25 Most Powerful Superheroes Of All Time

Starting off this list as an honorable mention, Saitama from “One Punch Man” has the ability to defeat literally any adversary with just one punch, making him essentially undefeatable. However, because One Punch Man is more of a satire of the superhero genre than a story meant to be taken seriously, it wouldn’t really be fair to the others to put him any higher than #25.

If it was just down to the “cool” factor, Wolverine would be the #1 on this list without contest. As it is, he’s still no slouch when it comes to powers and abilities. With foot long claws protruding from his knuckles that can cut through nearly anything, plus an indestructible adamantium skeleton and super fast healing that can regenerate him from practically nothing, Wolverine is a basically unstoppable murder machine, taking down almost anything that stands in his way.

Although Tony Stark may not have any superhuman powers of his own, his Iron Man suit proves more than capable of giving him the abilities he needs to stand toe to toe with the likes of Thor, Hulk, and a number of other super-powered heroes. He’s also got enough swag to get his own list, so check it out if you want to brush up on your Iron Man trivia, or if you just want to learn some super facts about this superhero.

Carol Danvers was an Air Force pilot, C.I.A. agent, and N.A.S.A. security director before becoming a superhero after an encounter with an alien gave her superhuman strength, flight, and the ability to create energy blasts. Set to become the newest hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel is getting her own film early in 2019 and is expected to play a major role in the upcoming “Avengers: Endgame” this April.

Okay, so maybe including Deadpool on a list of heroes is a little irresponsible, but he has had a couple of redeeming moments so it didn’t feel right to leave him off. Once a mercenary-for-hire known as Wade Wilson, Deadpool came into existence after an experimental treatment for his cancer left him horribly disfigured but with a superhealing ability so powerful he has become, for all practical purposes, completely immortal. On many occasions, he’s continued fighting even after he’s been dismembered, beheaded, or blown up. At first glance he might seem like an insane, fourth-wall-breaking lunatic, but underestimating him has been the downfall of more villains (and heroes) than we can count.

Often overlooked as “that one hero who can talk to fish,” Aquaman is wrongfully considered the weakest or most useless member of the Justice League. Sure, saying he can talk to fish wouldn’t be lying, but a more accurate description would be commanding the oceans and every living thing in them, making him literally king of over 71% percent of the Earth. Remember that the next time you think about calling Aquaman a weak hero.

When it comes to telepathy, there really is no mind, super or otherwise, that can match that Charles Xavier’s. In addition to his hyper-intelligence, Professor X has been shown to wield psychic abilities powerful enough to manipulate the minds of others in almost any way he sees fit. Luckily, he’s one of the good guys; so good in fact that he dedicated much of his life towards training and protecting young mutants, as well as protecting the Earth as the leader of the X-Men.

As the king of a certain offshoot of humanity known as the “Inhumans,” the Black Bolt has been described even by other superheroes as one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Capable of some serious energy manipulation, the Bolt can use this power to increase any of his abilities to ridiculous levels. His greatest weapon, however, is his thunderous voice; even a whisper is capable of shattering the Hulk’s bones. Some believe a shout would destroy an entire planet.

Combining Superman’s raw power and Batman’s fighting skills, Wonder Woman has proven herself time and time again to be one of the most invaluable heroes in the Justice League. The one thing keeping her from ranking any higher is her lack of perfect invulnerability. Although she can withstand more than her share of blunt force trauma, her weakness to piercing weapons means a well placed sword or bullet could bring her down.

By harnessing the power of chaos magic, Scarlet Witch has the power to create energy blasts, force fields, telepathically influence her enemies, and even manipulate reality to some extent. The only thing holding her back is that she sometimes struggles to control her own powers, but with time and practice she could be truly unstoppable.

With nearly unlimited strength, rapid tissue regeneration powers, and inexhaustible stamina, fighting against the Hulk is always bad news. In his time, the Hulk has lifted a mountain, held two halves of a planet together, and even clapped so loud that the shockwaves decimated everything around him. Still, while he outranks just about everyone on this list in strength, pure muscle can sometimes only take you so far.

The power ring wielded by Green Lantern grants him abilities that are seemingly limited only by his imagination and sheer will, two things the wielder never seems to lack. Its signature power is the ability to summon constructs, objects made of solid energy that can take the form of anything the Green Lantern desires. That’s not all however, the ring can also grant the wearer superhuman strength and speed, as well as the ability to fly and even teleport.

Blessed with the powers of gods, Doctor Strange has risen to become the undisputed Sorcerer Supreme, the single most powerful magic user in the entire Marvel universe. With just a wave of his hand, Strange can manipulate energy, conjure objects into being, and even control time itself. Despite this, he still is limited to his physical human body, but that rarely slows him down, considering he has faced some of the deadliest villains in the multiverse.

