The Most Powerful Character Of All Time, Ranked (2024)

The pantheon of superpowered heroes in pop culture continues to grow as the world is introduced to hundreds of thousands of stories across all media forms. Comic books, video games, and manga have introduced the masses to some of the most iconic and incredibly mighty individuals humanly imaginable, yet the list is still untapped.

Deciding the strength of a fictional character should not be based solely on brute strength or feats alone. Strength of character, the ability to overcome personal faults, and the overall grasp of such given powers all play key roles in determining which fictional beings are the mightiest among all of them.

Updated on August 3, 2024 by Benjamin Vieira: Whether it be in comic books, anime, manga, video games, and more, there have been some truly powerful and strong characters. They range from cosmic beings of living energy to Greek and Norse gods. Whatever the case may be, these are the most powerful of the powerful. This article has been updated to CBR's current standards.

25 Wonder Woman Has a Great Power Set and Great Weapons

DC Comics

Created by William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman is unarguably one of the biggest powerhouses in DC Comics. This superheroine comes from Themyscira, a hidden island where Amazons train their whole lives to be great at physical feats. Besides being a trained athlete and soldier, Wonder Woman has superpowers given to her by the Greek Gods.

These abilities, combined with her Lasso of Truth and her bracelets, make Wonder Woman almost unbeatable. Among the strongest Justice League members, the only thing holding Wonder Woman back is that she doesn't have cosmic abilities like other fictional characters. Instead, Diana succeeds in battle as one of the most proficient and strongest melee fighters ever, ranking her in at the bottom of these fictional powerhouses.

24 Braniac Has Destroyed Numerous Planets

DC Comics

Brainiac is one of Superman's greatest foes, right ahead of names such as Darkseid, Bizarro, and Metallo. He is a living computer that seeks to obtain all possible knowledge in the universe. However, he does this by collecting a small part of a planet and then destroying that very same planet as well. He has even been accused of being the reason why Krypton was destroyed in the first place.

What makes Brainiac so powerful is that, because he is a computer, he is very difficult to truly destroy. On various occasions, he has simply destroyed one cyborg body only to appear in another. He has taken over The Justice League. He possesses 12th-level intelligence and is smarter than the majority of other characters in the DC Universe.

23 Mewtwo is an Ultrapowerful Created Pokémon

Pokémon

There are many ultra-powerful Pokémon in the franchise. Some can level cities with their moves, and others can harness electricity. However, Mewtwo is different from all of those Pokémon. Mewtwo was created in a laboratory using DNA from Mew. Mewtwo can speak, use telekinesis, and regenerate. What also makes Mewtwo unique is that it is cognizant of its existence and questions it.

In Pokémon: The First Movie-Mewtwo Strikes Back, the film explores Mewtwo's powers and further expands on them. Mewtwo is different from other Pokémon in terms of how it thinks and its awareness, making it one of the most powerful in the franchise.

22 Goku is One of the Most Iconic Characters in Anime for His Vast Power Levels

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball's Goku is one of the most common names when mentioning the strongest fictional characters, no matter the medium. Created in 1984 by Akira Toriyama, Goku is typically depicted as carefree and eccentric. However, he is world-renowned for his battle prowess and strategic thinking in the most violent situations.

Goku is regarded as one of the best martial artists in all anime and often enters the conversation when comparing the world's best comic book martial artists. His power levels are vastly exaggerated in Super Saiyan mode as he taps into his endless reservoir of ki, which he has used to defeat literal gods in hand-to-hand combat.

21 Kratos is One of the Strongest Fictional Characters Due to his Resilience & Immortality

God Of War

Kratos is the protagonist and main character in the God of War video game franchise. Born in Sparta, Kratos is a human warrior who successfully hunted and killed the entire pantheon of Greek Gods and Titans. Due to his weapon-wielding abilities, Kratos is known for being incredibly resilient and powerful.

Kratos has survived death on multiple occasions because of a special one-time pact with the Titans to ensure his victory over Zeus. Years of warfare augmented his strength substantially, which he later used to usurp and destroy the Norse pantheon of deities.

20 Saitama is Physically Unbeatable

One-Punch Man

Saitama is one of the most complex yet strongest characters in Manga history. Many regard him as a slacker for his unmotivated demeanor, but he is extremely formidable when coaxed into fighting. Saitama could even beat Goku in a hand-to-hand encounter.

Saitama is regarded as one of the most powerful fictional beings ever. It's nearly impossible to defeat him, especially when he can end most fights with one punch or blow; hence, he is known as the One-Punch Man. Saitama's lacking overall motivation keeps him from ranking higher, so he sits in the 20th spot.

