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Most Powerful Comic Book Characters of All Time

With great power comes great responsibility for powerful comic book characters.

By Isaac ShapiroPublished 8 years ago 6 min read
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For years millions and millions of fans all over the world have followed comic book characters. Maybe it stems from the desire to be immortal, but the strength that comic book characters posses is a one that we are all jealous off. Their power is more than just physical strength—they hold the fate of worlds in their hands. With great power comes great responsibility though, right? Some, without ever wielding a weapon, hold the power to both create and destroy with just their minds. Others do wield weapons, but only the most powerful and dangerous. No matter how they achieved their power, each of them has earned a place on the list of most powerful comic book characters of all time.

Doctor Manhattan

Artwork via DC Comics

Not unlike a god, Doctor Manhattan is not limited in any physical, or metaphysical way. Formerly nuclear physicist Dr. Jonathan Osterman, Doctor Manhattan transformed into the super-being he is today after initially being disintegrated in the Intrinsic Field Subtractor. Due to his exposure to nuclear chemicals, Doctor Manhattan can manipulate matter to his will, so in reality, he could snap the entire universe and every living thing in it. He could even create new universes. It doesn't get much more powerful than that. No weaknesses, no fatigue. If not THE most powerful, Doctor Manhattan is definitely on the top of the list of powerful comic book characters.

Darkseid

Artwork via DC Comics

There is no greater villain in the entire DC Universe then Darkseid. If you could cross Hitler with Satan, than you're coming close to the level of intimidation and threat presented by Darkseid. He is worshipped as an "anti-god" on the hells-cape that is his home planet of Apokolips. His ultimate goal is to control all life in the universe by seeking out the Anti-Life Equation. What makes him especially dangerous is his ability to unleash unimaginable amounts of energy through his devastating "Omega Effect" beam, leaving even the strongest heroes devastated in it's wake. As if that wasn't enough to make him one of the most powerful comic book characters of all time, he is also practically immortal and has the level of strength, stamina, endurance, and mental fortitude to best both Batman and Superman.

Imperiex

Artwork via DC Comics

Imperiex is a cosmic level threat who is capable of wiping out planets in the DC Universe. In many respects, he serves as DC Comics answer to Marvel's Galactus. He seeks to bring about the end of the universe by collapsing galaxies through super black holes and wants to create a new perfect universe after the current one's subsequent destruction. Imperiex gains his power through tapping into the power behind the big bang. He is less a corporeal being, but rather a being composed of pure energy encased within a material shell. He can easily annihilate entire planets through use of his signature probes and immensely powerful energy blasts.

Anti Monitor

Artwork via DC Comics

The Anti Monitor is a character so powerful DC Comics only brings him out as the ultimate threat whenever their looking to reboot their universe. Very little is known about him, other then the fact that he's the living embodiment of all anti-matter in existence. This gives him nearly limitless cosmic power and the ability to eliminate all matter in the universe. He has been seen as being able to absorb entire universes as well as tearing through the very essence of reality itself. Given how he's responsible for DC Comic's Crisis on Infinite Earths he must have inclusion on our list of most powerful comic book characters of all time.

Thanos

Artwork via Marvel Comics

The infamous "Mad Titan" Thanos managed to murder half of the entire Marvel Universe. He is obsessed with the physical manifestation of death and seeks to woo her romantically and make her his bride. In order to do that, he wants to win her love by destroying all life in the universe. What makes him especially dangerous is his ability to live up to that threat. Many a super villain makes empty threatens to destroy the universe, but with the infinity gauntlet Thanos is the only one who can actually do it. What makes Thanos especially dangerous is his ability to manipulate enormous amounts of cosmic energy. This combined with gaining the infinity gauntlet and infinity gems has ascended him to godhood. He's managed to kill such iconic heroes like Captain America and Wolverine with a flick of his finger.

The Living Tribunal

Artwork via Marvel Comics

The Living Tribunal is a being capable of being virtually omnipotent and able to see and balance multiple layers of the Marvel multiverse. His purpose is to safeguard the omniverse from imbalance and help preserve the balance of life, but sometimes it comes at a great cost. The Living Tribunal can be impartial when judging entire universes and has shown the willingness to sacrifice millions to save billions and to sacrifice billions to save trillions. There is absolutely no limit to what The Living Tribunal can accomplish in order to maintain balance or destroy any larger cosmic threats to the larger Marvel multiverse. A god like presence, The Living Tribunal is a force to reckon within the most powerful comic book characters of all time.

Galactus

Artwork via Marvel Comics

Galactus is so powerful he is the only sentient being in existence who predates the Big Bang and has managed to see what the universe was like before it happened. But being a colossal cosmic being, Galactus needs to feed on entire planets with little care about the inhabitants that might be residing on them. He has several god like abilities including the manipulation of molecules, conversion of matter into energy, and the ability to teleport great distances. All of his abilities are beyond human comprehension or can even be explained by human science. If that wasn't scary enough he's also able to scan the thoughts of just about any known being in the universe, not that he really needs to do that since nothing can stop him when he picks a planet to munch on.

Presence

Artwork via DC Comics

The Presence is the closet thing that DC Comics has towards the more traditional monotheistic Judeo-Christian God. In a Universe that features the New Gods, Greek Gods, and Hindu Gods, The Presence exists on a level above all of them. It is on the supreme tier and is one of the most powerful comic book characters of all time. It is completely omnipotent and omnipresent and has existed at the beginning of reality in the DC Universe. While it very rarely makes it's own presence known, when it does, the reverberations are felt throughout the entire universe of DC Comics.

Doomsday

Artwork via DC Comics

Doomsday is a a genetic experiment gone awry and holds the distinction of being one of the few villains to ever manage to kill Superman. Essentially, he was made by a scientist who cloned him and threw him on the surface of the prehistoric planet of Krypton where he died and was reborn again and again. He eventually gained the ability to continuously evolve and become impervious to any damage or injuries he sustained. Even if you can hurt Doomsday, you just make him stronger. With his power he managed to subdue the entire Justice League and has beaten Superman multiple times, even going as far as breaking his arm with little effort. He is quite literally a walking typhoon of unstoppable destruction.

The One Above All

Artwork via Marvel Comics

The One Above All is the highest cosmic being in the Marvel Universe, serving as the metaphorical Judeo-Christian creator of all realities in all timelines in every single part of the Marvel Universe. He's so powerful that nothing can possibly exist in the Marvel Universe without him. That makes The One Above All more powerful than all beings or cosmic entities combined and the most powerful comic book characters of all time in the Marvel Universe. It has been hinted that his true identity is actually Stan Lee, the legendary comic book creator.

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About the Creator

Isaac Shapiro

When not scrounging the internet for the best content for Jerrick Media, Isaac can be found giving scritches to feathery friend Captain Crunch.

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