The Flash doesn’t merely run faster than everybody else, he does everything faster than everybody else. By tapping into the Speed Force, the Flash can run, think, and react faster than light itself, and it doesn’t even end there. When he pushes himself, he can also phase through matter, process thoughts in less than an attosecond, and even go back in time and change history. At one point, he even outran death; he ran so fast that he reached the end of time where nothing, not even death, could exist. Make of that what you will.

Hailing from none other than Mars, J’onn J’onzz, AKA Martian Manhunter, owns a laundry list of incredible super powers ranging from super strength to flight to even the ability to shapeshift into any form or size that he desires. It doesn’t stop there, though. He also has nine different senses, the ability to regenerate himself, and telepathic skills powerful enough to completely dominate and shut down the minds of even the most powerful and strong-willed of adversaries.

There isn’t much out there that can match the strength of the literal god of thunder. In fact, Thor is one of the few heroes that can match the Hulk himself in a wrestling match. Wielding his famous hammer Mjölnir, Thor is able to control the weather and call down lighting strikes upon his foes. He can also fly, although not quite in the traditional sense. He can throw his hammer with so much force that it travels at speeds faster than that of light, carrying Thor along for the ride.

Wielding the ancient and magical Helmet of Fate and Cloak of Destiny, Doctor Fate is able to draw upon the powers of Nabu the Wise, a god of order and fate. He has the ability to manipulate matter and energy with his mind, as well as travel through time and space however he sees fit. The only thing keeping him from being a contender for being further up on the list is his reliance on his helmet, which contains most of his powers.

Young Billy Batson may seem like your everyday adolescent boy at first glance, but within him he holds the power to transform into the fully grown up superhero known as Captain Marvel… or at least that’s what he used to be called before things got a little too confusing, considering Marvel had a superhero of the same name. DC eventually re-branded him as Shazam. No matter what you call him, however, there’s no doubt that he is one of the most powerful of heroes in the universe, even going toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel himself on a number of occasions.

As a result of his ability to tap into the “Power Cosmic,” the Silver Surfer has access to a nearly unlimited amount of power. He has super strength, can move faster than the speed of light, and can even  absorb and manipulate energy to aid him however he wishes. His silver skin makes him almost invulnerable to any attack, as well as shields him from the harmful effects of space travel, and his surfboard can move him almost instantaneously across time and space with nothing but a thought.

Superman is the undisputed benchmark character every other superhero is compared to, and not without good reason. When it comes to power, the Man of Steel has it all; super strength, super speed, invulnerability, laser vision, and whatever other powers the writers decide to give him at the time. You may be surprised to realize that, not only is he not topping the list, but he doesn’t even make the top 5. Don’t take it the wrong way. Superman is still one of the most powerful heroes to have ever existed. But, after this point, lets just say that things go from comically overpowered to outright ridiculous.

Often considered to be Marvel Comics’ response to Superman, Sentry is so powerful that he can do everything Superman can and more. With the supposed power of a million exploding suns, he is undeniably the strongest “traditional” hero on this list with abilities ranging from the typical super strength and speed, to omnipotence and even the power to raise the dead with a thought. His powers aren’t completely without risk, though. If he pushes himself too much, he can lose himself to “The Void,” becoming an unstoppable villain that can destroy anything he touches.

When Jean Grey was only child, she had psychic shields raised in her mind by Professor X himself to lock away the majority of her powers until she had grown enough to control them. Now that she has unlocked her true potential, it has become clear how much they were really holding her back. By merging with the “Phoenix Force,” Jean Grey can control and manipulate the universe around her to an almost unlimited degree, giving her possibly the strongest psychic powers of any hero to date.

Although nobody was surprised when the child of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman turned out to be powerful, there wasn’t really anything that could have possibly prepared us for just how far those powers went. Franklin Richards began showing signs of omega-level abilities when he created entire micro-universes with his mind as a kid. So far he has only scratched the surface of what his reality-warping abilities can do.

In a world where there are no other superheroes, being the most powerful man in the universe may not seem like such an amazing feat. This isn’t the case for Jon Osterman however, who, after having his human body disintegrated after an accident in a nuclear testing facility, was able to recreate himself as the omnipotent and near godlike entity of Dr. Manhattan; able to sense the past, present, and future simultaneously, as well as create and manipulate matter on a sub-atomic level. That’s not to say he’s not without weakness. In fact, many would say that Dr. Manhattan’s greatest flaw is his apathy and his general disregard of the lives and problems of humanity.

Often described as the physical embodiment of God’s vengeance and an extension of God himself, the limits of The Spectre’s power boils down to the extent of his imagination. He is omnipotent in every sense of the word and able to warp reality, control time, and serve out judgement and vengeance on any soul he deems unworthy.