. This seemingly leaves the two mutants equally matched, but there are a few key differences in power levels between the two.

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Nate Grey is immensely powerful, both in his psionic abilities and larger matter manipulation, and we've seen a definite limit to his abilities. Similarly, we have yet to see the full extent of Franklin's powers, despite a glimpse here and there. As a baby, Franklin obliterated Mephisto with eyebeams, causing the Lord of Hell to fear the child's untapped potential. Fans later saw a future version of Franklin make Galactus his herald in order to stop Mad Celestials, who are pretty much the title belt holders when it comes to powerful entities. Most recently Franklin was working with his father to create entire universes, rebuilding the Marvel Multiverse in the wake of the publisher's last reality-altering event, Secret Wars.

So while Nate Grey is tapping into levels of psionic energy unheard of amongst most mutants, he may have already peaked in power levels. Franklin's unlimited power potential at such a young age appears to make him the most powerful mutant now, and most likely Marvel's most powerful being, period, in the future.