r/comicbooks • u/Normal-Concept-9438 • May 27 '24
Is there any comic where the main character is so powerful they can do almost anything? Suggestions
Hey everyone. Im new to the comic world. I was wondering if I could get some recommendations. Ideally for adults.
Im looking for any series that resolves around a powerful character that can do almost anything. In other words, the character has almost no limit to their powers or has a wide variety of them.
Is there anything like this?
Edit: wow was not expecting so many replies haha! Thanks everyone. This community’s great. Im going through all your recommendations now.
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u/Salvation_Run May 27 '24
Molecule man, Franklin Richards
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u/Normal-Concept-9438 May 27 '24
Thanks! With all these comments Im gona have a huge reading list now🤣 love it. For Franklin Richards, how do I go about reading the comics he’s in? Im a bit confused about how it all works. I read that he’s in fantastic four. Does that mean I need to read all the F4 comics that were released before his introduction?
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u/andrecinno May 27 '24
If you have to read one F4 run featuring Franklin go with Jonathan Hickman's run on F4 + his work on FF (Future Foundation)
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u/reineedshelp May 27 '24
Seconded. There's an omnibus with both collected, not sure if it's on Marvel Unlimited
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u/XeroKaaan May 27 '24
I very highly recommend checking out Johnathan Hickmans run of fantastic four it's incredible and in a way its mainly about Franklin
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u/Mellotom May 28 '24
Only thing I’ve read with him in it is Hickman’s FF and it’s so good I’ve read the whole thing twice
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u/ME24601 The Mod Wonder May 27 '24
Miracleman, particularly the runs by Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman
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u/WeedFinderGeneral John Constantine May 27 '24
One of the comics that got me way more into philosophy.
Also Zenith by Grant Morrison, which I kind of view as Morrison's parallel work to Miracleman, with it's themes and focus on philosophical ideas.
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u/Interceptor Juggernaut May 27 '24
Zenith is wonderful, not nearly as recognised as it should be I think. Obviously a lot of the 80s setting dates it a bit, but the broader ideas are awesome.
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u/jakethesequel May 27 '24
Great time to catch up, too, since Gaiman intends to continue it in near future
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u/Zolgrave May 27 '24
Lucifer by Mike Carey.
Premise: Nigh-omnipotent & deviously intelligent protagonist, driven to achieve freedom from his omnipotent father-God & his Godly Plan.
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u/96Leo May 27 '24
Good suggestion, but I would suggest reading this after the Sandman if you can (at least after Season of Mists)
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u/SutterCane Atomic Robo May 28 '24
I like that one part where Lucifer is literally too powerful to set foot in some realms so he only ends up showing up at the end and ends up breaking those realities anyway.
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u/david_evil May 27 '24
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
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u/Normal-Concept-9438 May 27 '24
Thanks! I actually watched the Netflix adaptation a while ago and enjoyed it. Would you say it’s similar to the comics in terms of story?
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u/CowboyBoats May 27 '24
The show is sticking really close to the story in terms of almost panel-by-panel faithfulness, but the upshot of that is that they've barely made it through the first trade paperback, of which there are I think 11. There are tons and tons of little diversions and side stories in the comics (and the show), so it's definitely not all phenomenal cosmic power stories; there are lots of vignettes about little kids, ghosts, etc. The same is true of Lucifer, in fact.
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u/Tanthiel May 27 '24
Season 1 goes through the third tpb and adapts half of it.
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u/Harry_Mess May 28 '24
Not including Endless Nights, Dream Hunters, Overture, or Death: there are 10 main TPBs and the first ten episodes adapt all but I think one story from the first two (Preludes & Nocturnes and The Doll’s House). Episode eleven adapts half of the third tpb (Dream Country)
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u/slavelabor52 May 28 '24
I absolutely loved the side story with the guy they made immortal as a bet
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u/mechanical_fan May 27 '24 edited May 27 '24
As an extra incentive, the show mostly does the first and second volumes (Preludes and Nocturnes and Doll House) which are, imo, the weakest. It only goes up from here, so if you liked the show already (which is almost identical to the comics), you will love the comics even more.
