Top 10 Hard to Kill Comic Book Characters
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Good luck trying to kill these demigods. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Hard to Kill Comic Book Characters.
For this list, we’ll be looking at comic book heroes and villains who are incredibly difficult to annihilate. This can be due to accelerated healing factors, superhuman durability, immortality or virtual godhood.
Although Bruce Banner has been killed in the comics before, killing the Hulk is another story entirely. One of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe, the Hulk has proven to be virtually unstoppable due to his incredible healing factor and durability. In addition to his legendary strength, the Hulk’s regenerative capabilities also increase in correlation to his rage which makes him even more formidable as his battles rage on. The Hulk has survived wars with god-like foes, extreme temperatures, nuclear explosions and even being reduced to a skeleton, which prove that slaying this Jade Giant is a nearly impossible task.
Although Wade Wilson’s humorous side is what he’s best known for, Deadpool is a truly lethal adversary and one that is insanely difficult to kill. Like his old colleague Wolverine, Deadpool possesses a regenerative healing factor which repairs injuries at a rapid pace and makes him immune to virtually all diseases. This ability has allowed the Merc with a Mouth to survive incineration, multiple decapitations, and beatings from heroes and villains far more powerful than him like Colossus, the Hulk, and Thanos. With no clear limit to his healing capabilities, Deadpool is essentially immortal.
The name says it all. Craig Hollis is a unique mutant who represents the final step in human evolution; one which has evolved past death altogether. The leader of the Great Lakes Avengers, Hollis discovered his powers after multiple failed suicide attempts and decided to use them to become a superhero. Although Mister Immortal can be killed, his injuries are instantly healed upon returning to life as though they had never been inflicted on him in the first place. A side effect, however, is that Mister Immortal returns to life in a state of unbridled rage after having felt the pain of death.
Few characters in the DC Universe elicit the kind of fear The Spectre does, and for good reason. As a spirit representing the Wrath of God, The Spectre is essentially a god himself and wields powers that make most superheroes seem insignificant by comparison, including the manipulation of matter, invulnerability to almost all forms of harm and immeasurable strength. The Spectre’s weaknesses come only from Divine Law laid out by the omnipotent Presence and magic powerful enough to rival his own. The Ghostly Guardian has even battled supervillain heavyweights like the Anti-Monitor and Parallax on his own, a testament to his truly frightening power and apparent indestructibility.
One of the most powerful entities in the Marvel Universe, Galactus is an awe-inspiring character whose status as a supervillain has become ambiguous in the decades since his first appearance in 1966. Although he is not a malevolent being, Galactus’ habit of consuming the life forces of entire planets to sustain his own has made him a figure of cosmic terror throughout the galaxy. As a living force of nature, Galactus wields the Power Cosmic which grants him nearly limitless powers both physical and mental. Only the Ultimate Nullifier, a cosmic weapon of unimaginable destruction, has been enough to deter Galactus from consuming Earth’s energies. Without it, killing Galactus is a virtually impossible feat.
The main antagonist of Marvel’s original “Secret Wars” storyline, The Beyonder is a nearly omnipotent cosmic entity whose study of humanity nearly leads to the destruction of the multiverse. At one point even destroying the personification of Death itself, The Beyonder’s powers allow him to warp reality as well as manipulate all forms of matter and energy with ease. The Beyonder has effortlessly defeated Galactus and has also battled the combined forces of Marvel’s greatest heroes single-handedly. Although he was supposedly “killed” by the Molecule Man at the end of “Secret Wars 2”, The Beyonder’s energy instead created an entirely new universe. How can you kill something like that?
The only character in Alan Moore’s “Watchmen” that possesses genuine superpowers, Dr. Manhattan is also one of the most powerful comic book characters of all time. Originally physicist Dr. Jon Osterman, the good doctor was disintegrated and reconstructed at the molecular level which transformed him into a god-like being of unfathomable power. Since he can reconstruct his body from any physical injury, Dr. Manhattan is essentially unkillable due to his complete control over subatomic particles. Dr. Manhattan is also able to teleport, produce duplicates of himself and even create life itself, which pretty much defeats the possibility of killing him in the first place.
The personification of death in the DC universe, Nekron is the ruler of the Land of the Unliving and draws his power from the souls of the dead. In addition to being able to raise the dead, Nekron can kill his adversaries with a mere touch and project deadly bolts of black lightning. He has defeated beings as powerful as the Spectre and the Anti-Monitor and has become infamous for his most nightmarish creations: the Black Lantern rings. Perhaps as a compliment to his terrifying reputation, the true limits of Nekron’s dark powers have yet to be discovered.
An ancient evil entity who rules over the Dark Dimension, Dormammu is a truly malevolent being who is driven by an insatiable thirst for power. Acknowledged by his nemesis Doctor Strange as a threat to the universe itself, Dormammu’s mastery of dark magic extends into necromancy, teleportation, possession and creating his own demonic warriors. Dormammu is even stronger when at home in the Dark Dimension where his powers are at their peak. Although Dormammu is somewhat weaker outside of his own realm, he has consistently proven that he has the power and malice required to destroy an entire universe.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:
Wolverine
Ghost Rider
Although the Phoenix Force is most commonly associated with Jean Grey as its host, it is very much a versatile character in its own right. As a celestial manifestation of life and passion, the Phoenix Force is universally feared throughout the galaxy as an agent of destruction. With immense abilities of telepathy and telekinesis, the Phoenix Force amplifies the mental powers of its hosts to god-like levels. Like the mythical bird of its namesake, the Phoenix Force can never truly die. Instead, if its host is killed the Force creates an egg of cosmic power which eventually hatches and is reborn anew.
