One-Above-All vs. One Below All: Who Is Marvel’s Most Powerful Being?

The Marvel Comics Universe is an ever-expanding multiverse, created and overlooked by a single entity. The One-Above-All. He is the ultimate creator. However, we have already been introduced to the ultimate destructor in Marvel Comics – the One Below All. The question is, which one of them is the more powerful being?

Neither the One-Above-All nor the One Below All are more powerful than the other – because they are, in fact, the same entity. The destructor, One Below All, is One-Above-All’s alter-ego, an evil counterpart that destroys to bring balance to an ever-expanding multiverse.

Essentially, the One Below All destroys so that the One-Above-All can continue to create. Now, one could argue that the good side of the entity is more powerful because only the One-Above-All has true omnipotence, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Here’s everything you need to know about Marvel’s most powerful being ever created.

Who Is The One-Above-All?

We have all these almighty entities in Marvel Comics; the Celestials who created the universe, the Living Tribunal that overlooks the multiverse, Galactus, the Beyonders… But there has to be that one, the supreme entity that started it all, right? Enter the One-Above-All.

In DC Comics, The Presence serves as the traditional, monotheistic god that is responsible for all creation. In Marvel Comics, it’s the One-Above-All. He is the absolute, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient entity that created everyone and everything and has the power to wipe out the entire omniverse with a blink of an eye.

The One-Above-All is pure good and love. A quote from the entity itself in Ultimates 2 Vol. 1 #100 states:

“I am the One Above All. I see through many eyes. I build with many hands. They are themselves, but they are also me. I am all-powerful. My only weapon is love. The mystery intrigues me.”

Now, the entity hardly ever shows itself, regardless of how dire the situation is. The One-Above-All works from the shadows, delegating multiversal matters to their servants – most notably, the Living Tribunal.

The only time we’ve actually seen the One-Above-All present itself in our realm is in Sensational Spider-Man Vol. 2 #40, where he/it/they appeared to Peter Parker to teach him about accepting death when his aunt May was on the brink of death, and he couldn’t cope.

What’s The Difference Between The One-Above-All and One Above All?

You probably noticed that I always used hyphens when referring to the One-Above-All. Although the character in the comics is sometimes called The One Above All (no hyphens), we use the hyphens to differentiate two completely different characters, sharing the same name.

Therefore, the One-Above-All is the supreme deity in Marvel Comics – the most powerful, omnipotent being that created everything and controls the very fabric of existence.

On the other hand, One Above All is a powerful entity but nowhere near the level of the One-Above-All. One Above All is the supreme Celestial – that is, the most powerful Celestial that is responsible for the creation of the universe. The name One Above All refers to him being above all other Celestials.

Both of these characters are extremely powerful, but the distinction is important since only one of them – the One-Above-All – is the most powerful being in Marvel Comics.

Who Is The One Below All?

We don’t need hyphens here because there’s only one being named the One Below All. The entity resides in a realm beneath all other realms – below Hell or any other vile dimension. Hence, the name of the entity, the One Below All. So, who is the One Below All?

Well, if the One-Above-All is the supreme deity of Marvel comics representing its traditional version of a monotheistic god with unlimited powers, the One Below All would be the exact opposite.

The One Below All is the physical manifestation of pure evil, chaos, corruption, and destruction. It is just as deadly and as powerful as the One-Above-All. However, if the One-Above-All states that its only weapon is love, then the only weapon of the One Below All – is hate. If the One-Above-All is love, order, and creation, then the One Below All is hate, chaos, and destruction.

Now, we didn’t really know much about either entity until just recently. Both were fleshed out quite nicely in the Immortal Hulk series, climaxing in Immortal Hulk #50. We finally learned about their true nature and who the more powerful entity is. Or did we?

The One-Above-All Vs. The One Below All: Who Is More Powerful?

We know who the One-Above-All and the One Below All are now, which leads us to our main question: who is the more powerful entity? The answer is – none of them. The One-Above-All and the One Below All are equally as powerful – because they are one and the same. Yes – they are, indeed, the same entity.

It was finally explained in Immortal Hulk #50 that the One Below All is actually the evil alter-ego/counterpart of the One-Above-All. The good side of the entity – the One-Above-All, never destroys, for destruction is not love. It only creates, nurtures, and cares.

However, if there were only creation and no destruction, there would be no balance. Hence, the One-Above-All developer the evil alter-ego, the One Below All, who destroys and hates to bring balance into the multiverse and allow the One-Above-All to love and create again.

We also learn that the relationship between the One-Above-All and the One Below All is similar to the relationship between the Hulk and Dr. Bruce Banner. In fact, it was the One Below All who made Banner and the Hulk one.

You see, the One Below All was trapped in its realm behind sealed gates. But, when the gamma bomb exploded during Banner’s accident, it opened the door just enough for the One Below All to release a “part of himself” or to instill Dr. Banner with the Hulk.

So, essentially, the Hulk is to Banner what the One Below All is to the One-Above-All. They are the same, yet different. They are opposites that co-exist to bring balance. As for who is the more powerful entity – it’s almost impossible to answer since they are the same entity.

However, if you dig deeper into it, it seems that only the One-Above-All is completely omnipotent and that his alter-ego, the One Below All, doesn’t have complete omnipotence.

You see, the main goal and purpose of the One Below All is the total destruction of the entire multiverse. Its endgame, so to speak, is to eradicate all existence but himself. However, the entity was trapped in its realm for a long time and obviously cannot wipe out the multiverse on a whim, meaning the entity is not really omnipotent.

On the other hand, the One-Above-All has complete omnipotence – he created the One Below All to create balance in the multiverse. He has the power to shut everything down in a blink but chooses not to, for its purpose is to create, not to eradicate.

That brings us to a conclusion – although they are the same entity, the One-Above-All is clearly the more powerful because he is the only being that is completely omnipotent. Although the One Below All is the balance-maker and has omnipresence and omniscience, it is not omnipotent, for it cannot complete its goal of total destruction.