The All-Powerful God of the Marvel multiverse is probably never going to appear in the MCU for one monumental reason.
The Marvel multiverse is home to an infinite amount of incredibly powerful beings, some of whom are called gods by others, and some who call themselves gods. But there is only one true god in the Marvel multiverse, and they’re too powerful to ever show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In every incarnation, the One-Above-All is not portrayed as a character but as a multiversal force of nature that occupies and shapes every single thing in the multiverse. Unlike Thanos or Galactus, who are portrayed as ultra-powerful villains to be defeated or outsmarted, the One-Above-All cannot be defeated. It simply exists as a multiversal constant.
The God of the Marvel Multiverse Debuted As Jack Kirby
Created by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, the One-Above-All first appeared in Fantastic Four #511. It is the supreme ruler of the Marvel Multiverse, and the ultimate source of everything good in every realm. The Fantastic Four were in Heaven looking for the soul of Ben Grimm when they stumbled onto a door seemingly created from a mix of Reed Richards’ inventions and The Thing’s stone skin. When they got past the door, they found a quaint home office with a man bearing the visage of legendary comic creator Jack Kirby drawing at his desk.
While he can adopt many different forms, the One-Above-All explained that people tend to “find the humanity in God”, and appeared to the Fantastic Four in Jack Kirby’s likeness. As he spoke, he continued drawing and got a call from his “collaborator,” who was heavily implied to be Stan Lee. Kirby revived Ben Grimm and fixed Richards’ damaged face, then sent the team on their way, giving them a drawing which hinted at their bright, happy future, forever united as a family. By initially portraying the One-Above-All as the Fantastic Four’s real life co-creator, it cemented the deity as the most powerful force in the entire multiverse.
The One-Above-All Has Taken Many Different Forms
Since the One-Above-All’s debut as Jack Kirby, it has gone on to feature in a variety of different series. When Aunt May was dying, it took the form of a homeless man to help Peter Parker come to terms with her eventual death and keep his faith in the world. And when Earth-616 was destroyed, Thanos and an alternate universe Adam Warlock had a brief conversation with the One-Above All, who called itself Above-All-Others. Thanos managed to convince it to restore their universe in exchange for Adam Warlock replacing the recently deceased Living Tribunal.
While the One-Above-All is all-powerful, they have a counterbalance and a dark side in the One Below All, who serves as the ultimate personification of destruction and evil. First debuting in Immortal Hulk (by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett), it fused with Bruce Banner’s abusive father, Brian Banner in an attempt to kill him and destroy the multiverse. To accomplish its goal, it started possessing gamma mutates and eventually came to possess the Leader. The One Below All plunged Bruce Banner into the Below-Place but was eventually stopped by the Hulk’s different personalities. The Hulks later separated the Leader from the One Below All, leaving it as a mindless counterbalance to the One-Above-All once again.
Because of his omnipotence, neither the One-Above-All nor its many forms will likely ever appear in the MCU, simply because of the massive power imbalance it would cause. Although, given that the movie franchise has slowly been expanding to include more cosmic beings like Thanos, the Watchers and the Eternals, it could be possible that there will be some subtle nod to the god of the Marvel multiverse inserted somewhere as an easter egg for fans in the know.
