2018’s Avengers: Infinity War may be several months away, but Thanos’s imminent threat is ever-present. Especially when he comes wielding his almighty Infinity Gauntlet with all six Infinity Stones. The MCU hasn’t had a villain as powerful and sophisticated as Thanos since Ego the Living Planet, a Celestial, showed his face to our favorite group of a-holes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. And while the goddess of death, Hela, will surely mesmerize us in Thor: Ragnarok this year, some lucky folks were able to see the mad Titan unleash havoc on Earth when Marvel Studios showed the Infinity War teaser trailer at Disney’s D23 Expo, and at San Diego Comic-Con 2017.
During the teaser, Thanos may have walked through portals and threw a planet at the Avengers, but nonetheless, there are still a handful of other powerful individuals who can take Thanos one-on-one. Oh, and beat him, even when he is using his Infinity Gauntlet at full throttle.
There are only a certain amount of entities who could stand a chance facing Thanos with god-like powers, but there are also a certain few that could not only stand a chance, but beat Thanos in only seconds. Today we are looking at immensely powerful characters from Marvel, DC, and other properties, to see who is able to kill the mad Titan.
Here are 15 Characters Who Could Defeat Thanos (Even With The Infinity Gauntlet) In Seconds.
15. Doctor Manhattan
A prominent member of the Watchmen, Doctor Manhattan was introduced in the Watchmen miniseries by Alan Moore in 1986. Based on the DC character Captain Atom, Doctor Manhattan is one of DC’s most powerful characters.
After nuclear physicist Dr. Jonathan Osterman suffered an accident where his body was disintegrated by an intrinsic field generator, he attained god-like abilities and was able to reanimate himself at will. He later worked closely with the United States government and was a key player in Ozymandias's grand plan to unite the world. Doctor Manhattan is essentially a god, with powers such as omnipotence, teleportation, dimensional travel, invulnerability, and control over time. His power is so mighty that he was revealed to be the one responsible for the creation of the New 52 universe in DC’s Rebirth comic.
While Thanos is an all-powerful being with his Infinity Gauntlet, Doctor Manhattan is able to do many of the feats of the Gauntlet without the need of one. This makes him a very powerful and dangerous opponent that even Thanos would find quite hard to defeat.
14. The Living Tribunal
The Living Tribunal is the second most powerful entity in the Marvel Universe and a force to be reckoned with. The Tribunal was first introduced in Marvel Comics’ Strange Tales issue 157, where he wanted to destroy the Earth for its potential for evil. Luckily for us Earthlings, Doctor Strange reasoned with the Tribunal and convinced him that good is also present on our blue planet.
In addition to his Earth-shattering desires, the Tribunal has being part of many of Marvel’s most important story arcs. In the Infinity Gauntlet run, the Tribunal refused to interfere in Thanos’s destruction of the universe, despite the Tribunal being the only one with the ability to stop Thanos at the time. After Thanos was eventually defeated, the Tribunal took away the combined powers of the Infinity Stones, rendering the Infinity Gauntlet useless.
Later in the Infinity War comic run, The Tribunal again refused to intervene, this time in Magus’s destruction of the universe, and delegated his power to the entity Eternity. Even with two Infinity Gauntlets, Thanos has no chance against the Living Tribunal.
13. The One Above All
The voice of Marvel and the one true almighty being of Marvel Comics, The One Above All is the most powerful entity in the Marvel Multiverse. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and omnipresent. He was introduced in Doctor Strange issue 13 in 1976, but through the years has become perhaps the most mysterious character in all of Marvel.
His physical appearance is also shrouded in mystery, but he has taken the form of Jack Kirby when the Fantastic Four ended up in The One Above All’s realm of existence. He has even taken the form of a homeless man when he once advised Peter Parker to be alongside a dying Aunt May, as well as the form of a white robed humanoid when he revived Beta Ray Bill.
The powers of The One Above All are essentially anything the mind can think of, and as the creator of everything (including the Infinity Stones), Thanos has absolutely no chance in even hurting The One Above All.
12. The Presence
DC Comics’ most powerful being, The Presence is essentially DC’s version of Marvel’s The One Above All. The Presence has mostly appeared in DC’s Vertigo imprint in the Lucifer series, and while he’s appeared many times, his physical appearance is also shrouded in mystery. He’s prominently taken the form of a suited gentleman with a top hat and a mustache, while other times he’s taken the form of a dog.
In addition to his name The Presence, he is also known as The Voice, The Source, and The Hand of God. The Presence’s powers, like The One Above All's, are anything the mind can think of. He is immorta; knows anything and everything; he is everywhere at once through space, time and all dimensions; and is all-powerful.
If Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet ever dared take on The Presence, the fight would be over long before it even starts.
11. Lucifer Morningstar
Only second to The Presence, Lucifer Morningstar is the most powerful being in DC Comics. If we consider The Presence to be DC’s version of Marvel’s The One Above All, then Lucifer can be considered to be DC’s version of Marvel’s The Living Tribunal, in terms of power. Lucifer is an immortal angel and has a considerable set of divine abilities. Among those abilities are cosmic awareness, dimensional manipulation, invulnerability, invisibility, super speed, super strength, telekinesis, and the list goes on.
