When it comes toMarveland its superpowered roster of superheroes, it’s common for thecomicspublisher to feature unique origin stories - such as that of Moon Knight, the avatar of Khonshu, and even the Inhumans that received their powers through the mysterious Terrigen Mist. And while Moon Knight received his powers from an ancient deity, the Inhumans have had quite the sci-fi origin story. Not to mention, their royalty and unique nature mean some Inhumans are just a cut different from the rest.
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Interestingly, some Inhumans might appear to have “ordinary” abilities, whereas others are just simply too powerful to be handled. And seeing howMarvelteams likethe Inhumans, theX-Men, and the Avengers are about to have another scuffle in the comics soon, it may help to see just which Inhumans are the more powerful among the rest.
Updated on June 14, 2025, by Rhenn Taguiam:Although the Inhumans already made an appearance throughout Agents of SHIELD and explored the lives of the Inhuman Royal Family in Marvel’s Inhumans, it’s in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that puts the Inhumans front and center in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - at least for a short time. The film reveals the existence of not just the Multiverse, but specifically Earth-838 where Black Bolt is a member of the Illuminati (its version of the Avengers), but he is also teammates with Professor X of the X-Men. Not only does this confirm the existence of Mutants, but also the Inhumans in the larger MCU space. And for fans who want to learn Inhumansin the comics, perhaps starting with its most powerful members could help - including empaths, reality warpers, and even an ancient and long-forgotten Inhuman.
15Lockjaw
One couldn’t expect that a giant dog with an antenna on his head would become an Inhuman, but this is exactly whatLockjawwas after Inhuman experimentation on canines. Serving as the loyal pet of the Royal Family,Lockjaw is ever-so-loyal, especially to Black Bolt and his closest confidants.
However, one shouldn’t underestimate Lockjaw simply because of his appearance. Lockjaw possesses tremendous powers of teleportation, allowing himself and up to a ton of additional mass to get transported not just through space but even through dimensions. While Lockjaw couldn’t speak, it’s assumed that Lockjaw has the innate ability to even “sense” spatial distances, and an incredible ability to smell and track scents across dimensions.
14Medusa
A member of the Attilan Royal Family by birth,Medusahad herself exposed to Terrigen Mist at an early age, allowing her to be able to manipulate her hair like an appendage similar to her limbs. Serving as Black Bolt’s second cousin, their close relations developed into a love that blossomed into a partnershipthat rivaled other couplesin the comics universe.
While Medusa isn’t as powerful on her own, her prowess lies in her trichokinesis, the ability to control her hair. When she concentrates, Medusa can control her hair to do just about anything imaginable. The tips of her hair can move faster than sound, allowing her to strike at foes like a whip or even flip it like a fan. Not only that, but she can lift objects much larger than the courtesy of her hair, which extends to delicate manipulations - as though she can control every limb of her hair.
13Inferno
Although a newly-activated Inhuman after Attilan fell into the Hudson River, Dante Pertuz adopted the monikerInfernoafter discovering his abilities. And despite his youth, Dante quickly grew used to using his power, to the point of being one of themost potent pyrokinetic individualsin the Marvel universe.
What’s perhaps interesting is that Inferno isn’t generating “fire” per se, but rather generating plasmoid flames from thin air. These geothermal abilities can extend to great lengths, such as engulfing himself in a mix of pyroclastic material or even creating a volcano out of the ground. Perhaps more impressive is his ability to generate a new arm out of pyroclastic material after having his original one chopped off.
12Gorgon
WhenGorgonwas exposedto the Terrigen Mist, he received a physical improvement in the form of hooves that allowed him to generate kinetic shockwaves. Despite the simple nature of this ability, it’s how he’s able to use them that makes him such a formidable force against most threats. Thanks to his hooves, Gorgon was granted not just superhuman strength but a tremendous amount of stamina, speed, agility, and reflexes.
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Not only that but stomping his hooves allow him to create seismic shocks that amplify his kicks - generating enough force that can reach 7.5 magnitudes on the Richter Scale. When used near a fault line, these energies can reach 9.5. A truly-angry Gorgon can summon an earthquake with enough force to level cities.
