The Most Powerful Things in Comics

THE MOST POWERFUL IN OCEANS! TROLOLO!

It has become apparent to me since I began reading up on comic book gods that there is some disagreement as to what entity is the most powerful. The internet is abound with lists that no one really cares for as they don't really explain anything, while at the same time there are near dissertations explaining why some character or another is the most powerful. There are even some really poorly made ones like this one! *points at the image used for number 1* Some even seem to think that Batman is the most powerful because he's Batman and has contingency plans.

Ugh.

Irrational wishful thinking based on a few panels of some comic book saga where the writer looked down and smiled fondly at Batman and decided to throw good writing out the window and give the Batster the ability to pummel Superman or The Hulk aside, I thought that I would take an objective look at the actual most powerful beings in the Marvel and DC universes and do a Who's Who and settle all questions about it once and for all [but not really]. Yes, my dear editor, I know that sentence was too long for your tastes. No, I don't intend on changing it. Trololo ^___^

Now then, without further ado, a top.... (let me ask the editor how many I can put)...
[30 minutes after] (no answer).... TOP 10! 8!(20 more minutes in and the editor told me to do 8).

He steals powers...

 8. Protege

Protege is described as having near infinite potential, as he can copy any powers he sees. Although he was captured and bound by Beyonder (who is down the list) because Beyonder wanted some amusement, during a battle with Beyonder and Living Tribunal (also down the list), Protege manages to copy many of their powers. At one point his powers become so great that he claims that he has become the new supreme being, the new One Above All (also down the list). The only reason that Protege doesn't rank higher is because his nigh omnipotence is not of his own, but borrowed.


7. Franklyn Richards

OMG DAT FACE

This might be an odd name to see in a top 8 most powerful things in creation, specially when the previous entry is that of an entity that nearly became more powerful than the most powerful beings in the Marvel and DC universes. However, it is a fully justified entry. The son of Mister Fantastic and The Invisible Woman, Franklyn can pretty much do anything. Quoting from an entry on the most overpowered beings in comics: (1) Franklin has created psionic blocks within his own mind to prevent himself from establishing his full power; (2) Franklin, however, has yet to even reach his full potential; (3) It has also been hypothesized that Galactus himself (a being so powerful that he is called Devourer of Stars - he has existed since before the creation of the multiverse) is a herald to Franklin, having once been summoned by him while still unborn; and (4) There are some theories that state that Franklin Richards actually controls the entirety of the Marvel universe. The character has – on more than one occasion – created an entire universe. Following the disaster of the Onslaught crossover Franklin created a pocket universe for the heroes that sacrificed themselves to stop the malevolent entity. So, is everything that happens in the Marvel universe simply the creation of a kid? Could be. We all know that kids can be quite imaginative.

Phoenix Force? No match for Living Tribunal

6. Living Tribunal

The Living Tribunal is an omnipotent being from the Marvel multiverse. He has been described as the most powerful being in the Marvel multiverse and the guardian of the omniverse. His power is so absolute that he can prevent the infinity gems from being used. He is the entity outside of the multiverse who is tasked with keeping balance in all of the multiverse's universes. He has even stated that he is the supreme being of the multiverse subordinate only to one entity: The One Above All.

TOAA>HOTU>LT

5. Thanos with The Heart of the Universe

When Thanos, one of the most powerful Titanian Eternals, manages to bond with The Heart of the Universe, he transcends the Marvel murtiverse, thus earning omnipotence beyond that of the Living Tribunal. The reason for this is that The Heart of the Universe gives its owner the powers of The One Above All (at least it has been implied that it does). With the power of The Heart, Thanos sits at the end of all things and undoes and recreates all of creation. The reason that he does not stand above The Presence is because despite having the powers of The One Above All, Thanos with The Heart of the Universe (1) was still dancing to the tune of a plan originally created by The One Above All in order to create some sort of fundamental flaw in reality, and (2) despite all that power, he is still Thanos. Whatever glorious things he might do with The Heart, and despite his omniscience, his thoughts are still dictated by himself. He does not think as a supreme being would, as much as an overpowered being who discovered supremeness would. Also, he still seems to work from inside Creation.

What should the old British guy do with his ball?

4. The Presence / GEB

Some old guy. Created by "the author" at the same time as creation itself, The Presence is the supreme being of the DC multiverse. He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. However, although his powers are boundless, he cannot take away free will (or at least hasn't been shown to do so). That being said, having the ability to step outside of creation and holding it in his hand as if it were a ball? That's all kinds of power right there.On the flip side, The Great Evil Beast (GEB) is considered as "the other side of the coin". Just as powerful and omni-everything as The Presence, GEB represents the Darkness aspect of omnipotence.
 
