The Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced fans to many powerful and smart superheroes as well as supervillains in the comics. Unlike DCU, Marvel does not portray godlike heroes, instead, their superheroes are mostly either successful experiments by a scientist or experiments gone wrong by inventors. Ranging from a teenage scientist bitten by a radioactive spider to an industrialist genius with a suit of armor, the real heroes of Marvel are scientists.
Here’s the list of the top 10 smartest characters in the Marvel comics.
Related: ‘Fantastic Four’ To Recast John Krasinski’s Character Richard Reed: All You Need To Know
1. Tony Stark
A billionaire scientist and a founding member of Avengers, Tony Stark is one of the smartest characters in Marvel Comics. Stark is an extremely talented engineer and robotics technician who created the first Iron Man suit. He is also an expert in chemistry, computer science, electrical engineering, and physics.
Despite Tony Stark’s ego-centric attitude, he was an exceptionally brave, brilliant, and selfless individual who agreed to sacrifice his life in order to defeat Thanos. He is considered one of the greatest technological inventors even surpassing Reed Richards and Bruce Banner.
2. Bruce Banner
Bruce Banner and Toney Star are the iconic Marvel science bros with their constant comic intelligence and banter. Banner posed as an intelligent child which created a ruckus in his household. Because of his intelligence his father, Brain saw him as a monster and often bullied him. Banner created a block in his mind when Brain killed Banner’s mother which resulted in spilt personality.
Unlike Tony Stark, Bruce Banner is more inclined and expert in biochemistry, medicine, physiology, and nuclear physics. He is also an expert in gamma radiation which converted into Hulk in the first place. He was first introduced to the Avengers by Natasha Romanoff when Loki attacked S.H.I.E.L.D. However, with his assistance and impeccable intelligence, Stark was able to create Ultron.
3. Hank Pym
Hank Pym is one of the smartest characters in Marvel comics, who created Pym Particles – subatomic particles that help one to travel through the quantum realm. Pym holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and nanotechnology and is an expert in almost every scientific area of study. He is an entomologist and physicist who created the Ant-Man suit after discovering the Pym Particles and became the original Ant-Man.
When Hank and his family helped Scott Lang harvest quantum energy from the Quantum Realm, the Thanos snap decimated them and disappeared for five years. Alongside his wife Janet Van Dyne, he became a founding member of the Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Pym was the creator of the deadly android Ultron, which unfortunately backfired.
4. Victor Von Doom
Victor Von Doom believes that he is the smartest man on the planet and has been established on many occasions. Despite being super-genius, he still ranks below Reed Richards. During the initial days of research, Reed pointed out a mistake created by Doctor Doom and since then Doom has always wanted to prove better than Reed Richard.
Victor Von Doom is also a sorcerer with magic skills which match up with the Fantastic Four making him a potential candidate for Sorcerer Supreme replacing Doctor Strange. Besides Magic, Doom has mastered some minor psychic abilities and his most dangerous weapon is his intellect.
5. Reed Richards
Reed Richards is considered the smartest Marvel character and the first true explorer in Marvel Comics. Reed accidentally transformed the Fantastic Four into superheroes because of cosmic radiation. Richards is a polymath with a mastery of sciences including, electrical, aerospace engineering, biology, chemistry, and physics.
Reed Richards is a successful inventor who discovered the Negative Zone and designed a portal to enter it. He created costumes for the Fantastic Four using the Unstable molecules to protect them from the destruction caused by their powers. Reed also masters time and space travel and also extra-dimensional travel.
6. Lunella Lafayette
Lunella Lafayette also called Moon Girl is the youngest genius in the Marvel comics. She is said to have even solved the Bruce Box within minutes when it took Reed Richards hours to figure it out. She does not shy away from flaunting her intelligence which also leads to her lacking humility.
Apart from being the most intelligent person in the room, Lunella Lafayette also has the ability to swap consciousness with Devil Dinasour. Despite the lack of limited resources, Lafayette managed to create an amazing invention helping her match with the industrialist Tony Stark.
In case you missed: Guardians Of The Galaxy 3: Set Photos Accidentally Leak Plot Details
7. Hank McCoy
Hank McCoy a.k.a The Beast is the eighth smartest person on Earth. He is responsible for most of X-Men’s medical and technical inventions. McCoy holds six PhDs including one in biophysics and is considered a genius not because of his mutation but because of his hard work. He has been fighting for the peaceful co-existence between the mutants and the humans.
Hank McCoy also possesses an eidetic memory and was born with strength, muscular strength and a physique deeply resembling an ape hence acquiring the nickname of The Beast. While working for Brand Corporation Hank drank a serum he created and further mutated himself into a blue-furred creature with fangs and claws.
8. The High Evolutionary
The immortal creature, The High Evolutionary evolved beyond most humans. He created new lifeforms and conquered the technique to the point where he can create anything new without difficulties. Exposed to his Evolutionary Accelerator machine, The High Evolutionary gained superhuman abilities by accelerating his personal evolution.
Born Herbert Wyndham, he created a serum that allowed for genetic alteration. The High Evolutionary is the smartest geneticist in the universe that even the Beast consulted him after M-Day. He is also an expert in most forms of scientific technique who also has cosmic awareness, which puts him on another level from mere mortals.
9. Valeria Richard
Daughter of Mister Fantastic and the younger sister of Franklin Richards, Valeria Richard possesses extreme intellect capacity just like her father. Doctor Doom saved her life using a combination of Magic and science. This very title of the world’s smartest girl is challenged by Moon Girl the only person who ever solved the Banner BOX.
In recent issues of Fantastic Four Valeria came up with inventions that even her father couldn’t have instituted. By transcending her father, Valeria is the smartest Marvel character on Earth.
10. Otto Octavius
One of the greatest enemies of Spider-Man, Dr. Otto Octavis is proven to be the smartest character in the Marvel comic despite being a villain. Octavius’s body fused to four mechanical, tentacle-like arms is a result of an atomic research project gone wrong. This also caused him severe brain damage which turned him into a criminal.
Otto took over Peter Parker’s body fooling his family and even the Avengers. He retained all of Peter’s memories. After promising to continue the legacy of Spider-Man and Peter Parker, he upgraded Spider-Mas’s suit and weapon system which proved his intelligence.
You might also like to read: Who Is Marvel’s High Evolutionary? Which Actor Is Playing The Character In ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy 3’?
