The Most Powerful Swords in the Marvel Universe

The Marvel Universe is rife with legendary weapons each with their own unique origins and abilities. For many across the Marvel Universe, swords are the weapon of choice, all deadly in their own way and, above all, as unfailingly cool as they are razor-sharp.

Let’s look at some of the most powerful swords in the Marvel Universe, including their notable history and the iconic heroes and villains who wielded them.
 

The Ebony Blade

With the Ebony Blade in hand, the Black Knight has defended the Marvel Universe since King Arthur’s reign in medieval England. In MARVEL SUPER HEROES (1967) #17, Merlin discovered a strange black ore from a meteorite, which he forged into a sword he dubbed "the Ebony Blade."

The enchanted weapon can deflect and absorb magical attacks, cut through virtually any substance. Its wielder can only be killed by someone using a weapon forged from the same extraterrestrial material.

However, wielding the Ebony Blade comes at a severe cost. Its power corrupts the wielder, causing them to grow noticeably more violent and unstable the more they use it. The Black Knight learned this lesson the hard way.

Over the years, Dane Whitman continued to discover more of the Ebony Blade’s magical properties, including healing and resurrection. In KING IN BLACK: BLACK KNIGHT (2021) #1, Knull observed that the sword could destroy entire planets if its full potential was unleashed.
 

The Twilight Sword

Surtur, the Fire Giant King of Muspelheim, forged the original Twilight Sword in the Eternal Flame of Destruction. While the blade had the power to bring Ragnarok to Asgard, Odin and his brothers destroyed the initial version of the Twilight Sword when they attacked Muspelheim in THOR (1966) #349. This forced Surtur to construct an even more formidable weapon.

In THOR (1966) #351, Surtur forged a new Twilight Sword at the heart of the Burning Galaxy, destroying the galaxy itself and all of the planets it contained in the process.

A cosmic power source, the Twilight Sword can easily cut through the Odin-Force, the most powerful energy in Asgard. Surtur even used this sword to shatter the Bifrost Bridge.

The Twilight Sword later received an upgrade with the Eternal Flame, and grew more powerful, becoming capable of warping reality and completely razing Asgard. In effect, Surtur used the blade to usher in Ragnarok in THOR (1998) #85. Beta Ray Bill eventually claimed the Twilight Sword for himself in BETA RAY BILL (2021) #5.
 

The Odinsword

The Twilight Sword is far from the only notable blade originating in the Ten Realms. Also known as the Oversword of Asgard, the Odinsword was prophesied to destroy the entire universe.

Odin forged the Odinsword from a cursed Nibelung ring in order to take on incoming Celestial attackers in THOR (1966) #300. However, even the blade's insurmountable power failed to stop the Celestials, with the cosmic gods destroying it.

Years later, the All-Father presented Thor with a new version of the Odinsword in FEAR ITSELF (2010) #6 to equip the Thunderer with a weapon fit to slay Odin’s evil brother, Cul.

Despite various villains trying to claim its raw power for themselves, the Odinsword has since remained stowed away after the pivotal battle with Cul to keep it out of enemy hands.

Excalibur

Excalibur, the iconic sword of Arthurian legend, is a prominent weapon in the Marvel Universe. Following the death of King Arthur, the Black Knight of the era wielded Excalibur along with the Ebony Blade, claiming the weapon for himself in NEW EXCALIBUR (2005) #10.

Excalibur can smite any opponent it pierces, including gods and cosmic figures. When wielded with its scabbard, the sword also emits a healing aura that makes the wielder virtually invincible in combat. A time-traveling Iron Man first encountered the weapon during an excursion in medieval England in IRON MAN (1998) #61.

In the modern era, Captain Britain drew Excalibur from its stony resting place in CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 (2008) #3. He used the powerful blade to fight back against an attempted Skrull invasion of the United Kingdom.

The current wielder of Excalibur is Doctor Faiza Hussain, who drew the sword from the stone where Brian Braddock left it in CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 (2008) #4. She proceeded to take on the super hero moniker Excalibur in its honor, defending the United Kingdom from threats such as Dracula.

Soulsword

Since Magik's introduction, both heroes and villains have recognized her as one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel Universe. While trapped in Limbo by the demonic Belasco as a child, Magik utilized her powers to create the Soulsword, a mystical blade forged from her own life force, to fend for herself.

The Soulsword significantly boosts the magical powers of whoever wields it. It operates best against magical energies and creatures, capable of permanently nullifying those that touch its blade.

Similar to her armor, Magik’s Soulsword becomes more powerful and intricate the more magic she uses. Over the years, the Soulsword evolved significantly from its initial appearance as a relatively simple blade. A potent extension of Magik’s power, the Soulsword serves as a sharp reminder of just how powerful Illyana Rasputin truly is.

