Just like our ancestors wove tales of ancient gods and cosmic forces, modern comic book writers have also created their own divine beings.
Writers had to dream big when coming up with gods that ruled over universes that were populated with superheroes. How does one inspire the appropriate awe when characters like Superman or Captain America are practically gods in their own right?
If an evil character like Thanos can make half of all living beings disappear with the snap of his fingers, wouldn't this make the idea of gods a bit obsolete?
One way that comic book writers solve this conundrum is by increasing the scale of their respective gods' influence. Many of these cosmic beings don't just rule over a region or planet, but rather a whole galaxy or multiverse.
However, it gets even more complicated than that. Some of these characters exist beyond the plane of a mere physical realm and rule over abstract concepts, like dreaming, love, creation, or destruction.
This is the where it starts to get interesting, as writers can play with the very boundaries of reality. Marvel and DC have introduced a plethora of extremely powerful gods.
Bringing in cosmic characters can suddenly make our superheroes infinitely more vulnerable, which makes for a far more interesting story.
With that said, here are The 25 Most Powerful Marvel & DC Gods Officially Ranked!
25. Darkseid (DC)
Jack Kirby invented the evil tyrant Darkseid nearly 50 years ago, and the villain still remains a fan-favorite today.
He is nearly immortal, he's invulnerable, he has superhuman strength, and he can blast Omega beams from his eyes.
Darkseid rules his Hades-like planet Apocalypse with an iron fist. However, he doesn't stop there. He is on a never-ending search for the anti-life equation, which would give him control over all free will in the universe.
Darkseid is most often seen as a foil for Superman and often turns up in galactic-wide conflicts.
His influence is mainly in the physical realm, though, and thus there are cosmic forces much greater than him.
24. Highfather (DC)
If Darkseid represents the evil side of Jack Kirby's New Gods, it is Highfather who represents the light.
Highfather rules over idyllic New Genesis. He presides over a pantheon of "New Gods" who are practically immortal and often possess super strength and invulnerability. They also typically usually have an additional special ability.
Highfather can focus intense energy known as "The Alpha Effect" through his staff. It is powered by his connection to the cosmic force known as "The Source."
Highfather and Darkseid are eternally at war, but there was a temporary truce when they agreed to an exchange. Highfather's son, Scott Free (aka Mr. Miracle), was raised on Apocalypse, and Darkseid's son, Orion, was raised on New Genesis.
23. Galactus (Marvel)
Galactus is a ravenous planet eater that instills terror wherever he shows up. Galactus was present at the birth of the universe and claims that the universe will end when he perishes.
He uses minions called "heralds" to scout for planets that are rich in resources for him to consume.
Famous among these heralds was the Silver Surfer, who has a complex relationship with Galactus at best.
Galactus feasts on planets dispassionately. To him, it is not about good and evil - instead, it is about unending hunger.
He often shows up in cosmic conflicts and frequently acts as a foil to The Fantastic Four, who usually find creative and resourceful ways to deal with him.
22. Kronos (Marvel)
Kronos was a super-genius of The Eternals, an ancient race of beings on Earth. After a winning a dangerous war with his brother, he became ruler of his people.
The victory was short-lived, however. Kronos was conducting an experiment with exotic cosmic energy that went wrong. This resulted in an explosion that destroyed him and the entire city of his people.
However, his mind lived on beyond his body and fused with the universe and time itself.
As a newly minted cosmic being, Kronos now has influence over the forces of time and can control the souls of the deceased at will.
His super-human intellect has grown with his newfound awareness of the universe.
21. Lords of Order and Chaos (DC)
The Lords of Order and Chaos exist as embodied concepts of their names. Each acts as more of a collective than as an individual.
They are always fighting for supremacy, yet neither can exist without the other.
Though "Order" sounds like the good guys and "Chaos" seems like the bad guys, it's usually much more complicated than this.
Like many deities, they need the bodies of followers to help them accomplish their ends.
They often appear in stories with DC's supernatural heroes, such as Dr. Fate, The Spectre, or Morpheus.
