The superheroes that we see nowadays in the movies are just a small fraction of what the comic books have to offer. With a history spanning over 80 years, we have seen it all, from characters with the basic superpowers (such as super strength and flight) to characters whose powers are so exotic that we cannot simply pretend to understand what they do.
Can we explain, in simple words, what warping reality really means? Can we explain in simple words what the process of tapping into the life force of all the beings who haven't been born yet is? No, we cannot - at least, not with a couple of panels explaining the context of these tremendous powers.
These being said, who are those Marvel superheroes who are the most powerful? Which one of them has such a vast array of superpowers that he cannot be defeated by his fellow opponents? This is what we will try to find out in this list.
In here, you will find only those characters who are superheroes. So there is no place for anti-heroes (such as Ghost Rider), abstract entities (such as the Dark Phoenix Force or One Above All), or characters who are neither of these (such as the Destroyer, which is basically just an enchanted object).
Marvel's Hercules
Everybody knows Hercules - the ancient Greek demigod with the famous 12 labors. As usual, Marvel has translated this character into the comic books and made him one of its most powerful superheroes. As far as his sheer strength is concerned, he is concerned a top tier among all characters in the Marvel comic book universe.
But having super-strength, even if at the highest levels, means nothing when compared to the powers mentioned in the introduction of this post. So what else does he have? Well, besides the basic super speed (though it isn't that super when compared to other characters), his immunity to all diseases and his high durability, he also has a magic mace - which can prove deadly, considering that Hercules is proficient in all sorts of combat styles. Thus, the mace is made from adamantine and can be considered the equal (or thereabout) of Thor's Mjolnir.
As a testament to his strength, we can mention that he had the upper hand against the Hulk during the World War Hulk - he lost the battle only because he stopped fighting, wanting to prove that he isn't going to hurt the Jade Giant.
More, you say? His stamina is basically limitless and he has lifted the incalculable weight of the Heavens.
Skaar
Speaking of the Green Goliath, his son is the next on this list. Skaar is his name and Hulk had him after the events of Planet Hulk. Born from one of the strongest superheroes, the son of an Oldstrong, he is much more versatile than his father is.
Thus, we can start by saying he defeated Juggernaut, another powerhouse in the Marvel comics, by combining the best he had from both of his parents. Skaar realized that his strength wasn't going to help him if raw - so he combined it with the Oldstrong powers: the ability to tap into a planet's energy and boost his own powers to incalculable levels.
So yes - he is strong and he can get even stronger. One punch was all he needed to send the Juggernaut flying into the space.
As far as his other feats are concerned, we can mention that Skaar is resistant to intense heat, being born in a lake of lava. His regenerative ability is off the charts, being superior to Hulk's and even Wolverine's.
Adam Warlock
Known also as Him (for those who believe the theory of the MCU's Infinity Stones spelling out THANOS), Adam Warlock is the perfect human - literally, since he was created in a lab by the Enclave. As a testament to his strength, he is the one who turned Thanos to stone, thus ending the Mad Titan's conquest to impress Death.
And this is an unbelievable feat of strength.
As far as his powers are concerned, even without the soul gem, Adam Warlock is one of those remarkable superheroes who can manipulate cosmic energies for energy projection and flight. Whenever he feels the need, Warlock can enter a deep regenerative state, inside a cocoon.
His powers are greatly increased when he has the Soul Gem - and Warlock is basically known especially owning the Soul Gem. With its aid, he can trap the souls of others.
As a testament to his strength, we can say that he stood his own against the mighty Thor - though not enough to defeat the Asgardian, Warlock's strength is pretty impressive nonetheless. We can also mention that he is capable of interstellar fight, without any kind of aid.
Doctor Strange
It is no wonder that Doctor Strange is the protector of Earth from all the magical and mystical threats - the Sorcerer Supreme possess a power unmatched by any other superheroes. Drawing his powers from mystical entities such as Agamotto and Cyttorak, Doctor Strange is considered the most powerful magician in the entire Marvel comic book universe, recognized as such even by Eternity.
He also has some pretty cool accessories, such as the Cloak of Levitation (who helps him, well, fly) and Eye of Agamotto (used to negate the dark magic), to give just two examples. Using his knowledge and his attire, he can time travel, teleport do distant places, travel to astral places, and so on.
It is said that he is second only to Dormammu as far as his mystical powers are concerned - a character he has defeated on several occasion.
