Stan Lee Thinks Galactus Is The Most Powerful Being In The Marvel Universe. He Is Wrong.

In a question and answer session on Twitter, a fan asked Stan Lee, one of the creative forces behind the birth of the Marvel Universe, who he thought the most powerful being in the Marvel Universe is.

Here’s how Lee responded:

So Stan Lee picks Galactus as the most powerful being in the entire Marvel Universe. It seems like a pretty strong choice. Galactus is a huge cosmic being whose history dates back to a universe that preceded the existence of the current 616. He travels through space, eating planets. He’s a pretty intimidating entity.

But he’s not the most powerful being in the Marvel Universe.

Who could be more powerful than Galactus, devour of planets? Here’ a few:

Eternity

Here’s a character that Lee co-created, along with Steve Ditko, that’s even more powerful than Galactus. Galactus’ birth in a previous, now dead universe is impressive, but that fact that he has a beginning makes him seem small compared to Eternity, the embodiment of time itself in the Marvel Universe. As a conceptual being, he has the power to alter reality, time, and space. This places him well beyond the power of Galactus, who, despite his power, is still a mortal being.

Living Tribunal

There was a time when Thanos, through the power of the Infinity Gauntlet, became one of the most powerful beings ever to exist in the Marvel Universe. Thanos singlehandedly challenged, fought, and defeated just about every superhero in the Marvel Universe, all at the same time.

And he still didn’t dare mess with the Living Tribunal.

Living Tribunal is the supreme authority of the Marvel Universe. Essentially omnipotent, he is charged with maintaining balance throughout Marvel’s multiverse and preventing the Infinity Gems from being used in unison. His three faces represent Vengeance, Equity, and Necessity. He ranks so high on the list of powerful being in the Marvel Universe that he was used to represent the universe as a whole during the Marvel vs. DC crossover event. There’s not much in the Marvel Universe that can stand up to Living Tribunal.

Beyonder

In the Marvel Universe, there are mutants and there are inhumans. So what happens when an inhuman gets a mutation? The Beyonder.

The Beyonder’s combined inhuman and mutant abilities made him the most powerful being in the Marvel Universe. Cosmic beings like Galactus, conceptual beings like Eternity, and even Living Tribunal couldn’t stand up to him.

The Beyonder was the antagonist of one of Marvel’s most iconic events, Secret Wars, in which he pitted good and evil against each other so that he may see which is truly stronger.

One-Above-All

One-Above-All isn’t just the most powerful being in the Marvel Universe, but the most powerful being in the entire multiverse. One-Above-All is the being that gives Living Tribunal his marching orders. One-Above-All is apparently the being that created the multiverse in the first place, and has essentially been used a stand in for the real world creators of the Marvel Universe, even appearing in a comic book in the form of Jack Kirby. If the Marvel Universe has a being that can be considered a capital-g God, One-Above-All is it, and Galactus has nothing on that.