Strongest Marvel Comic Villains Of All Time

Summary

• The Leader’s super-intelligence, telekinesis, and telepathy make him a formidable villain in Marvel Comics.
• Hela’s black magic, immortality, and necromancy skills have allowed her to achieve incredible feats like killing Thor.
• Dormammu’s dark magic, dimensional travel, and immortality make him a multiversal threat in the Marvel universe.

When it comes to powerful supervillains, Marvel Comics has them left and right. In fact, thanks to the multiverse, even the usual heroes have taken some drastic rogue turns, turning them into lethal antagonists. The world of Marvel Comics can be a terrifying place, to say the least.

With universe-devouring entities and demi-gods everywhere, it becomes hard to put into perspective the power of these characters. If any of these villains decide to go all-out berserk, even The Avengers might not be able to save the day. So, before the universe gets destroyed or wiped out, here are the strongest villains in the world of Marvel Comics.

Updated February 4, 2025, by Blaise Santi: Almost every fan of Marvel Comics or the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been obsessing over Marvel Rivals, the latest hit game from the franchise. This PvP shooter allows players to assemble teams of Marvel heroes and villains, including some of the most iconic characters in the franchise’s history. For those fans who may be wondering how their favorite villains to play with in Marvel Rivals stack up against the rest of the Marvel universe, have no fear; this list has been updated to include even more of the strongest villains in Marvel Comics.

15

The Leader

A Villain With Super-Human Intelligence

Initially a normal janitor, Samuel Sterns was exposed to gamma radiation, turning him into a green-skinned being known as The Leader. Gaining super-human intelligence from this transformation, Samuel embraced this new persona and became one of the most intelligent villains in Marvel Comics. Serving as the arch-enemy to the Hulk, The Leader aims to use his new-found abilities for world domination.

While other supervillains use brute force for offense, The Leader gets the job done using his intellect. Using his genius, this character has created many technologically advanced gadgets, which he uses to further his ambitions. On top of that, The Leader possesses the powers of telepathy and telekinesis, allowing him to control individuals.

14

Hela

Even Asgard Has A Lady Death

Those who watched Thor: Ragnarok are probably familiar with Hela, the Asgardian goddess of death who features as the main antagonist in that film. Naturally, Hela has a similarly destructive presence in the comics, though her backstory is a little different from her MCU version. Rather than being Thor and Loki’s sister, Hela is the daughter of Loki’s former incarnation, ruling over the realm of Nilfheim.

Unlike many other Marvel Comics villains, Hela has accomplished one incredible feat: killing Thor. While she later used her power of necromancy to resurrect him, there aren’t many villains who can claim that victory. Among Hela’s other evil accomplishments include recruiting the army of the Valkyrie, stealing the souls of major Marvel heroes, and even romancing Thanos to gain his allegiance.

13

Dormammu

A Creature Of Pure Energy

Hailing from the dark dimension, Dormammu is a creature of darkness. Created from pure energy, this character serves as one of the main antagonists to Doctor Strange. And to match the power of the Sorcerer Supreme, Dormammu possesses many powerful abilities. With dimensional travel and soul manipulation at his fingertips, Dormammu is a multiversal threat.

On top of his wide array of abilities, Dormammu possesses immortality. So, while this character can be defeated, he can’t die permanently. When bested in battle, Dormammu simply reverts to his form of pure energy and keeps on living.

12

Ultron

Superhuman Vs. Machine

It may seem surprising to put Ultron in-between literal gods and rulers of other dimensions, but one mustn’t underestimate this cybernetic threat. In the comics, Ultron was an A.I. created by Hank Pym who turned against his creator and sought to destroy humanity for its cruelty to machines. His robotic body is made entirely of adamantium, the same metal that gives Wolverine his strength.

Among some of Ultron’s biggest feats includes creating Vision, another android who later turns against Ultron and becomes an Avenger. Additionally, Ultron has also been recreated in many different improved models, some with the help of Doctor Doom, taking over entire universes. However, Ultron has also been easily destroyed by Scarlet Witch’s witchcraft or Wonder Man’s super-strength.

11

Loki

Thor’s Brother Is Always A Trickster

The adopted brother of Thor is the entire reason for the Avengers’ existence, after his plan to take over the Earth is opposed by the first assembly of superheroes. As the god of mischief, there are far too many schemes (both successful and failures) of Loki’s to name, especially when one counts all the variations of the god that exist throughout the multiverse, like King Loki and Lady Loki.

Surprisingly, Loki has, at times, been more of an anti-hero than a villain, and he has even risen through the ranks to inherit the Sorcerer Supreme title from Doctor Strange. Even amongst other god-like characters, Loki’s powers of sorcery, illusion-casting, and cheating death are impressive.

10

Apocalypse

The First Mutant Is Also The Worst Mutant

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Apocalypse among the strongest villains in Marvel Comics. One of the very first known mutants in human history, Apocalypse originated thousands of years in the past as En Sabah Nur, who becomes a refugee after Kang the Conqueror time-travels to Ancient Egypt and assumes power as Rama-Tut. Grief-stricken, En Sabah Nur’s latent mutant abilities arise, and he adopts his “Apocalypse” moniker.

Apocalypse later spends centuries in suspended animation before becoming a major threat to the X-Men, thanks to his adoption of Celestial technology to grant him energy absorption, telekinesis, and technopathy. Naturally, the X-Men are always able to defeat him, but not without suffering some major losses as a result of the character’s near-unparalleled strength.

9

Kang The Conqueror

His Sights Are Set On More Than One Universe

One of the most powerful antagonists in Avengers history is Kang the Conqueror, originally a descendant of Reed Richards from the 31st century who, after discovering interdimensional travel, becomes a ruthless conqueror of multiverses. The character’s infinite incarnations have all been different levels of powerful, and some have even switched over to the good side.

