# Who wass the most powerful character ever to grace fiction? (spoilers possible) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790 "2005-06-03T21:46:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/1 "2005-06-03T21:46:44Z")
**Mississippienne** and I both vote for the Saint of Killers from the _Preacher_ series. This guy killed Satan, The Angel of Death, and even God Almighty Himself with a single shot from one of his Walker Colt revolvers. A line of American tanks firing everything they had couldn’t even slow him down. A friggin’ **nuke** didn’t even render him a scratch. He was, however, still subject to the Word of God via Jesse Custer. To whom would you give the title, “Most Powerful Fictional Character Ever”? Adam ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/2 "2005-06-03T21:47:51Z")
Would a mod please be kind enough to fix my typo in the subject line? Thank you. :smack: Adam ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/3 "2005-06-03T23:22:04Z")
By powerful I thought you meant influential. I have no idea who would be the most physically powerful character in fiction–how about Superman or the Incredible Hulk? Or are we confined to fictional humans? ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/4 "2005-06-03T23:36:27Z")
You confined to fiction (literature, comics, anime, etc.), but the individual need not be human. Adam ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/5 "2005-06-03T23:42:48Z")
I vote for Q. Or maybe the [Cosmic AC](http://www.maddad.org/asimov01.htm). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/6 "2005-06-03T23:43:18Z")
Golem? Hercules? Samson? JHVH? Define _fiction_, please, for the purposes of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/7 "2005-06-04T01:06:17Z")
Hmm, there was a book that Frank Herbert wrote with his son Brian Herbert. **The Man of Two Worlds** or something? It was about a race of beings that, from what I remember, could dream, or simply think into existence entire planets, if not whole galaxies & universes. At some point, future Earth becomes a problem for some reason, a juvenile of this powerful race goes to Earth to fix things, and somehow gets stuck merged with a human. With hilarious results! ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/8 "2005-06-04T01:21:22Z")
Galactus? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/9 "2005-06-04T01:23:15Z")
In the DC and Marvel universes, the most powerful beings were the “brothers” from the truly horrific _DC vs. Marvel_ mini-series. Kurt Vonnegut wrote himself into _Breakfast of Champions_ and demonstrated his godlike ability as writer/creator to one of the characters. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/10 "2005-06-04T12:47:02Z")
God. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/11 "2005-06-04T16:45:28Z")
In Robert Heinlein’s Job: A Comedy of Justice, the hero has a meeting with Jehovah and Satan…and _their_ boss. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/12 "2005-06-04T19:19:48Z")
The Great Will of the Macrocosm? 😃 Nabeshin? 😃 Son Goku? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/13 "2005-06-04T19:37:49Z")
Ignoring God as the obvious answer, I also vote for Q. Yeah, he can be moody and childish, but AFAIK, Q is invincible. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/14 "2005-06-04T20:05:18Z")
> [@nivlac](#): > > Ignoring God as the obvious answer, I also vote for Q. Yeah, he can be moody and childish, but AFAIK, Q is invincible. Not totally invincible. He’s vulnerable to other Q’s. One time they took away his powers and he almost died, until Corbin Bernsen saves him. So obviously the answer is Corbin Bernsen. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/15 "2005-06-04T20:10:58Z")
Garth Ennis wrote the Saint of Killers in _Preacher_ as the ultimate character to win in any “Who would win, A or B?” arguments, hee hee. Once you kill the entities and people he killed (mentioned in the OP’s spoiler), you realize nothing else would be safe around him. As an aside, Warren Ellis set up the superhero team known as The Authority the same way: full of unbeatable deus ex machina characters who, just by their very nature, could triumph over anyone one-on-one or as a team. Superman? Batman? The entire JLA? They’d all go down. Jack Hawksmoor, the Doctor, the Engineer, the Midnighter, and to a slightly lesser extent Apollo can’t be beaten (although I haven’t read the comic since Mark Millar’s run ended). ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/16 "2005-06-04T20:39:43Z")
In comics, I always found the Impossible Man pretty interesting, and entertaining. At one point, Galactus warned him he’d eventually have to be “dealt with.” Has an upper limit ever been established for this guy? I figure if he worries Galactus, then he must be potentially pretty dangerous. He can instantly evolve and transform into anything he requires, limited I suppose only by his imagination. But theoretically, he could evolve into a combination Galactus, Living Tribunal, Phoenix Force, etc, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/17 "2005-06-04T21:47:43Z")
According to [these guys](http://www.electricferret.com/fights/issue_156.htm) its’ a tie between Superman and Goku of Dragonball Z. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/18 "2005-06-04T22:00:35Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Kurt Vonnegut wrote himself into _Breakfast of Champions_ and demonstrated his godlike ability as writer/creator to one of the characters. Yeah but he still couldn’t protect himself from that dog. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/19 "2005-06-04T23:23:35Z")
[Dr. Manhattan](http://www.fantasymagazine.it/imgbank/IMG/watchman1.jpg) from “The Watchmen” perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790/20 "2005-06-04T23:32:46Z")
Will have to third the Saint of Killers. God made a boo-boo when he pronounced the Saint’s powers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wass-the-most-powerful-character-ever-to-grace-fiction-spoilers-possible/306790.md?page=2)