Though both sides are immensely powerful, they are selective about the mortal matters in which they become involved.
20. Morpheus (DC)
DC's rebooted concept for Sandman was a huge hit. He is a deity named Morpheus who personifies dreams and has done so since the beginning of sentient life.
The world of dreams include stories, ideas, things that are yet to come, and things that will never be.
Morpheus, who is also known as Dream, cannot perish until the universe and sentient beings perish first.
He is immensely powerful, but Morpheus' domain is still the dreams of mortal beings. He is closely connected with them and must perform his function.
His biggest power involves creating and removing ideas and dreams from mortal beings' heads. By doing this, he can change the outcome of the entire universe.
19. Lady Death (Marvel)
Lady Death represents a pure concept. She is the eventual end of anything and everything that has ever lived.
She is neither good nor evil, but she tends to be idolized by certain demons or cults that are focused on the destruction of life.
She will sometimes try to influence an event to cause more destruction, but she is motivated more by a sense of balance than by malice.
Though she is feared, she is nonetheless necessary for new life to thrive.
Thanos once tried to court her by exterminating half of the universe, but even then, she rebuffed his advances.
Interestingly, Deadpool also has an interesting history with her.
Her brother is the cosmic being known as Eternity.
18. Kismet (DC)
Kismet is an immortal being that both represents and protects our entire universe. She can manipulate matter, time, and events to her liking, but her decisions are governed more by a cosmic awareness than by anything else.
Why doesn't this make her the most powerful entity on this list? She only protects one universe, not the entire multiverse.
Kismet is capable of interacting with others, which are her counterparts in other universes, but her sphere of control is limited to her just own universe.
She had a short-lived romance with DC's version of Eternity, but it was cut short by cosmic events.
17. Eternity (Marvel)
Marvel's Eternity is very similar to DC's Kismet, in that he represents an entire universe and is virtually omnipotent within this realm.
Also like Kismet, his influence is limited to his own universe. This particular version of Eternity is limited to Earth 616, the Earth wherein most canon stories of Marvel occur.
There are other representations of Eternity that serve as his counterparts throughout the multiverse.
He is also the brother of Lady Death.
Eternity chooses to get involved in cosmic events that might threaten his existence. His power is derived from all living things, and thus he is affected when a significant portion of life in the universe might be in danger.
16. Anti-Monitor (DC)
The Anti-Monitor was born from cosmic energy that was left over from the dawn of time. He ruled the anti-matter universe and sought to destroy every single positive matter universe in the multiverse - and he almost succeeded.
With the intervention of nearly every hero and villain in the DC multiverse, his plan was stopped by merging all remaining universes in the multiverse into one. This fundamentally changed reality, and some characters were permanently wiped from existence.
The Anti-Monitor has a special place in DC's history, as he is the villain that helped usher in the largest comic book universe reboot of all time in Crisis On Infinite Earths.
This retconned over 50 years of confusing history.
15. Krona (DC)
Krona was a genius scientist from a race known as the Maltusians, who were ancestors of the Guardians, the Zamarons, and the Controllers.
He created a device to witness the beginning of the universe. However, seeing the dawn of the universe caused it to shatter, splintering it into millions of parallel universes. This created the multiverse.
He was banished into a state of pure energy by his race, and sentenced to witness the universe from the outside until the end of time.
He escaped and tried to continue his experiment in observing the genesis of the universe, but was thwarted by the Green Lanterns.
The fact that he created the multiverse places him high on this list.
14. Amatsu-Mikaboshi (Marvel)
This deity is based on a mythological Japanese deity known Amatsumikaboshi. However, Marvel's version is slightly different.
Amatsu-Mikaboshi is known by many names, including the Chaos King. He appears to predate most cosmic beings and entities, and perhaps even came before creation itself.
He is a force of nature, though he sometimes manifests himself into reality as a being. He is often seen using different forms.
