Whendiscussing Marvel’s greatest villain, there are only really two contenders: the tyrannical sorcererDoctor Doomand the cosmic nihilistThanos of Titan. Both have done unfathomable damage to the known universe, seeking power and control at any cost. But which of these iconic evil-doers is the greatest threat to life?
For this list, we’re crediting Thanos and Doom with every death they personally causedandthose they ordered or took part in, since both have armies of killers at their command. The numbers are astronomical, butsurprisingly thereisa definitive winner…
Meet the Competitors: Doctor Doom vs Thanos
Marvel’s Greatest Villains Have Very Different Backstories
Born in Latveria as an oppressed Romani peasant, Doctor Doom’s genius and unconquerable will allowed him tomaster both advanced science and mysticism. Doom took over the country that once spurned him, rescued his mother’s soul from the grip of Mephisto, and recently conquered Earth aftersnatching the Sorcerer Supreme titlefrom Doctor Strange. Doom is at a disadvantage in this contest because he doesn’t want to kill for its own sake - he wants torule. Despite that fact, Doom has a hair trigger for slaughtering those who oppose him.
The Mad Titan Thanos was born on the largest of Saturn’s moons, the result of experiments intended to merge Eternal and Deviant biology. Chosen by the cosmic embodiment of Death, Thanos became a scourge of the galaxy, embracing nihilism and thirsting for personal power. Driven by a hatred of all life,Thanos has sought out the galaxy’s greatest artifacts, sacrificing billions to his morbid mistress. Thanos kills at every opportunity, which is going to make it embarrassing if Doctor Doom outshines him…
Thanos' Body Count Explained
Thanos' most iconic act of death takes place in 1991’sInfinite Gauntlet, from Jim Starlin, George Pérez and Ron Lim. In this foundational story,Thanos uses the titular artifact to wipe out half of all life in the universein a tribute to Lady Death, while also personally killing a group of Avengers, X-Men and Guardians who stand against him. (And yes, Thanos' victimsaredead in the original comic, contrasted with their more nebulous fate in the MCU.)
However,that isn’t even the biggest body count that Thanos can claim. InNew Avengers #23(Jonathan Hickman and Kev Walker),Thanos brings together a cabal of villains(his Black Order servants plus Terrax, Maximus the Mad and Namor), with the goal of destroying alternate realities. Thanos and his team face off against dozens of alternate worlds, killing their heroes and destroying their versions of Earth to protect Marvel’s Earth-616 reality.
Thanos has also razed entire planets single-handed. He destroyed Titan with advanced weaponry, obliterated a planet while fighting his Phoenix Force-empowered son, and even brought back death to the undying reality known as the ‘Cancerverse.’ InInfinity, it’s revealed that in order to wipe out his various progeny, Thanos traveled the galaxy demanding a tribute of each planet’s young males.
Thanos has personally killed off entire armies and even species, including the Ovin Mercenary Army and the Zehoberei. Hisnotable kills include Namor, War Machine, She-Hulk, Nova and his own father, Mentor of Titan. Thanks to his love of death and galactic reach, Thanos' body count is in the trillions.
Doctor Doom’s Body Count Explained
The Latverian Dictator Has Committed Galactic Atrocities
Ask Doctor Doom and he’ll claim to be Earth’s greatest hero - a protector of life who only seeks control because he is uniquely suited to lead the universe into a golden era of prosperity and safety. The thing that makes Doctor Doom interesting is that he isn’t totally wrong.Doom has saved Earth and even the universe multiple times, most notably in 2015’sSecret Wars, where his science and magic stopped the complete destruction of the multiverse - somethingnot even Reed Richards could accomplish.
However, Doom has also committed his share of atrocities. Most notably, in Christopher Cantwell and Salvador Larroca’sDoctor Doom. In this series, a womhole connects Earth-616 to an alternate reality where Doctor Doom repented and became a hero. This universe is a total utopia, where Earth is totally at peace and allied with every other alien civilization to ensure galactic peace and pursue new scientific horizons.
