Who is the strongest Marvel Villain?

Thanos’ most famous brush with omnipotence was in “Infinity Gauntlet,” the comic that became the backbone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. During the cumulative miniseries “Thanos Quest,” Thanos collected the six universe-ruling Infinity Gems (sometimes called the Soul Gems) and placed them together on a metal Gauntlet, allowing him to use their power at the same time.

Of course, the MCU turned the Infinity Stones from a plot device into a multi-film quest to retrieve a MacGuffin, giving each individual stone and its powers much more weight. But the end was the same: Thanos collected the six and wiped out half of all life, even if he was doing it for cosmic “balance” instead of trying to woo Death with a mass offering in her name.

But Victor Von Doom was claiming godhood in the pages of Marvel Comics when Thanos was just a glimmer in Mr. Starlin’s mind’s eye. One of the most famous stories in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s original “Fantastic Four” is in issues #57-60, when he steals the Power Cosmic from the Silver Surfer and wreaks havoc.

Marvel Comics

This was adapted, poorly, in the 2007 film “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.” (“Let’s all go for a ride!” Doom doesn’t make puns!)

In the original “Secret Wars” from 1984 by Jim Shooter, the greatest heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe are brought to Battleworld by a god named the Beyonder, who wants them to fight for his amusement. Doom eventually steals the Beyonder’s powers and becomes the ultimate villain of the series. This story, down to the Emperor Doom Code, is of course the basis for 2015’s “Secret Wars”, even if the latter is a lot better.

Before the “Secret Wars” remake, Hickman also explored Doom to achieve godliness in his “Fantastic Four” run. In the epilogue to “FF” #16 (drawn by Steve Epting), Doom claims two Infinity Gauntlets of the interdimensional “Council of Reeds” destroyed and builds, instead, a “Deception Parliament” that includes its own variations.

Marvel Comics

“Fantastic Four” #611 (by Hickman and Ryan Stegman) followed up on this. Drawn to the universe where the Gauntlet first came from, Doom finds a void and fills it with creation, specifically invoking the Book of Genesis. But Doom’s creations overthrow him. (“It was then, on the seventh day, that Doom realized that a mistake had been made. He had made a universe in his own image.”) Ultimately, Doom needs the Fantastic Four to save him, and conclude that control as a god is “under (him)” anyway.