11Ulysses Cain
Being thefocal point of theCivil War 2storyline,Ulysses Cainis a young Inhuman born with the peculiar ability to “forecast” the future. He does this by unconsciously absorbing energies and data permeated by everything around him and, through a mental “algorithm,” generates dreams and visions of what may happen in the future.
While this ability strained him at first due to lack of control, the training allowed Ulysses to eventually “pause” these visions and even analyze his dreams more carefully, allowing him to study his visions further. This ability extended to being able to bring others into his projections as well. When used in combat, Ulysses may be able to predict what others would do. And considering the ethical considerations of a “probability” being extended to someone having a “tendency” to commit crimes, Ulysses’s abilities are easily one of the most coveted in the universe.
10Maximus
The second son to the Attilan Royal Family,Maximusas a child in her mother’s womb was genetically altered to absorb a particular amount of Terrigen Mist to bestow advanced cognitive functions. As a result, Maximus grew not just to have advanced intelligence, but also mental control unlike others have seen. This propensity towards cold logic developed a sense of superiority over Maximus, making him one of the most villainous Inhumans of all time.
However, one can’t blame Maximus for his tendencies to become a villain, considering the great magnitude of hismental powers. At its core, Maximus possesses the ability to “override” the thought processes of other brains, giving him some extent of mind control that ranges from mind reading, memory alteration, illusions, and even personality alteration. Simply leaving Maximus alone leaves him at his deadliest, as this allows him to tinker with minds as he sees fit.
9Karnak
The second son of an Inhuman philosopher-priest,Karnakwas raised to have a quieter demeanor and a more serious personality, something that reflects in his abilities. After his exposure to Terrigen Mist, Karnak developed the peculiar ability to condition his mind and body to peak efficiency, allowing him to control his body with magnificent precision - be it his heartbeat and breathing, to minute things such as healing rate, pain reaction, and other autonomous functions.
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However, Karnak at his deadliest was when he started studying his own body, allowing him to extend this to others - being able toidentify stress points and weaknessesin everything around him. This applies not just to physical things but also psychological as well, allowing him to shatter or split objects seemingly invulnerable or much stronger than him.
8Crystal
Perhaps one of themore famous Inhumans,Crystalis the younger sister of Medusa and was granted certain mental powers thanks to her exposure to the Terrigen Mist. However, Crystal’s kind-hearted nature shouldn’t be used against her. After all, this Inhuman has the peculiar abilities of an Elementalist, allowing her to manipulate all four elements to her wishes.
Not only does this allow her to manipulate air, fire, earth, and water in a basic sense. Rather, she can do wildly different things with them, especially with her advanced training. Aerokinesis not just allows her to fly but also creates force fields and manipulates the atmosphere. Meanwhile, her control over fire allows her to outright manipulate atoms by triggering chemical reactions. Her psionic connection to the elements gives her peculiar awareness and immunity towards and against them as well.
7Lash
Perhaps the deadliest among the Inhumans,Lashwas born in the hidden city of Oriolan, chosen to be exposed to the Terrigen Mist as a gift and not a birthright. This granted him the ability of energy conversion and teleportation, allowing him to be one of the deadliest Inhumans ever encountered in the universe. His teleportation abilities alone allow him to travel to virtually any destination he wished, making it a deadly asset in combat.
However, perhaps deadlier is hisability to convert and control energy. Not only can he absorb almost all kinds of energies, but he can also emit energy he’s absorbed from his palms with such strength that he’s capable of outright disintegrating others. In fact, such was his control over energy that Lash can manipulate it in other forms.
6Black Bolt
The King of the Inhumans, silentBlack Boltisn’t to be underestimated despite his quiet demeanor. His kingly presence is respected not just by his own kind but Earth alike, especially considering thedeadly nature of his abilities. As fans know, Black Bolt is silent because his speech alone can level entire cities. He can harness electrons to such a level that any slight attempt to use his vocal cords can cause a “quasi-sonic scream,” and using it at full strength can essentially destroy planet-sized objects.
Not only that, but the antenna he wears on his head allows Black Bolt to channel his powers, letting him bolster his speed and strength by focusing his powers on it. Moreover, Black Bolt can create concussive blasts instead of simply letting out his screams, allowing him to create attacks such as the deadly Master Blow. Lastly, his electron manipulation is so extreme that focusing his voice as a field around him can create an impenetrable force field.