When Doom travels to the alternate world, he meets his other self. The good Doom reveals that the original can be like him, but only if he puts aside ego and makes peace with Reed Richards, whose help he will need to bring about a perfect future. Rather than accept this path forward,Doctor Doom uses the Ultimate Nullifier to wipe the entire reality from existence, killing"nearly infinite sentient beings."
Meanwhile,as the apprentice of the Marquis of Death, Doom aided in killing thousands of alternate Earths, using mystic power to bring about extinction events including causing the Sun to swallow the solar system. As the godlike ruler of Battleworld, Doom had entire territories executed, repeatedly killing off his former enemies before bringing them back to do it again.
Not all of Doctor Doom’s crimes have been so ambitious. As a dictator and tyrant, he’s no stranger to war. In Cantwell and Larroca’sDoctor Doom,he carries out ‘Total War’ against the neighboring nation of Symkaria, slaughtering the population down to their livestock. He also fought a protracted war against Wakanda and has stirred up conflicts elsewhere in the globe through proxies.
Doom’s personal kills are impressive, with foes including Baron Zemo, Captain America and Thanos himself dying at his hands. Doom’s most disturbing kill is likely his first love, Valeria (for whom he named Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s daughter), who he sacrificed to enhance his mystical powers, wearing leather armor made of her skin for a short time afterwards. Doom prefers personal executions over mass slaughter, which makes itshocking that he seems to be the winner of our comparison…
Doctor Doom vs Thanos: The ‘Winner’
One Factor Makes It an Easy Decision
Doctor Doom and Thanos have both killed on a universal level, but there’s one big difference between them -when Doctor Doom kills someone, they tend to stay dead. Thanos' biggest tributes to Death came inInfinity Gauntletand the run-up toSecret Wars, but all of these kills were later reversed. InInfinity Gauntlet, Nebula resets the universe to before Thanos' genocide, whileSecret Warssees Franklin and Reed Richards recreate all the versions of Earth he destroyed. Even the Cancerverse bounced back after Thanos' visit.
In contrast, Earth-44131 has never recovered from being obliterated by Doctor Doom, with 2022’sIron Man #15confirming it remains a dead reality. BecauseThanos' greatest feats were reversed and Doom’s weren’t, Doctor Doom claims the highestpermanentbody count, and if you don’t believeus, ask Thanos' love Lady Death, who named Doom her"greatest servant"for the ‘accomplishment.’
WhileThanos has definitely committed more acts of murder and kills far more frequently, Doom obliterating an entire universe overshadows his lasting kills by trillions. At the same time, Doom is suggested to have traveled withthe Marquis of Deathfor millennia, meaning he’s likely been responsible for more planetary death than the heroes of Earth-616 will ever know.
What About the Multiverse?
Opening Up EveryVersionof Doom and Thanos Makes for a Harder Answer
Once Doctor Doom and Thanos' variants are included, it’s impossible to know who has killed more. InAvengers #53,the multiversal Doom Supremecasts a single spell that burns a thousand planets at the same time, while on Earth-18466,Doctor Doom replaced Galactus as the Devourer of Worlds. Meanwhile, Jim Starlin’sMarvel Universe: The Endsees Thanos destroy (and recreate) all of reality, while the potential future of Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw’s ‘Thanos Wins’ arc sees the older King Thanos kill all life in the universe, even personally feeding Captain America to the Hulk.
Ultimately, Thanos has dedicated his life to Death and kills indiscriminately. Meanwhile, Doctor Doom is far more cold and calculating, not wanting to destory what he could instead control. However, whenDoctor Doomwas challenged to give up his ego and live a life of self sacrifice, he instead chose a cosmic atrocitiy that has yet to be equaled byThanos… though it’s always possible the Mad Titan will rise to the challenge sometime soon.
Doctor Doom
Thanos
Hailing from the planet Titan, Thanos is a primary antagonist throughout the canon of Marvel Comics. First appearing in The Invincible Iron Man, Thanos is a powerful and calculating warlord primarily concerned with earning the affection of Death herself. In many of his tales, Thanos seeks to gather the six infinity stones to lay waste to half of all life in the universe.
