12 Oldest Marvel Characters

1. The One-Above-All - As Old As Time Itself

The One Above All Thanos Adam Warlock
Marvel Comics

When it comes to the Marvel Universe, there isn't a being as powerful, or as old, as the One-Above-All. The multiverse's god, OAA is said to be responsible for having created all the life in Marvel's library, meaning his omnipotence can never be matched - even by an Infinity Gauntlet-wearing Thanos.

Introduced in Sensational Spider-Man Vol 2., this particular One-Above-All isn't to be confused with the Celestial introduced in the aforementioned Eternals series. Though he had been alluded to in abstract terms during Marvel's Infinity Saga, it wasn't until 2007 where the character would make his first appearance, coming to a downtrodden Peter Parker during the controversial One More Day storyline that reset the wall-crawler's history.

Later, OAA would appear in the finale to Thanos' solo comic, released in 2016. The Mad Titan and Adam Warlock bargain for the resurrection of their own reality, with Warlock taking on the mantle of the new Living Tribunal in return.

The One-Above-All may transcend the sheer concept of time anyway, but when you're older than existence itself, there isn't a character who could possibly compete for the mantle of Marvel's oldest character - Celestial, or otherwise.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.