As a remarkable feat, we can say one thing: he broke Mjolnir's enhancements, which actually says that Doctor Strange can even challenge Odin himself. We can also mention that he performed heart surgery on Eternity, even if he is a neurosurgeon"¦
Quasar
Over the course of years, there were 3 superheroes who have taken the name Quasar: Richard Rider (who is also known as Nova), Phyla-Vell (who took on the name of other superheroes as well and who was a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Wendell Vaughn (who is the first Quasar).
As the name of the superhero suggests, Quasar is a cosmic-type of character, capable of controlling and manipulating all forms of energy. He is able to do that with the help of the Quantum Bands.
Thus, the Bands can channel all forms of energy and transform them into physical constructs (pretty much what a Power Ring would do), can help him teleport (or quantum jump), provide protection against powerful telepaths, and so on. However, unlike the Power Ring, the Bands can tap into an infinite source of energy.
So even these three superpowers can show how strong Quasar is among all superheroes. After all, he isn't called the Protector of the Universe for nothing.
Sentry
About this guy, Iron Man said that he has no physical weaknesses - we can believe him, since Sentry can come back from the dead (even more than that, he can also bring them back to life).
Sentry was just a usual guy (Bob Reynolds, middle aged and a bit chubby) until he a super-serum changed him. After that, all of his molecules were able to move an instant ahead of the timeline - it is, however, revealed that the serum is just the recipient of a sentient life force from another universe, thus explaining the colossal power of Sentry.
So, besides his incredible regenerative ability and besides the usual superpowers superheroes possess, Sentry is also capable of light-speed flight, has very acute senses (being able to hear a butterfly on the other side of the world), is a very powerful telepath (his telepathic powers dwarf those of Professor X), can phase through objects, can become invisible and can shapeshift.
He is one of the superheroes who is basically immortal - his regenerative ability would prevent him, even if he tried to commit suicide. Why would he do that? Because he is mentally unstable and he is highly susceptible of having his mind invaded.
As a more explicit feat of strength, Sentry fought with the Hulk until both of them tired and reverted to their human forms - only afterwards Bruce Banner knocked down Reynolds.
Hulk
The Green Goliath couldn't have been missed - after all, his strength is limitless, his regenerative capabilities are off the charts (if anything pierces his more than durable skin), and his stamina is out of this world.
Nate Gray
An alternate version of mutant Cable, Nate Grey is the genetic son of Cyclops and Jean Grey, created by Mr. Sinister. With such parents and with such a creator, you can be certain that this is the one of the superheroes way above all others.
Nate Grey is basically what Cable could have been if he wasn't infected with the virus: one of the most powerful telepaths, who also has vast telekinetic powers. He is an Omega Level mutant who has, at one time, bonded with Earth itself, ascending to another state of existence - his body was pure energy and his already colossal powers became even more enhanced.
His psionic abilities are so off the charts that his power rivals the one of the Phoenix Force (the latter one actually fighting the all-powerful Galactus and winning - granted, the he wasn't fed at that time).
Nate Grey could take down the most powerful mutant, Apocalypse - he was designed for this alone.
Silver Surfer
Things get even more interesting with the Silver Surfer, who is one of the superheroes who have it all, from warp speed (many times the speed of light) to matter manipulation (melting Quasar's Brands with a hand wave, for example), from telepathy to time manipulation, from power alteration powers to a pretty cool surfboard.
The Silver Surfer is Norrin Radd, an inhabitant of a planet threatened by Galactus - in order to stop the World Devourer from killing his kind, he became his herald. His duty was to seek out planets for Galactus to feed upon.
His power is derived from the one of Galactus and is immense (which makes us wonder how powerful Galactus really is). The Silver Surfer fought with all the powerhouses of the Marvel comic book universe, including Hulk, Thor and Thanos. So he can be second only to one!
Thor
The Thor from the comic books cannot be any more different from the Thor in the movies.
The comic book version is capable of literally destroying planets only with his brute force, can magically control the atmosphere (and can cause weather effects even if a planet doesn't have an atmosphere), is capable of interstellar flights at light speed, he can manipulate matter, he can put up energy barriers, and so on.
When his powers are upgraded (with the Odin Force and the Rune Magic), he is basically omnipotent, being able to fight to the most powerful villains in the Marvel comic book universe. The ultimate of the Marvel superheroes has literally no weakness.
