Comics have introduced us to some mind-bending intelligent people – The kind that doesn’t exist in the real world. However, that is the whole point. To create fantasies that make people wonder if unbelievable feats might be possible.
As young kids reading these comic books, we all wished we could build a Suit of our own and fight crime like Iron Man. That isn’t fiction anymore in the real world. Exo-suits are being constructed by many after taking inspiration from the Marvel Hero.
Like Tony Stark, many bright heroes use their brains to their advantage, proving that there is no bigger superpower.
Let’s take a look at some of the most brilliant minds that can be found in the comics!
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#20 Atom
First Appearance: Showcase #34 (October 1961)
IQ Level: 140
We start this list off with Atom.
Ray Palmer has tech that allows him to do the same things as Ant-Man. He can shrink and harness the power of a white dwarf star. The tech he developed from it gave him the means to manipulate his size.
Besides being incredibly smart, he seems to be an adventurer and adrenaline junkie, so he likes exploring. His powers let him go where no one else can. He does all this, fights crime, and runs a billion-dollar company. Damn.
Powers:
- Size manipulation
- Super strength
#19 Charles Xavier
First Appearance: The X-Men #1 (September 1963)
IQ Level: 145
The leader of the X-men is one of the most powerful minds in the Marvel Universe. His ability to look into the minds of others allows him to see their experiences, memories, and thought processes. This, in turn, gives him access to all the knowledge and information they possess.
While this doesn’t make him the smartest, it does grant him the means to explore information like never. With the Cerebro machine, he can access all the minds on Earth at once and peak at all the information they possess. Since he can also see their thought process, he can better understand the information they store in their minds.
He also has 5 PhDs. We can’t imagine that to be easy.
Powers:
- Telepathy
- Psychic abilities
- Mental manipulation
#18 Oracle
First Appearance: Suicide Squad #23 (January 1989)
IQ Level: 155
Oracle, formerly Batgirl, took on her role as the in-house superhero techie after she was paralyzed from the waist down by the Joker. Refusing to let her disadvantage take her down, she assumed the role of Oracle. She provided hacking services, expert computer skills, and eidetic memory to other supers on their missions.
With all her tools and proper application, she can predict scenarios and situations, hence the name. In terms of intelligence, she was able to keep up with Batman as his support.
Powers:
- Expert hacker
- Expert martial artist
- Hand-to-hand combat
- Computer expert
#17 Mr. Terrific
First Appearance: Spectre Volume 3 #54 (June 1997)
IQ Level: 179
Mr. Terrific is said to be the 3rd smartest man on Earth in the DC universe. This genius-level intellect had 14 different PhDs before he even decided to pursue a career as a superhero.
He invented the T Spheres and the Boom spheres. The T spheres can open dimensional rifts, and the Boom spheres can absorb Darkseid’s Omega beams. These T spheres can even travel time.
The man has more degrees than most Ivy League college faculty combined. He truly lives up to the name.
Powers:
- T-Spheres
- Genius level intellect
#16 Black Panther
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966)
IQ Level: 186
The King of Wakanda is a jack of many trades. With a Ph.D. in Physics, the Black Panther possesses one of the highest IQs in the Marvel Universe. His prowess in physics and engineering has allowed him to invent some great things, including a Panther suit that absorbs cosmic power, a cell that can nullify mutant powers, and a machine that can teleport anyone anywhere across time. This device allowed instantaneous travel and was instrumental in defeating Dr. Doom while hiding in his ‘cloaked location.’
Truly a jack, no, a King of all trades.
Powers:
- Super strength
- Enhanced speed
- Enhanced agility
- Enhanced martial artist
#15 Riri Williams
First Appearance: Invincible Iron Man Volume 2 #7 (May 2016)
IQ Level: 190
Riri Williams was declared a super-genius at the age of 5 and went on to attend MIT at only 15 years old.
Riri looked up to Tony Stark and even modeled her first Iron heart suit after Iron Man’s Armor model 41. While testing this suit, she stopped a few inmates from escaping, and this feat eventually led to Tony Stark pushing her to pursue her dreams.
If Tony Stark thinks you’re smart, then you’re really smart.
Powers:
- Enhanced armor
- Flight
- Super strength
#14 Bruce Banner
First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962)
IQ Level: 190 or higher
We love it when Hulk smashes things. The green rampaging giant is among the most famous heroes ever and probably the most loved. His alter ego, Bruce Banner, possesses an intellect that far surpasses most beings in the universe.
Bruce is a scientist, the foremost authority on gamma radiation, and an expert in virtually every other aspect of the physical sciences. During the World War Hulk storyline, when Banner could no longer turn into the Hulk, he created ‘Bannertech.’ This technology was powerful enough to take on foes like Dr. Doom and Juggernaut.
We’ve got brains and brawn here.
Powers:
- Hulk transformation
- Super strength
- Enhanced durability
- Invulnerability
- Enhanced speed
#13 Batman
First Appearance: Detective Comics #27 (May 1939)
IQ Level: 192
The most popular in this list, The Dark Knight, is one of the smartest beings in the DC universe, sometimes even referred to as the most dangerous as well. An expert in most aspects of physical sciences, technology, and engineering, Batman has proved more than several times that he is insanely smart.
