Hollywood has created some of the most dangerous and powerful weapons ever seen. Thankfully, only one on this list is real. The rest are fictional -- and the breadth of their power and devastation make us glad they don't exist. Some of these weapons require multiple parts to maximize its power. Others don't need anything; the weapon comes in one piece, already at its full potential. To compile this list, we tried to stay away from weapons that also serve as vehicles, like the Batmobile or the AT-AT walker from Star Wars, or suits of armor. The ranking of these weapons is certainly up for debate. Real or not, here are some of the strongest weapons that have threatened, pulverized, or wreaked havoc in their respective movies' universes.

20 Zorg ZF-1 Pod Weapon - The Fifth Element (1997)

The Fifth Element is one of the best sci-fi movies of the last 25 years that no one really talks about. Here, Gary Oldman gives one of his best villainous performances as Jean-Baptiste Zorg, a futuristic arms dealer who invents one of the coolest and strongest firearms in cinema.

The Zorg ZF-1 has it all. Literally. It's an energy-based blaster, rocker launcher, arrow launcher, flamer thrower, and freezing weapon (yes, it can freeze people) all in one. It also comes with a self-destruct button that proves disastrous to the Mangalore aliens that betray Zorg. It's one of the most versatile weapons in movies, but its large size makes it clunky and impractical for frequent usage. Also, just because the Zorg ZF-1 is a jack of all trades doesn't necessarily mean that it's a master of any of them.

19 EM-1 Rail-Gun - Eraser (1996)

Arnold Schwarzenegger has shot many firearms during his action movie career. But arguably the strongest one is the EM-1 Rail-Gun from Eraser. This baby is a handheld electromagnetic pulse rifle that fires aluminum rounds at close to the speed of light. It shoots projectiles that go right through you, with an impact so powerful it launches your body through the ar. The EM-1 comes equipped with an X-Ray scope that lets you see through solid walls made from any material. It can also lock onto a person's visible beating heart. While the rail gun is a real life weapon, the one in this movie is totally fictional...for now.

18 Captain America's Shield - MCU

Few objects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are as powerful as Captain America's (Chris Evans) shield (though you can find them on this list). In the comics, Cap's shield is actually made from adamantium (more on that in a bit), but due to legal issues, the MCU had to alter this detail. In the films, the shield is made from another powerful, fictional metal called vibranium, which is more versatile than its counterpart.

Designed by the father of Iron Man, Cap's shield is indestructible, which makes it a strong defensive tool -- but also a powerful weapon. It can be flung at great distances and create serious damage on impact. Put this in the hands of superhuman Captain America, and you've got one mighty weapon. But at the end of the day, it's still just a shield, which limits its capabilities and prevents it reaching a higher spot.

17 Lightsabers - Star Wars

One of the most powerful weapons in cinema is also one of its most famous. The Star Wars franchise introduced audiences to the iconic lightsaber. As Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) says in A New Hope, "This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age." Although, we have seen non-Force users like Finn wield these weapons before. Lightsabers are futuristic swords that can deflect blasts, slice through anything, and melt metal. For most fans, the best part of any Star Wars movies are the epic lightsaber duels. Sure, they're strong and cool-looking. But lightsabers aren't as powerful as some of the other weapons on this list.

16 Wolverine's Claws - X-Men

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is one of the most powerful superheroes in the X-Men franchise, and that's mainly because of his adamantium claws. Adamantium is a fictional metal in the Marvel universe that's virtually indestructible. And it's been surgically attached to Wolverine's skeleton. His surgeons also added three adamantium claws to each of Wolverine's hands -- because why the hell not? Wolverine's claws can withstand damage, cut through anything like Swiss cheese, and deflect bullets. Pair them with his fierce nature and deadly fighting skills, and Wolverine's claws become one of the most deadly blades in cinema.