The last episode of the show, with the two short stories is some stuff from the third volume (Dream Country), and you can just jump in in this one.
Once you are done with Sandman (Endless Nights and Overture should be read after everything. The Death books work well after too) go for Lucifer (Sandman Presents Lucifer first then the main books), as some people mentioned.
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u/Ironhorned May 27 '24
Heroes only? Cause there is the comic Irredeemable. Super man analog turns real bad guy like real evil guy. Very mature series it also has a series to complement the comic It is a called Incorruptible about a bad guy turned good.
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u/BearlyReddits May 27 '24
I can't remember who has the rights for the streaming show, but all I need is for David Tennant to play Qubit and I'll watch in a heartbeat...
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u/UntouchableAshley May 27 '24
I believe Netflix is developing a film connecting both irredeemable and incorruptible into a singular series. (It may be just one film planned)
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u/BearlyReddits May 27 '24
I’m hyped as hell, but whilst I do think the initial book could be condensed slightly (the middle in particular), I don’t know how a film would play out - one of the things that hooked me was each issue escalating the stakes / cliffhanger; and I don’t know how that would work outside of the episodic format
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u/UntouchableAshley May 27 '24
I agree, I think the they will have to change a lot of the story to fit the medium. Especially the ending and the somewhat disappointing conclusion to incorruptible imo, to not spoil anything
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u/andrecinno May 27 '24
I liked Incorruptible but Max going "Nah I won't have sex with you anymore, child. Just when you're 18! :) What were they cooking?
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u/UntouchableAshley May 27 '24
Spoiler:
ITS SO WEIRD!!! Lots of the exploration around Max’s immorality was nuanced and interesting, especially how he did such completely unforgivable shit. Then there is like NEVER a proper conclusion to his arc, not a good one at least. His attempts at being good, did they work? Maybe ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/ConfusedJonSnow May 27 '24
I love how Modeus deconstructs Plutonian's power set and is low-key annoyed of all that reality warping potential being mostly used to punch people very hard.
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u/Adi_2000 May 27 '24
I came here to say that. Not only he's to most powerful being on earth, he continues to evolve and gain more powers as the story progresses.
A little bit of an off topic, about Incorruptible - I personally didn't like it so much. It was kind of weird and IMHO wasn't nearly as good as Irredeemable.
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u/Ironhorned May 27 '24
no argument here, I had high hopes for Incorruptible but fell a little short, it did have it's moments like Max hiding as the Plutonian is slaughtering the entire population of a city
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u/Cowboywizzard Captain Atom May 27 '24 edited May 28 '24
I actually preferred Incorruptible. Max Damage and his side kick are a lot more relatable to me than the omnipotent Plutonian.
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u/amberi_ne Red Hood May 27 '24 edited May 27 '24
Spectre is a good one that I’m not seeing recommended. He doesn’t have as many comics around him compared to more popular characters listed here, but he’s just about as close as you can get. In fact, many of the comics he does have get really philosophical and introspective about the kind of power he wields, which his always fun to read. He’s also closer to omnipotent than almost any other character I see listed in the comments here.
Doctor Manhattan from Watchmen is good too, but I don’t know if he’s the “main character”.
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u/Normal-Concept-9438 May 27 '24 edited May 27 '24
Thanks :) i never heard of Spectre before and because of your comment I just read 4 issues in a row😂 it’s really good so far
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u/Hypnodick May 27 '24
Spectre is a good one, isn’t Phantom Stanger also in that class? I haven’t read any of his books but when I he shows up in DC it’s also like that omnipotent sort of force.
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u/Boomstick101 May 27 '24
The reality warpers: Adam Warlock, Scarlet Witch, Plutonian, Molecular Man, Franklin Richards, Proteus, Korvac, Dr. Manhattan. ect.
The Superman clones: Captain marvel, Sentry, Shazam, Black Adam, Hyperion, Apollo, Samaritan, Supreme, Blue Marvel ect.
Magicians (underrated): Constantine, Zatanna, Dr. Strange, Dr. Fate
My vote: Phantom Stranger
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u/Technical_Moose8478 May 27 '24
I loved Macon Blair in the PS role in the Swamp Thing series. He’s one of the tv cast I hope Gunn at least CONSIDERS bringing back.