19 Thor is an Actual God of Thunder

Marvel Comics

While a few other characters have possessed his powers, Thor Odinson is one of the most powerful characters in all of Marvel Comics. He makes up one part of the Big Three in Marvel, along with Captain America and Iron Man. However, he is undoubtedly the strongest of the whole group. His powers, which he gets from Mjolnir, have allowed him to go toe-to-toe with some of Marvel's most dominant characters.

While he may not always win, Thor still makes the battle personal. Even among other Asgardians, Thor is unique in his power. He is the son of Odin. However, his experiences on Earth have also given him exposure to other ideas and characters that have further deepened his character.

18 Albus Dumbledore Beat Dark Magic to Become the World’s Strongest Fictional Wizard

The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter

Albus Dumbledore is the leader of The Phoenix and Headmaster of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter franchise by J. K. Rowling. Dumbledore was born into a wizarding family in 1881 and is regarded as one of the world's most powerful magic practitioners.

The true power of Albus Dumbledore is unknown and untapped. However, it is worth noting that dark magic is typically more powerful than white magic, and Dumbledore never wielded dark magic. He successfully beat two of the world's foremost dark magic wielders, Voldemort and Grindelwald, and was deeply feared by both antagonists.

17 Reverse-Flash Is the World’s Strongest Villain as a Living Paradox

DC Comics

Reverse-Flash is one of the most enigmatic yet iconic supervillains in the world. Simply put, he is like The Flash regarding power and abilities. However, he uses that gifting in nefarious ways, often causing irreparable generational damage.

Reverse-Flash is immensely powerful due to his intellect and intimate knowledge of the Speed Force. Despite having many incredible speed-based powers, Reverse-Flash's greatest ability is that he is a living paradox, allowing him to survive anything. He has even avoided being permanently erased from existence by an omnipotent being.

16 Haruhi Suzumiya is an Underrated Force to be Reckoned With

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu

The main character of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu is Haruhi Suzumiya, a young girl who leads a high school club always searching for bizarre phenomena, such as aliens and time travelers. Haruhi is an eccentric girl who tends to push her friends into doing whatever she wants.

Since she looks (and often acts) like a high-schooler, fans tend to forget about Haruhi when discussing powerful anime characters. However, the leader of the SOS Brigade is way more than a quirky girl. Haruhi can alter reality. When she becomes emotionally unstable (or simply bored), she can create close spaces and pocket alternate realities that overlap with the main continuity. She'd be even more formidable if Haruhi could control her god-like abilities.

15 Galactus Eats Planets As A Universal Constant

Marvel Comics

There are countless upon countless names in the Marvel Universe who seek to take over the world. For Galactus, his purpose is different. He is older than the Big Bang, and his only goal is to satiate his appetite by feeding on energy. He does this by eating planets. He also recruits Heralds to help him find places to eat in exchange for sparing a planet, which he did with his most famous Herald, the Silver Surfer.

Galactus is also the possessor of the Power Cosmic in Marvel, which allows cosmic awareness, telepathy, interdimensional travel, and more. It is one of the most powerful forces in the entire universe that Galactus passes on to his Heralds. This, along with his knowledge from before time, has allowed Galactus to be one of the most powerful and dominant forces in comic books and easily ranks him in the 15th spot.

14 Scarlet Witch Once Erased Almost Every Mutant

Marvel Comics

Scarlet With must be a part of the conversation when discussing strong fictional characters. Originally believed to be a mutant, Wanda Maximoff is a powerful sorceress thanks to her connection to chaos magic, one of the most ancient types of magic in the Marvel universe. Thanks to chaos magic, the Scarlet Witch can modify reality to a great extent, especially if she's emotional at the moment.

One of Scarlet Witch's most iconic moments is when she erased mutants from the Marvel universe by just uttering a few words. She removed the X-gene from millions of mutants' DNA, making it so no mutants could ever be born. Besides reality warping, Scarlet Witch has many other abilities, such as teleportation, telepathy, mental manipulation, and energy blasts. All these combined make her a formidable adversary on top of one of the strongest heroes ever.

13 Cosmic Armor Superman Is a Literal Plot Device

DC Comics

Introduced in Superman Beyond 3D by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke, Cosmic Armor Superman is the strongest version of Superman in the entire DC Comics Universe. Also known as the Thought Robot, this version of Superman is powered by his ideals, personal convictions, and heroism.

Cosmic Armor Superman is so vastly overpowered that he has only made two comic appearances since his inception. He can defend and adapt to any multiversal threat imaginable and edit any aspect of the multiverse. Cosmic Armor Superman is even revered as more powerful than omnipotent beings such as Doctor Manhattan because his plot device allows him to access any power needed to win a fight.

