We are living in the age of superheroes. Caped crusaders have smashed the confines of their comic-book cages and now dominate almost every corner of global pop culture. But who among them truly rules?
To create this ranking of the 50 Most Powerful Superheroes, Entertainment Weekly devised a 100-point system that rated each character in nine categories: Cultural Impact, Bankability, Design, Modern Relevance, Mythology, Nemeses, Originality, Personality, and Powers. We gave each category a maximum score of 10 points, with one exception: Cultural Impact.
The power of a superhero is defined most by this quality, so EW measured it on a 20-point scale to weigh the final list in favor of characters who have the deepest cultural footprints.
EW’s hardcore superhero experts assembled and individually scored 155 characters in each category. Those composite category scores were then added together to create an overall power total for each character. This determined the final 50 and each character’s position on the list.
The result is the most precise and comprehensive superhero ranking ever created. To see the full rundown, pick up EW’s special double-issue on Friday. See the top 10 Superheroes as ranked by Entertainment Weekly HERE.