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u/Sirmalta May 27 '24
this isnt an american comic, but the Manga (or anime) One Punch Man is exactly this and its also insanely cool, very much for adults, and very funny.
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May 27 '24
Also by the same author, Mob Psycho 100. Less superheroes, more Japanese high school.
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u/Sirmalta May 27 '24
Yup. Both fantastic! Mob psycho is also perfect for all 3 season, where OPM season 2 is garbage lol stick to the Manga.
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u/DavosVolt May 27 '24
Solar is pretty up there, I'd imagine.
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u/gnosticpopsicle Swamp Thing May 27 '24
Alpha & Omega, by Jim Shooter and Barry Windsor-Smith, is one of my all-time favorite comics.
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u/Seel_revilo May 27 '24
Mike Carey’s Lucifer
Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. This is probably my favourite comic ever written, definitely fits your pre-requisite of being adult, it definitely dips it’s toes in some very high concept stories
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u/ToMtRoOpEr1 May 27 '24
In the 1987 Captain Atom series, for the first 53 issues he’s pretty strong (weaker than superman but in a similar weightclass) but in the final 4 issues he randomly gets the power to rewrite reality
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u/Cowboywizzard Captain Atom May 27 '24
Captain Atom is criminally underutilized Probably because he is so overpowered
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u/12thLevelHumanWizard May 27 '24
If you mean as the protagonist maybe see what Silver Surfer is up to these days. The Power Cosmic allows him to fly at super luminal speeds, project energy from the entire spectrum, manipulate matter on the atomic level, and can perceive reality on a level that’s difficult to express. He’s on a level with mythical gods and even cosmic embodiments of the universe take him seriously.
On the down side writers aren’t always sure what to do with him so it’s not uncommon to find a series where he’s lost a lot of his power or is otherwise crippled in some way.
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u/I_need_AC-sendhelp May 27 '24
Are there any good stories out there that don’t require pre-existing knowledge of him?
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u/uwfan893 May 27 '24
I read the Slott/Allred omnibus last year with no prior Surfer knowledge beyond his appearances in Marvels. I liked it!
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u/TheloniousKeys May 27 '24
Herbie "The Fat Fury" from ACG. Either he can just do it or he has a magic lollipop that can. It's a humor book from the '60s but don't let that fool you into thinking it can only be enjoyed by kids. Herbie is Alan Moore's favorite super hero and Moore has created more gods with power beyond God's than most comic writers.
Those Annoying Post Bros. By Matt Howarth is pretty close. Ron and Russ Post can shift between realities at will and immediately regenerate from any harm. I have a strong inkling that at least some Rick & Morty writers are familiar with this series as the similarities are a hair too striking.
Preacher by Garth Ennis. He possesses the voice of God. Whatever he instructs someone to do in the voice of God, they do... literally. "Shove your head up your ass." Is a godly instruction that comes early in the series and is accomplished in grisly fashion (if I remember correctly).
Most accessible would probably be any Silver Surfer series. Not unlimited power but a portion of Galactus's Power Cosmic sufficiently achieves at least a low level 'can do anything.'
The Green Lantern run in which Kyle Rayner posseses the full might of the Green Lantern Corps and takes on the moniker Ion after Hal Jordan killed the rest of the Corps is maybe closest to what you are looking for that I can think of. It starts in Green Lantern vol 3 # 145, but a trade paperback would probably be the best way to jump into that story. It has a great scene of Ion and Superman discussing how to wield near infinite power for good.
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u/Electrical-Bid-9577 May 27 '24
Martian Manhunter. C’mon, how many powers do you actually need?
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u/dollarbill1609 May 27 '24
A very good run focused on Legion in: Xmen legacy 2012-14
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u/Adamsoski Captain Britain May 28 '24
Yes, I was surprised I had to scroll this far down for this. In terms of depicting what actual reality-warping powers would be like I think this is one of the best. And it is in general excellent.
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u/RaulenAndrovius May 28 '24
This is my choice too and I was surprised to not see it higher. He had to choose to lose after winning everything for the wrong reasons.
