God Physiology (Marvel Comics)

Introduction

In Marvel, it has been constantly shown that the divine pantheons of the Marvel universe, from Asgardians to Elder Gods, are an instrumental part of the cosmology and narrative. As such, the Gods of Marvel have all constantly been shown to share similar powers, despite the differing natures of their pantheons.

Powers shared by all Gods/Immortals

• Superhuman Physical Characteristics
• Abstract Existence: Gods are myths and stories given physical form through the belief of mankind; Thor himself is an elemental archetype, personifying the storm. Gods are creatures of story, they are the stories themselves - stories which can only be interacted with and affected by other Gods of a similar cosmic standing. They are also described as "narrative abstractions given form" and "metaphysical"/"enduring literary devices". Gods are substance (concepts) given by the Demiurge, and their physical form is given by the collective unconscious. Gods can be spawned from belief and emotions.
• Acausality: Types 1 & 4. Gods don't fully exist in normal space and time, and instead operate in "mythic time," being largely unaffected by alterations to the former as a result. The God Realms, such as Olympus and Asgard, are all mystic dimensions, with mystic realms all being a place where "time is unpredictable", and Asgard has been stated many times to be beyond and outside of time and space. The Overvoid of the Egyptian gods is beyond space and time. Ares, the Greek God of War, was shown to be outside the standard flow of time.
• Higher-Dimensional Existence: Ascendantal. Asgard, one of the God Realms, is on a different and higher dimensional plane/layer of reality from Earth, and exists far across the vast dimensional seas, beyond thy mortal concepts of time and space, as well as "beyond time, beyond space, beyond the great dimensional barrier", and compared to the plane of Asgard the mortal plane of Earth is "so far below... so far away in time and space!". The Immortal Plane is above and beyond the mortal plane entirely. In addition, other God Realms are also stated to be beyond time. Wayep, the Mayan God of Mischief, exists in "the multidimensional heavens", states that time cannot contain him and that he views 3-dimensional beings as mere "painting on the cave" in comparison, and could only be communicated with through multidimensional calculus and schematics that consisted of over 10 spatial dimensions. Word of God states that Thor's existence breaks reality as he moves through the world, and he is an other-dimensional being that doesn't belong in this universe.
  • Note: All the God Realms are indicated to be on the same level of existence.
  • Also, it has been repeatedly stated that entering the mortal realm weakens the Gods, who can only enter by descending into the form of man.
• Dimensional Manipulation: As the inner divinity of Gods transcends dimensions entirely, they are capable of interacting with and affecting higher-dimensional structures, such as the pan-dimensional/infinite-dimensional Cosmic Cubes.
• Energy Projection and Magic: Gods can use magic, with their level of magical power depending on their number of worshippers. The Asgardian and Olympian Gods are both stated to be capable of using magic.
• Longevity - Gods can live for thousands of years,
• Immortality:
  • Type 4 - Even if they are killed, the gods can be reborn.
  • Type 8 - Gods are manifestations of a world's spiritual life-force, given shape and sustenance by the collective consciousness of its highest physical life-form. A god's power stem from the ethereal energy of the human mind, as long as there is belief or knowledge of a god, he will live. It's stated that Thor can't be killed or slain permanently by Mephisto due to his nature as a God, with Mephisto directly comparing that immortality to his own which allows him to live as long as the evil he embodies exists.
  • Type 9 - Applicable to avatar forms - they have higher dimensional forms that are unaffected by changes and harm done to their avatar forms.
• Empowerment: All Gods grow stronger the more that they are worshiped by mortals, something also stated here. The powers of a God come from belief, they need to be worshipped. Gods are manifestations of a world's spiritual life-force, given shape and sustenance by the collective consciousness of its highest physical life-form. A god's power stem from the ethereal energy of the human mind, as long as there is belief or knowledge of a god, he will live.
• Enhanced Senses and Extrasensory Perception: Gods and their offspring can perceive invisible beings
• Dimensional Travel: High Ascendantal Range. Gods can travel to the Infinite Embassy, which resides at the top of Earth-616's cluster of dimensions, of which there are an infinite amount. Many divine tribes of Gods have casually travelled to other planes and dimensions.
• Size Manipulation: Athena grew to a size bigger than the sun, and then she held back the night. Hela grew to a massive scale, larger than several planets, stars, and galaxies in the universe. To escape from a prison in Asgard, Loki had to shrink his size into Midgard's level of existence. Dhanvantari (Daeva), a minor god responsible for medicine and the immortalization of the gods, can become bigger than a galaxy.
• Power Bestowal: Gods can give powers to others.
• Automatic Translation: Gods can speak and understand the language of mortals through Allspeak (also known as All-Tongue).
• Resistance to:
  • Magic (As the Gods are capable of fighting each other, they should resist the mystic powers of their fellow deities)
  • Matter Manipulation (Gods possess different molecules to humans, allowing them to be unaffected by things such as a molecule freezing beam)
  • Law Manipulation and Physics Manipulation: Gods live in a world of "legend and symbol", outside the realm of science and law.
  • Sleep Manipulation (Gods are unaffected by the Chaos King causing mass sleep)
  • Space-Time Manipulation (Gods don't fully exist in normal space and time, and instead operate in "mythic time," being largely unaffected by alterations to the former as a result)
  • Existence Erasure, Plot Manipulation and Conceptual Manipulation (Type 1. Gods are stories large enough to keep from being washed away by the The House of Ideas' passive effects, despite it working with "all the force of creation" to deconstruct those caught in its light)
    • The potency of this resistance is High 1-A due to it scaling to the House of Ideas.
  • Death Manipulation & Deconstruction: Immortals can resist Decay's touch which causes living things to quickly decay and die
  • Causality Manipulation: Gods do not exist in the here and now.
  • Soul Manipulation: The soul of a God is superior to that of a mutant's, which is a thousand of times stronger than a human soul.
  • Interdimensional BFR & Power Mimicry: Thor's godly nature let him resist the Space Phantom's abilities of taking the form and powers of anyone he wished as well as his ability to send his victims to dimensional limbo.