20 Marvel Heroes & Villains Who Are More Powerful Than Thanos

If there’s a character who has always been a constant threat not only to the Avengers but to the entire Marvel universe, it’s the Mad Titan himself. Thanos has always been one of the most dangerous characters in Marvel because of the fact that he is an Eternal-deviant hybrid who possesses incredible physical capabilities on top of the different powers that he possesses. That’s why he was the biggest threat in the first few phases of the MCU and has always been a constant enemy to Marvel heroes in the comics.

But while Thanos is considered one of the greatest Marvel villains of all time, he is far from the strongest hero or villain. That’s because there are a lot of characters who are stronger than him, even though they may not be as popular as the Mad Titan. So, with that said, let’s look at all of the Marvel heroes and villains who are more powerful than Thanos.

20. Mephisto

Many people know Mephisto as one of the rulers of hell in the Marvel universe. He is actually quite famous as a Ghost Rider villain because he was the one who allowed the Spirit of Vengeance to inhabit different people. At one point, he even became a lackey to Thanos in a comic storyline.

Nevertheless, Mephisto has always been a deity with incredible powers that range from manipulating time and space to being so strong that he is almost unbeatable in the comics. In that regard, he is likely stronger than Thanos despite often holding back in the different storylines that feature him as a villain.

19. Korvac

Introduced in 1975 as a hybrid between a human and a supercomputer from the future, Korvac was one of the most powerful characters in Marvel. He may have been a throwaway character at that time, but he went on to become a dangerous opponent to the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Korvac was so powerful that he could trump almost any Marvel character in everything except his fighting skills. But he can beat his opponents based on his ability to predict their next move, and that was when he could easily find a counter to different attacks despite his lack of fighting skills. At one point, he absorbed the Power Cosmic to become just as powerful as most of the other cosmic entities in Marvel. This allowed him to control time and space, among the other powers he possessed.

18. Sentry

Sentry was created when a drug addict took the Golden Soldier serum, which was said to be exponentially more powerful than the super-soldier serum that Steve Rogers took. In that regard, he obtained incredible powers that far surpassed most of the other characters in Marvel, as his power was seemingly boundless.

His strength alone was on par with the Hulk’s maximum strength, allowing them to fight each other on par in the Hulk’s angriest state. On top of that, Sentry also possessed powers that were omega-level. Nick Fury once said he had no idea how to defeat Sentry if this superhero ever went rogue.

17. Cul Borson

Introduced in the ‘Fear Itself’ storyline in the comics, Cul Bronson was one of the strongest Asgardian gods ever introduced, as he was basically on par or even stronger than Odin. One of the best examples of his strength was when he broke Captain America’s almost unbreakable shield with nothing but his bare hands.

As Odin’s older brother, Cul had similar abilities to most Asgardians but was stronger whenever people around him were afraid. He is the Asgardian god of fear and is a lot stronger whenever he can feed on the fears of the people around him. In that regard, he is certainly stronger than Thanos.

16. Dark Phoenix/Phoenix Force

One of the strongest cosmic entities existing in the entire universe of Marvel is the Phoenix Force, which is an entity that’s basically capable of controlling life and death itself. However, the Phoenix Force finds suitable hosts who can control its power, and Jean Grey has always been the one most associated with the power of the Phoenix Force, especially when she is in her Dark Phoenix form.

As Dark Phoenix, Jean Grey’s powers outclass almost every other mutant, including the all-powerful godlike Apocalypse. In fact, the Phoenix Force is so powerful that it can eat away stars and easily destroy entire galaxies. As such, those who possess the power of the Phoenix Force are more powerful than most characters, Thanos included.

15. Surtur

Known as one of the most powerful godlike beings associated with the Asgardians, Surtur is said to be the doom of Asgard as he was the one who was destined to bring about the destruction of Asgard all on his own. This means that this powerful demon-like entity is powerful enough to take on the entire Asgardian army by his lonesome and even destroy entire planets.

With his huge body and equally huge sword, Surtur is one of the strongest beings in the world of Marvel and has enough power to level entire planets. So, while beings like Thanos are strong enough to destroy mountains, Surtur is a threat to planets all on his own and has powers that are equal to that of a god.