3. Pre-Retcon Beyonder

I hate this image almost as much as the Richards one

 Beyonder is the most powerful fictional character in comic book universes. Its origin story is that somewhere outside of the multiverse was another multiverse (it's described as a pocket universe). That multiverse took  on form and became Beyonder. As such, it is omnipotent. Beyonder can bend reality to his will, destroy or create as he sees fit, and live or die at will. Nothing can hurt or destroy him without his consent, but he can create or destroy with a thoughts. He stands above The Presence because The Presence was created at the same time as creation. Beyonder, however, exists beyond creation. Think of him as The Presence of his own multiverse somewhere beyond DC and Marvel and who was somehow able to cross over into the Marvel multiverse. The only reason that he is not ranked higher is because even though he is supposed to be a supreme being beyond anything, he still only exists within the pages of the comic book.

2. The Primal Monitor

Often confused with Monitor and Anti-Monitor (both of whom will be explained here), The Primal Monitor is actually neither. It is a being of untold and unimaginable creative and destructive powers. Because of its boundless infinity, it is represented as white space. This boundless entity too incomprehensible to draw, one day notices a microscopic smudge on it. When The Prime Monitor looks closer, it notices that the smudge is The Bleed. Those of you who are not familiar with the DC Multiverse, "The Bleed" is the red stuff between each of the DC universes. The Prime Monitor thought of erasing the smudge, but it got curious and sent in a microscopic probe to explore it. This probe then becomes the characters Monitor and Anti-Monitor, ridiculously powerful characters that are consistently on top 20 strongest lists. Now put all that into perspective. Select your favorite comic book character. That character lives in a planet in a galaxy in one of the many universes of that comic book company. All of those universes are nothing more than a nearly insignificant smudge on the surface of an entity so boundless that it must be represented as white space. Because of this, The Primal Monitor has been described as the paper in which comics are drawn. The only reason that this is not the most powerful entity is because (theoretically) it needs someone to create things on it.


1. The One Above All

Without question, the most powerful entity in any comic book universe is The One Above All. Now, this comes with a caveat. There are two "Ones Above All". One of them is the celestial leader whose name is One Above All (that is the one depicted in the list linked at the beginning of this post), and then there is The One Above All, the Creator of the Marvel multiverses and everything in them. The One Above All can do anything he wishes and knows everything that ever was, everything that is, and everything that will be. The reason is that he is basically the avatar for the comic book creators (most often he is referred to as Stan Lee himself). However, even if we take away the whole "Avatar of the Author" thing, TOAA is still the entity that created everything that has ever existed and will exist and who controls everything that has ever happened and will happen. The Marvel Multiverse, which he created on his own Prime Monitor, is to him as the contents I have written in this post are to me.

Some Apologetics

This dude looks too cool

Man of Miracles / Mother of All - Many lists place the Man of Miracles in their top 3 because it controls everything that happens in the Spawn universe. Indeed, Man of Miracles is incredibly overpowered. It dethrones both God and Satan, sends them to forgotten corners of reality, then manifests itself into the Spawn universe as it sees fit, controlling everything according to its will. However, while Man of Miracles is the supreme being of the Spawn universe, it is not a multidimensional being (or at least I could not find any evidence to prove as much). Furthermore, while he is said by some fans to be the manifestation of the writer, this does not seem to be a universally held idea, nor was I able to find actual evidence to prove as much. The fact that Man of Miracles is said to be, in the Spawn universe, Jesus Christ who went to the world to preach a message of love, would serve to further dissuade me from the idea that he is the author.

Yep, he made it himself.

Superman Prime (One Million) - I really wanted to put this version of Superman in the list. If it had been a top 10, I might have. This Superman is far more than just a Superman supercharged with solar energy. This Superman, indeed charged with 15,000 years' worth of solar juice, manages to reach the end of creation and breach the Source Wall. There, he (presumably) obtains some of the power from The Source, and returns back to his universe. In the DC universe, he is one of the two entities to have ever returned from the Source Wall, the other being Specter (who I might have included in a top 20). This version of Superman is omnipotent, can create his own universes, and has been shown to recreate Krypton from a rock and bring Lois Lane back from nothingness and, with a bit of her DNA, put her in a god-like body. To top it off, this version of Superman has the last Green Lantern Ring, the most powerful weapon in the universe.