Related: All X-Men Movies, Ranked

15 Excalibur - King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Although evidence indicates that he wasn't a real historical figure, King Arthur is known throughout the world. His story is legendary, especially when it comes to Excalibur, the mythical blade that Arthur pulled from a stone to become the King of England. Fictional or not, Excalibur is the most famous sword of all time. And also one of the most powerful. Excalibur's abilities range from tale to tale, movie to movie.

Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword features one of the most powerful iterations of the mythical blade. Forged by Merlin the wizard himself, Excalibur transforms its wielder into the strongest warrior on earth. It enhances the wielder's speed and strength to superhuman levels and can slice through just about anything. It also grants premonitory visions. Excalibur's immense power, though, can only be accessed by the King Uther or his true-born son. In this case, Arthur.

14 Lasso of Hestia - DCEU

The Lasso of Hestia, better known as the Lasso of Truth, from the DC Extended Universe (RIP) is the signature weapon of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). It's a magical, indestructible ripe that was owned by a Greek goddess. Although it's twenty feet long, the lasso is capable of magically extending itself if needed. Its main ability is to compel anyone in its grip to tell the truth, even someone as intelligent and strategic as Batman. Like Cap's shield, it can be used for both defensive and offensive purposes. The Lasso of Truth is one of the most powerful weapons in cinema and also one of its most unique. Sorry Indiana Jones, but your little whip has nothing on Wonder Woman's.

13 Goldeneye - Goldeneye (1995)

Goldeneye is regarded as one of the best films in the James Bond franchise. It also features one of cinema's strongest weapons. Goldeneye is the codename for a Soviet-era space-based weapon, a satellite that's armed with a nuclear electromagnetic pulse. Once activated, Goldeneye can fire a powerful electromagnetic pulse on any target on Earth. This weapon can't destroy a civilization like other entries on this list, but it can wipe out a society's infrastructure and technology. One blast and an entire country is sent back into the Stone Age, which makes this a bad customer for modern society. I mean, what would any of us do without the internet and social media? The one drawback, however, is that Goldeneye depends on three keys that need to be turned with precise synchronization in order to activate the weapon.

12 Atomic Bomb - Oppenheimer (2023)

Unless you live under a rock, then you've probably heard of Oppenheimer, one of 2023's biggest movies and a favorite at the upcoming Academy Awards. It follows the life and work of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), who's credited with building the first atomic bomb. And unlike other entries on this list, this one is terrifyingly real. The atomic bomb is a device that uses nuclear reactions to generate an explosion equaling approximately 20,000 tons of TNT. It can instantly reduce cities to ash while wiping out tens of thousands of people. And it's actually happened.

Nuclear weapons have been used only twice in history, both times by the United States against Japan during World War II. Its deployment led to Japan's immediate surrender, though the ethics behind this decision has been a hotly debated topic. While these weapons haven't been used since, many countries now possess the technology -- which means the possibility of nuclear war is always looming.

11 Elder Wand - Harry Potter

In the world of Harry Potter, a wizard or witch's wand is more than just an everyday tool; it can also be a mighty weapon. And no wand is more powerful than the Elder Wand. It makes up one third of the legendary Deathly Hallows. According to legend, the Elder Wand was constructed by Death himself and contains the tail hair of a Thestral, a very difficult substance to master.

The Elder Wand can perform impossible feats of magic, enchantments that even the most skilled wizard and witch couldn't pull off. For most people, this wand is merely a myth -- until its location is uncovered in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows duology. As it turns out, Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) had possessed the Elder Wand all along. Is this why he was so powerful? Most likely. In the wrong hands, such as Lord Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes), the Elder Wand could be devastating. But in the right hands, like Harry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe)...well then, it can just get snapped like a twig and tossed away.

10 Men in Black: International (2019)

The original Men in Black film established a franchise that gave us lots of memorable aliens -- and also some very strong weapons. When we consider powerful weapons in this franchise, we think of the deceptively powerful Noisy cricket, or the Tri-Barrel Plasma Gun, which is used to take down the bug and his ship in the first movie, or even the neuralyzer, which doesn't destroy but can erase memories on a wide scale.