14. Galactus

Galactus is certainly one of the most popular entities in the history of Marvel because there aren’t a lot of gigantic creatures with the appetite to eat entire planets to survive. As the survivor of the previous universe before the current Marvel universe, Galactus needed to feed on entire planets for sustenance, as nothing else could sustain him.

Galactus is powerful enough to take on Celestials alone whenever he is full. Possessing the Power Cosmic, he is basically limitless regarding his cosmic powers. He can even share some of this power with his heralds, who are strong enough to give Thanos a good fight. So, if his heralds are strong enough to push Thanos to his limit, you can just imagine what Galactus can do.

13. Knull

Known as a primordial god of darkness and the god of all of the Symbiotes, Knull is a powerful being who existed before time itself. As powerful as he is, Knull becomes even more powerful when he uses the body of a Celestial as a source of energy. He could kill this Celestial with a single swing of his sword, proving he was much more powerful than these powerful beings.

His sword, All-Black, is the same sword that Gorr the God Butcher used. But in the hands of Knull, the sword is even stronger because of how powerful Knull is. Another example of Knull’s awesome strength could be seen in the fact that he tore the Sentry in half. He fought and defeated an Odinforce-empowered Thor, proving that he was nearly without equal in Marvel.

12. Nemesis

While not the most popular character on this list, Nemesis still deserves to be on it because she embodies all of the Infinity Stones. Yes, the same stones that Thanos used to give himself godlike powers. As such, Nemesis has the powers of all of the Infinity Stones and is one of the oldest beings in the world of Marvel.

Nemesis’ consciousness resides in the Ego Stone, which is a secret Infinity Stone. Even Mephisto understood that these stones were once an omnipotent being, and this very same being was the one which was contained within the Ego Stone. In fact, it was also Nemesis who created Mephisto and the demons, thereby proving that she was basically a god. Nevertheless, she realized her error as she committed suicide by splitting herself into the seven Infinity Stones, not counting the Ego Stone.

11. Cosmic Pantheon

Composed of some of the strongest cosmic entities in Marvel, the Cosmic Pantheon houses several different powerful characters who are basically gods. These characters include the likes of Infinity and Eternity, who are two of the most powerful members of this pantheon. Some would say that members of the Cosmic Pantheon are only a level lower than The Living Tribunal in terms of power.

Whatever the case may be, these beings are essential parts of the universe as they embody fundamental aspects of the Marvel universe, including death, order, love, and chaos. So, because of that, it goes without saying that they are far stronger than Thanos.

10. Amatsu-Mikaboshi

Amatsu-Mikaboshi is one of the strongest godlike figures in Marvel and is said to be the Japanese god of evil. He has a grotesque, evil appearance and is even similar to Venom, making him one of the most vile-looking entities in the pages of Marvel comics. Of course, you would have to be powerful to be called the Chaos King.

Considering that Amatsu-Mikaboshi is a god, this entity is so powerful that it could simultaneously take on Thor and all of the Asgardians. Thor needed to use the powerful Grasscutter sword to actually have a chance against this grotesque and evil figure. As such, it goes without saying that he is stronger than Thanos.

9. Onslaught

Onslaught is basically the creature that arises from the fusion of Professor X and Magneto. However, while both of those powerful mutants have incredible abilities, Onslaught seems to be a lot more powerful than Professor X and Magneto combined because he is almost godlike.

The power of Onslaught was so great that even a few Avengers members had to sacrifice themselves to defeat this incredibly powerful mutant entity. And while Onslaught was banished to the Negative Zone, he was still strong enough to pull himself back to the universe, proving that his power was greater than even the Mad Titan’s own power.

8. Dormammu

Dormammu is one of the strongest magical entities in the world of Marvel and is somewhat of a demon who lives in a different dimension called the Dark Dimension. In fact, Dormammu lives to conquer entire dimensions and is so strong that he can change reality itself. 

In the MCU, Dormammu was such a great threat that Doctor Strange’s only chance against him was to trap him in an endless loop using the power of the Time Stone. Dormammu had to voluntarily leave Earth alone to escape this annoying loop. But under normal circumstances, Earth would have been destroyed by the power of Dormammu.

