Marvel Comics has always had super-geniuses leading the way as heroes and villains, and here are the 10 smartest characters in the comics right now.

The Marvel Universe has some of the most powerful characters in comic books, but more than that, it also has some of the smartest heroes and villains. From the start of Marvel Comics, scientists and inventors operated as some of the world's greatest heroes, in opposition to the godlike heroes in DC.

From teenage scientist hopefuls bit by radioactive spiders to industrialist geniuses who created a suit of armor to save his life, scientists ruled the day. This was no more evident than in the Fantastic Four comics, where Reed Richards was the smartest man in the world. However, as time moved on, new geniuses popped up and the smartest people in Marvel have changed throughout the years.

10 Amadeus Cho

Amadeus Cho added his name to the list of the smartest people in Marvel Comics as a child. He has a supercomputer brain and his original superpower was seeing everything happening around him and finding a way to solve any problem instantly. Then, he became a Hulk and added brawn to his brains.

Many characters in the comics called Amadeus Cho the eighth smartest man on Earth, but there are many things that keep him under others in the entire universe. Cho is more intelligent than almost anyone he battles, but he is also somewhat immature and impulsive, which holds him under many others in Marvel Comics.

9 Hank Pym

Hank Pym was one of the smartest characters in early Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby as a scientist who created a way to alter his body's size but keep the same strength and power. He also created the robot Ultron, which backfired in a big way.

At one time, Pym learned that while Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, it is Pym who is the Scientist Supreme. Pym has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and nanotechnology and is an expert at almost every scientific area of study. What holds him down is that he has dealt with emotional issues in his life that limited what he could accomplish with his brain.

8 Bruce Banner

Bruce Banner was an intelligent child, which caused problems in his household. His father Brian thought that Banner was a monster because he was so smart and often bullied and degraded his son as a result. When Brian killed Banner's mother, the child created mental blocks in his mind and that resulted in a split personality when he ended up becoming Hulk.

As Banner, he is an expert in biology, chemistry, engineering, medicine, physiology, and nuclear physics. He is an expert in gamma technology, but his intelligence never allowed him to cure himself of the gamma radiation that turned him into Hulk. The MCU had Bruce Banner and Tony Stark as science bros, playing on his comic intelligence.

7 Tony Stark

Tony Stark is a small step ahead of Bruce Banner in the comics. While Banner is an expert in biological sciences, Stark mastered mechanical and electrical engineering, and he is an expert in chemistry, computer science, and physics. While in a cave with little technology, he created the first Iron Man suit, proving Tony Stark was one of Marvel's smartest characters.

Stark is also a quick thinker and can solve problems in the middle of a battle. He has invented almost more tech to use in battle than anyone outside of Reed Richards and is one of the greatest tech inventors in Marvel Comics.

6 The High Evolutionary

The High Evolutionary evolved beyond most humans. After learning from Mister Sinister, Hubert Wyndham eclipsed everything his mentor ever did and became godlike as a result. The High Evolutionary created new lifeforms and has mastered the technique to the point where he can create anything new without problems.

The High Evolutionary is the smartest geneticist in the universe and is an expert at most forms of scientific technique. He also has cosmic awareness, which puts him on another level from mere mortals.

5 Victor Von Doom

Victor Von Doom believes he is the smartest man on the planet and has stated more than once that he is smarter than his greatest rival, Reed Richards. However, Doom made mistakes in his early scientific research, which Richards pointed out to him. Since that time, Doom has always strived to better Richards.

While Doom is a super-genius, he still ranks below Richards, as the Fantastic Four leader has always bested him in battles that relied on their brains. Doom has magic on his side, which helps him match up with the FF, but in terms of brainpower, he falls below Richards.

4 Lunella Lafayette

Lunella Lafayette, also known as Moon Girl, is the youngest super genius in Marvel Comics. She also knows she is smart and has no problem flaunting her brainpower to anyone from Amadeus Cho and Peter Parker to Reed Richards himself.  She has every reason to remain unhumbled.

She has created some amazing inventions with little to no resources, helping her match Tony Stark without access to the same equipment he possesses. She also solved the Banner Brain Omnicompetence Examiner, which was supposed to be unsolvable, in seconds.

3 Reed Richards

For many years, Reed Richards was considered the smartest person in the Marvel Universe. Reed was the first true explorer in Marvel Comics, but it ended up transforming the Fantastic Four into superheroes due to an accident. Since that time, Reed has created more inventions and discovered more previously unknown things than anyone else on Earth.

Reed discovered the Negative Zone and created a portal to enter it. Reed created Unstable Molecules, which heroes have used to keep their costumes from destruction when using their powers. Reed has mastered space travel, time travel, and extra-dimensional travel. When someone on Earth needs scientific help, they go to Reed Richards.

2 Valeria Richards

Reed Richards said that his daughter Valeria Richards eclipsed him in intelligence when she was only three years old. She was so smart that she hid her intelligence, at the age of three, because she knew at that time it would destroy her family in the future if they knew.

In recent issues of Fantastic Four, Reed said that Valeria had come up with inventions that he couldn't have created himself. By surpassing her father, Valeria is the smartest person in Marvel Comics when it comes to those on Earth.

1 Thanos

Most people look at Thanos and see his power levels. He is one of the strongest beings in the universe, and his use of the Infinity Gauntlet made him the deadliest as well. However, there is more to Thanos than his power levels. He is one of the most intelligent beings in the entire universe.

Thanos is a genius, even by Eternals standards. He has immense scientific and tactical knowledge and used his genius to genetically enhance himself to strengthen his power levels. He created the chair he uses to teleport, fly, and travel through dimensions. His inventions in comics were greater than anything an Earthling ever created.

NEXT: 10 Best Variants Of Thanos In Marvel Comics

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