While a battle between Lucifer and Thanos would probably go for a little more than a second - because Lucifer lives by a set of rules - if Lucifer really wanted it, Thanos would be dead without Lucifer striking a single blow. But while comic book Lucifer is an all-powerful being, the TV version of Lucifer is a whole different story.
In FOX’s Lucifer, the angel is not as formidable as his comic book counterpart. While he’s shown to be less powerful, he is still only second in power to The Presence. This makes TV Lucifer just as dangerous.
If Marvel and DC ever cross over, Lucifer vs. Thanos is one fight that should definitely come to fruition.
10. Batman (With Prep Time)
If there’s one human who can defeat Thanos with his Infinity Gauntlet, it’s definitely Batman - with prep time, of course. The Dark Knight has fought against some of DC’s most powerful characters, and has come out the victor in many of those instances. Batman has beaten Superman, Green Lantern, and even Darkseid! In the Final Crisis arc, Batman injured Darkseid with a god-killing bullet. Most impressive of all, Batman has defeated the entire Justice League.
Batman can defeat any opponent that comes his way with some preparation. He knows how to exploit each of his opponent’s weaknesses and has an IQ higher than Albert Einstein. Not only is Batman a master tactician, he is also one of DC’s most intelligent characters.
Thanos may have the power of a god with the Infinity Gauntlet, but give Batman some prep time and he’ll know exactly how to fool Thanos and defeat him. If Batman can defeat Darkseid, then he can most definitely bring the mad Titan Thanos to his knees.
9. The Beyonder (Pre-Retcon)
Before many of his retconns, the Beyonder used to be one of the most powerful characters in all of Marvel Comics. His powers even exceeded the combined powers of the Infinity Stones, since the Beyonder functioned on a multiversal scale. Despite the Infinity Stones granting god-like abilities, their only weakness is that they only function in the universe where they were conceived. In other words, if you bring Earth-616’s Infinity Stones into another universe, the Stones won’t work. This allows the Beyonder to amass energy levels almost to the might of the Living Tribunal.
The Beyonder is immortal and possesses divine and cosmic powers, but after various retconns, the Beyonder was said to actually be both an Inhuman and a mutant. Of course, Thanos could easily beat this new Beyonder in less than a second, but if he was taking on pre-retconn Beyonder, then the outcome would be completely different. Even with his Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos would have an extremely hard time trying to hurt the Beyonder. And if the Beyonder decides to take the battle to another plane of existence outside Earth-616, then the battle would truly be over in less than a second since the Infinity Stones don’t work outside its parent universe.
8. One-Punch Man
One-Punch Man was created by the manga writer who goes by the pseudonym of One. The self-published manga eventually was made into an anime and quickly went viral. Today Saitama/One-Punch Man is one of the most widely known parody superheroes. Saitama gets his titular name from the way he defeats his opponents: with one punch. Over the course of his superheroic adventures, Saitama grew bored of the superhero job because he always finishes his fights with the strike of one punch.
Saitama has faced many incredibly powered supervillains and all of them have died by the punch of One-Punch Man. Many fans have speculated that Saitama could even defeat Superman and Darkseid with one punch. Considering that One-Punch Man is in and of itself a parody of immensely powerful characters like Superman and Darkseid, then it’s entirely in the realm of possibility that Saitama could even beat Thanos with his Infinity Gauntlet. Saitama just needs to land one punch and Thanos is more than dead.
7. Molecule Man
Owen Reece, aka Molecule Man, became one of Marvel Comics’ most dangerous villains when he acquired the powers of the Beyonder via an accident involving a Cosmic Cube. With the ability to create and manipulate both inorganic and organic molecules, Molecule Man is essentially a god in a human body.
After the event of Secret Wars (2015) Reed Richards used the Molecule Man’s powers to recreate the Marvel Universe. This makes Molecule Man a forced to be reckoned with and a foe Thanos will have an extremely hard time defeating, even with his Infinity Gauntlet.
While Thanos could easily kill the Molecule Man within the Earth-616 universe, Molecule Man exists on a multiversal scale. It was said by Reed Richards and Doctor Doom that each Molecule Man from each universe is a part of a bigger whole. In other words, while Thanos can kill one Molecule Man, that Molecule Man won’t really be dead since he’s just a part of a larger puzzle.
Furthermore, Molecule Man could easily reconstitute himself if he ever dies. And if things get difficult, all Molecule Man has to do is take Thanos to another universe, which would render his Infinity Gauntlet useless.
6. Man Of Miracles
The Man of Miracles, or M.O.M., is the most powerful entity in Image Comics, appearing mostly in the Spawn comics. This being is a genderless, ageless, immortal entity that is even above the biblical God and Satan in Image Comics. He is everywhere and anywhere, knows everything and anything, and is all-powerful.
In the Spawn comics, it was revealed that the Man of Miracles gave the Earth to God and Satan, for each of them to rule/ The Man of Miracles also once walked upon the Earth as Jesus Christ. Even the biblical 12 Disciples worshiped the Man of Miracles above God in Image Comics.