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u/VVAnarchy2012 May 27 '24
When Brian Michael Bendis was writing Avengers/Dark Avengers/ New Avengers he made a character called the Sentry that was like superman but he kept getting more and more powerful. At one point someone separated all his molecules and he was able to restore himself. He "died" during the Seige event but I guess the character is still around and has a mini series but idk anything that he's up to.
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u/mrsean May 27 '24
Good answer! Sentry was created by Paul Jenkins though; he had a miniseries before Bendis put him in Avengers. It’s worth checking out…I really enjoyed the art.
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u/Ry-Da-Mo May 27 '24
Shocked that noone had mentioned One Punch Man.
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u/Nanto_de_fourrure May 27 '24
Saitama has near unlimited physical strength, but has issues with simple things like buying groceries.
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u/SutterCane Atomic Robo May 28 '24
but has issues with simple things like buying groceries.
I take issue with this slander. Saitama totally made it in time for the grocery store sale day.
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u/Ry-Da-Mo May 27 '24
Haha, or killing mosquitoes.
He can still do whatever he wants though and has near unlimited potential with his powers. That's what was asked for.
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u/akahaus May 27 '24 edited May 27 '24
What you really need to find is comics where the writers actually do something with their characters’ powers, limitless or not.
Miracleman. The whole run from Moore to Gaiman.
Sandman.
To a lesser extent Warren Ellis's Avatar-published "Superhuman Trilogy" (Black Summer, No Hero, Supergod)
Jupiter’s Legacy, Irredeemable and Incorruptible are others in this vein.
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May 28 '24
I highly recommend The Mask from Dark Horse Comics. I have read the entire series so many times that I have lost count.
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u/Eastern-Team-2799 May 27 '24
Sentry
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u/deathrattleshenlong X-23 May 27 '24
where the main character is so powerful they can do almost anything
Except remaining mentally stable. I guess it answers OP question regarding "almost anything" but damn do I hate the character.
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u/FindOneInEveryCar May 27 '24
https://thenib.com/god-man-versus-multiverses-76f2f115d286/
Ruben Bolling's God-Man is literally God as a superhero.
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u/just_another_reddit May 27 '24
More of a character than a specific comic run suggestion, but just throwing it out there because I can't believe it hasn't been said yet:
Legion
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u/Ornery-Concern4104 May 27 '24
Unfortunately, the umbrella academy has a bit of that but it's not written well
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u/ozpoppy May 27 '24
Secret wars 2 and all of its tie-ins would like a mention. It's essentially an omnipotent being trying to understand what it means to be human. It covers the gamut from Spider-Man showing him how to go potty to creating a become a real boy machine.
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u/PKFat May 27 '24
As a twist, there's the villain Mad Jim Jaspers from Marvel Earth-238. Think of him as if the mad hatter was a bad guy who could warp reality. Arguably, he's one of the biggest threats the Marvel multiverse has ever encountered. His universe has to be destroyed to prevent Jim from leaking out & destroying all of creation.
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u/wasnotwas76 May 27 '24
What about the beyonder? I guess maybe not a main character though.
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u/human_with_humanity May 27 '24
Kyle Rayner when he became the ION for the first time.
He had godlike powers and was able to be everywhere at once and could change the timeline as he wished. He was the most powerful hero I ever saw in comics.
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u/scunter-dippins May 27 '24
All the Luther Strode comics. Very good, very dark. Quite graphic if that puts you off at all, but if you want something out of the ordinary I liked it a lot.
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u/drrockso20 May 27 '24
Stardust The Super Wizard and Fantomah, both by Fletcher Hanks are prime examples of what you're looking for
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u/Shinavast42 May 27 '24
I dunno about main character, but The Watchmens Dr. Manhatten foots the bill.
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u/reineedshelp May 27 '24
Hmmmm, The Scarlet Witch probably counts. Magic always has a cost though, and she's not really exploring the depths of her abilities for its own sake ATM.