But the most powerful handheld weapon in the Men in Black galaxy is the Crystal Weapon, a portable firearm that's powered by a compressed blue giant star. It appears in Men in Black: International and is used to create a massive crater in the desert -- and that's at a setting of 0.001. We can only imagine the devastation this thing would wreak at a higher setting.

9 Oxygen Destroyer - Godzilla

Godzilla began terrorizing audiences in the 1954 film Godzilla, which is still regarded as one of the best movies in the franchise. Back then, he was the antagonist of his own movie, destroying cities and slaughtering thousands in the process. Godzilla was originally the byproduct of atomic weapons (thanks Oppenheimer) and seemed impossible to kill. To defeat this nuclear monster, Japanese scientists whipped out the creatively named Oxygen Destroyer.

This device releases a chemical called Micro-Oxygen, which liquefies the molecules in water. Any organism exposed to Micro-Oxygen will first suffocate from a lack of oxygen and then disintegrate. If the Oxygen Destroyer were used on land, its creators claim, then it would turn Tokyo into a mass grave. It's the Oxygen Destroyer that finally takes out Godzilla in the 1954 film, though the King of Monsters returns in future productions. And so does this device. It recently appeared in 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters, though it had no effect on Godzilla or his rival Ghidorah.

Related: The Best Giant Monster Movies, Ranked

8 City Destroyer Beam - Independence Day (1996)

You've definitely seen this image before, even if you've never watched Independence Day. This movie features one of the best alien invasions in cinema, led by a race of parasitic and hostile extra-terrestrials known as Harvesters. Their mothership deploys a number of massive spacecrafts known as City Destroyers, which are used to eliminate a planet's population.

In Independence Day, these ships hover over major global cities and targets. One of them hovers over the White House -- and then destroys it with a single blast. These beams pack serious firepower and create massive walls of fire that expands within a 25 kilometers radius, leaving mass destruction in their wake. Since 1999, the White House's explosion has become one of the most iconic shots in cinema.

7 The Five Elements - The Fifth Element (1997)

Sure, the Zorg ZF-1 pod weapon is strong and versatile. But The Fifth Element actually features an even more powerful weapon. But first, some context: every five thousand years, a great evil -emerges that's said to be anti-life. The only way to defeat it is with a special weapon that's comprised of the four classical elements -- earth, wind, fire, and water -- and a mysterious fifth element. The four elements are represented as mystical engraved stones, while the fifth element is...well, a naked humanoid woman with orange hair named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich).

When combined, these five elements emit a divine, skyward blast that can destroy pretty much anything, including a giant fireball of evil. Despite their immense power, the five elements need to be set up in a specific way and in a specific location in order to reach their full potential, which makes it less reliable and less practical compared to other weapons on this list.

6 The Godkiller - Drive Angry (2011)

Drive Angry starring Nicolas Cage feels like a low budget action-horror film, though that's kind of the point. It's meant to resemble a grindhouse film. But at the heart of this film's made-for-3D cinematography lies one of the most powerful movie weapons ever: the Godkiller. This cannon-handgun belongs to the Devil himself, which makes it pretty badass right off the bat. John Milton (Cage) steals the gun from Satan and wields it through Drive Angry. The Godkiller can kill anything, mortal or divine. But it doesn't just stop at your physical form; the Godkiller also destroys your soul and nullifies your afterlife. You literally cease to exist if you get shot with this thing. Name a movie gun more powerful than that.

5 Sauron's Ring - The Lord of the Rings

Twenty Rings of Power exist in The Lord of the Rings. B​​​​ut there is one that rules above them all, a ring that wields a dark and terrible power. Using the cursed language of Black Speech and the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron molded the One Ring. He put everything he was into its forging: all of his power, all of his evil. Because of this, the One Ring corrupts the mind of its wearer. The other 19 rings are bound to its power, which makes their own wearers vulnerable to Sauron's will. In addition to invisibility and extended life, the One Ring greatly enhances the Dark Lord's power, though this doesn't seem to be the case for other wearers. Just look at Gollum, who was more broken than powerful. The One Ring is strongest on the hand of Sauron, and we don't really get to see its full power in the movies. But the fact that all of Middle-Earth mobilizes against Sauron's armies to stop him from reuniting with his ring shows just how devastating and powerful it really is. If Sauron had gotten his hands on it, then it would've brought an apocalypse upon Middle-Earth.