The Muramasa Blade

After World War II, Wolverine settled down in Japan, where he married a local woman named Itsu. Together, they had a son who eventually took on the name Daken. However, the sinister Romulus had nefarious plans for Wolverine and targeted his family. After Romulus’ attack left Itsu dead, Logan vowed to get revenge. 

Wolverine teamed up with Muramasa, a legendary swordsman, to forge a sword strong enough to kill Romulus and nullify his accelerated healing factor. The Muramasa Blade was thus born in WOLVERINE ORIGINS (2006) #35.

Forged with Wolverine's blood and a spiritual portion of his raw rage, the Muramasa Blade can cut through virtually anything, including solid adamantium. Anyone with a healing factor cut by the blade will take several days to recover from the wound, provided they survive the encounter with the person wielding it.

Wolverine relied on the Muramasa Blade to combat fierce villains like Romulus and Sabretooth, but also in instances where he temporarily lost his powers. In WOLVERINE (2020) #48, Logan locked the sword away in a secret vault in the Aleutian Islands to avoid it falling into the wrong hands.

Blade of the Phoenix

The Phoenix Force is one of the most powerful cosmic entities in the Marvel Universe, capable of razing entire worlds and creating new ones. The ancient Shi’ar warrior Rook’shir, a former Phoenix host, contained a fraction of this cosmic energy within his sword, which became known as the Blade of the Phoenix. Only Rook’shir’s descendants were capable of lifting the sword, let alone channeling its imbued energies.

Korvus, the last living descendant of Rook’shir, wielded the Blade of the Phoenix in the modern era in UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #479. Using the sword’s enhanced abilities, including energy projection and defensive endurance, Korvus easily beat the X-Men — except for Rachel Summers, due to her own connection to the Phoenix Force.

During a confrontation against Vulcan in X-MEN: KINGBREAKER (2008) #4, the Blade of the Phoenix was depowered when its fragment of the Phoenix Force reincorporated itself with the rest of the cosmic entity.

Godkiller & Grasscutter

Among the divine pantheons of the Marvel Universe, an ancient war between the Greek gods and Japanese gods broke out millennia ago, as revealed in SECRET WARRIORS (2009) #10.

During this conflict, a blacksmith forged the swords Godkiller and Grasscutter for each of the warring pantheons, with Zeus claiming Godkiller and Amatsu-Mikaboshi claiming Grasscutter. Perfectly crafted, both blades were designed to kill gods. However, Grasscutter was slightly flawed in its craftsmanship.

In the modern era, the super villain swordsman Gorgon came into possession of Godkiller, while Phobos, the Greek God of Fear, wielded Grasscutter. Following his duel with Phobos, Gorgon additionally claimed Grasscutter and repaired both blades after the damage they took in SECRET WARRIORS (2009) #22.

Gorgon remained in possession of both divine swords through the Contest of Swords for the fate of Krakoa in CABLE (2020) #6.

All-Black

Since the dawn of time, Knull—the God of the Symbiotes—intended on plunging all of reality into darkness with his army of symbiotes.

To create a weapon worthy of his status, Knull merged the first symbiote he created with the immense energies of a dead Celestial to forge the All-Black, a living symbiote sword, in VENOM (2018) #4.

However, the first time the heroes of the Marvel Universe encountered the All-Black was not with Knull. Thor battled Gorr the God Butcher, who claimed the dark weapon for himself from an incapacitated Knull in THOR: GOD OF THUNDER (2012) #6.

Through its cosmic enhancements, the All-Black absorbs the souls of those it slays, transmitting their energy to whoever is wielding it. After claiming the All-Black, Gorr became a demigod, made all the more powerful by his rampage against the gods. He gained a variety of abilities, from superhuman strength and speed to dark matter manipulation. 

In addition to Knull and Gorr, other notable villains, such as King Loki and Malekith the Accursed, also wielded the All-Black.

The Fated Blade

After ascending to the role of Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Doom immediately set a protective magical barrier around Latveria to put in motion a plan for global conquest. Despite his research and experiments, Mister Fantastic could not find a scientific way to breach Doom’s forcefield and confront him.

Consequently, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman turned to the Black Knight and his knowledge of magic to find a mystical way to disrupt the forcefield in FANTASTIC FOUR (2023) #28.

According to the Black Knight, the Fated Blade was a sword capable of piercing through anything, even the most powerful enchantments. Lost to history, the blade was last traced to France during World War I.

The three heroes travelled back in time to recover it, only to be thwarted by Doom, who tricked them into finding the blade so he could destroy it. Meanwhile, his plans behind his magic dome in Latveria remain a mystery… for now.

Pick up FANTASTIC FOUR #28 to learn all about the Fated Blade, available now!

Want to find out more about Marvel's many swords? Join Marvel Unlimited for instant access to 30,000+ comics on the Marvel Unlimited app or on the web, with digital issues spanning Marvel Comics classics to ongoing series!