Bruce has been able to create suits that could take on Superman and even one that could take the entire JLA single-handed. The most incredible feat of the Bat is the time when he was able to hack Apokoliptian technology and was able to stun Darkseid. Even the ruler of Apokolips admitted that The Dark Knight was, in fact, intelligent.
Powers:
- Expert martial artist
- Master detective
- Super rich
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#12 Ted Kord
First Appearance: Captain Atom #83 (November 1966)
IQ Level: 192
Ted Kord, or Blue Beetle, is one of the most brilliant scientists in the DC Universe. He used his weaponry and inventions to fight crime and is a close confidant of Booster Gold.
His intellect alone got him onto the Justice League, and the bug-themed inventions he made were praised by Batman on many occasions.
What separates this hero from most is his ability to understand and manipulate alien tech.
Powers:
- High-Level intellect
- Understanding and mastery over alien tech
#11 Superman
First Appearance: Action Comics #1 (June 1938)
IQ Level: Beyond 210
Superman is probably one of the most famous heroes ever and has been faced with odds that he somehow always gets past. This doesn’t happen with just brawn.
The Man of Steel is not just one of the strongest heroes ever. He is also among the smartest. His super speed allows him to learn about new things 100-200 times faster than an average human.
Technically, The son of Krypton’s super learning gives him access to vast caches of knowledge, making him very bright. He can process and understand information at inhuman speeds and applies the information wherever he sees fit. Kal El’s parents have 8th-level intellect, which gives him the potential to achieve this level of intelligence.
Powers:
- Super strength
- Flight
- Laser vision
- Invulnerability
- Enhanced durability
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#10 Toy Master (Hiro Okamura)
First Appearance: Batman / Superman #5 (2013-2016)
IQ Level: 210
This Honorary member of the Justice League is one of the brightest minds on Earth. With specializations in virtually every aspect of science, he is an ally that has been an asset to superheroes like Superman and Batman on many occasions. He does not possess any superpowers, but his mind is seemingly more than enough to get the job done.
Hiro’s most notable scientific feat is during the events of the Superman/Batman movie, where he builds a robot with the attributes of both Superman and Batman to destroy a giant kryptonite meteor hurtling towards planet Earth.
It should be noted that the two Justice Leaguers went to him for help.
Powers:
- Mechanical aptitude
- Robotic engineering
- Mechanical engineering
#9 Beast
First Appearance: X-Men #1 (July 1963)
IQ Level: 210
While his appearance matches his name, Hank McCoy’s mind speaks a different story. A core member of the X-men, Beast, has one of the most intelligent minds on the planet. He is the in-house scientist, tech guy, and tactician for the X-men and has proved himself on more occasions than we can count. He is an authority on biochemistry and genetics worldwide and is well respected for his work.
Furthermore, Hank is the foremost expert on genetics and has a wide array of high degrees and PhDs. If this isn’t enough, you should know that he has built a time machine at one point. If that doesn’t put him up there, then I don’t know what does.
Powers:
- Enhanced strength
- Increased durability
- Enhanced agility
- Beast speed
#8 Spider-Man
First Appearance: Tales of Fantasy #15 (1962)
IQ Level: 225
Our friendly neighbor – Spider-man, is one of the most revered heroes of all time. His funny quips and refusal to go back on his morals make him one of the most looked up to and respected heroes to have done it.
It turns out that he isn’t just a wall climbing hero. The sarcasm and the quips are a sign of intelligence. In the comics, he just decided not to be poor one day and built a Fortune 500 company from the ground up, solely piggybacking on his brain.
The greatest minds, including Tony Stark and Reed Richards, have acknowledged him.
Powers:
- Spidey sense
- Enhanced strength
- Enhanced durability
- Wall climbing
- Web Swinging
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#7 Moon Girl
First Appearance: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 (November 2015)
IQ Level: 230
Moon girl is a self-proclaimed Smartest person in the Marvel Universe, and the same title was given to her by Amadeus Cho. While this is up for debate, there is no denying that she is among the brightest minds on the planet.
Moon solved a competency test designed by Dr. Bruce Banner in a short period. No one else, not even the inventor himself, could do this.
So, probably not the smartest, but to complete this puzzle while still, a child is not something to be brushed aside.
Powers:
- Enhanced endurance
- Time travel
- Strength transferal
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#6 Amadeus Cho
First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy Volume 2 #15 (January 2005)
IQ Level: 240
The 8th smartest person in the Marvel Universe, this young hero is the slightly less hulky Hulk. After his parents were killed, Amadeus befriended Bruce Banner, and the two created a strong bond with each other.
When he found that the Hulk was constantly giving out extra gamma radiation, he used his intellect and knowledge of mechanical/robotic sciences to create nanites to absorb this extra energy and stop the Hulk from going on a rampage. With nowhere else to store the energy, he essentially absorbs the Hulk and transforms into him.
Bruce Banner has tried for years to rid himself of the Hulk, and Cho managed to find a way to transfer that power to some extent and control it. That in itself is enough to gauge the mind of Amadeus Cho.