4 Mjolnir - MCU

Mjolnir is one of the strongest weapons in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Forged by the Dwarves of Nidavellir, it's an enchanted war-hammer that was made for the Asgardian Royal Family. It can only be picked up by those who are deemed worthy. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) wields Mjolnir throughout the Thor and Avengers movies, though we do get to see other characters pick it up. And when you do, Mjolnir bestows you with incredible power. The wielder can manipulate the weather, summoning hurricanes and electrical fields within seconds. It can project and deflect energy blasts and allow its master to fly at ridiculous speeds.

After Mjolnir is temporarily destroyed, Thor has the Dwarf King of Nidavellir forge him a similar replacement: a war-ax called Stormbreaker. This weapon shares many of Mjolnir's abilities. They both pack a serious punch, though Stormbreaker comes with more of an edge, as Thanos (Josh Brolin) can testify to. For that reason, we lumped these weapons into the same entry. But if you see either of them hurtling toward you, Mjolnir or Stormbreaker, then you'd better get out of the way.

3 The Genesis Device - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is regarded by many Star Trek fans as the best film in the franchise. It was a big improvement upon its predecessor, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which was panned by both critics and audiences. Wrath of Khan revived interest in Star Trek and established Khan as one of the best villains in the franchise. It also introduced the powerful Genesis Device. Created to solve sociological problems like overpopulation and food supply shortages, the Genesis Device is inserted into a torpedo and launched into a lifeless planet, where it detonates, reassembles subatomic particles according to a preprogrammed matrix, and creates an environment that's habitable for humans in mere hours. But if Genesis is detonated where life already exists...well, then that's a problem. It suddenly becomes a weapon of mass destruction, eradicating all life on that planet according to its new matrix. If Thanos from the Marvel Cinematic Universe had the Genesis Device, maybe he wouldn't have needed the next entry on our list.

2 The Death Star - Star Wars

Is that a small moon? Nope, it's the Death Star from the Star Wars franchise. Although it operates as a base for the Galactic Empire, the Death Star's primary function is to serve as a doomsday weapon. It packs enough firepower to destroy an entire planet. And we see this happen in A New Hope when the Death Star annihilates Princess Leia's (Carrie Fisher) home planet of Alderaan with a single blast. The Death Star is one of the most famous weapons not just in Star Wars but in cinema.

The Star Wars sequel trilogy pays homage to (some might say copies) this icon with the First Order's Starkiller Base, which is basically just a larger, more powerful Death Star. Starkiller Base is capable of destroying up to five planets, which we see happen in The Force Awakens. Fun fact: Star Wars creator George Lucas originally named his protagonist Luke Starkiller rather than Skywalker; the name of this base is a cool nod to that piece of history.The original Death Star required 24 hours to recharge after issuing a blast, a big negative, but the second iteration only needed 3 minutes to do so.

1 The Infinity Gauntlet - MCU

There's no weapon in the universe, or in the movies, more powerful than the Infinity Gauntlet. This dangerous glove was forged by the Dwarves of Nidavellir for the big, bad boss of the MCU's Infinity Saga, Thanos (Josh Brolin). By itself, the gauntlet isn't much of a threat. But when all six Infinity Stones are gathered together and inserted into the gauntlet, it creates a weapon of mass destruction. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos completes the weapon's assembly and suddenly holds the power of the universe in the palm of his hand. In a terrifying moment, he uses it to instantly wipe out half of all life in the universe. And all it takes is a simple snap of his fingers.