While Kang has been defeated time and time again by the Avengers and other superhero teams, the sheer scale of his battles and endless reappearance via his variants makes him a threat like few others in the Marvel universe.

8

Thanos

The Mad Titan Loves Balance

Although he was born as the son of two Eternals, Thanos’ latent Deviant genes made him an outcast from his family on Titan. Becoming obsessed with courting Lady Death, Thanos becomes a ruthless and genocidal conqueror, wiping out entire civilizations with his intergalactic army. However, it’s when Thanos sets his sights on collecting the Infinity Gems that he always meets his downfall.

But as even MCU fans know from the Avengers movies, Thanos’ success at assembling his Infinity Gauntlet allows him to wipe half of all beings from the universe, until it’s undone by Nebula and Adam Warlock. Thanos remains a constant presence in the Marvel universe even after the Infinity saga, but even Squirrel Girl has defeated him, which says a lot about his actual strength sans gauntlet.

7

Doctor Doom

The Legendary Leader Of Latveria

Doctor Doom is one of the most iconic villains throughout the comic world. Thanks to his disturbed childhood, Victor’s desire for power and knowledge grew tremendously. It eventually grew to the degree that he became one of the greatest sorcerers, scientists, and leaders to ever exist. Serving as the main villain to The Fantastic Four, Doom possesses abilities that make him a terrifying being.

With his genius-level intellect, Doom has invented some of the most advanced technology in the Marvel Universe, including his time platform, suit, and Doombots. On top of that, Victor possesses knowledge about dark magic that is unknown to even the Sorcerer Supreme. In the Secret Wars timeline, Victor becomes God Emperor Doom, one of the most formidable villains in Marvel.

6

Galactus

A Cosmic Threat To Entire Planets

Being one of the strongest characters in all of Marvel, Galactus is a monstrosity. As the sole survivor from before the Big Bang, he embodies the balance between creation and destruction. Feared across galaxies as the Devourer of Worlds, Galactus possesses the Power Cosmic, granting him godlike abilities to manipulate energy, matter, and reality itself.

His unquenchable hunger drives him to consume entire planets, making him a formidable threat to all life. On top of that, being a cosmic entity, Galactus possesses immortality. While his intentions are not exactly evil, eating entire planets makes him a universe-level threat.

5

The One Below All

The Evil Counterpart Of Marvel’s God

Serving as the evil counterpart to The One Above All (who is essentially the Marvel God), The One Below All is the embodiment of hatred and evil. His main desire is to end all existence within the universe, making this character a major threat to all life and even cosmic entities. To further his ambitions, the One Below All possesses cosmic-level powers.

With Gamma energy manipulation, this character can control Gamma mutants like the Hulk and use them as pawns. On top of that, being a cosmic being, The One Below All is a reality warper, making him a multiversal threat. Existing mainly within Hulk stories, The One Below All aims to plunge the entire universe into darkness and become the sole presence.

4

The Scarlet Witch

The Strongest Avenger Exceeds Even Gods

Is it truly fair to label the Scarlet Witch a “villain” given her noted history of joining the Avengers and X-Men? It certainly can be, given that Wanda Maximoff’s introduction in Marvel Comics was as part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants with Magneto. Furthermore, the continued lore and exploration of Wanda has revealed that, even when she is a hero, her powerful magic makes her a force to be reckoned with.

Aside from being a master of witchcraft and hexcraft, Wanda becomes proficient in black magic and Chaos magic, the latter of which gives her the ability to influence probability. She’s also a Nexus Being, giving her the power to affect entire timelines, which is most notably seen in “House of M” when she alters reality to create a world without mutants.

3

Chthon

Creator Of Chaos Magic

Born from the demiurge, Chthon was one of the first inhabitants of Earth. Also known as an Elder God, this character embodies darkness and chaos. As Earth’s first dark mage, Chthon’s pursuit of dark magic led to the creation of the dark hold and chaos magic, which is the most powerful form of magic in the Marvel Universe. Being its creator, Chthon acquires mastery over these dark arts, making him one of the most powerful sorcerers in Marvel Comics.

On top of that, Chthon is responsible for the creation of many demonic races, including werewolves and vampires. Spawning these demons throughout the centuries, Chthon rules over them and uses them for chaos. If that wasn’t enough, this character also possesses the ability to manipulate dimensions,

2

Black Winter

The Destroyer Of Universes

In a universe where Galactus is the Devourer of Worlds, Black Winter is the destroyer of entire universes. Inspired by Galactus’ origin story, this cosmic being possesses limitless power. From being able to unleash darkness to manipulating the weather, Black Winter is a terrifying creature. On top of that, Black Winter’s reality-warping powers allow it to create and destroy entire galaxies at will, essentially making it a god.

In Thor #5, Black Winter displays its terrifying abilities, unleashing darkness, frost, and snow that disintegrate anything in their way. With even the Norse God of Thunder scared of this entity, Black Winter cements his place as one of the most terrifying villains in all of Marvel.

1

The First Firmament

The First Universe

Predating the multiverse, The First Firmament stands as the very first incarnation of the universe. Yes, this villain is an entire universe. Existing before space, time, and dimensions, The First Firmament embodies the state of reality itself. Introduced as a major antagonist in the Ultimates comic series, this character is a cosmic-level threat, able to destroy anything and everything.

Being a universe, The First Firmament possesses abilities that are hard to comprehend. Firstly, it can manipulate reality on a grand scale, reshaping the laws of physics. On top of that, it possesses omniscience, allowing it to foresee events across different timelines and dimensions. Overall, The First Firmament stands as one of the most powerful beings in all comics, making it an outrageous villain.