With an all-powerful being like the Man of Miracles, it’s no question that not even Thanos with his Infinity Gauntlet can defeat him. The Man of Miracles is essentially Image Comics’ version of Marvel’s The One Above All and DC’s The Presence. So if Thanos has no chance against both Marvel and DC’s top gods, then the same can be said for Thanos vs. the Man of Miracles.
5. The Skyfathers (Council Of Godheads)
The combined might of Marvel’s mythological gods, the Council of Godheads, was said to match the power of Thanos with his Infinity Gauntlet. During the Infinity Gauntlet comic run, Thanos trapped the Skyfathers on Asgard, disabling them from even reaching the fight against Thanos. While Thanos outsmarted the Skyfathers in that instance, or perhaps was too scared to face them, if the Skyfathers had fought Thanos then the Infinity Gauntlet run would’ve ended much sooner.
Made up of Odin, Zeus, the biblical God, Vishnu, Amen Ra, Osiris, and other mythological deities, many of the Skyfathers already possess the powers that the Infinity Stones grants its user. It’s definitely in the realm of possibility that if the Skyfathers all faced Thanos at the same time, then Thanos’s defeat would be inevitable.
The Skyfathers have been defeated by Thanos before in Marvel: The End, but only when he used the Heart of the Universe, not the Infinity Gauntlet.
4. Neo
The world of The Matrix is a complicated one indeed. Full of intricate complexities and fascinating theories, the Matrix is home to Neo, known to many as the One. Within the Matrix, Neo is essentially a god among mortals; the Wachowskis’ version of Superman. He carries the Prime Program, which allows him to manipulate the code within the Matrix.
In theory, Neo can do whatever he can possibly think of in the Matrix, much like Thanos can do whatever he desires with the Infinity Gauntlet. If Thanos ever entered the Matrix then Neo would win the battle almost instantaneously - mainly because Neo carries the source code of the Matrix. In other words, Neo is essentially an inherent part of the Matrix.
While Thanos could try and use the Infinity Gauntlet within the Matrix to the best of his ability, Neo would always be one step ahead. It’s even possible that Gauntlet would be rendered useless since it’s not being used in its parent universe.
In a simulated world built by machines, its hero Neo is basically Thanos with an Infinity Gauntlet.
3. Darkseid
The outcome of a battle between Thanos and Darkseid is one fans have been debating for decades. Both characters look the same and both of them seem to have the same powers and abilities, but Darkseid doesn’t have an Infinity Gauntlet.
As previously mentioned, Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet is an unstoppable force and it takes some serious caliber to take him down. But even though Darkseid doesn’t possess an Infinity Gauntlet, he can still beat the Mad Titan, even if Thanos wields his shiny golden glove. All thanks to the Anti-Life Equation and the Mother Boxes.
With the Anti-Life Equation, Darkseid can manipulate Thanos at will, and since the Mother Boxes can tap into The Presence’s power, the might of the most powerful entity in all of DC would be in Darkseid’s hands. Thanos is God with the Infinity Gauntlet and all six Infinity Stone, but so is Darkseid with the Anti-Life Equation and all the Mother Boxes.
2. The Spectre
After The Presence and Lucifer Morningstar, the Spectre is perhaps the third most powerful entity in DC Comics. His powers derive from The Presence himself and his sole purpose is to unleash The Presence’s wrath upon people who sin. Formerly an angel, the Spectre needs a host in order to do God’s wishes, with all of his hosts being deceased individuals. The most current host and best known incarnation of the Spectre is Jim Corrigan.
The Spectre essentially has all of the powers of Lucifer Morningstar and when he really needs to, the Spectre could also unleash the full power of The Presence. If Thanos ever faced the Spectre and was allowed to use the full power of the Infinity Gauntlet, the Spectre would win, easily.
The Spectre possesses all of the powers of the Infinity Stones. He can manipulate time, control minds, manipulate reality, open portals through space and dimensions, among a plethora of other divine abilities. One could say the Spectre is the personification of the Infinity Gauntlet in DC, plus a lot more.
1. Eru Iluvatar
We’ve proven that it’s not just anybody that can take on Thanos with his Infinity Gauntlet. The Gauntlet grants its user god-like abilities and like the saying goes, “only a god can defeat a god.” One more god with the power to do it all is Eru Iluvatar from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
Upon the creation of the world, Eru also created angels, and they created everything that constitutes Middle-earth. Humans and elves were created by Eru himself, making the two species special by nature. One of Eru’s angels, Melkor, brought evil upon Middle-earth and gave rise to Sauron, his apprentice. As the story goes, Sauron went about in creating the One Ring to completely win over Middle-earth. Eventually the evil Dark Lord was stopped.
Eru is an entity of unfathomable power, so it is without a doubt that Thanos with his Infinity Gauntlet would be no challenge at all for the LOTR god.
While there are a few who can defeat Thanos with his Infinity Gauntlet, the majority being gods, the fact that it takes these powerful beings to bring down the Mad Titan gives us hope that Avengers: Infinity War is going to be one the best movies of all time.
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Who else can defeat an Infinity Gauntlet-wielding Thanos? Let us know in the comments.
