Summary
Marvel Comicsspans a vast amount of mythological creatures, from gods of different denominations to legendary folk heroes. It’s no surprise that, throughout the adventures of heroes like Doctor Strange, Thor, and Black Panther, demons are just another obstacle for them to defeat. However, some of these demons can be much more powerful than any other entity in the world of Marvel.
This ranking takes a look at the strongest demons (or demonic beings) that have appeared in Marvel Comics. Some characters started off without powers before demonic entities and evil took them over, while others are nothing more than creatures who have come from the Underworld to enact chaos in the Marvel universe. One thing’s for sure: all these demons aren’t the kind you’d want to befriend.
This Asgardian Demon Is Powerful, But Not Immortal
Name(s)
Demon Fire God, Fire Giant, God of Fire, Lord of Ragnarok, Surtur
First Appearance
Journey into Mystery#97 (1963)
Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe likely recognize Surturfrom his appearance inThor: Ragnarok, causing cataclysmic devastation to Asgard. Surtur’s comic book origins aren’t very different, as a frequent opponent of Thor who is imprisoned underneath Earth to avoid the destiny of causing Ragnarök, the fated end and rebirth of Asgard until Loki predictably freed him.
As a demon capable of destroying Asgard, Surtur is pretty powerful, but not powerful enough to survive the fury of Thor and others like him. Surtur’s been able to come back once or twice in order to exact his revenge, but his final reckoning came in 2021 when he was beheaded by none other than Beta Ray Bill, proving he probably doesn’t stand a chance against most who can wield Mjolnir.
Ghost Rider#28 (1992)
Like many demons, Lilith has been around since the dawn of time, according toboth Marvel Comics lore and real-world mythology. Her Marvel Comics backstory follows some of the big points of her Earthly origins, including being a demonic temptress of Adam, the first man, conceiving many children with him who turned out to be demons themselves who terrorized humanity for millennia.
In the Marvel Comics timeline, Lilith becomes an ally of Dracula, becoming his viscountess and providing magical aid in battles against characters like Blade and Captain Britain. She’s also been an ally of Mephisto (who we’ll get to later), though, despite her grand and deific powers, Lilith has usually just played second fiddle to much more powerful beings in the Marvel universe.
Daredevil#270 (1989)
Mephisto created his son Blackheart out of all the concentrated evil in one New York neighborhood. Soon after, Blackheart became a frequent enemy of Marvel’s most iconic heroes, including Spider-Man, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and Ghost Rider. Blackheart is far froma simple minion or ally of Mephisto, as he’s manipulated Marvel heroes into defeating his father just to take his place as ruler of Hell.
Blackheart was also responsible for aiding Mephisto in capturing the souls of Wanda Maximoff’s sons, Billy and Tommy, but this plotline showed Blackheart to have somewhat of a conscience, deeming the boys to be innocent. He earns a spot on this list for his latent powers related to Mephisto, but in proving he can be influenced by humans, he’s far from the biggest baddie in Marvel’s arsenal of demons.
Strange Tales#110 (1963)
Nightmare may not be the strongest demon on this list, but he might take the cake for the scariest. Born from the human need to dream, Nightmare is a mysterious albeit powerful demon who is the ruler of the Nightmare Realm,an alternate dimension where the world’s myths originate. As expected, a villain like Nightmare has made himself an enemy of Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.
Nightmare has many times almost bested Strange by trapping the Avenger in his own dreams, but Strange thankfully had the aid of the Ancient One to free him. Among Nightmare’s other schemes involved kidnapping and impersonating the cosmic entity known as Eternity, which Strange was unable to prevent even with his Eye of Agamotto.
From The Dark Dimension Comes A Bright Demon
Dormammu, Dread Dormammu, Eater of Souls, He-Who-Waits, Lord of Chaos, Lord of the Dark Dimension, Nisanti
Affiliated Character(s)
Clea, Doctor Strange, Ego the Living Planet, The Hood, Jennifer Kale, Satannish
Strange Tales#126 (1964)
Speaking of Doctor Strange’s greatest enemies, fans of the MCU’s 2016 film likely remember this entity from the iconic line, “Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain.” Dormammu’s beginnings with the Marvel universe date back to none other than Karl Mordo, who deliberately weakens the Ancient One as a way of helping Dormammu cross over into Earth-616’s dimension, where he was defeated by Strange.
Dormammu has reappeared again and again in the comics, often sending his army of Mindless Ones to attack characters like Spider-Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and even the Scarlet Witch. Despite being an incredibly powerful and omnipotent demon, Dormammu is also smart enough to know when he should bide his time before an ambush. There’s little else worse than an intelligent demon.
Silver Surfer#3 (1968)
Chances are if you’re one of the many viewers who watchedWandaVisionwhen it first aired, you became well acquainted with the enigmatic Mephisto. Since the 1960s, Mephisto has essentially been Marvel’s version of the Devil, exploiting human beings' proclivity for evil from time to time. Among his most famous acts was allowing Wanda Maximoff to give birth to her twins, and then taking them away.
Mephisto isn’t as immune to defeat as he seems, having his rule over Hell be taken by his own son, Blackheart. Nevertheless, Mephisto is one of the few demons who frequently cheats death by offering deals to Marvel’s most desperate characters. However, Mephisto has also shown himself capable of making already-powerful characters even more unstoppable, like Doctor Doom.
Marvel Premiere#10 (1973)
Some Marvel fans would argue that there’s no entity in Marvel Comics stronger than Shuma-Gorath, but that’s not true. This Lovecraftian entity has feasted on humanity for millennia, not unlike Galactus, but unlike The Fantastic Four’s frequent enemy, Shuma-Gorath hopped from multiverse to multiverse searching for sustenance. The demon’s battle with Doctor Strange is among the sorcerer’s most iconic.
Because of Shuma-Gorath’s raw strength, Strange was forced to kill his mentor, the Ancient One, in order to prevent the demon from drawing more power from them. Shuma-Gorath has rarely ever been killed, only banished to other realms, and evenStrange was only able to defeat Shuma-Gorath by becoming it, which is a whole plotline we’d rather not get into.
Avengers#186 (1979)
Chthon is one of the oldest living demons in Marvel Comics lore, originating four billion years ago with all the other Elder Gods. Chthon escaped being killed by his fellow Elder God by creating a new dimension for himself andleaving behind the Darkhold, an inscribed scroll containing all of his knowledge of arcane magic, as his only vessel for remaining in contact with Earth.
In the years that passed, Chthon became a semi-recurring opponent of heroes like Spider-Woman, Blade, and the X-Men. However, it was his relationship with one particular Avenger that transcended a simple rivalry, turning her from a popular Marvel superhero into an otherworldly demon capable of defeating the demon whom no one else could even touch…
X-Men#4 (1964)
It may seem like sacrilege to deem Wanda Maximoff a “demon,” but you’d be surprised how in-depth the character’s origins are. Although Wanda and her twin Pietro were initially introduced as mutants, this was retconned when it was revealed they were captured as children by the High Evolutionary, who altered their genes and exposed them to the Chthonic magic of Wundagore Mountain.
As a result, what were once considered Wanda’s mutations are in fact latent demonic powers, making her capable of using Chaos magic. After teaming up with Doctor Doom to defeat Chthon, Wanda came into possession of the Darkhold and used it to take over Chthon entirely, essentially using the powerful demon’s abilities for good and becomingan even stronger hero than she already was.