In his physical form, his powers and abilities are similar to gods from other pantheons. He seems to be immortal, he has super strength, he can project energy, and he has a host of other supernatural abilities, including being able to hop across dimensions.
He has been known to battle other deities and win.
13. Oblivion (Marvel)
Oblivion, like Lady Death, Infinity, and Eternity, is one of the cosmic forces that represents a fundamental concept. These gods regard each other as brothers and sisters.
Oblivion's concept is deeper than destruction - instead, it is closer to nothingness or the void. Some might call it non-existence or simply his namesake - oblivion.
He himself cannot be eliminated or destroyed, as he is the agent of elimination and destruction.
His opposite is Infinity, which is a fellow cosmic force.
Oblivion can use agents to do his bidding among mortals, but no mortal can affect or harm Oblivion.
12. Nemesis (Marvel)
Most Marvel fans are aware of the six Infinity Stones, also known as the Infinity Gems. The six gems have powers over different aspects of the universe: time, space, power, reality, soul, and mind.
However, there was a seventh Infinity Gem — the Ego Gem.
When all seven Infinity Stones are united, they form a cosmic being who calls herself Nemesis. Nemesis has powers similar to anyone who wields the Infinity Gauntlet, but her abilities are amplified.
This gives Nemesis unparalleled power to do virtually anything that she imagines.
It took several different versions of The Avengers and Ultraforce across the Multiverse to vanquish her.
Nemesis can only exist when all seven Infinity Gems are joined.
11. Decreator (DC)
If the traditional function of a deity or cosmic force is to create, then the Decreator does the opposite.
The Decreator manifests itself as a giant eye and is dedicated to erasing all of reality.
It is not rational and only seeks to make everything disappear. The Decreator came into existence at the very beginning of the universe and has been seeking to eliminate everything ever since.
The Decreator cannot be destroyed, but it can be tricked. When a cult that worshipped The Decreator helped it manifest in our reality, The Doom Patrol found a way to fool it.
By slowing down its destruction to an imperceptibly slow pace, its impact was nullified.
10. The Monitors (DC)
The Monitors seek to protect the multiverse from annihilation. They have the power to observe all universes simultaneously and take strategic actions against threats.
In the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, there was only one Monitor who recruited all of the heroes from across the multiverse to stop the Anti-Monitor. Neither the original Monitor nor the Anti-Monitor survived.
When the new universe formed, it later splintered again, this time into 52 universes. Each universe was governed by its own Monitor and had a single new Anti-Monitor.
In time, all of the new Monitors perished except one, who does not remember his past.
However, the new Anti-Monitor survived.
9. Gaea (Marvel)
Gaea has a special place in the Marvel universe as the embodiment of Earth itself. She started out as one of the elder gods but later merged with the Earth and became its protector.
She later became known as the "mother of pantheons" and combined with some of the original gods, including Odin. This makes her Thor's true mother.
Gaea's influence is mainly limited to planet Earth, as Earth has a special place in the universe. Most universal and multiversal threats were stopped by the heroes who came from Earth, making Gaea's position strategically important.
Gaea has a connection to all living things on Earth, and also communes with different pantheons of gods from different cultures.
In her human form, she has vast superhuman strength and is invulnerable.
8. The Spectre (DC)
The Spectre is a wrathful force that is fused with a human form. He is the manifestation of god's vengeance.
Through the years, there have been several humans who have become one with the Spectre.
The Spectre's divine powers are vast. He is among the DC universes' most powerful figures, as he is able to bend reality and appear anywhere.
He also has a host of other supernatural powers and knows about all things occult.
During the Crisis On Infinite Earths, he was instrumental in battling the Anti-Monitor at the dawn of time to stop the destruction of the multiverse.
He is practically omniscient and omnipresent, and he almost always plays a role when there is a universal threat.
7. Beyonder (Marvel)
The Beyonder is a near-omnipotent being that is a universe unto himself. He comes from the race of Beyonders, and each one of them is a self-contained universe.
Before he accidentally discovered Earth, he felt complete. However, now he is aware of a foreign concept for the first time: desire.
