Editing Marvel Universe (section)

===Supernatural creatures===
Also abundant in the Marvel Universe are legendary creatures such as gods, demons and vampires. The 'gods' of most [[polytheistic]] pantheons are powerful, immortal human-like races residing in other dimensions who visited Earth in ancient times, and became the basis of many legends. However, all of these 'gods' share a common ancestry and connection to Earth due to Gaea, the primeval Elder Goddess that infused her life essence into all living things on Earth. Gaea is known by various names and appearances in other cultures and among the various pantheons, but she is the same being. As a result, she is a member of every polytheistic pantheon of 'gods' worshiped by humans. Besides mythological gods, many deities made up by Marvel writers exist as well, such as the Dark Gods, enemies of the [[Asgard (comics)|Asgardians]]. The Dark Gods are a race of 'gods' that have been worshiped by [[Extraterrestrials in fiction|extraterrestrial]] races. Well-known alien races like the [[Shi'ar]] and [[Skrull]]s also have beings they worship as 'gods', though little has been revealed about them.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=September 2014}}

Many persons and beings have falsely pretended to be gods or demons during history; in particular, none of the ones claiming to be major figures from [[Judeo-Christian]] beliefs have turned out to be the real article, although several angels have appeared in recent years, as well as an apparent true rebellion and expulsion of angels from a higher realm known as Paradise, proving that some form of [[Heaven]] and [[Hell]] do exist in this Universe, seemingly like those in keeping with common real-world religious belief. Similarly, demons are evil magical beings who take affairs in the matters of the universe. Some of the most powerful are [[Blackheart]], [[Mephisto (Marvel Comics)|Mephisto]], [[Nightmare (Marvel Comics)|Nightmare]], [[Satannish]], [[Thog (comics)|Thog the Nether-Spawn]] and [[Zom]]. There are also powerful benevolent mystical entities such as the Vishanti; or amoral and malevolent entities who are not truly demonic, such as [[Dormammu]] and the Octessence, or ones heavily drawing upon the mythologies of [[H. P. Lovecraft]] and [[Robert E. Howard]]. Some supernatural beings, entities and human characters created by Lovecraft and Howard, who were friends and influenced each other's work, have been adapted by Marvel and include [[Abdul Alhazred]],<ref>''Tarzan'' #15 (August 1978)</ref><ref>''Marvel Comics Presents'' #62 (November 1990)</ref><ref>''Marvel Comics Presents'' #152 (April 1994)</ref> [[Conan the Barbarian]]<ref>''Conan the Barbarian'' #1 (July 1971)</ref> [[Nyarlathotep]]<ref>''Journey Into Mystery'' (vol. 2) #4 (June 1973)</ref> and Set.<ref>''Marvel Feature'' #6 (May 1976)</ref> Some deities or demonic beings that are original characters of Marvel have been heavily influenced by these mythologies, such as [[Shuma-Gorath]].<ref>''Marvel Premiere'' #10 (September 1973)</ref>

Most of the current generation of gods have been revealed to be the descendants of the Elder Goddess [[Gaea (comics)|Gaea]]. The two most featured pantheons are the [[Norse mythology|Asgardians]] (of whom [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]] is a member) and the [[Olympians (Marvel Comics)|Olympians]] (of whom [[Hercules (Marvel Comics)|Hercules]] is a member). The lords of the various pantheons sometimes gather in groups known as either the Council of Godheads or the Council of Skyfathers. The gods were forced to stop meddling with humanity (at least openly) a thousand years ago by the [[Celestial (comics)|Celestials]], and most people today believe them to be fictional. Other pantheons have been depicted in the Marvel Universe that is still actively worshiped in the real world, including those worshiped by the [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal]] inhabitants of Australia, the [[Hindu deities|gods]] of [[Hinduism]], the [[Shinto]] gods and the gods of [[Zoroastrianism]]. These deities are rarely depicted, however. One such appearance generated a good deal of controversy as the depiction involved a fight between [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Marvel's incarnation of Thor]] and the Hindu god [[Shiva]], a battle which Shiva lost.<ref>''Thor'' #301 (November 1980)</ref> As Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hindu religion, his defeat offended some followers of Hinduism. This battle was [[Retroactive continuity|retcon]]ned later as having been the deity [[Indra]], the Hindu god of thunder, who was posing as Shiva, that met defeat.<ref>''Thor Annual'' #10 (1981)</ref> To avoid offending the believers of still active religions, Marvel features such deities as characters in the background or who make very brief cameo appearances.

Marvel's depiction of vampires has been heavily influenced by various interpretations of popular media, such as [[Bram Stoker]]'s ''[[Dracula]]''. As with many other supernatural creatures, Marvel entwined the origin of vampires with aspects of the mythologies created by Lovecraft and Howard. They were created by magical rites performed by priests of Atlantis before the Great Cataclysm that destroyed much of the world, with [[Varnae]] becoming the first vampire. Marvel would depict vampires as frequent antagonists during the [[Hyborian Age]] to Howard characters such as [[Kull of Atlantis|Kull]] and Conan. In recent years, Marvel's depiction of vampires has altered greatly by creating various subspecies of vampires that exist in [[clan]]s that greatly differ in appearance and belief. All vampires are depicted with varying degrees of superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes and accelerated healing. Many are capable of transforming into animals such as bats or wolves; some can transform into a mist-like substance; some of the most powerful are capable of controlling the weather to a somewhat limited degree. All vampires must ingest blood to maintain their survival and physical vitality. So long as they do so regularly, they cease to age and are immune to diseases. They retain the well-known vulnerabilities common to vampires in other media interpretations, including sunlight, garlic, religious icons and weapons made of silver. Vampires can be killed by a wooden stake driven through the heart, though they return to life if the stake is removed. Vampires are highly allergic to silver and can be killed with it. While they normally heal rapidly, injuries inflicted by silver weapons heal at a much slower rate if the injuries are not fatal. Vampires can also be killed by decapitation or being burned with fire, with burning them to ashes and then scattering the ashes being the most effective means of ensuring their demise (scattering the ashes is done so that the vampire cannot be mystically resurrected).