Powers:
- Hulk transformation
- Super strength
- Enhanced durability
- Enhanced agility
- Enhanced speed
#5 Hank Pym
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962)
IQ Level: 240
Ant-Man is one of the smartest people in the Marvel Universe. He has 6 PhDs in Biochemistry and Genetics and pioneered the engineering of Pym Particles. These particles, along with his Ant-Man suit, gave him the power to manipulate his size drastically. While one of the 8th smartest people on Earth, his insecurities of inadequacy have held him back on many occasions.
Though the result did not turn out well, Hank Pym created Ultron – a sentient AI that took over the world. The level of intellect needed to create something like that is something else.
Powers:
- Size manipulations
- Enhanced strength
- Enhanced durability
#4 Iron Man
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963)
IQ Level: 265
Probably one of the best Marvel Characters, Tony Stark is among the top 3 most intelligent people in the main continuity and most other universes. A genius inventor, engineer, and software engineer, the Iron Man has done so much scientifically that we have lost track.
The most obvious is the creation of a myriad of exo-suits that he can use in any situation, and what was even crazier was the bleeding-edge armor he used during the events of Endgame. He even created a glove that could harness the most powerful object in the universe – The Infinity stones.
Powers:
- Expert hand-to-hand combatant
- Exoskeleton suit
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#3 Reed Richards
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961)
IQ Level: 267
The leader of the Fantastic 4 is the most intelligent superhero in the Marvel Universe. His ability to stretch any body part also applies to his brain. This allows him to stretch his mind to accommodate and solve any problem in front of him. Even before he attained his powers, he had an IQ of 267 at 16.
Mr. Fantastic has made breakthroughs in Space Travel, Time Travel, Inter-dimensional travel, robotics, engineering, and so on. We could go on and on, but that’s a whole other article.
The man even told Hank Pym to his face that he knew more about Pym Particles than Ant-Man himself.
Powers:
- Body manipulation
- Genius level
- Computer specialist
#2 Brainiac 5
First Appearance: Action Comics #276 (May 1961)
IQ Level: 12 Level Intellect
Brainiac 5 has a 12th-level intellect that allows him to make calculations that most others in the DC universe cannot even comprehend.
His vast understanding of knowledge and information allows him to process and invent things that the 6th-level human intellect can only dream about. He has even created time machines.
He’s said to be on the same intellect levels as the Brainiac, even with all the big bad’s enhancements. Furthermore, he is way smarter than Batman and Lex Luthor, but this is primarily because of the difference in the time they were born.
Powers:
- Mechanical aptitude
- Flight
- Energy projection
- Force field
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#1 Dr. Manhattan
First Appearance: Watchmen #1 (September 1986)
IQ Level: Infinite
Jon Osterman gained his powers after getting ripped to pieces in a scientific accident. Even before attaining his powers, he had a Ph.D. in Atomic Physics and was a leading authority on the topic. Once Dr. Manhattan got his powers, Jon evolved into an energy being and gradually became omniscient. He is everywhere, all the time, doing everything all at once.
The world’s smartest man to him is no more significant threat to him than an ant. He can witness things that are so small that no one else can even comprehend that has happened.
A million times smarter than the most intelligent supercomputer that will ever be created.
After all, who can be smarter than an actual post-human God?
Powers:
- Omnisense
- Reality manipulation
- Matter manipulation
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Honorable Mentions
- Shuri
- Flash
- Ozymandias
- Batman One Million
This brings us to the end of our list. If we are to bet on it, many of these hero creations will make it to the real world in the future, and what is even cooler is that this future may not be too far off.
We could end up seeing flying suits, machines that could let you talk to others with your mind, and serums that could make people strong. The possibilities are endless. These superheroes have shown us that.
What would you create if you suddenly woke up as the smartest person in the world?
FAQs
Which Marvel Superhero Is the Smartest?
Reed Richards is the smartest hero in the Marvel universe.
Which DC Superhero Has the Highest IQ?
Brainiac 5 has the highest IQ. He is a 12th-level intellect.
Who Is the Smartest DC Character?
Batman and Lex Luthor are said to be the smartest DC characters.
Who Is Smarter, Black Panther, or Batman?
Batman would be able to outsmart Black Panther.
Is Spiderman Smarter Than Tony Stark?
No, Tony Stark is smarter. He even attended MIT at 15 years of age.
Is Batman Smarter Than Ironman?
The age-old debate has been on for generations, but this question creates more questions. Smart in which field or areas? Iron man is smarter in a few places, and Batman can outsmart him in others. So both are smarter than the other.
Who Is as Smart as Tony Stark?
Reed Richards is as smart as Tony Stark. Maybe, His IQ level is way more!
What Is Tony Stark’s IQ?
Tony Stark has an IQ of 265.
Which Spiderman Is the Smartest?
Spiderman 2099 is said to be the smartest.
Who Is the Lamest Marvel Superhero?
Hindsight is the lamest Marvel Superhero.
Well, That’s all for today folks! Hope you liked our verdict. What do you think? Who will win in a fight between Wolverine and Deadpool?
Let us know it all on our Instagram page here and do visit averagebeing.com for more awesome superhero content.
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