10 Marvel Characters You Never Knew Were Immortal

When the Marvel Universe began, their world was known for having more down-to-Earth stories and characters than their Distinguished Competition. However, decades of storytelling have introduced countless changes to characters… such as making several of them immortal.

Of course, Marvel has always had some characters who were immortal, like Thor or Hercules, since they existed for millennia before even making an appearance in the modern day. Other characters were transformed into immortals either through their powers, through new adventures later, or through retcons of how their powers worked. These characters will exist for eons after all of their contemporaries have faded away, thanks to their ageless nature.

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10 Wolverine

Everyone knows Wolverine’s healing factor makes him incredibly long-lived. The character was born back in the 1800s, and has been around through several major events, fighting for causes he believes in… or running from people who want to misuse his power. That said, it’s always been up in the air just how long Wolverine could survive.

Or at least, it was until Marvel revealed in the King Thor timeline that Wolverine outlasts all of humanity. Long after pollution tore the world apart, Wolverine continued to live, partially from merging with the Phoenix Force to extend his life further. Though the Phoenix Force kept him going after a certain point, it was Wolverine’s healing factor that allowed him to exist long enough for the Phoenix Force to choose him as an option centuries into the future.

9 Captain America

Aside from Captain America’s trusty shield, the only thing he’s really relied on is his own courage and the serum that transforms his body. The Super Soldier Serum was always thought to give Steve Rogers peak human abilities, but few people knew it would also become a permanent fountain of youth for him. After his battles during World War II, the theory was that Steve Rogers’ time frozen in ice operated similar to cryogenic stasis. Instead, the truth is seemingly that he’s stuck at peak human age forever.

In the alternate timeline 1602, Steve Rogers remained the same age even as heroes younger than him like Daredevil and Spider-Man got old. Captain America survived decades beyond that in the new timeline after being sent to the past. Even in the main Earth, he’s gone to alternate worlds and fought for decades without aging past his mid-30s.

8 Erik Josten

In the past, Erik Josten was an Avengers enemy, someone who spent years battling against the Avengers both as a solo hero and as a member of the Masters of Evil. However, when he received a chance to pretend to be a hero in the Thunderbolts, Erik decided he liked that role more than being a villain, deciding to go from Power Man to Atlas.

Erik Josten’s change of mind is fortunate for planet Earth, since he’s basically ageless now. After being transformed into a being of pure ionic energy, Josten can functionally live forever. He can recreate himself whenever he wants, so long as he has something tying him to Earth to focus on. After spending so much time on the Thunderbolts, people consistently underestimate what this hero is capable of.

7 Sandman

Flint Marko got transformed into the Sandman and used his power to become a career criminal for a time. As writers came to realize how powerful he really was, they eventually made Sandman into one of Spider-Man’s most dangerous enemies. With his body made of sand, not only can Sandman literally be anywhere, but he’s also nearly impossible to harm.

Because Flint’s body comprises sand, he’s functionally immortal. Future versions of him have continued to exist billions of years later. Even with the Earth gone, Sandman can still survive, and seems to gain even more control over his powers in the future.

6 Simon Williams

Wonder Man has been a valued member of the Avengers for years, and is one of their major powerhouses. While Simon Williams was originally a human that was experimented on, over time, he transformed into ionic energy. This power makes Simon one of the most powerful heroes on Earth and prevents him from aging.

As a being made entirely of energy, Simon doesn’t need to sleep or eat, and his body will remain at its current age and strength for centuries to come. It isn’t just agelessness though. His unique energy form makes him close to a true immortal. Simon can recover from any injury he takes, which allowed him to revive multiple times in past encounters.

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5 The Thing

Ben Grimm is the heart and soul of The Fantastic Four, and arguably of the Marvel Universe in general. Although his powers might have changed his appearance, they couldn’t change who he was. Whether it’s with his family, or with other teams like the Avengers or the Guardians of the Galaxy, he continues to use his powers to help people.

And it seems like the Thing will continue helping people for a long time. Though Reed hasn’t been able to cure him, he gave Ben one day out of the year to return to his human form. This led to Reed forming a hypothesis he confirmed with a time machine: Ben only ages that one day out of the year. As a result, the Thing lives thousands of years into the future, long after the rest of the Fantastic Four are gone.

4 Monica Rambeau

Monica Rambeau was a normal woman who worked for the New Orleans Harbor Patrol until the explosion of an experimental device transformed her body into electromagnetic energy. It wasn’t long before she went into action as the new Captain Marvel, using her powers to help people both as a solo hero and as an Avenger.

Though Monica has Rambeau had trouble controlling her powers in the past, an infusion of power from Blue Marvel upgraded her powers several times over. Because of that change, Monica was transformed into pure energy. With that new power, Monica became immortal and one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe.

3 Moon Knight

Marc Spector was a soldier who lost his life in the desert and was revived by the moon god Khonshu. Upon his return, he transformed into the Fist of Khonshu, Moon Knight. His skills as a soldier and the power he’s been granted by Khonshu make him one of the deadliest fighters in the Marvel Universe, one who has battled against the Avengers before and won.

Strength is not the only thing granted to Marc Spector from his pact with Khonshu. Moon Knight has attained a form of immortality, allowing him to return to life again and again. Marc has already been revived multiple times by Khonshu, and continues to use his abilities to fight and protect those in need.

2 Peter Quill

Peter Quill believed he was just another normal human being until he made his way out into space. There, he underwent an experience that both imbued him with the Element Gun and transformed him into the Master of the Sun. Peter has since learned he’s not a full-blood human, but a member of Spartax royalty.

Given his half-Spartax nature, Peter ages at a slower rate than most humans. However, he’s also had the powers of the Olympian gods inside his body, changing it and making him ageless. He’s already spent over a century living in another reality, yet he’s still in his physical prime.

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1 Incredible Hulk

The gamma radiation experiment on the Hulk already made Hulk different from most humans. Recently, what people believed was possible with the Hulk has been radically altered. People already knew he had a powerful healing factor that allowed him to auto-regenerate from any injury. In more recent comics, it’s been revealed that even as Bruce Banner, he’ll revive after injuries as the Hulk and still return to his Banner form.

The Hulk’s exposure to gamma radiation has connected him to The Green Door, which revives him regardless of how he gets injured. However, Hulk’s immortality goes beyond an immunity to injury. The Hulk can even live beyond the current universe and survive into the next, meaning he might truly be unstoppable.