12 Doctor Manhattan Became a God by Accident

DC Comics

Very few cosmic beings in comic books are as powerful as they are by accident. For Doctor Manhattan, however, that is exactly what happened. When he accidentally gets locked into a chamber of intrinsic fields, he becomes a powerful being who can reconstruct himself. The US government then used him throughout the Cold War for a while. While he initially has no care for humanity, he grows to eventually care for it and seeks to find a new life in the DC Universe.

Doctor Manhattan is essentially a godlike being who is not bound to the same rules as everyone else. He can manipulate reality, teleport himself, and does not need air, food, or water to survive. He is easily one of the most powerful characters of all time, and it all happened by accident.

11 Mister Mxyzptlk Uses Fifth-Dimensional Magic in the Most Chaotic Way

DC Comics

Mister Mxyzptlk is the biggest trickster in the DC Universe. This imp loves annoying Superman with his fifth-dimensional magic. His connection to this power allows him to warp reality as much as he wants with only a snap of his fingers. Generally speaking, fifth-dimensional magic allows Mister Mxyzptlk to go above and beyond physics laws as if he were a god.

What truly makes Mister Mxyzptlk problematic is the fact that he's an agent of chaos. He uses his magic to make random changes to reality, leaving Superman to deal with the problem. Fifth-dimensional magic makes Mister Mxyzptlk the most dangerous of Superman's villains. However, since he's often depicted as an antihero, he's never as evil as possible.

10 The Creator Is Anime’s Supreme Deity

Umineko no Naku Koro ni

The Creator is the most powerful character in anime, functioning as the universe's supreme deity. In the world of Umineko no Naku Koro ni, the Creator began as a witch but quickly surpassed that by becoming omnipotent because of her ability to create something out of nothing.

The Creator functions outside the laws of nature and is subsequently boundless and devoid of any tangible boundaries or limits. It is unclear how she obtained godhood; however, an exchange was made to attain a free existence. The Creator's character is so intricately complex that some also refer to her as The Writer. While her origins are unclear, her power levels still earn her the tenth spot in the rankings.

9 Man of Miracles Is the Supreme Deity of the Image Universe

Spawn

The Man of Miracles, also known as The Mother of Existence, controls the reality of the Image Comics universe, making him one of indie comics' most powerful beings. She is father to both God and Satan and created the universe that Spawn is part of. The Man of Miracles is a buffer between the two and helps guide mankind away from destruction.

The Man of Miracles is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient at once, which proves and solidifies her sovereignty. However, the Man of Miracles does not interfere with people's everyday lives but prefers to allow super-powered individuals to deal with them.

8 Eru Ilúvatar Is the God of the Tolkien-Verse

The Lord of the Rings

Eru Ilúvatar is the most powerful character in the world created by Tolkien. According to the Tolkienverse's complex mythology, Eru Ilúvatar created all existence. He's referred to as the god of this universe, often named "The One," "Father of All," and "He that is Alone."

Eru Ilúvatar is analogous to the Christian God in many literary analyses of The Lord of the Rings. He can do anything. For instance, he brought Gandalf back to life when he died in the fight against Balrog and created everything in the universe. The only reason Eru Ilúvatar isn't the strongest fictional character ever is that he doesn't delve into multiversal matters.

7 The Presence Is DC Comics Highest Power

DC Comics

In DC Comics, the highest power is The Presence. He is also known as Yahweh, a variation of the Judeo-Christian Deity of the same name. The Presence created the DC Comics Universe from a void, spawning a universe and multiverse.

Since The Presence created all the gods and vastly powerful characters of the DC Universe, he can never be usurped by beings such as The Spectre, Phantom Stranger, or Asmodel. He exists in every being of the multiverse and is everywhere. The Presence's sheer will is why everything happens or comes to fruition.

6 The One Above All Is the God of the Marvel Universe

Marvel Comics

The One Above All is the supreme deity of the Marvel Comics universe, much like The Presence is for DC Comics. He serves as the ultimate source of life inside and beyond the multiverse. Since he is the sole architect, The One Above All typically does not intervene in basic matters but usually defers to his servants, such as The Beyonder and The Living Tribunal.

Unlike other comic book deities, The One Above All created The One Below All so that his powers would be counter-measured and balanced. He typically also serves as an avatar of Stan Lee or Jack Kirby, depending on the writer. The One Above All easily claim the fifth spot in the rankings, even if he doesn't display as many feats as some powerful fictional beings.