He looked at his time on Earth as an experiment in desire. He used his omnipotent powers to draft superheroes and supervillains into a momentous battle known as the Secret Wars. He promised them their hearts' desire if they were victorious.
The heroes of Earth have been forced into multiple skirmishes with The Beyonder over the years.
Eventually, he was channeled into another universe and returned to a greater cosmic force.
6. The Living Tribunal (Marvel)
The Living Tribunal is a near-omnipotent entity that dedicates its existence to protect the entire multiverse.
It dispassionately observes and judges entire universes, and prevents any individual universe from gaining too much power at the expense of others.
If there is an external threat that may upset the balance of the multiverse, The Living Tribunal will get involved.
At one point, its existence was extinguished by the race of The Beyonders, and it was replaced in his role by Adam Warlock. This was short-lived, however, and the Living Tribunal was resurrected.
It now continues to watch over the breadth of the multiverse.
5. Lucifer Morningstar (DC)
Lucifer Morningstar resembles a version of the biblical character, but the DC version is much more powerful.
Present since the dawn of creation, Lucifer has a meta understanding of the entire universe. This means that he can see beyond the veil and interprets his own existence as a fictional character in a comic book.
He's considered dangerous because his cosmic awareness gives him a higher perspective than nearly anyone in the multiverse.
He can manipulate matter and energy at will but he cannot create something from nothing. In certain dimensions, he has no power.
As one of god's first creations, he cannot be eliminated.
However, he knows that the whole thing isn't entirely real, anyway.
4. Rama Kushna (DC)
Rama Kushna is a deity that is inspired by a Hindu deity, Rama Krishna. The DC version is near-omnipotent and is responsible for karma and balance across the multiverse.
This puts her in similar standing to Marvel's Living Tribunal, though her sphere of influence on karma means that she's much more concerned with mortal affairs.
She resides in Nanda Parbat, a city deep in the Himalayas. Nanda Parbat is a city of healing, and time moves differently inside its walls.
She is most famous for granting the circus performer Boston Brand his powers as Deadman, a spirit that can possess the living.
3. The Fulcrum (Marvel)
The Fulcrum is a supreme cosmic force that is all seeing and all knowing.
In the Marvel universe, he ranks above The Watchers, Celestials, and other supreme beings. They bow to his will and whatever he wishes comes to pass.
The Fulcrum uses other seemingly omnipotent beings and seems to direct everything that goes on in the entire multiverse.
Some have stipulated that the character of The Fulcrum is actually a thinly disguised version of Jack Kirby.
Kirby is a veteran comics creator of cosmic characters across both the DC and Marvel universes, so a fictional version of him existing as The Fulcrum would seem apt.
2. The One Above All (Marvel)
The One Above All is hands down the most powerful omniscient being in the entire Marvel universe. It is responsible for the creation of the multiverse and acts as the superior of The Living Tribunal.
The Living Tribunal describes The One Above All's powers as "might that exceeds even eternity."
The One Above All can be either male or female, whichever it wishes to appear as. It can also restore or destroy reality.
There is no higher being in the Marvel universe.
Thanos once made a deal with The One Above All to restore his reality. To seal the deal, Adam Warlock took on the responsibilities of the recently deceased Living Tribunal.
1. The Presence (DC)
Though The Presence has taken on many forms, it can be most closely described as the traditional concept of god in western culture.
It exists alongside many other deities that calls themselves god, but it is The Presence that seems to be the most powerful.
It is The Presence's hand that Krona sees at the dawn of the universe. When Krona saw The Presence's hand, it splintered the universe into infinite pieces known as the multiverse.
It is also The Presence's voice that The Spectre hears when he is listening to commands.
It is knowns to countless angels and other spiritual forces that are subservient to a higher power.
Though it appears as a suited man in a bowler hat with a walrus mustache in many comics, The Presence can appear in any form it wishes.
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What do you think? Which Marvel or DC god do you think is the most powerful? Sound off in the comments!