For this list, we’ll be looking at comic book heroes and villains who are incredibly difficult to annihilate. This can be due to accelerated healing factors, superhuman durability, immortality or virtual godhood.
#10: The Hulk
Although Bruce Banner has been killed in the comics before, killing the Hulk is another story entirely. One of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe, the Hulk has proven to be virtually unstoppable due to his incredible healing factor and durability. In addition to his legendary strength, the Hulk’s regenerative capabilities also increase in correlation to his rage which makes him even more formidable as his battles rage on. The Hulk has survived wars with god-like foes, extreme temperatures, nuclear explosions and even being reduced to a skeleton, which prove that slaying this Jade Giant is a nearly impossible task.
#9: Deadpool
Although Wade Wilson’s humorous side is what he’s best known for, Deadpool is a truly lethal adversary and one that is insanely difficult to kill. Like his old colleague Wolverine, Deadpool possesses a regenerative healing factor which repairs injuries at a rapid pace and makes him immune to virtually all diseases. This ability has allowed the Merc with a Mouth to survive incineration, multiple decapitations, and beatings from heroes and villains far more powerful than him like Colossus, the Hulk, and Thanos. With no clear limit to his healing capabilities, Deadpool is essentially immortal.
#8: Mister Immortal
The name says it all. Craig Hollis is a unique mutant who represents the final step in human evolution; one which has evolved past death altogether. The leader of the Great Lakes Avengers, Hollis discovered his powers after multiple failed suicide attempts and decided to use them to become a superhero. Although Mister Immortal can be killed, his injuries are instantly healed upon returning to life as though they had never been inflicted on him in the first place. A side effect, however, is that Mister Immortal returns to life in a state of unbridled rage after having felt the pain of death.
#7: The Spectre
Few characters in the DC Universe elicit the kind of fear The Spectre does, and for good reason. As a spirit representing the Wrath of God, The Spectre is essentially a god himself and wields powers that make most superheroes seem insignificant by comparison, including the manipulation of matter, invulnerability to almost all forms of harm and immeasurable strength. The Spectre’s weaknesses come only from Divine Law laid out by the omnipotent Presence and magic powerful enough to rival his own. The Ghostly Guardian has even battled supervillain heavyweights like the Anti-Monitor and Parallax on his own, a testament to his truly frightening power and apparent indestructibility.
#6: Galactus
One of the most powerful entities in the Marvel Universe, Galactus is an awe-inspiring character whose status as a supervillain has become ambiguous in the decades since his first appearance in 1966. Although he is not a malevolent being, Galactus’ habit of consuming the life forces of entire planets to sustain his own has made him a figure of cosmic terror throughout the galaxy. As a living force of nature, Galactus wields the Power Cosmic which grants him nearly limitless powers both physical and mental. Only the Ultimate Nullifier, a cosmic weapon of unimaginable destruction, has been enough to deter Galactus from consuming Earth’s energies. Without it, killing Galactus is a virtually impossible feat.
#5: The Beyonder
The main antagonist of Marvel’s original “Secret Wars” storyline, The Beyonder is a nearly omnipotent cosmic entity whose study of humanity nearly leads to the destruction of the multiverse. At one point even destroying the personification of Death itself, The Beyonder’s powers allow him to warp reality as well as manipulate all forms of matter and energy with ease. The Beyonder has effortlessly defeated Galactus and has also battled the combined forces of Marvel’s greatest heroes single-handedly. Although he was supposedly “killed” by the Molecule Man at the end of “Secret Wars 2”, The Beyonder’s energy instead created an entirely new universe. How can you kill something like that?
#4: Dr. Manhattan
The only character in Alan Moore’s “Watchmen” that possesses genuine superpowers, Dr. Manhattan is also one of the most powerful comic book characters of all time. Originally physicist Dr. Jon Osterman, the good doctor was disintegrated and reconstructed at the molecular level which transformed him into a god-like being of unfathomable power. Since he can reconstruct his body from any physical injury, Dr. Manhattan is essentially unkillable due to his complete control over subatomic particles. Dr. Manhattan is also able to teleport, produce duplicates of himself and even create life itself, which pretty much defeats the possibility of killing him in the first place.
#3: Nekron
The personification of death in the DC universe, Nekron is the ruler of the Land of the Unliving and draws his power from the souls of the dead. In addition to being able to raise the dead, Nekron can kill his adversaries with a mere touch and project deadly bolts of black lightning. He has defeated beings as powerful as the Spectre and the Anti-Monitor and has become infamous for his most nightmarish creations: the Black Lantern rings. Perhaps as a compliment to his terrifying reputation, the true limits of Nekron’s dark powers have yet to be discovered.
#2: Dormammu
An ancient evil entity who rules over the Dark Dimension, Dormammu is a truly malevolent being who is driven by an insatiable thirst for power. Acknowledged by his nemesis Doctor Strange as a threat to the universe itself, Dormammu’s mastery of dark magic extends into necromancy, teleportation, possession and creating his own demonic warriors. Dormammu is even stronger when at home in the Dark Dimension where his powers are at their peak. Although Dormammu is somewhat weaker outside of his own realm, he has consistently proven that he has the power and malice required to destroy an entire universe.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:
Wolverine
Ghost Rider
#1: The Phoenix Force
Although the Phoenix Force is most commonly associated with Jean Grey as its host, it is very much a versatile character in its own right. As a celestial manifestation of life and passion, the Phoenix Force is universally feared throughout the galaxy as an agent of destruction. With immense abilities of telepathy and telekinesis, the Phoenix Force amplifies the mental powers of its hosts to god-like levels. Like the mythical bird of its namesake, the Phoenix Force can never truly die. Instead, if its host is killed the Force creates an egg of cosmic power which eventually hatches and is reborn anew.
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