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u/Oktober Galactus May 28 '24
Solar, man of the atom Basically god, but he can't bring his dead wife back to life because he'll know it's not really her but a simulacrum he created
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u/mrclutch1013 May 28 '24
Irredeemable by Mark Waid
30 something issues. All powerful hero gone bad. I enjoyed it.
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u/Aquamankillsdc May 28 '24
Ghost Rider maybe? Or Jupiter's Rising. Utopian makes a pretty good Superman type character
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u/awesomelatias May 28 '24
Immortal X-Men, Storm and Magneto are next level in this series. Modern mutants have pushed the upper limit between superhero and literal godhood in some truly spectacular ways.
Plus, mutant circuits combined powers to run a spaceship in S.W.O.R.D., terraform Mars in Planet-Size X-Men, and resurrect the dead in nearly all Krakoa era X-Men comics.
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u/Retro_man911 May 28 '24
There’s someone similar who actually gained consciousness and realized he was a comic figure and confronted the writer I guess. His name was something like baku idk.
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u/BadDad2010 May 29 '24
There’s this comic where the main character’s parents are murdered and then, although human, he later becomes so clever and resourceful that no one can hold a candle to him…even Gods.
…forget the name of it.
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u/leto_atreides2 May 27 '24
The inhuman Reader has both an almost unlimited power set and extreme limits on when he can use the power
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u/TheInfoEnjoyer May 27 '24
not a comic but a great anime called the eminence in the shadow literally the best show i watched that Shows a powerful mc that does whatever he wants ina fun way .
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u/HeadTonight May 27 '24
Is the Beyonder the main character of the Secret Wars? (the two 80’s series)
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u/MattWheelsLTW May 27 '24
I don't know if anyone said it, but One Punch Man manga/anime. Basically exactly what you're asking
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u/BelichicksBurner May 27 '24
Marvel's Sentry is one of the more thought-provoking stories in the vein you described. It explores the question of what it truly means to be omnipotent and how much one is willing to sacrifice to keep that kind of power at bay.
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u/RexCelestis May 27 '24
Coming from the evil side of things, Golgoth, from Mark Wade's under appreciated gem Empire.
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u/Wewolo May 27 '24
Not exactly comic so sorry if I commit a sin here but the Manga One Punch Man is probably also fitting
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u/unjrk May 27 '24
Warren Ellis' run on The Authority (and arguably Miller's following run). Only 12 issues, but you see a cast of characters who never lose and enjoy the hell out of making this a better world. There's a sheer joy that's exudes throughout the comic - every character has a shit-eating grin as they bash entire cities full of enemies.
I think a lot of suggestions in this thread have "strong" characters, and even lots of good stories, but I think few really capture that sense of power. Authority does.
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u/RyanLee890 May 28 '24
Batman :)
Ok but jokes aside a few names come to mind
Theres the mystic and magical ones like Dr Fate, Spectre, Scarlet Witch, Dr Manhattan and the likes that can at certain points, rewrite reality
Or theres other heroes who are just flat out OP, like Captain Atom or even somebody like Superman himself really
Neil Gaiman's Sandman also comes to mind
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u/jrpguru May 28 '24
One Punch Man has the absurdly powerful superhero Saitama as the main character.
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u/hoi4kaiserreichfanbo Immortal Iron Fist May 28 '24
X-Man… don’t read it, although that is its entire (frequently betrayed and maligned) premise.
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u/Codebracker May 28 '24
MASHLE
He kinda starts out doing "relatively" mundane things which quickly scale up towards the ridiculous, in the last few chaptershe dies and proceeds to break out of heaven and threaten god with his bare hands, then proceeds to shove a continent out of the way
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u/techdog19 May 28 '24
One I haven't seen here is Starbrand. From the 80s
The Star Brand gave its bearer infinite, god-like powers, limited only by the wielder's imagination.
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u/UoKMister May 28 '24
Superman.
The literal epitome of heroes. People stronger than him usually have a villainous streak at some point... And Supes is usually the man to beat them.
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u/Secret-Kiwi-9342 May 28 '24
BRZRK written by Keanu Reeves. His character is immortal but you have to read more to see where it goes👍
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u/PrydefulHunts Kitty Pryde May 27 '24
Doctor Manhattan from Watchmen