7. Cyttorak

Juggernaut is one of the strongest characters in the entire Marvel universe in terms of pure strength, as he is basically unstoppable because he is the avatar of Cyttorak. This means that Cyttorak only allowed Juggernaut to have a small portion of his power, thereby making this powerful, monstrous demon-like god entity one of the most powerful creatures in Marvel.

Cyttorak was so powerful that incredibly strong Skyfathers Odin and Zeus were powerless against him. This being also lends Doctor Strange a portion of his powers because some of the spells that Strange uses are connected to Cyttorak. As such, Cyttorak’s powers are almost limitless.

6. Franklin Richards

Franklin Richards is the only “normal” being on this list, as he is naturally strong upon birth, even though he is human. He is the son of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who are two of the most notable superheroes in Marvel. While his parents aren’t exactly powerhouses, Franklin was born powerful enough to defy physics using his powers.

In fact, he is so powerful that he can create entire universes or destroy planets at will. Some characters believe that he is dangerous, while others think that he can be the best superhero if he can harness the full potential of his powers. But the one clear thing is that he is quite overpowered for a superhero.

5. Molecule Man

Molecule Man has powers that were said to have come from the original pre-retcon Beyonder, who is one of the strongest characters in Marvel. In that regard, his powers are often associated with the Beyonders regarding how great they are, and there’s a good reason for that Molecule Man has unlimited control over molecules.

It is often said that Molecule Man’s control over molecules is so great that he can destroy the entire multiverse if he wants to. Of course, he has done many impressive things in Marvel, such as destroying Thor’s hammer and disintegrating Captain America’s shield. He even defeated the Silver Surfer with little to no effort.

4. The Beyonder

The Beyonder was one of the original overpowered characters in the greater Marvel multiverse. In fact, he was the one who was responsible for the entire ‘Secret Wars’ storyline in the comics, as he used his power to summon different superheroes and villains because he simply wanted to. And he forced these heroes and villains to fight one another on Battleworld.

The Beyonder doesn’t belong to the Marvel multiverse and actually comes from an entirely different universe that’s well outside the Marvel multiverse. His status as a being beyond the multiverse allowed him to have incredible powers that were godlike in terms of what he could do. And there are only a few people who are capable of standing up to his awesome power.

3. The Living Tribunal

While most of the cosmic beings in the Marvel multiverse have different versions in each universe, The Living Tribunal exists across the entire multiverse and was the one who was installed in the Marvel multiverse as the one who should govern the things that are happening there. This means that he is basically the god of the multiverse.

The Living Tribunal is so powerful that Thanos is but a speck of dust to him. In fact, multiple post-retcon Beyonders were required to kill him. Nevertheless, the most powerful entity of all time replaced the old one with a new one. And the new Living Tribunal was just as omnipotent as the old one. Thanos, with the power of all of the Infinity Stones, believes that he doesn’t stand a chance against this being.

2. The Lost One

Not many people are familiar with The Lost One because this incredibly powerful character is a fairly new figure in the world of comic books. That’s because he first appeared in 2022 as one of the most recent villains that the Avengers have in their roster of villains. He is said to be the most powerful out of all of the cosmic entities.

In fact, the Beyonders (post-retcon) are said to have gotten their powers from The Lost One. He is also so powerful that he can siphon energy from any Beyonder nearby. On top of that, this being can travel through the multiverse and be able to take down an Avengers team in a different universe in just a few seconds while only using a fraction of his power. This proves that he is exponentially stronger than Thanos.

1. The One Above All

The only character whom The Living Tribunal answers to is The One Above All, as no one is above this true Marvel god. It is often said that he is the representation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who are the two most important figures in the history of Marvel Comics. In that regard, The One Above All is basically the one who made the Marvel multiverse exist.

In that regard, no one in Marvel is above The One Above All in terms of his power and authority. No one can reach his power, including the Beyonder, the Lost One, and Thanos. And that is why he is the most powerful being of all time in the world of Marvel Comics.

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